Chapter 8

Serena watched as the pale flakes drifted gently down from the sky and softly piled upon the bleached ground. This was supposed to be one of those wonderfully sought after magical moments, watching the first flakes of snow falling. Instead, for Serena, it was torture. She was completely alone, stuck within this huge empty house, a week after the incident where both she and Darien had so ardently kissed. Darien's reaction was completely unexpected. Instead of trying to woo her all week, he behaved as if nothing at all had happened. She was beginning to believe she imagined the whole event. To top it all off, the day after Darien's employees left for the thanksgiving weekend, he decided to spend time with Rini. As a result, the house was left entirely empty. Even the butler was away.

Darien had offered the same time-off privilege to Serena, but she politely declined, for not only could she think of anywhere to spend the holiday, but hadn't intended to be separated from Rini during this special time. At least, that was the plan, until Darien announced his intentions to take Rini to see his mother. Serena had struggled to prevent herself grabbing her daughter and refusing to let go. She did not want her daughter anywhere near that old hag, albeit, Serena was powerless to do anything about it for the time being. Naturally, Rini was deeply attached to her father, and any attempt to separate them at this point would only make Rini resent her.

Deathly-bored, Serena sighed restlessly, and trudged upstairs, heading towards her room. Since she had nothing better to do, she decided to catch up with Mina. It had been quite a while since she had last talked to her good friend, Mina -- the very one that helped her weasel her way back into her daughter's life. Serena found her cell phone and plopped onto her bed, waiting for Mina to pick up her phone.

"Hello, Mina speaking." Mina's melodious voice issued from the handset.

"Yeah, I'd like one extra large pizza with everything on it," Serena answered, trying to disguise her voice, and failing horribly.

Mina laughed heartily. "Hi Serena, how's everything going?"

"All right," Serena replied, her voice taking on a tone of complaint.

"Okay, spill."

"It's nothing… It's just that things are turning out a little differently than expected."

"We can't always plan for life's unexpected twists and turns, Serena."

"I know that… It's just that, Darien's an expert at playing with my emotions. One minute I can't stand him, and the next, I'm--"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Serena," Mina piped in, interrupting her before Serena could express her feelings for her ex-husband. "After all you've been through, because of that man, I don't know how you can be anything else but indifferent to him."

"I know, Mina. God I know, but I can't help it. When I'm around him, sometimes I just forget myself and it's like old times. And when I spend time with him and Rini, it feels like we're a family -- a real family."

"Serena…" Mina exhaled noisily. "I don't think you're going to like what I have to say."

"Just say it, Mina. You know your opinion matters most to me."

"I think you need to get out of that house, and fast, Serena. You're obviously not over Darien, though you should be, and I don't think you'll ever be. With him around you all the time, it only makes it worse."

"And what about Rini? I can't just leave her behind," Serena yelled back, in a panic at the thought of leaving Rini ever again.

"Take her with you. I am sure that the hospital will take you back. I'll help you find an affordable place to live. After you're settled, you can then sort out the custody thing with Darien. Judges always sympathize with the mother. It'll work, Serena, you just have to move fast." The idea was tempting, but she just couldn't go through with something like that, at least not yet.

"No Mina. I can't do that yet, Rini's completely attached to her father. If I took her away from him, she'll hate me for it."

"Oh please!" Mina chided, distastefully. "She is too young to hate anyone, let alone know what the word means. Stop trying to come up with excuses, Serena. The family of your dreams isn't with Darien. Get over it and come home!"

"That's not true, Mina," Serena retorted. "It's because she's at an age that makes this situation so fragile. If I acted now, she won't understand why I took her away from her father, the most important person in her life. She will be scared, confused and I won't put my daughter through that."

"Once she hears you're her mother, she'll be too ecstatic to think about anything else other than having you in her life. All you have to do is explain it to her in a way she can understand. As long as you don't go saying, 'you can never see your daddy again,' things should work out fine."

"I'll have to think about it, Mina," Serena replied, dismally. She really wasn't in the mood to continue this argument. "I will not put my relationship with my daughter at risk, but I'll think about everything you've said."

