A.N: Haha, I'm sorry for leave you all with the cliffhanger. It makes life more interesting.

Here you go!

P.S: I will try to update quicker, but more than likely, I can't because of my work schedule.

I have tests, essays, and exams at least once a week, so there is no possible way that I could update every few days or every week like I used too. So sorry! But I will do my best. Promise.

P.S.S: One reviewer asked me if Serena was still a virgin (in my story), and the answer is yes.

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Chapter 10: Falling Asleep

Darien began racing down the darkened hallway, running as fast as he could. He glanced down at the tracker with every few steps, making sure he was going in the right direction. His heart was hammering so hard, he could hear it ring in his ears. He felt anger pulse through him with every move he made.

Why did it seem like the hallway was never-ending?

Serena…

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Please God… I'm begging you, Serena sent an unheard prayer up towards the ceiling as she closed her eyes tight, feeling Ethan's finger stroke her. Tears quietly leaked out as she clenched her jaw together, feeling her knees go weaker with every passing second. She was so out of her body, she didn't know what to do, or how to act.

Serena could hear Ethan's breathing become heavy as he drunkenly leaned in to kiss her neck. "You like this… don't you?" he whispered as his tongue flicked out to taste her bare throat.

"P-please stop…" Serena gasped, her words coming out short of breath and shaky.

He leaned out a little to look at her with a menacing, knowing smile….

And in that few seconds, there was a bit of space between them… just enough room so she could…

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Darien reached the door and turned the doorknob with fumbling hands. Locked.

"Fuck," he muttered as he backed up a little. He looked at the door as if it was a football player, wanting to tackle and rip it apart.

He pushed off his foot with enough force to slam his shoulder into the door, breaking it with ease as he came through the barrier. The sound of breaking wood emanated as it swung haphazardly open.

"Serena," he almost yelled, his eyes darting around the room with intense focus.

He saw her slumped on the floor, her hand covering her face. Her dress was wrinkled and pushed up well past her thighs, clear evidence that something had gone terribly wrong.

A few feet away from Serena, was Ethan, who was completely passed out; a couple of inches away from Ethan's head, was a shattered vase.

When Serena saw that Ethan had distanced himself enough for her to move, she automatically brought her knee up with every ounce of strength her body had left in her, and slammed it into his groin. He immediately fell to his knees, his hands instinctively grabbing his throbbing crotch as he howled in pain. Serena grabbed a decorative vase quickly with shaky fingers as her mind raced. When he made a sudden move towards her, she raised her arm and slammed the glass vase on his head, knocking him out as the vase shattered into a million tiny pieces.

She fell to the ground as she looked at him with horrified, tearful eyes. Then, out of shock and physical weakness, she began to shake and cry. That's right when Darien bursts through the door.

Darien rushed over quickly to her and bent down on his knees. His heart was beating painfully hard. "Serena-"

"Please…. Don't tell my dad," she croaked as she looked up at him with the most sorrowful eyes he'd ever seen, breaking his heart. Her eyes were streaming with tears as he tightened his jaw and nodded reluctantly.

"Okay," Darien muttered as he reached out his hands to cup her face, wiping away every tear that trickled down her flushed cheek. Suddenly, Serena moved and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing her face and burying it into his chest as she let out a heartbreaking gasp of relief, sobbing harder than she had before. Darien was surprised, but wrapped his arms securely around her as he drew her to him, and lightly stroked her back. "It's okay," he whispered," it's over… I'm here." He brought one hand and rested it on her head, the other arm around her waist. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when you needed me," Darien whispered. He was mad at himself… no, he was pissed. This was something that was never supposed to happen… so now, he was never going to forgive himself. "I should have been here," Darien said a little louder, beating himself up as he tightened his hold on her and clenched his jaw.

Serena just shook her head, wanting to protest, but being too tired to. She was drained mentally, physically, and emotionally. "I-I… want t-to go home," she uttered.

