A/N: Oh reviewers make me so happy… And I promise to try and update as often as possible, but I make no promises… I'm really not that prompt. :D. Yea, so this fic is rated "M" for a reason. There's a considerable amount of cussing and suggestiveness, not to mention scenes far beyond just "suggestions". Well, not in this chapter, but sooner or later. So be warned! If that bothers you, I suggest you stop reading right: Here.

But anyways, lots of Serena/Darien interaction here. Yay! They're so cute.

Crescendo

Chapter 2: Until You

"Mine"? Her eyes flew open, and she immediately broke off (aw, dang) the kiss. Who the fudge does this guy think he is? thought an outraged Serena, her insides in a turmoil but her face devoid of any emotion and reaction. Then suddenly, a slow, sultry smile slid (look at that alliteration!) onto her face.

"Yours? Reaaaally…" she purred, rubbing her body seductively against his. Pupils dilating, his eyes darkened even further in response, turning a near black as his hands grabbed her hips, grinding his lower body into hers.

Whoa… Down girl. Actually, it's probably more like down, dooooooown boy.

"Yes, mine… Why? Do you find the idea… appealing?" he responded huskily, his mind and body falling under the spell of her beguiling blue eyes.

She slid up his body, until she stood on the very tips of her toes, and even still she just barely made it up to his chin. Caressing his back lightly, she whispered seductively, "As a matter of fact…" Pausing, she grabbed his (oh god… the torture) hard ass.

Darien groaned, ready to tear off her thin dress and just claim her on the dressing room floor, and satisfy his burning need.

"…I don't!" Taking advantage of his distracted state, Serena slammed her knee upward, aiming right for his groin.

Only to be blocked again.

But Serena was a quick learner and quickly retaliated by jumping up and slamming her head right into that perfectly shaped nose.

And saw stars.

"Fuck, woman, are just trying to give yourself a concussion!"

That doesn't sound a lot like a man who should be groaning in agony and rolling around on the floor in pain, Serena thought dazedly, grabbing her aching forehead. Shit, my head hurts like no other. How the hell Jean Claude Van Dam manages to do that so often, I have no idea. He must be brain dead by now.

Woozily, Serena began to slightly sway. Cursing, Darien lifted her up effortlessly into his arms and gently placed her on the small couch in the dressing room.

Shit, shit, shit. This is not what's supposed to be happening. He should be on the ground, incapacitated, groaning and moaning, and begging for mercy.

"Are you all right? I must tell you, it won't do you any good to attack me. I'm near impossible to kill. Trust me, it's been attempted numerous times," Darien said sardonically.

"Kill you? I don't want to kill you. Although I can understand why several people might try to. I just want to know who the fuck you are and what the hell you're doing in my room. And why you… er… assaulted me," hissed Serena, holding her aching (and probably bruised by now, she thought disdainfully) head.

He grinned devilishly and his expression instantly turned amused, his eyes glittering mischievously. "Assaulted, eh? Then it seems it rather you enjoy being… assaulted."He finished the word suggestively.

That bastard, she thought darkly. "Bite me," she spat out.

His beautiful eyes widened slightly for a moment and an emotion that she couldn't recognized flickered swiftly across his face, before quickly being replaced with that same heavily aroused look.

"Oh, gladly. Just tell me where," he purred seductively.

"Oh you insufferable -. Ugh. Never mind. Move out of my way. I'll give you 3 seconds to get out of my room before I call security," she growled. "Better yet, you can just wait here till security comes and takes you away, preferably into a padded, soundproof cell," she added sweetly.

"Oh trust me angel, no one is going to take you away from me. Like I said, you're mine, and I happen to be rather possessive."

"Will you cut it out with that 'mine' crap? You're flippin' crazy! I'm nobody's, and I sure as heck will never be yours!" Serena yelled furiously. "Besides, I don't even know who you are!"

"Darien Shields. But after our… meeting, I think we ought to be on a first name basis by now; don't you agree, Serena?"