"Okay, that's all I ask. Look, I have to go, the wedding planner is here."

"Yeah… Well, I guess I'll call you soon."

"Don't be a stranger. I'm here for you, Serena and I always will be. Love you."

"Love you too, bye."

"Bye," Serena ended the call, with the sudden urge to throw her cell-phone at the wall. The call didn't help her feel any better, or reduce her boredom.

She was about to throw the offending object of her rage, when it shrilled to life once more. Surprised, she dropped it on her lap. Serena glared at the device before answering it. "Hello, Lillian speaking."

"Greetings bright eyes," answered the caller, the voice was oddly familiar.

"Andrew…is that you," Serena inquired, uncertainly. "How on earth did you get my cell phone number?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." He answered back, cockily, causing Serena to giggle. "What are you doing today? Got any important plans?"

"Nope, nothing important to do, why do you ask?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go out for dinner -- something fancy -- my treat."

"I couldn't possibly turn down a free meal, you're on."

"Perfect!" She could just picture his smiling face at this moment. Andrew had a beautiful smile, due to his well-kept pearly-whites. "I'll pick you up in an hour."

"I'll be ready, see you soon. Bye!"

Serena couldn't be any more excited at the chance of finally doing something to get her out of the house if she tried. She didn't even wait for his reply, ending the call to allow her enough time to get ready. He had said it was a formal dinner, so she had to look her best, and rushed into the shower. Serena had a little trouble deciding what to wear, but finally decided on a short, pale-pink spaghetti-strap dress, to go with her nice black stiletto shoes. Serena wasn't much of a heavy make-up fan, but did put on a little more than usual. She let her wet hair cascade down her back allowing it to dry naturally. Serena didn't have to wait long for Andrew's arrival. He was very punctual, and gawked at her appreciatively. Serena thought he too looked great. Andrew had a way of always looking devilishly good in whatever he wore.

"Wow! You are certainly a sight for sore eyes," Andrew told her, in a roguish tone. "Spin around for me before we go." Serena laughed at his flirtatiousness, but quickly complied, giving him a better view of those long creamy legs of hers.

"You're not so bad yourself. I do say you've turned out to be quite the handsome young gentleman."

"Well, I do try," He smirked, playfully. If Serena were a different person, she would have melted under his sexy smile. It was difficult to look sexy and innocent at the same time, and he pulled it off perfectly. Andrew had unexpectedly grabbed Serena's hand and dragged her towards his car. She'd almost wished she had met Andrew before Darien. But what was the use of wishing for the impossible. The past couldn't be relived.

Andrew and Serena sat in a comfortable silence as he drove her to the restaurant. The time seemed to be passing quite slowly while waiting for them to arrive. Not that she minded all that much. Andrew was a great companion. When they arrived, Serena was taken aback. The restaurant was conspicuously classy and she inwardly hoped the dress she'd purchased at a sale at JC Penny's, would serve as adequate camouflage in respect to the haughty upper class society. She entered the restaurant with her head held high. Upon entering this establishment, Serena was mildly surprised to find themselves quickly seated -- little to no bad attitude, turning heads, or derisive looks from classy ladies and their dates. Serena knew she shouldn't have been so judgmental, not everyone was like Darien's friends.

Everything was going smoothly until Serena opened her leather-bound menu. If her jaw could detach itself from her face, it would be lying on the floor at that moment. Serena never thought the cost of a simple meal would be this expensive. Even the breadsticks on the table were pricy. She looked at the seafood section, and the prices were equally ridiculous. Serena thought it far better if they'd gone to Red Lobster.

"You should close your mouth before a fly goes in," Andrew said, light-heartedly -- his focus not leaving his menu.

Serena's face knotted into a frustrated scowl. "Andrew, I know dinner is on you, but, Jesus…there is no need to spend this much money on dinner. It's a rip-off!" She whispered harshly, making sure the people on the nearby tables hadn't heard her.