"Okay," Darien cooed, rocking her gently. "We're going to have to get you through the back so we don't cause a scene," he explained. She nodded as she sniffed, her tears slowly coming to an end.

Darien moved a little to press on his microphone to call Andrew.

"Dude," Andrew yelled," I can't find her anywhere!"

"It's okay, Drew. She's with me. I need you to call the limo driver, Kyle, and tell him to pull in on the back… we're taking her home. Afterwards, meet me in the first floor bathroom."

"Got it," Andrew said, and beeped out.

Darien patted her back gently to get her to look at him. She hesitantly moved and looked up with swollen eyes.

"Serena, I need to know what he did to you," Darien said seriously.

She looked at him with scared eyes. "But… you c-can't tell anyone-"

"That only depends on what he did, Serena. If he… did anything to you, then we need to take you to a doctor or the hospital."

Serena glanced down and shook her head. "He just….touched me," she said quietly, her eyebrows knitting together.

Darien clenched his jaw. "And that's all," he asked, to make sure.

She nodded.

He gave a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face, not knowing what to do.

"Please don't say anything," Serena begged, bringing her eyes back up to his face. "It's my fault for wanting to come in the first place… and my dad… he's dealing with enough as it is. It's my fault."

"It is NOT your fault," Darien raised his voice. "None of this would have happened if I would have been doing my job! I never should have left you alone," he almost yelled, his eyes looking hard.

Andrew came bounding in, looking a little out of breath. When he saw Ethan sprawled on the ground with broken shards of glass, he looked confusedly towards Darien and Serena. It took him a few seconds before his face flickered with recognition.

"Kyle's in the back," Andrew informed, walking over towards Ethan and peering down at him with disgust.

Darien nodded and let go of Serena as he stood up. "I'm going to bring her to the car, you stay in here and make sure nobody comes in. I'll be back," Darien said as he leaned down to scoop Serena into his arms. She seemed too weak to even walk.

She wrapped her arms around his neck again as he walked out of the bathroom. Serena could hear the music and the excitement of party. She closed her eyes and rested her head at the crook of his neck.

It was strange; only a few moments ago, she'd never been more terrified and felt more vulnerable in her life. But then Darien showed up and he held her, and she felt safe and warm, almost making her forget about what had happened. Almost.

When they reached the car, Kyle opened the door for them, knowing well that something had happened.

Darien bowed his head at Kyle to greet him as he climbed into the limousine, careful not to bump Serena into anything. He scooted in on the seat as she sat contently in his lap. He held her for just a second longer, and moved her off of him to place her on the seat.

"I'll be right back," Darien reassured her. He quickly took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "If you need anything, just use my microphone to contact Andrew."

Serena nodded and tugged his jacket around her tighter.

Then, he did something totally unexpected; He leaned in and kissed her quickly on the forehead, before he quickly darted out of the car.

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"So, what are we gonna do with him?" Andrew asked as he knelt down beside a completely unconscious Ethan.

Darien folded his arms across his chest. "We have to make it look like he was drunk, and just passed out."

"What's he gonna do when he wakes up though? I mean… he has a massive bump on top of his head," Andrew pointed out the swelling on Ethan's head.

Darien leaned against the wall and shook his head," I highly doubt he'll even remember anything. I'm pretty sure he was already drunk past the point of oblivion, or else he would have never had enough balls to have done what he did to Serena."

Andrew stood up again and looked at Darien. "No… I think he would have done that to Serena when he was sober, eventually. Maybe not then, but he would have eventually."

There was a long pause as the boys looked at Ethan. Every time Darien laid eyes on him, he felt a strong urge to punch him as he felt anger surge through him.

"This never should have happened," Darien spoke, shaking his head slightly. "I didn't do my job…"

Andrew leaned down and began to pick up the small pieces of glass. "You really can't blame yourself for something like this. I mean, yeah it was fucked up, but everyone makes mistakes."

"We weren't hired to make mistakes, Andrew," Darien argued back.

