Hey! Another chapter out. Playing out how the main characters are often more flawed than the other ones. As you can tel by now I'm not one who likes to tell a story with perfect characters. I find fairytales droll and often redundant so, yet another foray into the dark depths of Darien's personality. Enjoy and REVIEW!
Acts of an Angry Man
Darien sat at the wrought iron table on the terrace overlooking the blossoming grounds. The crisp spring air blew across his bare chest causing his skin to develop goose bumps. The birds were returning, some sat on the railing chirping happily at him, hoping he'd toss them a few morsels of his breakfast. Serena had yet to rise, and looking over his shoulder he could see her wrapped in the blankets of his large bed, her golden locks spread out like a fan. The wind blew the curtains into the room rousing her, and rather than continue to stare at her with his usual soft smile he turned back to the sight of the green grounds.
Serena shivered when she realized that cold air was blowing over her. Her eyes scanned the opposing walls and saw that both set of doors were fully open to the terrace were Darien sat sipping his coffee clad only in black slacks. The first thought that came to her was how amazingly sexy he looked which soon gave way to the thought that he was absolutely insane for sitting out there like that. It had been months since they began their love affair and neither had tired of the other, a good sign. With another glance at her lover Serena rose and grabbed her white and pink floral silk robe and walked out to be with him. She stood behind his strong frame and slid her arms over his chest, her chin resting on the top of his head, the gesture was simple enough but spoke volumes of the love they shared, especially when Darien reached up, and with his hand gently around the back of her neck he pulled her into a kiss.
"Morning Darling." Darien smiled as he released her and put down his coffee so he could pull her into his lap and bury his face into the nap of her neck. She giggled and attempted to situate herself so the thin material of her robe covered her body; quite the challenge when it was thigh high.
"Morning!" She squeaked and continued to adjust herself much to Darien's amusement. She as adorable, and despite the fact that she'd just woken she was cheerful, something he knew was difficult for her.
"Why bother?" He laughed at her attempt to cover herself as the robe continued to defy her wishes. "It's coming off in a little bit anyway." She snorted, not catching the meaning behind his words then squeaked once more when Darien reoriented her so she was straddling him. "Did you hear me?"
"I'm listening now." She smiled and let herself be pulled into a passionate kiss while he pulled the robe open in the front exposing her bare body. The cold air made her shiver… or was is the cold air? Either way she loved the way she felt, loved him. He knew just what to do to excite her and he did it as often as she wanted him to, almost as if he could read her mind. As he lowered his lips to her neck Serena felt that all too familiar electrical impulse shoot through her body causing her shiver again. "You're going to be the death of me you know that?" She gasp and tangled her fingers in his beautiful black locks.
"No, you'll live. I promise you that." He smiled and stood up without effort, lifting her without effort so he could carry her to his bed and explore her body yet again. He'd had her so many times over the past few months but his enthusiasm and want remained just as demanding as it had began… maybe even grew; and he suspected that no matter how many times they made love, he'd never tire of her. Just as he lay her down and began to kiss her the phone beside his bed rang making them both freeze. The phone never rang, no one had the number, and unless it was an emergency, or it was serious, no one needed to call. Hesitantly Darien reached for the phone and help it to his ear, all the while keeping his glittering eyes on his love. "Hello?"
"Hey… Dare… sorry to call you but um… mom and sis are here." Seiya's nervous voice made Darien growl deep in his throat. "I'm sorry! Really I am! SEE I TOLD YOU!" he suddenly yelled at someone in the same room he was in. "Now he's all pissed off! Damn it Raye!"
"Calm down will you?" Darien moaned not wanting to listen to his brother's wining. "We'll be out in a little bit. No harm done." A slight whimper escaped Serena's lips, a clear sign that Serena would rather stay in bed for a while. "Yes, a half hour at the most. They know where their rooms are they can unpack while they wait." Darien then cradled the phone and placed a soft apologetic kiss on Serena's lips then moved off of the bed. "My mom and sister are here. They visit every year for the spring and summer. I forgot about it until now… I attribute that to you." He winked.