Andrew chuckled. "It's not a big deal, Lilly. I came here to feed you, so I'm prepared to spend a lot of money to do so; order whatever you want." Andrew stated in what Serena thought a rather boastful tone.

"Be careful what promises you make with the words 'food' and 'Lilly' Andrew. You'll come out of this restaurant bankrupt if you let her get whatever she wants. I've seen her eat." A deep intruding voice interrupted. Serena almost nodded in agreement until she recognized the voice, and was taken aback by the statement, however true it might be.

"Aren't you exaggerating a tad, Darien?" She exclaimed, scornfully. "What are you doing here anyways? Aren't you and Rini supposed to be at your mother's for dinner?"

"LILLY!" Rini cried, as she ran towards their table. Serena's beamed at her little girl as she opened her arms, letting Rini run into them.

"Hi sweetheart, what are you doing here?"

"Nana wasn't feeling well, so daddy said that we could have a DFD." She exclaimed, cheerfully. Serena stared at her daughter in confusion.

"What's a DFD?"

"Its stands for daughter father dinner. We were going to spend some quality time together," He informed her, nonchalantly.

"Oh that's nice," Serena said, more to Rini than Darien.

"But since we are all here to have dinner, let's share a table," Darien suggested, with feigned enthusiasm. Andrew opened his mouth to protest, but immediately closed it when he received an ominous glare from Darien, almost daring him to go against his wishes. Serena was too busy tickling Rini to care whether Darien joined them or not. He quickly called over a waiter and bid him to add two more settings to the table and additional chairs. When they were all settled, an awkward silence passed between Darien and Andrew. Serena and Rini were perfectly content, each in their own little worlds, helping one another to select their meals.

"So, what are you and Lillian doing here… together?" Darien questioned, peevishly.

"Us, well it's a dinner date, really. We're single unattached adults with nothing better to do at the moment, and decided on a romantic dinner, and maybe a walk afterwards under the stars," Andrew retorted, leaning forward, taking Serena's hand and giving it a light kiss. Serena was so wrapped up in what she should order for dessert she didn't notice.

Meanwhile, Darien was seething. "Too bad that's all ruined now," Darien smiled, condescendingly at Andrew, signaling the waiter to the table. Darien had ordered steak, Andrew lobster, Rini ordered spaghetti and Serena settled on a large plate of linguini with shrimp as a side dish, finishing it all off with steak and onions. For dessert, she wanted a brownie sundae and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. While waiting for their meals to arrive, Darien and Andrew vied for Serena's attention, but she continued to ignore their presence. Serena helped Rini fill in the pictures within her coloring book. Everyone was glad to see the food finally arrive. Serena didn't waste any time devouring her food, finishing before everybody else. She got bored waiting for her dessert, so she started picking food from everyone else's plates. Andrew and Rini were very compliant with her desire to share food, but Darien meanwhile, relentlessly guarded his plate as if it were a city under siege.

"Oh, come on, Darien…just give me a little bite," Serena insisted, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.

"Did you give me a bite of your dinner, Lillian?" Darien retorted, shielding his meal from her determined forays into his food.

"That's because you never asked," she snapped back.

"Regardless, you didn't share with me, so why should I share mine."

"Darien please, I'm hungry!" She whined, ready to bring on the crocodile tears.

"A small bite."

"A very small bite," Serena agreed, and leaned over with her fork, ready to cut a piece, but Darien pulled his plate away.

"I'll cut it. Knowing you, you'll cut half of it away." Darien cut a small portion of his steak. "Here, open your mouth." Serena squealed happily and complied, allowing him to feed her. Darien glanced at Andrew through the corner of his eye, and could see the ire building up within the young blonde. He had to hold in his arrogant snort as he seductively fed her. It wasn't long before Serena's dessert had arrived and she grudgingly shared a bite with Darien.

After digesting their meals, the waiter placed the bill in a tray at the center of the table. Darien patted his breast and pants pockets, sighing forlornly. "Damn, it looks like I've misplaced my wallet. It's probably in the car," he grinned at Andrew, who stared at him in disbelief. "Buddy, you wouldn't mind taking care of it, would you, Andy?"

