So sorry this took so long! More chapters to come! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters or any of the aforementioned products in this chapter

Chapter 13: Funeral or Bust

Darien had just come home to his loft being broken into by his ex-girlfriend Lorena. He chucked his duffle bag down on the floor and bolted after her before she could make it out of the open window. He knew he should have put in that security system sooner. He grunted loudly as he grabbed onto her arm, threw her to the ground and in the same motion he took out his phone and dialed 9-1-1. Darien slammed the window shut and squeezed his grip tighter around Lorena's skinny upper arm. He dragged her to the couch and placed her down roughly while speaking to the authorities.

"Hi, I'd like to report a break in," he said with an exasperated tone. Darien ran a hand through his hair as he continued, "I … Darien Shields… Yes that is my current location. Correct. Okay … no I don't think anything was stolen. I haven't looked yet… Yes, the perpetrator in question is being held right now… Okay. Thank you. Five minutes? Perfect."

He hung up his phone and sat down next to Lorena who was now crying quietly and wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her black cardigan. He tilted his head and narrowed his gaze at her, trying to understand why she did this.

"Why … why did you break in? What were you doing here?" he asked gently.

Lorena didn't answer at first. She sniffed a little bit and the reached over for a tissue from the glass coffee table. After dabbing her face, she began to explain herself.

"I need money," she whispered.

"So you decided to break into my apartment?"

"Technically I didn't break in," she replied as she shoved her hand into her tight acid wash jeans. She pulled out a gold key that he had given her when they were dating.

"Did you steal anything?" Darien asked as he stored the key away into his pocket safely.

"Yes," she answered truthfully. "I stole the shirt you wore in your first movie. I sold your infamous crystal encrusted belt buckle that was supposedly emulated after your erect penis."

The two of them laughed at the idea of someone else wearing his belt buckle. He hadn't worn that thing since he was seventeen. He remembered the uproar from his agency, his fans, and the press. Thousands of parents wrote to him, saying how degrading he was for exposing his reproductive parts in such a fashion. A bunch of celebrities soon ended up copying him with belt buckles with breasts on them and hands making gestures such as peace signs or flipping the bird.

"Did you steal anything else?" he sighed.

"Just one other thing," Lorena said with an uncomfortable, twitchy tone to her voice. "That uh … that ring of yours."

"My mother's engagement ring? You hocked my mother's engagement ring?" he exclaimed as he jumped up to his feet.

"I needed the money!" she screamed.

"For what? What could you have possibly needed?" he roared back.

Lorena took a deep, shaky breath as she responded to him, "I just needed it … I am in a lot of pain."

"What kind of pain?"

"Just … pain."

"Are you… on drugs?" he pressed.

She merely glared at him which gave him his answer. Her face was pale, her eyes had hefty bags under them, and at least one body part had to be shaking or moving. She was not the same, happy person that he had met a few months back. The modeling industry had destroyed her.

There was suddenly a knock at the door that disrupted their standoff with one another. Darien strolled over to the door and let the cops inside. He gestured to Lorena sitting on the couch and started talking to one of the police officers.

"Would you like to press any charges?" the cop asked him, batting her eye lashes at him. She clearly had a crush on this super star celebrity – like everyone else.

"Yes I would," he said. "I'll even go down to the station to give a statement."

"That won't be necessary," she blushed. "We can take care of it here."

The male officer who was busy arresting Lorena, rolled his eyes and handed the culprit off to his female counterpart. "I will take down your statement. Officer O'Hara, you can take this lovely woman to the precinct, can't you?"

"Yes, I can," she answered through gritted teeth.

Darien watched as Lorena was taken out of his apartment in handcuffs. Before she could be taken down the stairs, he stopped them. He snatched up his leather jacket and handed it to them to cover her head with.

"She will get eaten alive by the paparazzi," he said to the female officer. "Please keep this over her head."

She did as he asked and escorted Lorena out of the building with the jacket kept over her head. He shut the door once she was out of his sights. He turned back to the remaining police officer and started to file the documents necessary. He hoped that this would some how help Lorena get back on the right track. Maybe the judge would force her to go to rehab or something. She was clearly on some type of drug or addicted to something if she had the audacity to sell the one prized possession he owned.

