Chapter One: Stop me and steal my breath…

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth

Serena looked around her and smiled. This had been one of the best ideas she'd ever had, paying for a two week get away with her best friends. Amy, Lita, Mina and Raye had been reluctant at first, but after careful planning around everyone's schedules, Serena had insisted. They had agreed roughly two weeks before the actual trip, and of course, Serena had told them all that she knew they would come, since she ALWAYS got what she wanted.

"Sere, you really shouldn't smile like that, you look like a crazed psycho killer." Raye teased. "And pray tell, just why ARE you smiling like that?"

"I never knew anywhere outside the city could be so beautiful. Who would've thought that Vermont was this amazing?" She sighed and looked around again before motioning to the bell boy to bring their luggage to their rooms. When she planned the trip, she had made sure each girl had her own separate room, because if they didn't each have their own get away space, by the end of the two weeks, each and every one of them would have killed each other many times over. She giggled at that thought and linked arms with Mina, the two blonde bombshells who could have been twins albeit their totally opposite personalities.

They walked into the huge main lobby and Serena gasped. There, in all his 6'4", dark brown hair, steel blue eyes, rock hard body, olive skinned magnificence was her best guy friend, Darien Shields. He looked her way and she felt a strange fluttering in her stomach. Well that's odd, why did my stomach flip flop when Darien looked our way? She smiled, pushed away the feeling and ran into his outstretched arms and squealed.

"Dare! What are you DOING here?" She asked when he finally let her go. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he looked down at her, a twinkle that set off those butterflies again. What the hell! I cannot be getting butterflies from looking at Darien…no, that's not it, I'm just hungry. Yeah, hungry that's all.

"I'm here to see you Princess." That was his nickname for her, ever since they were 13 and she had been Cinderella in the school play to his Prince Charming.

"But…why?"

"Long story shirt, the mom's has husband number five in for a couple weeks and when you said you'd be here and to call you…well I decided to take it one step further. Sadly, all their rooms are taken. Some sort of Chiropractic Convention this month? So…what do you say Sere?" He gave her his signature smirk that melted so many girls they knew.

"About what? What am I supposed to be considering?"

"Sere…don't play that game. Can I stay in your room for the time you're here…or at least until a room opens?...Pwetty pwease?" Now how could she resist a look like that? His gorgeous mouth turned into a puppy dog pout, eyes still twinkling, mocking her, knowing she'd say yes and that he'd already won.

"I'm going to say yes, but ONLY because you've been my best friend since we were born." Her blue eyes twinkled just the same as his as he scooped her into his arms again, laughing and squeezing her.

"Alright, I'll go get my bags. Thanks sweet cheeks." He winked at her and went out to the parking lot to his shiny, cherry red Porsche.

"SERENA KATHRYN! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO! WHY DID YOU LET HIM STAY!" The girls yelled in unison as soon as Darien was out of ear shot.

"Guys, you don't know how it is at Darien's house okay? Just drop it. Nothing's going to change, it'll still be a girl's vacation. He won't be in the way, I pinkie promise."

The first few days Serena kept her promise, they all went swimming, hiking, shopping in the city and stealing the keys to operate the ski lifts so they could ride them to the tops of the hills and roll down the ones without to many trees in the way, you know…normal stuff. Then gradually, they started drifting apart…Mina found a guy in the city and started seeing him every day, Raye also found a guy while she was doing her daily services in the nearby temple, Amy had been suspiciously absent for a few days after she had met a guy at the library and Lita had called Andrew to come up from New York, and no one had seen them leave her room for three days, but room service kept coming, so they knew she was okay.

Serena sighed, this girl's holiday was turning out to be the holiday of hook ups…and she didn't have anyone.
You have Darien!
No I don't! He has Kate, and besides, he doesn't like me like that…
He does too! Can't you see that you idiot?
Why am I arguing with you? I can just do this, and with that Serena shook her head and cleared her thoughts.