Andrew opened the folder and almost spat out his coffee. The amount of zeroes made his insides contort into a tight knot. Darien shot a glance at Serena. "Lilly, why don't you catch a ride with me and Rini, since we're all returning to the mansion."

"Okay."

"What? No, I can take her!" Andrew protested violently, shocking the small group and several patrons around their table. Andrew lowered his voice and continued. "What I mean is, I asked her out and I am perfectly capable of bringing her back."

"Nonsense, it's out of your way. You live in the opposite direction." Darien insisted.

"That's true," Serena added. "You've done enough already. I don't want to put you out of your way." Serena went around the table and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for a great time, Andrew. It was fun," she smiled, graciously and took Rini's hand, guiding her out of the restaurant.

"Thanks for paying Andrew… You really are a great friend. I had a good time. Thanks for inviting me," Darien stated before standing up and following Serena and Rini into the street. Andrew mumbled a disgruntled 'no problem.'

On the way back to the mansion, Rini had quickly fallen asleep, taking up all of the back seat and laid herself down. Darien and Serena were up front enjoying a somewhat neutral silence as they avoided each other. Serena was preoccupied, busying herself by counting the trees along the roadside as Darien kept his eyes on the road. In no time, they had arrived. Darien carried his slumbering daughter into the house.

Serena retreated to her room to avoid a confrontation with Darien. She knew he was upset with her going out with Andrew, yet again. But she couldn't care less. It was her life, and she could go out with whomever she pleased. But all efforts to re-assure herself she was the mistress of her own fate, her efforts to maintain her independence dissolving the moment she heard soft rapping on her door. Gruffly, she got off the bed and opened the door a crack for him. "Meet me in the study," was all he told her before turning abruptly and briskly walked away. Serena glared at his back, cursing. If only looks could actually kill, Serena thought, grabbing a robe and followed the well-built man to his study, firmly slamming the door to ensure he knew she was annoyed with him.

"Okay, now that was uncalled for," Darien declared, raising an eyebrow, not appreciating her antics as he sat in his high-backed leather chair. "Would you like to take a seat?"

"I'd rather stand, thank you very much," she shot back, snidely.

"Very well, as you may have noticed, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and unlike the others you've decided not to spend it with your family."

"I don't have a family," she interrupted. "At least not anymore, it was taken away from me."

"How very sad for you," he retorted, his face like his voice, void of any warmth. "As I was saying, I would like to extend an invitation for you to spend the day with us at my sister's house. Its thanksgiving and you shouldn't be spending it alone."

Serena was caught completely off guard, and just stood there in shock, wondering if she had heard him correctly.

"Why? Why are you inviting me?"

"I thought it polite," he answered, in a dull monotone.

"No, why are you really inviting me?"

"Because I felt like it, and because it would make my daughter happy, because I don't want you to spend Thanksgiving here alone in a stranger's home. So just accept my offer graciously," he said, briefly losing his temper with her.

"Thanks," she smiled at him, letting her beautiful smile light up the room. Even though Darien wasn't her favorite person right now, she was thankful for his kind invitation. She didn't want to spend another day alone without Rini. This would be her first Thanksgiving with her daughter and she was thankful for Darien giving it to her. Serena would also be taking Rini afterwards. She would give Darien his last Thanksgiving with his daughter. It was time. Mina was right. It was time to leave here before it was too late. She was sick of the lies.


Hi everyone! Today I recieved my grades and I am happy to tell you all I got all A's. Tomorrow I start school but this semester isn't as important so I should have time for writing new chapters. The person who offered me a cookie for a new chapter should know that I love Grandma's Cookies and I expect it soon j/k. Supposedly I am not allowed to reply to the reviewers through the story anymore. I heard it was a new rule and that instead I should just send you a message though this thing. So I'll just thank all my reviewers and send personal thank you's and responses later. I'd also like to thank my editor loki-sama (bows respectfully) enjoy everyone and much love from PR.