The fear came belatedly, it's icy fingers just beginning to crawl up her spine as the reality of her situation finally hit her in the face. A big, enormously strong (if that little incident with his nose was any indication), potentially dangerous man alone with her, in a rather small room- not exactly a very comforting scenario. He was a complete stranger who knew her name (she'd conveniently forgotten the fact that this was her concert and that the advertisements had her name written all over it) and was either a total weirdo or just delusional.

Feeling more than just a tad uneasy with her predicament, Serena decided that since yelling at this, this, Darien didn't seem to do any good, and acting seductive only made her (it killed her to admit it) horny, she would try a different route.

Okay, time for the sneaky approach…Mr. Sex-God-who-doesn't-know-the-meaning-of-personal-space, prepare yourself! she thought deviously.

Darien watched his silver-haired angel with suspicion. Serena was a complete enigma, a chameleon, constantly changing her colors right before his very eyes. On stage she was a graceful swan, her movements as smooth and soothing as a caress. In the dressing room, she danced and twirled like a 5 year-old playing in her mother's swishy skirt. In his arms she was a raging and spitting cat one moment, and then in the next, an alluring temptress that aroused him until he was on the brink of pain. And now… and now he watched as she seemed to deflate of all anger and steam, leaving her lying completing relaxed and still on the couch, with him still hovering over her.

Her beautiful clear eyes started to fill slightly with tears, and Darien caught the slightest hint of fear in their endless depths. Those pouty, swollen lips began to slightly tremble… those beautiful, sexy, red lips that he had just nearly consumed and could easily imagine wrapped around his-

"Okay, fine. Darien?"

His name whispered tremulously from the very lips that he was fantasizing about broke his train of thoughts (and in the nick of time). But he couldn't help losing focus. Just one thought of that slim, perfectly curvy body wrapped around his or those bewitching eyes that reeled him in had the ability to remove all thoughts from his head and rush all the blood to his cock.

And that just wouldn't do at all.

Born a leader and raised to be a King, Darien prided in himself at his ability to keep a cool and rational head when all others seemed to be in an utter state of chaos. He could kill without a thought and topple cities with a single order, yet this human, the bottom of the food chain for his kind and a very small, petite one at that, had the ability to strip him completely of all his control, not to mention all rational thoughts.

A mere human, but dangerous nonetheless.

"Darien?" Serena whispered softly again. "Please… Would you let me up? I promise not to run. I just would prefer to stand… Please…" She lifted teary eyes to his and gently touched his cheek with the palm of her hand.

"I'd rather not. I rather like the position you're in- flat on your back, below me. Makes things so much more… convenient," he added wickedly.

Her "teary" eyes blazed for the briefest moment. Then resumed with their pleading, frightening looked. Ah ha. So this is the game she insists on playing.

"Please D-Darien." She thought the stutter was a nice touch. "I would really appreciate it. Understand my situation. One moment, I'm standing alone in my room, the next, some random, mysterious man has grabbed me and is kissing me. I don't even know who you are! And you're saying that I'm 'yours'? I just… I don't understand what's going on." It wasn't even a lie - it was pretty much how she felt. But perhaps adding the occasional bravely-contained-yet-still-managed-to-escape-sob and the I'm-really-trying-hard-not-to-burst-into-tears-hiccup was a bit much.

His face gave away no emotion; he didn't even bat an eye at her teary explanation. Time to take it up a notch.

"Plus, I just can't stand being caged in like this. Ever since I got trapped in an elevator when I was younger, I've always been rather claustrophobic." she lied smoothly. Careful, don't over do it…

"Really? How terrible."

So apparently, his mate was not only incredibly sexy, but the little vixen was an accomplished liar too. A lesser man would've probably fallen immediately under the spell of her soft voice, and god knows Darien was struggling with himself as it was, but one did not become king of the most powerful species alive only to succumb to teary eyes and a pleading voice.

Although it was damn tempting.

"You're right. I've been thoughtless. Forgive me," Darien said apologetically.