After giving his statement and seeing the officer out of his apartment, he called Serena to make sure she was doing alright with the death of her father. Even through all of the chaos of this break in and Lorena trying to get back into his life, what he worried most about was Serena. His feelings for her weren't fake. He was truly falling for her…

Serena stood in front of her mirror, smoothing out her black Stella McCartney dress. When she had originally gone to go get a dress from the boutique, she had looked at the white version of the dress she was wearing. It was see through on the top with carefully placed polka dots and a matching solid skirt. It was all in black. Black. Black. Black. Black meant death. A death usually meant a funeral. But this wasn't just any funeral … this was a funeral for the man whom she had thought was her father. How was she supposed to talk about him at the funeral? She was the one giving the eulogy. Was she supposed to lie? Or tell the truth? She had no idea.

She turned around from her saddened reflection and stared deeply into Darien's eyes. He was sitting on the end of her bed, right in front of the bathroom door. Her hotel suite that her mother had reserved for her downtown was more than flashy what with a chandelier in the middle of her lavender colored room.

Serena placed a lazy hand on her newly found friend's shoulder. He, in turn, played with a long golden lock that had slipped out of her pinned up ballerina bun. Darien had refused multiple times to come to the funeral with her, fearing that the press would be too much for everyone else, but then he finally caved when she told him it wasn't about everyone else; it was about them.

"Thank you," she whispered, taking his warm hand into hers. "I don't think I'd be able to do this without you."

"It's my pleasure, Serena," he replied gently. "I know you're going through a rough time. I just hope my presence doesn't make this any worse for you."

"It makes it a lot easier knowing that you'll be around to catch me if I fall."

"I always will be," he grinned.

Before she could lean down and plant a pink Chanel colored kiss on his cheek, there was a knock at her door. Her mother's signature red hair popped through leading the way for the rest of her to come in. She took a few steps in followed by Cooper, Serena's biological father, but would she call him her "real" father? Probably not.

Karen sighed and shook her head slightly as she looked her daughter up and down, "Are you really going to wear that? You can see through it."

"I have a silk slip on underneath it. No flash photography will get through to my breasts," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Are you two ready to go? The car is waiting," her mother announced.

"There's enough room for the four of us and his big ego?" Serena asked, pointing to Cooper.

"It will be a tight fit, but we can manage," he grinned.

The silver fox clenched his grip on Karen's shoulder while trying to keep his smile on his face for as long as humanly possible. Ever since the death of James, his life had been a little bit harder. Karen had grown distant, she wasn't planning for their future engagement or their future wedding. He had been so sure that he had made the right choice by coming back into her life…now he constantly questioned it.

Darien stood up and helped Serena into her Versace coat and followed the two "adults" out of the room. They walked out of the building and got into one long Lincoln town car. Serena claimed the last seat beside a window. This spot guaranteed a distraction from looking over at her mother or Cooper, but it also was the spot where the first person would get out when dropped off. She did her best to not think about the image of her dead father in a casket, waiting to be buried out in some plot in Napa next to his grandparents. It wasn't his time. It wasn't her time to lose a father.

Before she knew it, the car came to a halt in front of the church where they would say their final goodbyes. She blinked a few times before putting her sunglasses on and then turning to the helping hand of the doorman. She waited for Darien to get out after her before proceeding into the church. The flashing photographers and screaming reporters were held back by police and an old fashioned red-velvet rope barricade.

As she walked down the long aisle of the church to the front pew, she looked at Darien beside her. He looked great in his Roberto Cavalli suit, tailored just fit him in all of the right places. She wondered what a real relationship with him would be like. And by "real", she meant without photographers following their every move, and having a job that would allow her to have a family. She would love to just settle down and start something stable without being recognized for it.

"You alright?" Darien asked, noticing her distraught expression even behind her black sunglasses that she still had on.

"Oh … erm, yes, I'm fine. Well, you know, as fine as I can be," she whispered as she took her glasses off and sat down beside him in the pew.

Serena looked over her shoulder as her mother and Cooper sat down next to her. She immediately spotted Rei sitting a few aisles down and across. How could you not? The woman was wearing a bright red Versace coat. As if she couldn't scream for more attention from the press, she had to do it here at Serena's father's funeral. It made her dislike the woman a little bit more.

