Hi peeps, sorry i havent updated for a while, havent had the internet, so am doing this at school! yay, back at school... anyway hope you will enjoy! P

Chapter 12

"I think I'll just go." Serena said and walked towards Darien's front door, she was about to take off her slippers when Darien took hold of her arm.

"Serena wait." He said and turned her to face him. Serena's face was red with embarrassment and Darien had to smile at her. She was like the little girl he once knew, but now she was a woman and they weren't playing games anymore.

"No Darien, just let me go, I've made a fool of myself enough for one day." She said and tried to pull his arm away. But he wouldn't budge. She looked down at his hand and then into his eyes.

She could see something there, what was it? Could it be love?

"Serena let me think for a minute, this is obviously about Rini." He said and pulled her towards his couch.

Serena let him lead her, she was scared, she didn't like Darien in this way, not that she knew, but she felt a soft tingle where his hand was on her arm.

And then the butterflies had come; she hadn't had butterflies since her first kiss at Juuban. She hated it, he always made her feel like a kid, but she liked that feeling, it made her feel innocent and like he would protect her.

"Darien, please just let me go!" Serena said, not wanting to discuss the matter any further and wondering what the girls had thought this would accomplish.

"Serena, please." Darien said looking into her eyes and turning her head to look up at him. She noticed that he still had his hand on her arm.

Serena looked down at her arm and Darien saw her gaze move and quickly removed his arm.

"Sorry." He said and instantly turned quiet.

Serena had never seen this side of him before and it amused her. Darien would usually jump at a chance to hurt her or annoy her, but now he was apologising. Her face turned from worry to a big smile. Darien looked at her and upturned his eye brow.

"What?" He said almost spitefully.

"Its just that you have never apologized to me, its really funny." She said and fell onto her back on the sofa laughing. But Serena, being a ditz, laughed to hard, didn't calculate the width of the sofa and slid slowly off and onto the floor between the sofa and the coffee table. At this Darien looked down at her and shrugged.

"Stop being so immature meatball head." He said and instantly Serena stopped laughing. She sat up; managing not to hit her had on the table and looked at Darien.

"And I thought you had grown up Darien," she said and pulled herself to her feet. But she instantly lost her footing underneath the rug and fell forwards. The only problem for her was that Darien was in front of her.

He caught her easily and looked down at the woman who was sprawled out across his lap.

"Now I just see that you are the jerk I once knew and do everything for your own pleasure." Serena finished and started to get up when she realised that Darien had taken hold of both her arms and she could not move from the position in his lap.

"Now Meatball head that is not very nice is it?" He said and tightened his grip on her. Serena once again felt that tingle on her arms where Darien had his hands. Also the butterflies had returned. Why did he make her feel like a scared schoolgirl every time he touched her?

"Darien Chiba, you let go of me this very moment!" Serena shouted at him, trying to wiggle free from his touch, but no matter how much she squirmed it didn't work.

Darien liked the feel of her being so close, it reminded him of something but he couldn't remember what, probably back from the times on the moon. He smiled down at her seeing some kind of distress in her eyes, but not really thinking it was much as he could also see something else there.

"Serena, just sit down and act your age, this is important." He said and shoved her hard on the sofa next to him. He didn't mean to hurt her but if he showed her any kind of feeling she would walk all over him like all the other girls had done.

Serena sat back quietly like a scared girl she used to be, she pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them waiting for Darien to speak. She didn't want to act scared or innocent around him but he was so strict and powerful, he more intrigued her than scared, but she still had something inside her that made her obey him.

"Darien, I shouldn't have come, if you just let me go." She said to him in a little voice, wondering what his reply would be. Darien instantly turned his head to look at her shocked.

'…if you just let me go…' she thinks she is some kind of a prisoner, what have I done to this poor girl?

"Serena I…" He started, moving his eyes from her worried face to his hands, which he clasped tightly in his lap. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… I… I'm sorry." Serena looked at the side of his head and saw that his face was deadly serious. "I don't know when I'm being a little over the top, I shouldn't have been so aggressive…" He said and then quickly added, "I'm not usually this bad, I guess its because I haven't been sleeping too well."

Serena smiled at this, she liked this side of Darien, he didn't appear too often but she liked it and had always hoped that it would take mutiny on the other half. She moved her legs so that she was sitting properly on the sofa and then leaned forwards and took Darien's hands in her own.

He instantly turned his head to look at her, their eyes meeting over their intertwined hands.

"I accept your apology." She said to him quietly, a sweet, kind smile on her lips and that was when Darien knew it.

I love her.

Hi what do you think? let me know thanks a lot! luv bobs xxxxxxxxxx