"That's all right, this whole situation is rather strange after. Now if you'll just move aside-" Serena got cut off when Darien unexpectedly interrupted her.

"We'll go to my house. It's much more larger than this… closet."

"WHAT! No! Wait! Stop! HEL-"

Her voice was cut off when suddenly her vision went black.

Raye was starting to get worried.

Serena was supposed to meet her and the rest of the group in front of the entrance… Ten minutes ago. Eh, it's probably nothing. Considering that it's Serena, she's just probably running late again because she broke a heel or tore her dress or something.

"What's wrong, love?" Jadeite asked, feeling concerned upon seeing the worried look on his fiancée's face. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

Loving the warmth and security, Raye leaned back onto his chest, taking comfort in the protection of his arms. "I'm sure it's nothing. Serena's just running late again. If she doesn't come out soon, we should probably go looking for her."

"Have you tried calling her cell?"

"Yes, but it's turned off. I just keep getting her voicemail."

"Well, we're in no hurry. We can stand to wait a little bit more. Considering that we made the dinner reservations in Darien's name, the reservation will hold."

Raye laughed. "Yea, with that, they'd probably also clear out the rest of the people, keep the restaurant open the entire night, and be ready to serve your every beck and call as well."

"Thus is the power of a name." He leaned down and began to gently nibble at his lover's neck. "Raye... have you given any thought to my… request?"

She stiffened. "Honestly… I just don't know yet." She turned around, still encompassed by his arms and placed both palms gently on Jadeite's cheeks. Gazing deeply into his eyes, she said, "You know that I love you, and what I want more than anything is to be with you… but this is so shocking, so sudden. A vampire… just saying it sounds unbelievable. And once I realized that it's the truth, it's reality; that vampires actually do exist… I just… God, Jadeite. I don't know." She broke off.

"It's all right, I understand. I don't want to pressure you," he said, lovingly stroking a hand over her raven black mane of hair. "I just don't want to risk losing you."

"I know, it's just… I mean it's not like I'm squeamish or anything. I am, after all, a surgeon, and have to deal with plenty of gruesome things and am exposed to blood daily… But… My friends, my family… What do I tell them? To never see the sun again, to live to see my family, their children, their children's children die. How do I deal with it all?"

"Well, you will eventually be able to be exposed to sunlight later…"

"Yes, after about half a millennium," she said sarcastically. Then, she sighed. "I'm sorry Jadeite. I don't mean to be snippy, but it's a big decision… I just need more time to think about it." She lifted her downcast eyes. "It'd help if I could talk to Serena about this," she said hopefully.

"I'm sorry my love, you know that isn't possible. To expose another to our world… It's dangerous, for us, and especially for them."

She sighed. It was a long shot anyways. "Okay, just wait a little longer then. But I promise, you'll have my answer within the week."

"Alright, I can't ask for more. Just you being here is a miracle as it is."

Looking down the neatly spaced rows and columns, Amy ran through her "closing time" to-do list, making sure that the auditorium was ready to be closed for the night. Going backstage, she noticed that the light in makeup room, the room that Serena was in, was still on.

Hmm… She still hasn't left. How odd. It's well past closing time. Approaching the door, she softly rapped her knuckles on the wood. "Serena? You in there? Is everything okay?"

No answer.

"Serena?" she repeated, confused. "Can I come in?" Still no answer.

Curious as to what was wrong, she opened the door slowly and popped her head in, only to see… Nothing. That's odd. Her purse and clothes are still here, but she's nowhere to be seen! Stepping inside, she grabbed Serena's stuff, turned off the lights, and closed the door. Being her, she probably just forgot to grab her stuff and left in such a hurry that she didn't even realize it. I'll just stop by her apartment tomorrow and drop off her stuff. And that was that.

If only.

Serena groggily attempted to open her eyes, confused as to what happened. Am I at home? Did I just somehow manage to get home and fall asleep or something? How strange…

She shifted, and was startled to feel the sleek smoothness of silk on her bare legs.

