Hey all! I hope you like this chapter (It's long I know)... I bet you will ;) ... nonetheless. REVIEW!!!!!
The Meeting
Molly opened the front door to see a defeated looking Serena standing on her doorstep. As soon as Serena saw the small red head she flung herself into her arms and began sobbing loudly making Molly panic. "Momma! Momma! Somethin's wrong with Sarenah!" Serena was really bawling heavily when Molly's mother came into the entryway.
"What's wrong dear?" Molly's mother hugged the girl tightly thinking that this was finally the time Serena was letting her grief out. She'd been so depressed after Ken had passed that she hadn't truly cried yet.
"He raped me!" She screamed and collapsed to the ground making Molly's mother very aware of the situation. "It was terrible." Serena looked into the two sets of eyes looking at her and hugged herself tightly. "Please… believe me this time?"
"Yes dear… I believe you… here, come in and we'll call the police…" Molly helped her friend up as her mother retreated into the house to get the phone. Though she hadn't said who had raped her Molly had a sinking feeling it was Alan and if she had believed her friend the previous day this wouldn't have happened.
"Sar…" Molly began then jumped back as Serena collapsed onto the plush couch and fumbled around for her cell phone. Molly could only stare as Serena finally found the phone and thrust it towards her.
"Call Andy… make him come here and I don't give a damn what his professor says either!" She screamed angrily and continued to cry as Molly's mother returned with the phone in her hand. "I hate him!"
"Who honey… I don't know…" Molly's mother looked from her daughter who was on Serena's cell phone, to Serena herself who was pressed into the couch crying as though her life was over. Finally Serena broke her crying enough to explain the previous evenings events making the red headed woman's face turn red with anger. "How could he… of all the… oh! I'm so sorry dear…" The loving woman held the teen in her arms in an attempt to calm her as she listed to Molly's conversation with Andrew. It was clear that he was angry because Molly was holding the phone away from her ear slightly and squinting her eyes.
After Molly hung up the phone the two women tried to comfort the depressed girl until the police showed up to take her report. Everyone listened as Serena explained what happened to her in detail, the police were surprised by her words but wrote it down anyways then left promising to look into it. Two weeks went by with Serena staying at Molly's house, two weeks was all it took for the police to decide that Serena was making up stories. She had to be, she was mentally stressed, she was a senior worrying about graduation and college, her mother was freshly married… Ann hadn't heard anything and it was her testimony that releases Alan from the accusations and required Serena to go back home. "WHAT? No!" Serena shouted angrily when the police issued her the letter. "I'm not going back there!" Of course, she did wind up standing in front of the large wooden doors. Her mother, stepfather, and sister standing there waiting with anxious faces.
"This has not been funny Serena." Ilene growled angrily and crossed her arms. Alan was standing behind her with a satisfied smirk on his face, obviously he'd planned everything this way. "You owe someone an apology." She suddenly turned to Alan.
"Excuse me?" His eyes went wide, Serena was surprised as well. If her mother had believed he'd done it why not put him away for it? Punish him? "What?"
"I know you did it. She wouldn't make up stories like that. So apologize." Ilene stood with her arms crossed and an angry glare but softened when Alan laughed and shook his head in defiance. "Alan?"
"No. You see, I warned her not to tell anyone and she did so… she can't stay here anymore." With those words he stepped forward and grabbed her arm, forcefully leaning her to the car. "I've already made arrangements for your new home and if you thought I was bad just you wait young lady."
"Alan! What are you doing with my daughter?" Ilene cried and began to rush towards the pair. Serena was terrified, where was he taking her? Was he going to kill her like she was sure he killed her father?
"I'm getting rid of her. Face it Ilene you don't want her around and I don't want her around unless she's going to abide by my rules so… no more. Say goodbye to your eldest." Alan smirked when Ilene shook her head no, "Fine, have it your way." He then shoved Serena into the back seat and got behind the steering wheel. "You're a pain in my ass… give me your phone." He held out his hand but when Serena didn't produce the mobile object he grabbed her hair and pulled until she relented. "You won't be needing this where you're going."