"But… I… what about us?" She whimpered again and arched her back much like a child would when frustrated. "That's not fair… you get me all worked up and excited then you don't follow through." She pouted and pulled the silky fabric of her robe back over her body before sticking her tongue out.
"Don't tease me. Anything you do now will be used against you later." He winked and walked over to the bathroom. "Because you're really going to get it tonight. Now, come and take a shower with me." He smiled motioning for her to follow him.
"No! You'll just get me more worked up and I'm bad enough as is." She turned away from him and buried her face into a large pillow. She wanted him to ravish her like he had every morning for the past few months but that obviously wasn't going to happen on this day.
"Don't be like that." He whispered into her ear making her jump. When did he sneak back over to her? "I mean it. I promise I'll make it up to you tonight… you won't be able to walk tomorrow." He smiled and moved his hand around to her front and pressed his fingers to her most private of areas. "But not right now. Don't be angry with me, let's just get cleaned up and go be civil people."
"But I don't want to be civil, I want to be an animal and have you all to myself." Serena whimpered one last time before Darien pulled her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom where he set her down in front of the shower. She watched as he turned on the water being sure it was the right temperature then striped them both down and stepped into the water. "Fine, I'll behave but if I can walk tomorrow morning I'm not going to be happy." She growled making him laugh and nod.
After they showered, dried, and dressed the couple left their rooms hand in hand. They descended the stairs and walked into the library where Raelean and Raye sat on one of the loveseats. Raye's face lit up when she saw Serena and she soon rushed over to the blonde girl. "I knew you'd wind up here in the end! You're so alive looking! So radiant! So… horny." Raye added with a sly whisper making Serena blush profusely.
"I see you two have met. Raye, try not to embarrass her too much, I'd prefer her alive." Darien stated, his expression his usual poker face as he stared at his mother who stared back at him, her face just as blank. "Mother." He nodded slowly never removing his eyes. "This is my girlfriend Serena."
"I've met Serena." She snapped and shifted her eyes to the girl. "Don't you think you're picking them kinda young?" Serena's eyes went wide as Darien squared his shoulders and Raye bounded over to him and grabbed both of his arms.
"She's old enough mother. She's eighteen almost nineteen." Darien growled angrily now wishing he'd just stayed upstairs with Serena. He'd be way happier if he had. "Frankly I don't give a damn what you have to say and if you continue to glare at her like that I won't support you any longer. You're a leach mother and the only reason I help you is because Raye is with you. She's your only failsafe and you know it." Darien's words made his mother pale and slump a little.
"I'm sorry baby, it's just that I want to see you with a woman who is your equal, you know? Someone your age, pretty, worthy of you. Not some little girl you decided to take charity on." Serena watched with surprise as Darien ripped himself away from Raye and marched over to his mother saying something inaudible making the woman fall back onto the sofa. "Darien! You're not serious?"
"Mother, I am all too serious. As for your accusation that she is not my equal I assure you she is so, fuck off mother. Come on you two, let's go out… Seiya, you too." He added and grabbed Serena and Raye's hands then tugged them out of the room motioning for Seiya to follow. "I hate it when she's like this… I'm sorry babydoll." The nickname he gave her was new but she cherished it all the more. "I think we can all have a day out on the town. You two girls can go clothes shopping and Seiya and I can go get some things we want. Right Seiya?"
"Uh… yeah sure Dare." Seiya was confused but went along with his brother nonetheless since now was not a good time to oppose him. The four entered the garage and piled into Darien's favorite SUV then drove to town where they split up. Raye and Serena went shopping for clothes while Darien and Seiya disappeared to do something else.
"Weird… I don't get it. I thought mom liked you when you came to the temple." Raye shook her head in confusion, the raven-haired woman was obviously troubled by her mother's behavior at the house and obviously her brother had been as well.
