HOLY CRAP! It's finally here! I'm so sorry it's been so long! I've been trying to squeeze in writing in between work, school, and an internship. Love you all! Thanks for sticking in there!

Chapter 12: Finally Here

Serena was confused by the turn of events. Very confused indeed. First she was to be whisked off by Darien on a lavish date. Then she was to be whisked off by her real father back to the west coast. Now she was waiting around for at least one of them to turn up with some other crappy explanation. She sat on the white leather couch with her shoes tossed off, her hair let down, and her nail polish completely bitten off due to anxiety.

"Men will be the death of me," she murmured as her leg shook uncontrollably.

There was finally a knock at the door, disturbing the unbearable silence. She leapt up and sprinted to the door, causing a sudden run in her stocking. She whipped the large white door open and was a disappointed at the sight in front of her; a bellhop with a folded note.

"This came for you miss," he announced, handing it to her.

"Thank you," she mumbled, snatching it out of his grasp and slamming the door in his face. Under normal circumstances, she would have tipped him and politely sent him on his way, but she was livid. How the hell could Darien stand her up like this? She wasn't some two-bit tramp that he could throw away! She wasn't Lorena for Christ sake!

She decided to pour herself a glass of chardonnay and then read the letter; things were only going to get worse, so she should at least have a drink to take the edge off. She took a careful sip from her crystal wine glass, took an even more careful deep breath, and then began to read what it had to say.

"Come to the rooftop."

She furrowed her brow, blinked a few times and then read it again.

"Come to the rooftop."

"That's it?" she exclaimed to no one in particular. "What the fuck is wrong with him?"

Grunting out loud, she slipped on her shoes, stormed out of her room, and promptly started to clack up the single staircase that led from the penthouse suite to the roof. Once she made it, her overwhelming enragement subsided quickly. In front of her was probably the most romantic and most cliché thing she had ever set her eyes on; a small candlelit dinner for two with a bottle of iced champagne. Darien smiled as he stood in his black button down shirt, gunmetal blazer, and a pair of slacks. He had no shoes on which seemed odd to her, but she ignored it for the moment and removed her heels. She padded over to the table and was pleasantly surprised at his gentlemanly ways; he pulled the chair out for her, asked her if she was cold, offered her his jacket, and when she declined, he preceded to uncork the champagne.

"I was expecting that note to say something else," she said.

"Like what?" he insisted as the cork popped off the roof. He looked over the edge and passed her a look of childish trepidation.

"I thought it was going to say you were leaving for California," Serena answered.

"Give me a little credit," he replied, pouring her a glass of golden liquid. "I have more class than that. I set up this whole dinner after all."

"That's another thing; this is all too wildly romantic. My mother wouldn't even put this in her movies," she commented before sipping her drink.

"If you hate it that much, you can always leave," he said sassily. Darien removed the lids off of their plates to reveal her meal; French onion soup, a thick sourdough sandwich containing turkey breast, spicy mustard, basil, tomato, lettuce, and sautéed red onion. And to top it off there was a side of seasoned garlic fries. This meal always gave her the worst breath possible and she had complained plenty to people about how she could never eat these few things together because she never knew who she had to speak to next. He must have done research in order to figure out that this was her favorite meal.

"I'll have to brush my teeth for days," she said happily as she placed her napkin in her lap.

The two started to break into their food almost silently; only the sounds of munching, metal to plate clanging, and Serena groaning like she was experiencing an orgasm. Clearly, Darien had done the right thing. He had made up slightly for making her wait as long as he did.

"So what took you so long?" she asked. "If you had this prepared before hand, then there was no need to be over a half an hour late."

"You're right," he replied. Darien leaned back, dabbed the corners of his greasy lips, and then said truthfully, "I heard your conversation with Coop. It pissed me off. I was ready to leave this whole city completely." Serena stopped eating and stared at him as he went on, "I felt … ashamed. I'm just some stupid Hollywood elite who wanted your mother's prosperous name a guide to the Oscars. The easiest way I thought I could do that was by seducing you. However, that all backfired when I actually realized that …" Darien looked away from her prying gaze in order to sigh and then he finished his sentence, "When I actually realized that I could have true, unfiltered feelings for you."

Serena's face softened and she cleared her throat uncomfortably. She knew what his ulterior motives had been from the start, but she had never once believed that she was guilty of the same emotion. Had he really penetrated through her many, many thick layers of armor? Darien wasn't her type! Right? He was a smoker, a looker, a sarcastic joker, a player, and … and something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Have I made this awkward?" he asked suddenly, bringing her out of her daze.

She shook her head and blinked a couple of times as she stammered, "N-no! I'm sorry! I was just off in my own world." She was about to take a bite of her sandwich when she paused and stared at him, "To be honest… you're not the type of guy I would go after. Being seen with you … it makes me uncomfortable." Before Darien could open his mouth up in protest, she continued, "But you've some how intrigued me for this. I mean I worked on the show with you and agreed to go on this date with you. Who knows what's next." Darien raised a suspicious eyebrow and she retorted, "Not that."