Silk sheets? I don't have silk sheets… Unless the cotton somehow just transformed… But this bed… Oh god, it's even better than mine… No, wait! Focus! Where am I?

She opened her eyes and rubbed at them, trying to adjust to the dark lighting. Suddenly, she caught a whiff of a familiar scent from the pillow.

Mmmm… Smells good. All manly and sexy. I wish- WAIT A FLIPPIN' MINUTE!

Her memory came back to her in a rush, as it always did right after waking up. A slow starter, it always took Serena several moments to shake off sleep and to retain all coherent thoughts.

That, that, crazy guy! Shields! Darien Shields! He kissed- I mean assaulted me! What? Did he drug me too? Am I at his house? Oh god, what do I do?

Hopefully get kissed some more, if you're lucky… Yummy… the hormonal side of her purred.

Agh! No! Stop!

Oh come on… Admit it, the man is a sex god… That mouth… those hands… that body. Not to mention some of his other considerable… assets. One of which you grabbed. You know you enjoyed it…

That doesn't change the fact that he's a complete stranger! A serial killer for all I know! And that was just to distract him!

"I wonder," rumbled a deep voice from a dark corner, "if you're aware of how many different emotions your face can hold at the same time. It's rather fascinating."

Oh god, no.

Oh GOD, yes!

Darien carefully watched Serena's face in the dark, amused at the sporadic play of different emotions that passed through her beautiful face upon his revealing. He enjoyed watching her sleep, seeing her alluring breasts rise and fall with each breath, her stomach slightly concave. She looked completely at peace and relaxed during sleep, emphasizing her angelic features. Her white-blond hair and pale skin contrasted sharply with his pure black silk sheets, making her seem as if glowing.

"What the fuck am I doing here?"

But he enjoyed her fire even more.

Grinning, he casually stuck his hands into his pockets and strolled over to her. "Why, we're talking, at my house. Besides, isn't that what you wanted. To be in a bigger room, due to your… phobia?"

"My- what? What the hell are- Oh. Yes, my- I mean, no. I mean yes. Oh fudge it. You know that wasn't what I meant!" she snapped.

"It was my understanding that being in such a small room with me was bringing back your childhood fears of enclosed spaces, due to your unfortunate incident with an elevator. Therefore, I brought you to my home. I trust it is enough space for you?" he asked smoothly, not choking over her many lies.

Enough space? The entire room was probably the size of her entire apartment, considering the fact that the bed alone was as large as her kitchen. Covered with luxurious black silk sheets, the bed was like a lake, with scattered pillows and large, ornate lamps on top of antique bed stands on either sides of the bed. Looking down, she finally noticed what she was wearing.

Another outraged shriek was ready to emerge when Darien cut in smoothly, "I thought that the peach color looked good on you. I hope it is to your taste."

"To my-" she stopped, and drew in a deep shuddering breath. Calming herself to the best of her abilities, Serena tamped down on her fury and worse, her fear. Be angry. Be calm. It's safer. "As a matter of fact, it isn't. Where are my clothes? This-" she motioned to the slinky peach colored teddy, "was not what I was wearing before."

"I had assumed that the dress would've been bothersome while you slept. Being so, I took the liberty of slipping something more… comfortable on."

"Would you please stop that? It's annoying," Serena said coldly, masking her fear. He undressed me? Oh god. What if he drugged me and did stuff to me that I didn't even realize? She wondered, horrified, and not wanting to elaborate her thinking on the "stuff."

"Stop what?"

"Those annoying little pauses. You know, 'after our… meeting', 'makes thing so much more… convenient', 'something more… comfortable'," she mimicked with exaggeration. "If you have something to say then just say it. Stop with the annoying innuendos."

Something dangerous and not at all playful glinted in Darien's dark blue eyes and instantly made Serena regret her words. "You have a very good memory," Darien said softly. "So then, would you have preferred that I had said 'after we all but ripped each other's clothing off', 'makes it easier for me to fuck you', or 'something that shows off your sexy little body' sans those 'annoying little pauses'?" he finished in low dangerous growl.

