AN: Hey everyone, sorry for keeping you waiting so long... I know, I know, I'm a horrible person. Normally right now I would be going on and on about my hectic life (with my AP exams, the musical, being a mentor, work, spending two weeks in England, marching band starting up, concerts, prom, my birthday, and now finals coming up) but I've decided that I've really just been lazy. So I'll try to do better... oh and for those who were wondering " " is spoken and ' ' is thought.

So sit back and enjoy the show

Images molded and melted together in her mind. The images themselves were vague, what they were actually supposed to represent could not be determined by the cloudiness that protected the images from her conscience. She turned over, burrowing herself deeper into the blankets as she slept. The images once more danced around her, torturing her with unknown information, she reaches, as if trying to grasp the images, but they disappear like a mirage, reappearing further away as if luring her to follow. And lure her it does, she can feel herself moving, making her way towards the images. But once more they dangle out of her reach. The colors intertwine, the whites, silvers, and golds swirl together in a never ending vortex. Suddenly, she feels like she's falling, falling into an abyss, falling into nothingness. The colors mock her, and still swirl faster, the images themselves now seem to swirl together, and become one massive vortex.

Suddenly she's running, running away from the vortex that now seems intent on reaching her. She runs faster and faster in an attempt to escape her dream. But still the vortex pursues her, intent on capturing her. She ran faster, but to no prevail. The vortex seemed to be gaining on her. Finally she comes to a wall, a dead end. With nowhere to go, she glances behind her, the colors now a blur of gray, it's colors no longer distinguishable. Frantically she looks around, trying to find some means of escape, but none present it self. Still the vortex looms ever closer, its gray mass towering in front of her. She knows that there is no escape. She squeezes her eyes shut, as if to block the pain that is surely coming, but nothing does. Finally after waiting for what appears to be lifetimes, she cautiously opens one eye to see---

Blue eyes. They were the most vibrant blue eyes she had ever seen. Her vision was still blurry, but she eventually realized that she was in her room and that she wasn't alone. Deciding that this was still a dream, she closed her eyes.

"Good morning, are you hungry?"

Serena snapped up, her eyes instantly opening as she starred at Darien who was perched on the side of her bed. After rubbing her eyes to ensure that this was really not a dream, she replied, "starving."

Darien's smile became, almost impossibly wider, "good because I made pancakes. Get up sleepyhead, it's time to eat."

Breakfast that morning seemed like a common occurrence. 'For some reason' Serena thought, 'I feel like this is where I belong. But how weird is that? I mean, I barely know the guy...' Serena stopped eating and reflected on that thought, not unnoticed by Darien, who in turn stopped eating and stared at her, a puzzled expression on his face. 'I mean, I don't know that I know him; but obviously I do, considering that he knows so much about me and we were apparently close...I wonder just how close...'

Finished with her digression, Serena once again resumed the fulfilling task of eating. Only when she completed her task (a task which only took 3.5 seconds grant you ) did she look up to find a pair of azure eyes staring at her in mirth. "What," she asked her fork instantly falling down to her plate. "Do I have something on my face?" Frantically she checked her face for any sign of syrup or pancake residue she might have overlooked.

Darien cracked up at her antics, a smile once more donning his face. He looks really good when he smiles, Serena thought. "What's so funny?"

"You," he laughed, "you never change...it never ceases to amaze me how fast you eat. I mean, don't you choke?"

"Hey," Serena joked back, "It takes mad skills to be able to eat like I can..." she patted her stomach. "Not everyone is blessed with a stomach of steel." The two laughed, and both felt at ease in each other's presence.

Just then the tranquil moment was obliterated by the shrill sound of the telephone. Darien rolled his eyes, which drew a giggle from Serena, before making his way to the phone.

"Hello," his baritone silenced the ringing. An overwhelming feeling of curiosity overcame Serena and she struggled with herself not to listen to the conversation. So she sat back, still sitting at the table, and found some amusement with twiddling her thumbs.

"Uh huh, yeah sure. Umm, I don't think that's possible as of right now. Why not? Um, well I'd rather not explain to you right at this moment." He paused, and Serena found herself rising out of her chair and slowly making her way over to him. Darien looked over his shoulder and smiled at her, reassuring her that everything was alright. Then, drawling his attention back to the phone, he turned back around and fumbled around for a pen and paper.

"Ok, so you'll meet for lunch at 5th and West? Ok, yeah yeah, I'll tell you everything then. No she won't be joining us." "Why not? Well…she just can't…look," he said looking slightly flustered, "I'll tell you everything then. Ok I'll see you at 12:30…bye." He raked his hand through his hair, making it even more unruly.

"Everything alright?" Serena asked cautiously stepping up behind him.

"Yeah, everything's fine, I'm just meeting with some friends for lunch."

"Oh ok then," Serena stepped back once more, to a more comfortable distance.

"Look," Darien said, turning towards her. "Are you going to be alright by yourself when I'm gone?" Serena gave him a look that clearly stated that she did not appreciate being treated like a four year old and Darien held up his hands and hastily corrected himself. "Ok, so maybe that seemed a little patronizing. I'm sorry if that sounded like I don't trust you or I think you can't handle yourself but I just want to make sure you'll be alright." His eyes seemed to peer into hers looking for reassurance from a crime he thought he committed.