The two chuckled and then finished up their food with a light conversation finally taking over their discussion. They were both relieved to let go of the crazy intimate talk and instead joke about friends and recent cultural events. But then the discussion led back into a darker realm; family.

"So you said you had taken care of your family for most of your careered life?" Serena prompted. "How did that shake up your relationship with them?"

"It was always like an earthquake with them," he replied, shaking his head. "A small shake here, a small shake there and then suddenly BOOM! I was neck-deep in bills that I couldn't afford. Even after my Oscar nod, I was still in debt. It was all over the papers. Only when I got them both into rehab did I start to get on my feet again. The tabs said I was the one with problem … they made up all kinds of stories."

"Were you upset with them?" she asked.

"I still am," he shrugged. "It's a never ending battle with them and I'm their shield."

She reached out and placed her hand over his, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but—"

Her phone suddenly went off in the middle of her sentence. Serena blushed and retracted her hand from Darien's in order to see who was calling. It was her mother. She ignored it. After about thirty seconds of silence though, it rang again. It was her mother. She ignored it. They played this game for a good four or five times when suddenly Darien's phone was the one buzzing uncontrollably. It was Cooper. He answered.

"Yes?" he sighed.

"Put Serena on now," he ordered.

"Why? She doesn't want to talk to Kar—"

"James is fucking dead!" Cooper shouted. "Both of you stop little brats and get on the phone now! If I can talk on the phone while on a plane, surely you can do it while on top of a hotel. Grow up!"

Serena's digital device rang once more and this time Darien gave her a look that said she should pick up. Her face scrunched up in confusion and curiosity as she pressed the lit up green button underneath her mother's flashing picture.

"What is it?" she answered with a snappy tone.

"You need to come back to LA," her mother's voice quivered on the other end.

"Mom, I'm in the middle of—"

"James has been killed in a car accident," she interrupted. "If you don't get over here now, your hotel room will be swarmed with paparazzi." Serena was too stunned to respond. "Please." She still didn't respond. "Serena … he's your father. He was the one who had been around for all of those years of your life. He deserves to at least—"

"I know. I know. I'll get on the next flight, I swear."

She hung up and stared at Darien who was now putting on his jacket and slipping his shoes over his bare feet. He extended a hand out to her and tried to give her a reassuring smile. She laced her fingers through his and led the way off of the rooftop down to her room where she called for a bell boy to take care of her things while Darien took care of arranging for a private jet to take them back to the west coast.

Karen didn't know what to do with herself. She paced all around her hotel room, waiting for Cooper's flight to get in. She hadn't noticed that she had created a nice little foot path for herself in the carpet when there was a sudden knock at her door. She jumped in response and ran to the door, yanking it open. There he was; silver hair and all. He opened his arms up to her and she immediately went crashing into them, crying and sobbing hysterically. Cooper gently pushed her into the hotel room and tried to guide her over to the couch, but she pulled away without warning, hyperventilating hysterically.

"I can't breathe," she whispered as she shifted from one foot to the other and started to shake her hands uncontrollably. "I'm so upset! I can't breathe!"

"Shh," he soothed her, grabbing onto her slender hands. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. Look-look at me. That's it … now breathe in … and out …"

She followed his breathing exercises and soon found herself in a tranquil state, even though she was still crying a bit. He ran his knuckles along her soft, pink cheek and then cupped her face.

"It's alright. You're okay," he said to her.

"I'm a widow," she replied, her voice still shaking a bit. "You're going to marry a widow."

"A rich widow," he winked. "This got you out of that nasty divorce you were about to go through."

"Don't make a joke," Karen insisted through her congested voice as she strolled across the cream colored carpet and started to make herself a drink. "I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"Is Serena coming back?"

"Yes. She has to."

"How did he die, exactly?" Cooper asked as Karen handed him a glass of scotch.

"He was going the wrong way down the freeway. They suspect he was under the influence of something, but we won't know until they do an autopsy," she said as she wiped her sniffling nose with a monogrammed handkerchief.

Cooper strolled slowly into the kitchen after her and closed the wide gap she had created subconsciously. He could tell that she was feeling responsible for James's death. She always carried such a burden on her shoulders whether it was to protect her family's good name or fake husband's reputation. Why did she always have to take on so much? He couldn't wait to finally marry her and take her away from all of this. She deserved relaxation for once.

"Karen," he said, tilting her head up so that her light blue orbs would look at him, "please don't feel guilty. I can see it swimming through eyes."

"Oh I can't help it!" she cried, stomping her bare foot in resistance against the tile floor. "If I hadn't tried to divorce him … if I had just stuck with it …"

"You would have been miserable," he finished. "Trust me. I should know. I've been through enough miserable marriages myself."

"What are we going to do Cooper?" she asked, flopping her hands at her curvy sides in defeat. Shaking her head, she continued, "If we get married, it will only raise eyebrows."

"Everyone knew you were going through a divorce. E! News was covering every detail like it was a terrorist attack on Hollywood," he responded. "If you don't want to get married, then you don't have to. I love you though. I want to be with you."