Whuh. Serena let out a breath. "No," she squeaked stupidly. She winced. "No," she said more strongly, clearing her throat. "And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't be so crude and would just tell me flat out who you are and what I'm doing here."

"As I said, I am Darien Shields, and you, my dear, are here because this is where you belong."

She froze. Darien Shields…The name sounded familiar to her now, unlike before, when she had been too shocked and startled to think about it. Darien, Darien… Where have I heard that name before?

As if he read her mind, Darien added, "You may have heard of me from your friend Raye - I'm Jadeite's boss."

"You're that Darien?" The über rich, mysterious, powerful, and evidently psycho one? Oh fudgsicle. It is all just like some sort of novel. Where are those smelling salts when you need them? And what is Raye doing, being associated with these maniacs? "Well um, it's nice meeting you and all… I'm sure this whole situation is just some weird misunderstanding… I'm pretty sure I don't belong here, so if you'll just return my clothing, I'll go home and we can just pretend this, this thing just never happened," she said, proud that her voice remained calm and didn't betray the emotions churning inside her stomach.

He looked hesitant for a moment, and Serena felt a flash of hope that he would just let her go.

And miss out on more kissy time? Nooooo…

Shut it, you!

"This isn't a misunderstanding, nor is it a mistake. No one is playing a joke on you and I am not mentally unstable or under the influence of any substance. Do you understand?" He spoke to her slowly, calmly, his eyes never leaving hers for a moment. When she didn't respond, he continued, "I know you don't understand what is going on, but know that I'm not here to hurt you. It may take you some time to adjust and believe the things I am going to tell you, but this is truly where you belong. Here, with me."

She gaped at him, not caring that she probably looked ridiculously like a goldfish. "Uhhhh…."

"I'm not done. You see, I am-" He broke off abruptly, agitated and running his hands through his hair. This was the first time Serena had seen him break his cool, that calm façade which seemed to be permanently imbedded. It made her feel a teensy better, as it just made him seem more normal.

"Who am I kidding… A human, a fucking human!" He muttered under his breath, pacing the room. "After all this time, out of all the species…" He let out a sharp bark of laughter.

"Am I missing something here? Because last time I checked, you're a human too," she sniffed, offended at his disparaging tone of voice.

He stopped his pacing and caught eyes with her. It was like sinking into a black hole, a place where there was no time and space, just a void of nothingness. Slowly, like a predator stalking a particularly tasty looking morsel, Darien began to walk back towards her again. "You'd best check again angel, because I'm far from it."

Alright, she'd humor him. Crossing her arms, she arched an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then please, tell me, exactly what do kidnappers fall under as? Sub-human? Neanderthals?" She looked him up and down (and grudgingly admired his hotness). "You may be crazy, but you're still human."

"Try vampire."

Silence.

Silence.

Crickets chirping.

Slowly, the corners of her mouth turned up, lips quivering as if she were desperately trying to hold it in.

Her smile made him catch his breath. Her eyes, already a sky blue, seemed to light up even more. Her smile, her smile, her smile.

He felt ridiculous, like some sappy fool. He couldn't, wouldn't get sucked into these feelings warming his chest. It wasn't… rational. Emotions like these could break a man. But then Serena started to laugh, and he had to forcefully use all his many years of training and control to rein in the overwhelming temptation to smile helplessly back.

Still laughing, Serena managed to stutter, "O-o-oh reallyyyy?" giggle "Yes, t-t-that s-s-s-sounds much more reasonable" giggle giggle. Honestly, she felt a lot better now - still worried about Darien's sanity, but not scared shitless like before. It probably wasn't the smartest idea to laugh at a potentially insane kidnapper, but seriously? How could she help it? After a few moments of Serena nearly dying of laughter, and Darien just staring at her with a blank look on his face, she wiped her tears away and finally noticed that Darien… wasn't laughing.

"You can't be serious," she said disbelievingly. "I mean I know I called you crazy… but you can't seriously think you're a- a- vampire. That's just beyond craziness and borderline institutional."