Serena laughed, "Look, it's ok. I get it. I know that you're just concerned for me and I appreciate it. It's just that I'm not a little girl, I can handle myself so yes, I'll be fine here on my own, and if I get bored, I can always call Mina. She seemed really cool."

"Good, because I need to run some errands before I meet the girls for lunch."

Serena raised an eyebrow and unexpected jealousy coursed through her, "The girls," she asked, some of the jealousy coming through.

Now it was Darien's turn to laugh. "Yes, the girl's. They're just some old friends of mine, nothing to be worried about." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Wow, it's almost 10, I guess I better go so I can get everything done. I'll see you when I get back." He grabbed his things and strode over to the door. "Bye, Serena."

Serena barely glanced at him as he left. "Bye Darien…" She slowly made her way over the couch, deep in thought. 'What the heck was that all about Serena?' She dropped her head into her hands as so sat on the couch dejectedly. 'Why are you acting to jealous? Why are you suddenly on the defensive?'

After pondering over these questions for a few minutes she sighed, realizing that she had no answers. Well, at least answers that made sense. Getting up, she wiped some imaginary dust off her pajama pants and stretched out, loosening some of the stiffness in her joints. Wincing, as she pulled a little too hard at her shoulder, she cradled her arm in her hand and went to look at the clock. 'Gosh,' she sighed, 'it's only 10:13. What am I going to do for about 3 hours?' Glancing about, she took in her surroundings. 'Well, I guess I could always watch a video. But…where are the videos?'

She decided that the safest bet would be to look near the television, so she went back into the living room. 'Now,' she scanned the area. 'Where would be a great place to…ah hah!' Serena noticed a cabinet against the far wall close to the television. 'That has got to be where the movies are.' Happy that she found something, she made her way over to the cabinet. 'Ok,' she thought opening the doors. 'Let's see what we have….what?' Her thought process ran off as she peered into the cabinet. "Books," she asked aloud as she realized what the cabinet held. "Why on earth would there be books by the TV?" She shook her head at the insanity of the matter and shut the cabinet door. "So, where do I look next?"

She quickly glanced about the room. 'Ok, let's see here. We have a TV, a stereo, the book case, coffee table, sofa, coat hangers, phone, clock…oh there's another one. Where are the movies? Where, where where?' She began to explore the length of the room, her hand running along the edge of TV, collecting the minimal amount of dust that lie on its surface.

"Ok," she said, hands on her hips. "This is ridiculous! How hard is it to find some stupid movies?" "I mean, really, there are only so many places you can put movies. I mean, you can't very well have them in the kitchen…" she began muttering to herself. She stopped as she saw a door.

'Hmm,' she thought. 'I wonder if they are in this…I guess it's a closet.' She walked toward the door. 'But honestly, why would someone put movies in a closet,' she thought as she turned the door handle. 'That's got to be one of the most stupidest…oh here they are.'

Excited that she found the movies, she quickly began reading the titles. "Hmm, we've got Golden Eye, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day, A License to Kill. A lot of James Bond movies here. Signs, The Village, the Italian Job, I Robot, Troy, White Noise, The Ring, Sleeping Beauty." "Sleeping Beauty?" She paused and read the title again. "Sleeping Beauty, didn't expect that…" she said as she took the movie off the shelf and popped it into the VCR. "Maybe it will be good…"

Approximately 75 minutes later, Serena was dancing around the living room. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream… That movie was awesome." She looked at the clock, '11:45 ok, so I have around 2 hours until Darien gets back. What should I do now?"

Ten minutes later, and Serena still hadn't found anything to do. She debated on watching another movie, but she didn't think she could sit still that long. She thought about eating, but she wasn't really hungry. She argued against going out, but decided that the cons by far outweighed the pros. She was on her wits end, desperate times called for desperate measures. "Well, I guess I could always clean."

Twenty minutes later, armed with a broom and mop, which she had to scour the kitchen in order to find, Serena began cleaning. She made her way over to the kitchen table, where left over breakfast greeted her. "Eww, that's gross." Serena picked up the various plates, cups and utensils and placed them gently in the sink. Finding dish soap underneath the table, she poured some in and turned on the tap to make soapy water.

While waiting for the sink to fill, she carefully swept the rest of the kitchen and dinning room. "Well, that's done," she said, wiping her hands together. "I guess I should do……oh my gosh the dishes!"

She ran back to the kitchen sink to see water running on the floor. "Oh no!" She quickly turned off the tap and hastily mopped up the mess on the floor. "Well, I guess I can wash the dishes…"

Five minutes later, the dishes were washed and dried, and Serena felt exhausted. She began to drag herself towards the living room. "Man, I feel like I could pass out." She practically fell onto the sofa. Stifling a yawn she lay down on the sofa. "Maybe I should just…take a…" She was fast asleep before she could finish the sentence…

Darien briskly made his was towards the café on 5th and West. He quickly glanced at his wrist watch. '12:32, well I'm not that late. Maybe they're not even here yet…' One step into the café and he knew that wasn't the case. The energy filled the café, and it wasn't welcoming.