Her eyes suddenly shot up to meet his in order to catch his sincerity; there it was. Written all over his face. He really did love her, didn't he? She grasped his face into her hands and kissed him deeply. When she stepped back, she studied his features again and saw that the love still hadn't left his face. She smiled broadly.

"We've finally made it," she whispered.

"Excuse me?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You're too old to go bouncing around from one woman to the next so now you're able to finally settle with me," Karen grinned.

"You make it sound awful!"

"Well, technically it is, but it's the truth," she shrugged.

"Are you always going to be this brutal?" he laughed.

"Yes," she nodded before downing all of her drink.

"What can I do to squash your feelings of despair?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled his chin into the nook of her shoulder and neck.

"Sleep with me? And I mean fall asleep, not having sex," she corrected quickly as they swayed back and forth slowly.

"Done and done. Anything else?"

"Be here when Serena gets in?"

"I may or may not be able to do that for you. Darien will be coming into the atmosphere and that means more damage control for me," Cooper explained with a heavy sigh at the end of it. "But I'll do the best I can."

The two strolled into her bedroom, got undressed, and slipped underneath her Egyptian cotton 300 thread count sheets. They were in paradise.

As the plane landed, Serena looked over at Darien who hadn't removed his hand from hers. He was looking out the window at the sun starting to tint the black sky blue. He glanced back at her and smiled when he noticed that she was staring at him. They hadn't moved past the simple gesture of holding hands, but that was perfectly fine with both of them.

"Are you alright?" Darien asked.

She nodded silently and then lifted the arm rest that separated them. She took his arm and made him wrap it around her shoulders so that she could snuggle up against him. It felt nice to finally have someone just hold her for once. She pressed her ear against his chest and listened to his heartbeat; it was soothing.

The plane came to a halt and the flight attendant waited for the steps to descend down to the ground completely before gesturing to the two of them that they could leave. They both got up and walked out still holding hands. It was all up to Serena if she decided to let go of him. She could see the paparazzi swarming inside the airport, trying to get a good shot of her and Darien. She merely shrugged at the idea of being photographed. She put on her sunglasses, shifted in her cream and grey colored poncho, and then strolled on into the bustling airport. Camera's flashed and snapped senselessly as the couple sauntered out to the front where a black car was waiting to take them away to her mother's hotel room.

After a forty-five minute drive that was clearly followed by some of the camera vultures they had seen at the airport, they pulled up to the hotel. Serena looked out the tinted window out at the tall building before someone with a snapping, flashing digital device blocked her view and made her jump backwards into Darien's arms.

"You should get out there before they take over, ma'am," the driver in the front stated. "Would you like me to call security?"

"No, that's not necessary," she answered. She looked over at Darien and asked, "Are you going to come up with me?"

"I think I should head back to my apartment," he sighed. "You need to be alone with your mother. I don't want to interrupt that."

She gave him a curt nod and was about to jump out of the car when he held her back and smashed his lips against hers. He didn't pushed for anything more. Darien just wanted to express to Serena, physically, that he was there for her. Feeling her lips against his made his skin light up and his veins felt like they were being electrocuted. Serena pulled away after a minute of the same feeling and tilted her head in surprise. A small smile was tugging at her mouth as she stroked a finger across her lower lip. She giggled a little bit, kissed him lightly once more, and then breezed out of the car as quickly as possible. It all went by so fast. It was only seconds.

He had the driver take him back to his apartment, his lips still tingling with the phantom presence of Serena. He couldn't believe he was finally here. He waited so long to get to this place of comfort. There was always something drawing him to Serena; something tugging at his heart strings. Darien couldn't understand what it was about her, but he liked it. A lot.

As they pulled up to his apartment complex, he hesitated getting out. Was it right for him to leave her alone back there? After giving it another thought, he decided it was. He pushed his aviators onto his face and got out of the car with the flashing bulbs of the paprazzi going crazy in his face along with the brilliant LA sky being tinted orange from the smog. He was handed his duffle bag quickly by his chauffer and he threw it over his shoulder as he strolled into his building, cutting off the leeches who wanted at him twenty-four seven. He rode the elevator up to the fourth floor where his large, yet modest apartment lay. He requested from his realtor that he get a new place that would seem more clean cut, modern, and put together. He didn't want to live in that god-awful one-room loft anymore. If he and Serena were going to be "for real" then he needed a place that he could feel comfortable taking her to.

Darien unlocked the apartment only to hear that someone was already there. He creased his forehead with unwanted curiosity and quietly moved through the entrance, closing the door behind himself silently. He turned the corner into his huge living room and discovered someone climbing out of the window onto his fire escape; it was Lorena.

"What the fuck!" he exclaimed as he threw his duffle bag on the ground and went running after her.

That's right. I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger. Find out why Lorena is at his apartment next! Also Serena goes through the trials of having a famous relative die. Will Karen and Cooper really go through with having a wedding? All of these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter!

Please Review! I'd love feedback!