"I wasn't sleeping with your brother at the time Raye." Serena offered with great strain in her voice. "Why is it that no one seems to want us to be happy? I mean… he's so different with me than with anyone else. I've seen it. He really truly does love me and I love him. He's the first guy in my life who has made me feel something and no one approves of us being together… what am I going to do Raye?" The delicate blonde violently sat on a metal bench and put her face in her palms. Since that first time she and Darien had made love it was as if she was both hailed and condemned for accomplishing what was thought to be impossible. Since that day she'd been in charge of the entire house, as though she was the head of house and not him. He'd given her all the power he had and everyone knew her name. The news of Darien Shields' woman had spread quickly and now it was as if she were a rare trinket that must be adored and hailed. Raelean had heard the rumors and had been furious, Raye had noticed a change in her mother's attitude since the rumors reached them in the temple but had not attributed them to Serena.
"You're just fine… you know what they're saying about you?" Raye smiled and sat next to her friend placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. Serena slowly picked her head up and shook it from side to side. "They say you're the most beautiful woman in the world, that you're angelically good, and only an angel could draw the emotions from my brother's frozen heart… and I think… it's all true." Serena blinked her blue eyes in confusion. People had been talking about her? Who? When? The questions ripped through her mind, each one manifesting itself in her sparkling eyes making Raye laugh. "Oh, Serena. You can't really be wondering can you? You're Darien Shields' girlfriend. The only one he's ever had. Of course people are going to talk."
"I don't want them to though Raye. Just because I'm his girlfriend now doesn't mean I will be tomorrow. I've seen him cast aside all his emotions, every feeling in his body, he can be so cold… who's to say he won't decide I'm worthless and that he wants nothing to do with me? What if I'm just his little plaything? Hmm?" Serena's heart hurt to hear the words leave her mouth but it was true. He was so unpredictable that it was hard to say if she had his heart or only his lust.
"You're not going anywhere, trust me, he wouldn't put so much time into you if he didn't think you were worth it; and let's face it. Darien's all about cold hard calculations and logical decisions, the fact that you've entered into them says something… I think… he's going to ask you to marry him." Raye's words made Serena thrust her body off of the bench and stare at the elegant priestess with disbelief.
"No he's not. He's not that guy. He doesn't want normal, he doesn't want a wife. He especially shouldn't want me." Serena shook suddenly aware of all the people watching her. She was on stage and hadn't even noticed. The one thing she did notice was Andrew and Rita walking along the other side of the street, arm in arm, Rita looking at her with interest and Andrew attempting not to advert his eyes from his path. "Andy!" Serena shouted wanting to run to him and have him comfort her. Tell her that she would be okay and that Darien truly did care about her. "Andy!" She shouted again and stepped into the road to cross. Rita tugged on Andrew's arm in an attempt to halt him but he didn't slow.
"SERENA!" Raye screamed just as the sound of screeching tires pierced the ears of every onlooker. The blonde turned to see a terrified woman behind the wheel of an expensive car as it squealed towards her in slow motion. She closed her eyes, realizing that this would most likely be the end of her worries and as she felt herself being thrown to the ground she screamed, tears flowing from her eyes.
Bam, she felt herself fall onto something softer than the pavement, something warm and with a pulse. Slowly she opened her eyes to see Darien under her, looking at their surroundings then quickly his eyes locked onto hers. "Didn't your dad ever teach you to look both ways before crossing the road?"
"How did you… where did you come from?" She breathed a sigh of relief as she slowly picked herself up off of him and watched him stand up the back of his expensive jacket ripped open. "Darien?"
"I walked out of the store right as you stepped into the road." He smiled casually as he wiped the road from his remaining clothes. "Good thing too. I wouldn't be too happy if someone ran you over." He looked pointedly at the woman who had been driving the car. Her eyes were wide and she covered her mouth with her hand in disbelief.