They drove for two hours, and as Serena watched the buildings become sparse and the forest become more prevalent she realized that Alan was serious when he said she'd never see anyone she loved again. Surely he was going to kill her, take her into the trees and rip her insides out. "Stop crying." Alan demanded pulling her back into reality, she hadn't even realized that she was crying and yet… she didn't seem surprised. It was over, her life as she knew and loved it, was over. Everything had happened so fast too, one moment she was happy with her father and boyfriend, then they were both ripped away by a series of horrific events. Now, with the sun setting and the long shadows of the trees beginning to morph into a large black blanket around the car, she wanted nothing more than to die. This was right, she didn't have anything to live for anymore. "I'm not going to kill you if that's what you're thinking. I've found you a new place to live complete with a job… true you may not like it, I'm sure you won't; but it's the only way I knew to deal with you. I didn't expect you to tell anyone and so… I'm handing you over to someone with more pull than myself. Someone practically untouchable and I'll let him do what he wants with you." Serena slumped into the seat.
"I wish you would kill me instead." She sulked prompting him to look at her with sympathy. He certainly didn't want her to feel that way, she was beautiful and he was doing this for her own good. She was too naïve, to innocent… "Where am I going?"
"I'm taking you to my friend Carson's house. He said he'd take you in as a maid and… personal attendant. He uh… well, he said that all of your room and board will be covered and that if you have time to yourself there's plenty to do around there. I'm sure you'll be paid something and you can go shopping in town." Alan was talking as if he were sending her to some spa where all of her worries would disappear. "Yeah, I've heard Shieldston is a great place to live." For a brief minute her heart jumped. Shieldston? That where Andrew was, he was moving her closer to him! This was great! She could escape and run to Andrew, he would protect her from everything.
It was dark when she saw the Shieldston city limits sign. It looked brand new but that was nothing to all of the glass buildings that suddenly loomed up in the darkness. They were huge, and pristine looking, all of the streets looked brand new, and were well lit with no debris anywhere in sight. It truly did look like the whole place was just built. Serena was really surprised when Alan pulled up to a set of large, intricate iron gates that blocked the way to a long, winding well lit road surrounded by park-like landscaping. A man the Serena recognized from the painting in Alan's house stepped up to the gate and flipped his wrist signaling the gate keepers to allow Alan in. With a few calm and collected steps Carson stepped up to the car with a large smile, he was handsome for an older man, Serena would admit that. "Hey Alan. So then… well toots, you're gonna have to get out of the car and walk in with me." He then opened the car door and reached for her hand as though she was a princess. "I'll take good care of her Alan." Serena got out of the car and looked at Alan, he wasn't looking at her though, instead he was beginning to back up the car so he could leave. Serena looked wearily at Carson who smiled warmly once more and put his arm around her shoulder as if to comfort her. "Come on Serena, I bet you're really tired, you've had a long day. I'll show you to your room but please be quiet when we go in. I know it's a huge house but that doesn't mean you won't bother people if you talk too loud, there are a lot of people living here." Serena nodded and smiled feeling a bit at ease, Carson seemed like a really nice guy.
"Okay, I'll be as quiet as I can be." She let him lead her to the huge house and gasp at the sheer magnificence of the place. It was a giant mansion that had stone sidings and embellishments tall roofs and columns, truly this was a house that was worth millions. "Wow."
"Yeah, that's what I said when I first saw it, come, come in, you'll love the inside, especially the foyer." With those words he opened the large wooden doors revealing a grand foyer with a fifty foot ceiling that had lavish moldings. She gasp and looked around the dimly lit room taking in the white marble floors and wooden columns. Though all of this was nice the stairway was the most eye catching, it loomed in front of them made of solid wood, at least ten feet in width and went up to a miniature landing that then split into two more stairways that then went up to floating walkways above her. The amount of detail in the carvings of everything struck Serena as magnificent because someone had taken special care to make everything perfect. Even the whit wooden wainscoting on the walls was beautiful. "Welcome to Shields Manor." Carson smirked. Then gently began to lead her towards the left side of the stairway while eyeing the large set of double doors to the far left of the room where a thin layer of light spilled out from beneath them and onto the floor. "See those doors? Never ever, go near them, the ones at the top of the stairway in the middle of the opposite wall of the door. Okay?"
"Okay." Serena whispered in response to Carson's hushed tone. Ever so diligently he led her through a maze of dark hallways to a small room with a single bed and an armoire, the room also had a small bathroom attached to it. "Is this my room?"