He heaved a great, dramatic sigh. "Yes, I am serious. And not only that, I happen to be the current reigning King. It's a terrible job, but someone's got to do it."

"You-" she began, but didn't finish as she barely swallowed a scream in her throat as Darien seemingly appeared out of thin air right next to the bed, one knee on the mattress, his arms caging her in against his pillows. What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened? Her racing heart felt ready to burst from her chest. "How did you… Please, this can't be right. What are you talking about? Vampires do NOT exist! That's all myth and delusion. You can't possibly be serious!" With his face this close to hers, she realized that his eyes weren't black or dark brown, but the darkest navy blue - like a starless night sky.

"Oh but I am. Darien Shields, undead King, ruler of the shadow creatures, a master and elder vampire. And I also kick ass at Jenga," he added seriously.

"Well, that just all make sense. The dark, foreboding presence, the mausoleum of a room. A Vampire King. Of course." Serena ended the sentence on a slightly hysterical note. Oh man. I am so screwed. I'm stuck with one of those crazy Twilight fans. He probably douses his skin with glitter too.

He just watched her with those cool, unfathomable eyes. "As expected, I see that you find it hard to believe. I figured no less from a human - they're so predictably close-minded." He ignored her outraged "Hey!" and finished, "Very well, I shall just have to show you."

Serena watched, half horrified, half dazed as Darien held up his index finger, and continued to watch as the fingernail slowly extended and sharpened until it became a single razor sharp claw.

"Wha? You. I. I. But."

He wasn't done quite yet. He lightly dragged his finger (claw?) over his black shirt, and the fabric split as if being torn in half. Pausing, he looked up and stared into her eyes. Without breaking eye contact, he raked his finger over his chest, right over his heart. Serena cried out, horrified at the blood dripping steadily from the deep wound.

"Stop it! What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, breaking into a sweat at the sight of blood and already scrambling to get up, only to become tangled in the sheets. Abruptly, her shouts stilled, as she stared at his chest with a dismayed sort of fascination. His skin had swiftly begun to knit back together, right before her very eyes. The entire wound had healed in a matter of seconds, until the smooth, golden skin was as perfect and as unblemished as before, only marked by a thin line of blood. Its smell still hung in the air, making her feel nauseous, yet there was no wound to accompany it.

She looked back into those impossibly colored navy eyes, trying to discern an ounce of understanding, some sort of reasoning for what had just happened. Impossible…

"What are you?" she whispered. Her brain couldn't process what her eyes had seen. It simply didn't make any sense. As if she were stuck in some sort of bizarre dream, Serena felt trapped and dazed.

"I already told you, I am a vampire," he said with a hint of impatience.

"No…" she whispered. She rapidly shook her head. "This doesn't- this can't- No! Just go away. Just GO AWAY!" Serena felt like she was five again, when she was plagued with bloody nightmares and monsters who hid in the dark. So she did what she did back then - threw the covers over her head, shut out the world and prayed to god that this was all just a dream that she would wake up from very soon.

Darien had no idea it would, no, could hurt so deep. The wound on his chest was of no consequence- indeed, it felt like hardly more than a pinch, but the look of disgust and horror that his mate had given him when he revealed his true nature had been a slice through his heart, deeper than any mortal wound a weapon could inflict.

"Just GO AWAY!" Her words were still ringing in his ears.

The hell with that, he snarled. She's mine, my queen: now, tomorrow, and forever. After all these years, this hell, it's my fucking right to take what is rightfully mine.

But she'll probably never forgive you, a little voice niggled in the back of his head.

She'll learn; she'll adjust. I'll make sure of it.

When Serena came to again, she awoke without her usual grogginess and foggy mind. With a heavy heart, she took in her elegant surroundings. So it wasn't just a dream. Well eff my life.

Quietly (and regretfully) slipping out of the soft, luxurious bed, she carefully wandered around the bedroom and with a relieved sigh concluded that Darien wasn't in there. She walked over to the heavy drapes covering the large windows and cautiously peered through.