"What is wrong with you?" Andrew suddenly materialized and shouted. "I mean damn-it woman! You're not stupid and I know you have more sense than to just step into the street. You're not invincible!"
"I just wanted to talk to you and you were ignoring me." Serena looked at the ground as Darien pulled her into his arms and glared viciously at Andrew making him step back.
"Ignoring her? Why would you ignore her Andrew? She's your best friend." Darien smirked as Andrew opened and shut his mouth, nothing escaping but air. "It's okay Serena. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you, all I ask is that we keep the damage to my wardrobe to a minimum okay?" Serena nodded her head and pressed herself more into his chest cherishing the feeling of safety that he gave her.
"That was fucking awesome!" Seiya exclaimed and ran over to the group pulling his twin sister along. "Do you know how far you flew when you tackled her?" All eyes turned to the excited Seiya with surprise. "That was ten feet at least! Fucking awesome! You were flying Dare."
"Anything less and she'd be in a broken pile right now." Darien nodded and released his hold on Serena. "Well, that was fun. Got my heart pounding… you do that a lot you know that?" He turned his blue eyes to his love and laughed when she blushed a little. "Did you even step foot in a store Serena?" She shook her head and smiled. "Then you two have some shopping to do. I've decided that you should throw a party for everyone you know. I mean everyone. So, get some party clothes." Darien winked held up his hand and walked over to the woman leaning against her car. The moment he made it to her she began to speak in a panicked voice. The group watched as Darien said a few words thus loosening her demeanor and calming her. He then turned and walked back. "So, shopping for you two and Seiya, you and I need to do more shopping ourselves."
"I figured as much." Seiya slumped and kicked the ground much like a young child would. "I don't wanna shop with you. I hate the way everyone throws themselves around to please you."
"You love it. Now… let's get our asses in gear and get down to business. You… step into the street like that again and you're grounded permanently." Darien smiled whole heartedly and kissed Serena's forehead making Rita smile. Andrew glared at Darien then grabbed his girlfriend's arm and pulled her away from the prestigious group.
Serena was exhausted by the time she fell onto the oversized bed her and Darien shared. The whole day had been a rollercoaster and Raelean was still downstairs in a yelling match with her eldest. Darien was furious with his mother and it showed in the way he had hardened himself to her. The second they'd stepped back into the large house he'd gone cold and addressed his mother as if she were a stranger. He'd also made it perfectly clear that Raelean was to stay away from Serena and not speak to her unless either he or Raye were present. Serena sighed and walked into the oversized bathroom to the large jetted tub and turned the faucet on releasing a large gush of water that soon began to fill the tub. "I hate this. I don't want all of these issues."
Soon the tub was full and Serena turned on the jets then submerged herself in the bubbly water. Relishing the feeling of the hot water on her skin she sighed and reached for the light switch that was just by the tub. The whole bathroom immediately dimmed creating an intimate lighting scheme, only after the lights were right then she reached for the remote to the built in radio and flipped it to classical. In the other room she could hear the bedroom door slamming signaling Darien's entrance just before he came into the bathroom silently crossing the room to the shower. He was stiff in his movements as he turned the shower on and peeled off his clothes, all the while focusing on his own thoughts and not on Serena. She watched as he stepped into the shower and just stood under the waterfall like water, his face tilted to the ceiling, unmoving as though he were a statue. After a while he tilted his head down and began to wash making Serena wonder what he'd been thinking about. She decided to act like she didn't notice his off behavior and perhaps he would mention it to her. Soon she was ready to get out and Darien was still in the shower scrubbing himself almost angrily. Concerned, Serena slipped on her short silk robe and walked over to the shower, knocking on the glass carefully hoping to pull him out of his trance. "Darien?"