"Yes, it is. I know it's not much but don't worry you most likely won't spend many nights in here. Serena… I'm at a loss to say this to you but I know you're not a foolish girl. You are officially hired here as a maid, when you get up in the morning, you will report to the head maid, she's a bit of a bitch but that's beside the point. Anyway, I've told her that regardless of what she may want you to do around here anything myself or my youngest son may want is to be your priority… I know this may seem a little… unmoral of me but. You see, I need a bed mate, my son as well or I fear he's going to wind up bringing home a whore and that's not acceptable. Anyways… I've hired you to be sort of a… well…" Carson suddenly was at a loss for words but Serena knew what he meant. She wasn't surprised, Alan had mentioned her real duties in the car, she had only hoped it wasn't true.
"A prostitute basically." Serena sighed and looked at the ground. "Please… I have a wonderful boyfriend and all…" She was suddenly silenced by his index finger being placed on her lips then he lifted her chin so she was looking into his blackened blue eyes.
"Well, consider this an opportunity to learn a few things to make him happy. He really doesn't have to know. I… I must admit, I know who he is, he's a smart boy and I'm sure he'd like nothing more than a girl who can make his toes curl." Carson then kissed her forehead lightly and back away from her. "Night Serena. See you in the morning."
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Andrew dialed Serena's number once more outside the lecture hall, Darien had been leaning against the doorway watching him feverishly dial the number five times now and, as a result, had delayed the beginning of class to amuse himself with the sight. "Andrew, what are you doing?" He finally asked with an annoyed tone.
"I… I can't get a hold of Serena… it keeps telling me her phones out of order… Molly hasn't seen her either…" Andrew looked at his professor with panic in his eyes. Darien straightened his six foot five frame and put his hand on his students shoulder then pulled him into the room and confiscated his phone. Andrew didn't protest, he knew the man had already let him dally and disrupt class so he wouldn't push it yet… he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with his girlfriend.
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Serena looked at herself in the mirror and frowned, clearly she was meant to be a little sex toy because the outfit she had on looked like a French maid costume that would come from an adult store. "That's the requested outfit." A petite girl with blue hair blushed as she stepped back and looked at the woman she'd just fitted. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay… really it is… not that bad." Serena smiled at the girl who must have been her age. "What's your name." The girl smiled then introduced herself as Amy. "Hi Amy… how'd you wind up here?"
"I need college money, scholarships and grants just aren't enough so Dr. Shields said I could come and work for him. He thinks I'm going to be an excellent doctor and wants to help me without giving out handouts. I agree with him whole heartedly." Serena's heart jumped, this was for sure Darien Shields' house… that means she really was close to Andrew…
"Well! Hello sexy! When my dad told me you were here… and why I had to come and see for myself. I'm not disappointed I may add." Serena turned to see Seiya standing in the doorway. She immediately blushed, if only Raye knew about this… she'd probably rip him a new one. "SO then, I guess, I'm here to orient you to your new position… depending on which one I choose first I suppose." He winked making Amy turn and walk away quickly. "Ames… come on… you've ignored me since the day you came… ah… who cares." He waved his hand in the air then grabbed Serena's hand. "Here dumpling, I'll give you the grand tour… and maybe a little more."
It was then that Serena experienced her first day of "working" in the large mansion. Weeks passed and both Carson and Seiya took advantage of her constantly. The other maids said nothing, they barely even looked at her until one finally spoke up. Her name was Lita and she was more of a tom boy than anything else. "Just tell them you're not going to be their little sex plaything. Seriously, just don't do it." She shrugged.
Serena took her advice and the next time Carson demanded that she come up to his room she refused. He blinked a few times and then, more forcefully, demanded it again. She refused once more making his face turn beat red from anger. "Fine then Serena… If you're not going to comply with me then you can spend all day on your hands and knees cleaning the front foyer floors with a scrub brush… alone!" He then grabbed her arm and pulled her down and gave her the supplies. "Get working, I don't care how long it take you but I want this so clean I can see my face!" He then turned and marched up the stairs leaving her in the large foyer to clean the floors.
She began to scrub and soon was so occupied by the job she didn't notice the large double doors open, didn't notice the perfectly polished black loafers step onto the white marble, she didn't notice the black Armani suit, she didn't notice him until the brush was on top of one of the shoes. When she saw her brush wasn't scrubbing the floor any longer she paled and began to look up. Ever so slowly her eyes raised, scanning the shoes, then up the sharply pressed suit pants, to a crisp white shirt and black jacket, over the black tie, until her eyes fell onto the most handsome face she'd ever seen. His deep cerulean blue eyes looked at her with surprise as a small smirk spread over his perfectly chiseled face. "You're not paying very good attention to the floor." His voice was definitely that of Andrew's professor Mr. Darien Shields. It was a silky smooth and deep voice that could put most men to shame. She blushed and backed away taking the brush off of his shoe.