"Shields," Alex said as Darien sat in front of her.

"Alex," Darien replied, leveling his gaze with her.

"What the hell is going on? A few weeks ago we felt this strange energy, almost as if something had happened with the…well I don't know. We just felt something. And so we come back here and contact you, whereas you give us the dos-e-do as to what the hell is going on…Where the hell is Serena…"

"Alex!" Michelle scolded. "Calm down," she placed her arm on Alex's, the gesture seeming to calm the outraged woman down. "Why don't you let Darien talk?" The exceedingly elegant woman nodded her head towards Darien, who was looking more than a little uncomfortable. "Darien?"

The young man gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing, his nervousness radiating from his pores. "I'd….I'd rather not talk about that right now…" He raked his hands through his hair; his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"God damn it Darien! What the hell is going on?" Alex resumed her questioning.

"Listen, I really can't explain this…" Darien tried to stop their questioning.

"Why don't you just tell us?" Michelle's voice resonated.

"Because, I don't know how to explain…"

"Why don't you just try?"

"I can't…"

"Listen Shields, I'm serious! Where the hell is Serena? Why can't we talk to her?" Alex's voice rose, drawing the attention of fellow diners.

"Because she doesn't know who she is god damn it!" Darien exploded. "She has no idea who you are, who she is, and who I am! She has no memory of her life! Nothing! You want to go talk to her! Go ahead and try! Lord knows I already have! But don't come crying to me when she looks at you like you're crazy!"

At this Darien broke down. His face fell into his hands and his shoulders shock in unheard cries. Instantly following his outburst Michelle's and Alex's hands flew to their mouths and they stared at Darien, eyes wide, mouths agape. Their thoughts and questions raced through their minds, but all fell silent at their lips.

'Jesus,' Alex thought to herself. 'No wonder we felt this sense of foreboding. This is crazy…it's' her face screwed up in thought as she tried to think of the right words. 'It's….well, I don't know what it is…but it's not good. Oh….my poor Koneko, I'm sorry we failed you…' Her eyes turned heavenward…

Michelle didn't know what to say. Never in her lifetimes had she been taught to deal with something like this. Sure, she had spent many years in various schools, refining her pedigree, becoming a 'lady'. She had received the finest educations…hell she was a freaking inspiration to people with her artistic and musical talents. Well versed in all subjects, Michelle thought that she could handle it all, and handle it in a serene manner. With a dejected manner she realized how wrong she was….

So now the trio sat together, silent as their individual thoughts and fears confronted their minds. No one knew what to say, what to say to make things better. No one knew how to alleviate the pain, how to, somehow ease their suffering. So rather than discuss what they all were thinking about, they turned to idle talk.

"So, Darien, Michelle's playing tonight at the concert hall. And…well, we have these two extra tickets….maybe it would be good to…you know…get her out of the apartment for a little while."

"Well, I guess so, but, no offense," Darien turned to Michelle. "I just never got the impression that Serena liked those kinds of things."

"Still," Michelle reached out and placed her hands on top of his. "It would be good to take her out for awhile. To let her experience the world again. Who knows, maybe something might jog her memory a bit."

Darien still looked skeptical, but finally relented. "Ok, I'll run the idea by her. But no promises."

"Great," said Michelle reaching into her handbag to hand Darien the two tickets. "The concert starts at 7, doors open at 6:30."

"I hope you don't mind sitting next to a few politicians," Alex said standing up to shake Darien's hand.

"Nah, it's nothing we can't handle…" He turned to give Michelle a hug before leaving.

"Be strong young prince," Michelle whispered into his ear.

"Well, bye…" he turned and left the café.

"Be strong…" she whispered after him.

Darien arrived home around 2 o'clock. He casually placed his things on the floor, the many bags testament to the various errands he had ran before his little get together with Michelle and Alex. Wearily, he drug himself into the living room, stopping as he noticed Serena sleeping on the couch.

'She looks like an angel…more so now than ever,' he mused as he found a blanket and gently lay it onto of her. She stirred slightly and then settled back down drawing the covers around herself, wrapping herself in a cocoon.

Darien sat down in the chair opposite. Just sat down, no thoughts raced through his mind, no reminders of obligations or problems. Just blissful peace…he stayed that way for a long time…

AN: Wow, it took forever, but I finally got another chapter out. For those of you who noticed that I called Amara Alex, I decided not to use Amara because Amara was distinctly feminine whereas Alex was both feminine and masculine. Since Alex (or Amara) can be mistaken for both, I decided that Alex would be more appropriate for my story. I apologize for the relative crappiness of this chapter, but I needed to get through this filler to get to the good stuff.

Oh, I'm having a little contest. In the next chapter I was planning on introducing the new villain. My little contest is basically a naming game. Just give me your thoughts or suggestions about the villain and the best one will get put in!

Thanks so much for reading this, and especially those who are still reading this, because I know, I often get bored at the end of chapters. I promise I will get this next chapter out sooner, and I'm hoping I get a lot of response for the Name the Villain Contest!

Thanks again!

totallysweetc