"What?" He growled turning towards her his eyes furious and blazing with rage. Serena stood on the other side of the glass looking at him and tried to conceal the feeling of fear that wanted to creep into her eyes. He'd been in the shower for well over two hours and the water was obviously freezing cold, he'd scrubbed his torso and arms so hard, and so much that he was bleeding from what looked like tiny scratches all over him. "What?" He shouted making the glass tremble.
"I think… it's time to get out of there now… you're hurting yourself." Serena tried to stable her voice only to have it crack in defiance thus making him even more angry. Slowly, he turned the water off and stepped towards the glass door, his eyes never leaving hers as she began to back away. "Dare…"
"What? Are your afraid of me Serena? Do I frighten you?" His voice was a low and dangerous growl as he advanced towards her, through the door and into the bedroom, blood slowly seeping from the wounds he'd inflicted on himself. He looked like a horror movie vilian and yes, it scared her, terrified her even. What could his mother possibly have said to drive him to such anger and madness.
"Right now yes… you're scaring me." Serena breathed as she moved towards the terrace doors wanting nothing more than to escape him at this moment. He neared her as she fiddled with the door until it finally opened granting her passage to the terrace where she ran to the other doors that would lead her to the living room and finally to the exit of the mini apartment. The first door was locked and her sudden spurt of speed had, in turn, prompted him to go faster as well. "No…" She whispered to herself and tried the other door, pulling it open just as he grabbed her tightly making her yelp with surprise.
"Why am I scaring you?" Serena tried to push his arms away but they were slick due to the combination of water and blood. "Why?" He snapped and turned her to him so fast it made her head spin.
"Because… right now… you're not the person I know." She said shakily hoping that this was one of his games, that he was pretending to be this crazy to play with her but as she stared into his eyes she realized that he wasn't playing. The man she knew and loved wasn't there, and instead there was the look of a wild animal. "Darien… let me go…"
"I don't want to." He smiled a wide and cold smile before grabbing her wrist and pulling her back towards the other doors.
"Darien! Stop it! You're hurting me!" Serena screamed and pulled against him in an attempt to escape. "Dare!" But nothing seemed to reach his ears, he was in a trance like stage and pulled her into the bedroom towards the large bed. "Stop!"
"Will you shut up?" He growled and threw her to the bed, waiting for her to scramble away before pouncing on her and pulling at the silk fabric of her robe.
"Stop it!" She screamed and smacked him across the face making him pause, his head turned slightly to the left. When he turned back to her his eyes had calmed and now full of fear and slowly registered terror as he looked into her scared eyes.
"I… I'm so sorry." Darien pulled away from himself and looked at his slowly oozing arms and chest. "God… I… I'm really sorry. I really am… If she says one more thing about you and I I'm going to kill her." He rose and walked to the bathroom leaving Serena laying on the bed with drippings of blood on her naked body. Slowly she went into the bathroom where he was dabbing blood off of himself and staring into the mirror with a resentful and regretful look.
"What… what that all about Dare? You were really scaring me… I've never seen anyone do anything like that before." She shook and looked at him uneasily hoping he'd remain in his normal state of mind.
"I tend to black out when I'm really angry. I do things and I don't even know I'm doing them. I wouldn't have hurt you… I know that. It's just that I usually resent myself and everything that I've felt guilty about comes back to me until I just… well, I do this to myself. No one's ever been around me when I do get like this though… it doesn't happen often. I promise you that." He paused and looked at her with saddened eyes. "I'll completely understand if you want to leave me and never come back. Who wants a nut for a significant other right?"
"I don't think you're a nut I'm just glad you didn't go completely goofy on me. I mean, everyone has flaws and that just happens to be one of yours. It's okay to be angry." She smiled and wrapped her hands through his arms and around his shoulders as he continued to clean himself. "I forgive you for scaring me… afterall, if it wasn't for you'd I'd be laying in the hospital right now if not a coffin."
"Still no excuse for me to frighten you like that… as for my flaws… well. That's the least of my worries." He whispered the last part more to the mirror than to her. She smiled and kissed his back knowing that he was, after all, a human.