"I… I'm… so… sorry." Serena stuttered. What was she supposed to say to this man? Maybe more importantly what COULD she say to him, he was… breathtaking. The way his black hair fell ever so lightly over his forehead to his perfectly shaped eyebrows, the way he stood with his shoulders back for a very poised look… that body, though covered in expensive fabric, was shaped as a perfect "V".
"It's fine, only a shoe." Serena backed up a little as he crouched in front of her balancing on the pads of his feet, the movement was graceful as though he were a male ballerina. A small smile caught the edge of his mouth as he surveyed the young girl at his feet, she was beautiful. The way her large blue eyes cautiously scanned him making a light blush flush her cheeks, she was child-like yet so adult in her appearance. The way her golden hair fell over her shoulder to the white marble made him long to brush it back behind her so it would not be in her way. "Care to tell me your name?"
"S… Serena Tsukino." She sat on her feet and held out her hand which he tenderly took cherishing the way her skin felt like silk in his hand. Then it clicked, she was Andrew's girlfriend and though he'd talked about her incessantly Darien had never imagined she was so beautiful, so… captivating.
"Serena. Nice to meet you at long last and might I add… this is an unexpected meeting place. Tell me, why are you on all fours scrubbing my floor when your boyfriend is worried sick about you because he has no clue where you are?" Serena's heart stopped, how could she be staring at Darien like this when Andrew really was worried about her? Her devoted, loving Andrew.
"Oh… I… um…" Serena was trying to find the right words when she heard the sound of excited footsteps above them, they were Seiya's footsteps for sure. She panicked what was he going to say? What would Darien think of whatever his brother blurted out?
"Hey! Dumpling! Will you come up here and…" Seiya's voice cut off as he leaned over the railing and saw Darien next to Serena. She watched his face pale as though he'd seen a ghost and was terrified. "Oh… he…hey Dare… um… when did you get home?"
"I've been home Seiya… why are you nicknaming her?" Darien's eyes turned into narrow slits as he looked up at his younger sibling. Obviously the wheels had spun and produced some objectionable thought. "You're forcing her to sleep with you aren't you?" Darien suddenly stood and squared both his jaw and his shoulder while glaring into Seiya's eyes.
"I… no! I don't force her to do… I mean… no."Seiya stuttered and jumped back from the rail as if Darien was going to bound up from the ground floor. "I'll just… never mind then Dum… I mean Serena." He then rushed to hide in his room where hopefully Darien wouldn't come after him. Serena was almost afraid to look at the gorgeous man's face, he was angry and she could feel his accusing eyes on her.
"My office. Now." He growled prompting the young girl to look up at him with surprise. He looked very serious and stern looking down at her, a large contrast than a few moments ago. "Now!" Serena scrambled to her feet and stepped towards the large double doors as he opened the right door and ushered her in. Serena quickly stepped in, observing the tall wooden built-ins and the oversized wooden desk with the cliché high-backed leather chair and two guest chairs that were also high-backed. "Sit down Serena." Darien pointed to one of the guest chairs and then sat in the other. He waited for a few moments while she slowly approached the chair and sat. "Serena… why are you here? I want to know everything that is going on in MY house because clearly there are a few choice people who have been keeping secrets from me and I don't like it." His blue eyes were blazing with anger and his voice was now a vicious growl but Serena decided it was best to just tell him the truth, after all, he was a good man and surely he wouldn't allow bad things to continue to happen.
"I… uh… Okay… where to start… Well, okay. I assume you know about my father's death. Then my mother Married a man named Alan who, just a few weeks ago, r…" Serena's voice faltered when she attempted to say the word again his posture softened a bit, obviously Andrew had shared that information as well. "Anyway, so, I told everyone who was supposed to do something and instead they found him innocent! As a result he sent me here to be a maid and personal plaything for your father and your brother. Make you feel better about the events happening in your house Darien?" She realized her mistake when it escaped her mouth but didn't regret calling him by his first name.
The sound of his first name lingered in the air as she sat shocked that she had just addressed him like that. Darien did nothing and she wished for nothing more than him to say something to her, anything was better than the silence that had fallen over them. Little did she know however, he was amused by her feisty attitude, clearly she'd been through quite an ordeal yet she remained spunky much to his confusion. In theory she should have been completely broken by now, that innocence in her eyes dissipated until she, like the rest of the adult population, hated life and all that it had to offer. A smile crept onto his face when he realized that he wanted her to say his name again, the sound of it had been sweet despite the sarcastic nature of her sentence. "No, I don't particularly like the fact that this has happened in my house and I'm going to put a stop to it starting now."