"Oh. My. Freaking. God."

It was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining over the fresh snow over a large expanse of land. It was sprinkled on top of the many trees and Evergreens that were strategically planted in way to conceal the large walls and imposing looking gate. Like some sort of picture-perfect winter wonderland, the clean snow sparkled and the sky was completely clear, a rare feat for New York during the winter season.

She quickly tied back all the large, heavy drapes, flooding the room with sunlight. Basking in its warm rays, she opened the large glass doors, cleared the patio of any remaining snow, and stepped out. Shivering, she admired the view. The mansion, no, castle was probably a better word was large, impressive and surprisingly charming. While lacking the telltale high towers that would undoubtedly keep Rapunzel captive, the grand stone fortress had quite a few peaks and turrets that made Serena itch to go and explore. She could see the hibernating vines that crawled up thickly along the walls and could imagine how beautiful the flowers were when they bloomed in the springtime. All of it was fit for a-

King. Oh god. I can't believe I forgot about this nightmare. Vampires! They actually exist! I can't believe it. Darien Shields! An undead Vampire King. Somebody wake me up from this ridiculous nightmare.

No longer feeling safe and secure out in the open, Serena hastily stepped back and shut the doors. Looking around the room, she finally was able to see the details of the huge and expensively furnished room. Considering that the large four poster bed and with its heavy drapes hanging down, took up most of the space in the room, Serena was surprised to see that the room also fit an impressive television, stereo, and electronics set, a large dresser, a door she presumed to be the closet, and an armoire. There was also a large fireplace roaring away, which was probably why the room was so nice and toasty.

Then she caught sight of the large bookcase next to it, and all but began to drool. She quickly walked over to the huge built in bookcase and lovingly ran her fingers over the well-worn binds. She was sorely tempted to choose a favorite or two of hers and settle down into the large, plushy sofa opposite the bookcase. She was already pulling a book out of the shelf when she caught herself. What do you think you're doing? You need to get out of here! She berated herself. Well, first off, my clothes…

Hunting around the room but seeing no sign of any of her possessions, she gave up and headed over to the closet. Well, no doubt about it, this must be Darien's room. Only his closet would have this much black clothing. Jeez, this closet would make all the supermodels in the world green with envy. Heading down the many rows and columns of neatly folded pants, shirts, shoes, and towards the more casual clothing, she finally managed to extract a pair of jeans, a belt, and a plain sweater.

Even cinching the belt as tight as she could around her waist and with the cuffs rolled up several times, the pants still threatened to slip off and the sweater was so large that the shoulders nearly came down to her elbows. Oh well, it's better than creeping around in that flimsy scrap of silk. His shoes were entirely too large for her so she just slipped on a pair of warm woolen socks.

Testing the large oak doors, she discovered to her delight that they weren't locked. He's either really careless or just really confident. Somehow, I don't think it's the former.

She tiptoed silently across the long, impressive looking hallway. She was about to give up on finding an exit when finally; she came upon a grand staircase which led to a marbled foyer. Oh, freedom! She raced down the long, sweeping staircase and headed for the humongous double doors when suddenly, her socks slipped on the polished floor and she fell with a large bang, rapping her elbow and butt on the floor.

"Ow…" she mourned painfully, carefully standing back up and rubbing her afflicted areas.

"Well now, I'd be happy to kiss it and make it feel better," said an all-too-familiar voice from directly behind her.

Oh man. Caught. Damn it.

Today, in an instant, Darien had learned of two new emotions: terror and fear. Terror that Serena had severely injured her fragile, easily broken, mortal body from the fall and fear that she was going to leave him and he'd never get her back. Fortunately, her fall was a minor one and the ruckus she made was actually what had woken him up from his light sleep. Using his shifting powers, he able to instantly bring himself to Serena, relieved to see that she was okay.

"What the- How did you do that? You weren't even around here! And how are you able to stand the sunlight? Aren't you supposed to be deep fried and crispy by now?" asked a startled Serena.