Andrew gave a defeated sigh and shrugged as he tossed some pieces of broken vase into a nearby trashcan.

Together, they spent the next ten minutes cleaning up the shattered vase, making sure everything was at least clean. Andrew grabbed Ethan's arms and dragged him to the toilet, making Ethan lean against it, and bent his head in as if he had just passed out right there.

"Looks good," Darien said as he looked at the scene before him. "Now everyone will just think he had too much to drink, came in here to throw-up, and passed out."

Andrew nodded and began to walk towards Darien before he stopped him.

"Wait… one more thing," Darien said. "Hold him for a minute."

Andrew looked confused but did it anyways.

Darien walked up to Ethan, looked at him for a moment, raised his right arm and socked Ethan in the eye as hard as he could. "There… I feel better now," Darien said and walked away. "Let's go."

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Serena felt like she'd been in the car for hours. Loneliness began to creep up to her and grasp her, but before it completely consumed her, Darien opened the door and climbed in. It was amazing how simply looking at him made everything better. And oh… when the boy smiles….

"Sorry it took so long," Darien mumbled as he scooted next to her," We had to take care of… things."

Serena just gave him a half-witted smile; One of those smiles that never quite reached her eyes, but Darien noticed that lately, none of her smiles have been. "It's okay," she shrugged, tightening her hold on his jacket that was still around her shoulders. "Where's Andrew?"

"Oh, he's gonna take the security van back instead," Darien answered, looking at Serena to make sure she was all right.

Serena caught his curious eyes," I'm fine," she lied.

Darien raised his eyebrows and a corner of his mouth tugged slightly up. His blue eyes looked deep into hers with a hint of amusement.

The intensity of his eyes made Serena shiver. She felt like he could read her… like he knew and saw all of her secrets by just looking into her eyes.

When Darien saw her shiver, his expression immediately shifted into concern, frowning as he scooted in closer and draped an arm over her to bring her to him. "You know you don't have to act brave all the time," he told her as they both felt the car move.

Serena snorted as she rested her head at the crook of his neck. When he spoke, she could feel his voice vibrating. "I don't act brave ever."

"I mean," Darien began," you don't have to say 'I'm fine', when you're not."

She fell silent for awhile as she inhaled deeply, smelling his scent and hearing the faint beat of his heart. "I am fine, I'm not lying," she bickered.

Darien chuckled as he shook his head. Even after everything, she's still completely stubborn. "You are really something else," he said quietly, resting his chin on top of her head. And for awhile, they just sat there in comfortable silence, Serena snuggled close to him. It felt perfectly natural to them right then.

"What's going to happen Monday?" Serena asked, her voice soft.

Darien moved his head and looked down at her as she tilted hers to look up at him, their faces just inches apart. "I don't know," he answered honestly," but what I do know… is he's not coming anywhere near you again."

Just move up a little more, Serena thought as her eyes traveled from his eyes down to his inviting lips. She wanted to kiss him… and for him to kiss her too, but for him to mean it.

Darien seemed to be thinking the same thing before he jerked his head and pretended to look out the window. Damn, that was close, he yelled at himself as his mind reared. For a moment, his thoughts were starting to get clouded because of how close they were, and because of his sudden need to kiss her.

Serena looked down again as she rested her head back on his chest. As she felt the sting of rejection, she heard his heart beat a little faster than it had before.

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She walked to her room. She didn't know how she had the strength to walk after what she'd gone through that night, but if she didn't walk, she would have to answer a lot of questions.

The rest of the ride home was spent in silence. Somewhere along the way, Serena felt so warm and comfortable; she began to doze off a little. As she fell deeper into her sleep, she began to dream:

The lights were dimly lit as classical music filled the room and swirled around her. Through her eyes, she could see a huge room, decorated in colors of gold. The tile was made of bright marble and she caught a reflection of herself as she stood in the middle of the room. Her hair was in an updo as small ringlets of hair framed her face. She had on a white, lacy dress that puffed at the bottom, and she wore a beautiful sequined mask. When she looked up, she noticed for the first time that people were dancing and twirling around her. Everybody else also had on a mask to conceal their faces. As she was admiring everyone, someone tapped her on her shoulder; she turned around to face a tall, dark handsome man with a black mask.