"Really? You think they'll listen so what you have to say?" Serena was relieved that he hadn't bitten her head off for disrespecting him and addressing him with his first name. "I'm sorry by the way for saying…"
"Don't be, you're fine." Darien then stood, once again towering over her. "Come on then, let's go and tell those two off shall we?" He asked and held out his hand to help her to her feet. "Not to mention get you out of that ridiculous outfit." She blushed immensely and crossed one arm over her fairly exposed chest as she offered him her hand, which he immediately took and helped her to her feet. Her hand tingled even after he'd released her and had begun his walk to the foyer; making her wonder why anything he did seemed to affect her and she'd only just met him.
She followed him into the grand foyer where they saw both Carson and Seiya talking. Seiya looked as though the sky was about to fall and Carson didn't look much happier. "You two, have some explaining to do." Darien snapped viciously making Seiya cower behind his father in hopes that Carson would serve as a proper shield from the angry man advancing on them. "Well?" The two began to talk in unison, neither one being able to articulate anything. "Okay, fine. If I'm not going to get explanations I'll just go ahead and give you my verdict." Darien stood stiffly signifying that he meant business. "If you so much as look at her with lusty eyes I'll rip them out. Understand me?" Carson and Seiya paled even more and gulped in unison, Serena was impressed by the sincerity of Darien's words. "I'll ask again… Do you, Understand Me?"
"Y… yes Darien." Carson stuttered for the both of them before glaring briefly at Serena. "I'm… sorry Serena. Um… do you want me to call Alan and…" Carson stopped talking suddenly giving Darien the chance to answer.
"No, she'll remain here but she no longer works for you." Darien turned slightly to her and motioned for her to follow him. "She works for me now and she's not to take any orders from you." Darien then began to walk to the staircase with her right behind him. "Serena, where have you been sleeping?" He asked softly as they reached the first landing, the other two men still staring at her.
"Um… in one of the rooms off of the small hall in the east wing." Serena recited as she had time and time again when the head maid wanted to examine her room. "It's small but it's okay I guess, the bed is comfortable… not that warm but it is comfortable." Darien nodded lightly then got a thoughtful look on his face.
"I'm not comfortable with you sleeping in that room anymore. It's too easy to get into. I think you should stay in my suite. I have a pull out bed and plenty of room so I think you'll be comfortable in there. I like to keep it locked up, I'm the only person right now who can get into my room so it's completely safe for you." Darien kindly said then grew quiet, waiting patiently for Serena's answer. A slight wave of panic washed over her as she thought about the possible implications of his proposal. "I'll let you decide after you see the space." With those words Darien stopped in front of the large, ornate double doors in the middle of the far wall and pulled out a key card then inserted it into the door lock. Serena heard a loud click of a lock just before Darien pushed the door open for her to step inside to a small room with another set of double doors that had a regular lock on it. He stepped forward and unlocked the door then pushed it open to reveal what looked like an entryway to a fairly large apartment. The good-sized entryway had a narrow table on the right wall that sat below a large mirror. Serena looked down at the wooden floors and smiled, the warm honey tones of the wood made the tan of the walls seem so warm. Now, with curiosity filling her eyes she stepped forward into an open space, to her left and down two stairs was a carpeted living area with a large couch, big screen plasma TV mounted to the wall on the left of the area, against the opposite wall was a large fireplace with two high backed chairs facing it and a bookshelf not far away, that area was obviously a reading area. On either side of the fireplace was a set of glass French doors; the sheer white curtains hanging over them gave the doors a light angelic feeling. To her right was a modern yet traditional looking island kitchen with honey stained wood cupboards, dark granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The whole room sparkled, including the dining table, which was a light slick modern design made of bleached gnarled wood that glittered in the light making the swirls in the wood stand out. So far Darien's "room" was beautiful and had a different feel from the rest of the house, this was a warm and comfortable environment rather than the rest of the house, which was largely open and empty. Stepping out of the kitchen and dining area Serena continued to the right down the short and wide hallway to the bathroom; The bathroom was breathtaking to say the least. The cream and tanned swirled tiles accented the almost rust colored paint perfectly; it was the only bathroom Serena had ever seen with white French style chandeliers and certainly the only one with a large roman style jetted tub and a glass, full body shower big enough to fit a king sized bed in. The cabinets were darkly stained wood with granite tops to match the tile flooring. There were two sinks, each bowl style above counter sinks; and the final touch came with various small accessories and two large, copper framed mirrors, one hung on the wall next to the tub, the other with the sinks. She whistled slightly before exiting through the other door of the bathroom, now entering a walk-in closet the size of her bedroom downstairs, it had many shelves and racks for clothes, many of which were empty. An island sat in the middle of the room housing many shoe racks also mostly empty. Serena glanced over her shoulder to see Darien watching her survey the area with a slight glitter to his pretty blue eyes. Now feeling a little self conscious she continued through the closet to the bedroom; she gasp when her feet touched the plush white carpet and gazed at the pristine room. It had huge vaulted ceilings, a large four posted canopied California king bed with a black and tan bed spread, the clean sharp lines continued throughout the room with a large archway separating the bed area with a small sitting area and a large armoire she assumed housed a TV. On the opposite wall was the same fireplace and door ensemble as in the living room that just seemed to beckon her to the doors. She approached one of the doors and looked out at a sunny terrace with a beautiful view of the grounds and a round wrought iron table with matching chairs. It was the perfect place to just sit and look over everything.