"One of my acquired abilities is Shifting, meaning I can instantly transport myself anywhere, anytime, so long as I've been there before. And being a few thousand years old, my powers have grown to the extent in which I've managed to become relatively immune to the burning effects of the sun, although it will cause me to tire more easily. So I'm assuming this means you believe me now?"

Her head still spinning from this new amazing discovery, she almost missed the part about his age. "Wait just a fudging minute. A few thousand years old? How old exactly are you?" she asked incredulously.

"About 2,700 years old. I lost track after the first millennium. And you didn't answer my question. You believe me? And accept what I am?"

But Serena was still feeling rather dazed. "Oh my god. Two thousand and seven hundred years old..." her voice trailed off.

More roughly than he meant to, Darien took Serena by the shoulders and shook her. "Serena. Answer me. Do you accept what I am?"

"Take your hands off me!" she snapped, quickly recovering from her daze. "You're hurting me."

His hands lost a considerable amount of pressure but she was still firmly under his grasp. "Well?" he questioned, a touch more desperately than he would've liked. He had no idea why, but having her admission and acceptance meant everything to him, and right now, he just had to have the answer.

"Well it's not like I have a fucking choice here. You grew claws, gave yourself a mortal wound, completely healed almost immediately, can transport distances instantly… All I haven't seen are your fangs," she said rather testily. "So, what, if I say 'no', you're just going to say 'oh, all right then. I'm actually not a vampire. Have a nice life' and pop out of here with that 'shifting' ability of yours? I think that if I don't accept what you are, I'm going to have to admit that I've gone completely delusional and check myself into the nearest insane asylum a.s.a.p."

"You have accepted me." He said it as a statement, not a fact.

"Yeeeessss… That's what I said. Sorta." She was really confused. What was the big deal?

For a moment no one spoke. Then, moving too quickly for Serena to react, he gathered her close into his arms and hugged her. Simply hugged her.

How do you describe love, hope, happiness? Perhaps they all described each other in themselves. He couldn't understand it, couldn't fathom it, but somehow he was beginning to grasp their meanings.

"You have accepted me." He said it as a statement, not a fact. "And I accept you, a thousand times over."

They were just words, but they held a weight that Serena didn't understand.

Accepted.

Accepted as what? It was a thought she didn't dwell on for long, as he interrupted her musings.

"So you want to see my fangs?" Darien said thickly, his eyes darkening oh-so-familiarly.

Serena could feel her heart thumping wildly and her pulse racing as she watched his sharp canines elongate and extend. And the final piece of the puzzle. The whole 'I vant to dreenk your blooooood'. Surprisingly, Serena felt no fear, no panic at what she knew was coming. Just an overwhelming sense of lust, desire, and contentment. Rather odd, considering that Darien had assaulted- okay, no, she'd admit it- kissed her, drugged her (she assumed), and kidnapped her. But still, she found that she rather trusted him, despite what he was and what he did. Or perhaps she was just deluding herself because she just really, really wanted to kiss him again.

Darien bent down closer, intoxicated by her scent and her pulse. He couldn't wait to feel her lifeblood flowing down his throat, binding him to her, and to leave his mark on her. Savoring the moment, he paused a whisper away from her smooth, creamy skin.

"Finally…" he whispered, right before he sank his teeth right into her pulse.

"'CUZ YOU'RE HOT AND YOU'RE COLD, YOU'RE YES AND YOU'RE NO. YOU'RE IN AND YOU'RE OUT…"

Sorry, but this song just keeps playing over and over in my head when I think of Serena and Darien's relationship. Hahaha.

Another A/N: So yea, I know for an ultimate scary and powerful vampire Darien doesn't seem all that… scary, but his darker nature will be revealed along the story. Just remember that when he's with Serena, he just wants to protect her and keep her for his own (greedy, greedy!), so naturally, he'd be a little more… I dunno. Nicer, I guess. Haha. Just wanted to make that clear. Thanks for reading!