"May I have this dance?" the man asked as he bowed courteously and offered her a gloved hand.

She smiled and bowed in return," I'd be delighted," she answered as she placed her hand in his.

He gave her a dazzling smile and took a step closer to her as he placed a hand tenderly on her waist. Soon, they began to sway along to the music just like everyone else.

She looked at him and tilted her head, trying to unmask him with her eyes. He seemed so familiar… so gentle and warm. "Who are you?" she dare asked.

He smiled and leaned down until his lips were right next to her ear," I protect you," he whispered.

Her eyes went wide as she gasped quietly. "Darien?" she said aloud, but then… he wasn't there anymore. Just like that… he was gone.

Suddenly, the room was bare and completely desolate. She stood alone, in her white dress and sequined mask. Someone tapped her on the shoulder again and she smiled before she turned around, thinking it was Darien.

She spun around, and in a blink of an eye, her dream became a nightmare.

"Hey baby," Ethan said as he advanced towards her, completely sober.

Serena took a step back, but stumbled when she almost lost her footing. She was standing on the edge of a cliff. It was like the ballroom had suddenly been broken and she was teetering on the edge.

"Watch out, you don't want to fall," Ethan said in a dramatically sweet voice. "Come here," he said and extended his hand to her.

Serena shook her head," No… get away from me," she said as her breath hitched in her throat.

Ethan's expression went from sweet to complete malice. "I said… come here," his voice lowered dangerously.

"I would rather die," she said through gritted teeth, glancing over her shoulder to look down at the never ending black pit.

Ethan smiled, but his eyes were hard. "You're gonna wish you'd never said that," he said as he fisted his hands and took a step towards her.

Serena gasped when she saw he was getting closer to her and she took another step back without thinking… only there was nowhere else to step.

She lost her balance and fell into the black hole, screaming.

"Serena!" she heard someone yell.

"Serena… Serena," Darien said softly into her ear.

She suddenly jerked and screamed as she woke up, her breathing ragged.

"Whoa," Darien said as he tightened his grip around her waist, holding her head to his chest to calm her. "It's just a dream," he said softly, feeling her shake as he held her. "It's okay," he whispered, rocking her gently.

She closed her eyes and clutched her arms around his waist as he rocked her, her breathing slowly coming back to normalcy. "I.. saw him," she whispered, her voice scared and weak.

"It's just a dream," he repeated, running a hand up and down her back. "He's not going to hurt you anymore."

Within the next ten minutes, they were back in room, the entire walk seemed a blur to her. All she could picture was Ethan… she could even feel him touch her, and she could smell the alcohol in his breathe.

Once in her room, she quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed in bed. When Darien saw her tuck herself in, he smiled and began to leave her room.

"NO," she practically yelled, her eyes filled with terror. "Don't leave me, please…"

Darien turned around, looking worried and nodded as he walked back over to her. "Okay, I'll be right here," he reassured her as he reached her bedside.

Serena looked up at him," You promise?"

His eyes softened. "Yeah, I promise," he said with a smile. "I'm just gonna go grab that chair over there," he pointed over to her desk.

Darien walked quickly over to the desk to grab the chair. He brought it back over towards Serena and set the chair down right beside her bed. "I'll be right here," he promised as he sat down, facing her.

When Serena finally believed him, she settled back in bed and pulled the sheets up over her, sticking one arm out over it. She looked at him, and reached out her arm, her hand opening a little.

Darien reached his right hand out and took hers. She rested their intertwined hands on the bed and closed her eyes. Within minutes, she fell asleep with the comfort of knowing Darien was always going to be there to catch her when she falls.