"Wow…" Serena managed so squeak out and turned to Darien with the look of a stunned child making him laugh heartily yet again. "You call this a room? I call it an apartment." Serena surveyed the room once more and frowned when she noticed that though the room may be beautiful, everything in this little apartment was beautiful, it was like the rest of the house because despite the fact that Darien perhaps lived in these rooms there was no indication they were really lived in. It looked like a show room, there were no personal items in the room at all, no picture frames, nothing. "Do you actually sleep in here? It looks unused."
"I like everything to be pristine and clean, just the way I am… so, you like it? You'd be comfortable sleeping here?" He asked indifferently walking towards the double doors Serena knew lead back to the living area. Darien had followed her through the area, watched her eyes sparkle when she saw something that impressed her, then watched them cloud over with sadness as a sudden realization had hit her. The question she'd asked told him everything she was thinking, it wasn't about him sleeping in his room it was about him living there, actually identifying with his own space and he knew the answer. He wasn't really living at all, nothing interested him anymore, he had everything but it had all come so easily that he was bored with his life. Serena though… she was intriguing, he didn't always know what was flashing through those eyes and the part that amused him was that he didn't really care to know. It was okay that he didn't know and that fact scared him a bit, was it possible that listening to Andrew prattle on about this girl, now meeting her that he'd somehow become… attached to her? Impossible, Darien Shields didn't have any sort of feelings about anyone, not now, not ever.
"Yeah! I mean, wow… you designed all of this? You're amazingly good at it." She then blushed when she realized whom she was talking to. He was Dr. Darien Shields for heaven's sake of course he was amazing at it; he was probably amazing at everything he did. "So… if I do stay in here where would I…"
"Depends on your sleeping habits, if you're a light sleeper I think you should take the fold out bed in the living room because I know that I'm fairly noisy in the morning and I'll be in and out of the bathroom and closet in the mornings. At the same time however I don't think it's proper for a lady to sleep on a couch bed." Serena blushed; he'd just called her a lady despite everything she'd been doing that would suggest otherwise. "I'll let you choose… and I think we should wait a bit before telling Andrew where you are and what's been happening to you. He has some rather pressing things to do and he's already worried enough. Deal?"
"Deal." Serena nodded trying not to stare into Darien's captivating blue eyes. "I'll take the couch… what about my clothes? Where should I put those?" She risked a glance at him and notice an amused smile on his face making her turn her full attention to him. "What?"
"Do you even have any clothes other than that outfit and whatever you may have come here in?" She shook her head making him run his hand through his jet-black hair, it was the first movement she'd seen him execute that was any indication of real humanity, a nervous tick perhaps. "Then we need to go shopping because I'm not going to make you wander around here like that all the time."
"I don't mind… I sort of like it for cleaning because I have a lot of freedom to move about…" Darien then laughed lightly and spun on his heels to go into his room leaving her in the hall alone for a moment longing for his presence again. When he returned she felt as though a large weight had been lifted from her, especially when he handed her a key card to the front door then another to the inner door lock. "Fine, you can keep that outfit if you like but if you're going shopping we need to get you into some different clothes." Darien then waltzed to the door and opened it with a flourish. "After you."