"What are you staring at, darling?" Karen asked.

"Rei," she answered. "Can you believe what she's wearing?"

Karen arched her neck and giggled a little bit when finding out what Rei was wearing. She looked back at her daughter and said, "Well at least she isn't showing as much skin as you are."

"Mother!" she whined.

"What? It's true," she shrugged.

The funeral started to finally take off after about twenty more minutes of waiting. There was a prayer service, a few words from the pastor, a tearful few speeches from friends and family, and then the will reading was held in between the ceremony and the reception. The will was short and sweet; everything went to Karen and Serena. Karen was slightly shocked at the idea of having to take over the whole company again, but she took it with stride. Serena was going to occupy the house and decide whether to keep it on the market or have it all to herself. She could even rent it out if she wanted. The thought of having to tend to something so heavy with so many decisions made her breathing a little more shallow.

She left the private room where the division of property was being held and tried to get some fresh air. It felt like the atmosphere was stale in the empty church. Her head started spinning a little bit until she caught a focal point to look at; Darien. Serena collapsed into his arms and asked him to take her away to the one place that she knew she would be safe.

"And where's that?" he asked with an arched eyebrow while hugging her close. It was fine for them to show off as much affection as they wanted in the church now; everyone had left for the reception at a private club downtown.

"Take me to the Hilton."

"Why?"

"Mina's there." Before the two could embark on their journey, Serena felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see her teary eyed mother standing there. She pulled herself out of Darien's embrace and announced, "I'm going to be a little late to the reception."

"How late?" Cooper asked.

"Does it matter?" she snapped.

"Serena!" Karen scolded. "He was just asking. There's no need to give him such a tone."

She merely narrowed her gaze and pursed her lips before turning around and clacking out of the church with Darien following her. Karen raised her arms up in the air exasperatedly and then started to walk out with Cooper. The two of them hailed a taxi down and got in to go the reception at a club named "Rumor" which was fitting. This was a place where tons of rumors circled about the elite in the wee hours of the morning. Then the gossip trickled down to the agencies, to the magazines, the tabloids, and photos accompanied them for "proof". It was disgusting.

Karen shuddered a bit as she strolled into the club. She smiled at the first few people who greeted her and she grabbed a few appetizers. She led the way to an empty, private corner where she and Cooper could speak alone without being interrupted by family members or concerned clients.

"Well you got everything you wanted," Cooper commented as he took two glasses of champagne from a tray being carried by a waiter. He sat down and handed one to Karen. She took it mournfully as he continued, "You didn't have to go through the divorce and you ended up getting the company back. You also got your inheritance."

Karen's eyes were glazed as she stared at the tiny bubbles in her drink and tilted her head slightly, "They're going to investigate me."

Cooper finished his swig of his champagne before asking, "Excuse me, what?"

"They will investigate me… my parents," she repeated as-a-matter-of-factly. She downed her skinny flute of champagne and smacked her lips before continuing, "Since this wasn't a natural death, they will do an autopsy, investigate all possibilities and make sure there was no foul play."

Cooper's open hand curled into a fist and he felt as though he was swallowing a golf ball size lump. He tried to cover up his sudden despair by taking a sip of his drink only to find that he had already finished it. If he was going to make it through the night, he was going to have to get stronger drink than this. He excused himself and made his way through the crowded, somber feeling club to the bar. He asked for a double whiskey with a shot of coke a cola in it so he could down it faster while bringing out his phone from his breast pocket. He pressed the name he needed and then listened for the other line to pick up. When it finally did, he started to speak.

"Hey, it's Cooper. I'm going to need to meet with you tomorrow. You know what it's about… Yeah … the investigation will be going under way soon," he said. He received his drink and left a twenty down on the counter while listening to the person on the other side. He nodded a bit and replied, "Great. I'll be there. Say, noon? Perfect. Thanks."

He hung up his phone, chugged the rest of his drink and then strolled off back to his lovely date, the newly widowed Mrs. James Roddenberg.

Serena had removed her uptight hairdo and let it fall carelessly around her shoulders. Mina scooted closer to her on the white leather chair in the hotel suite and ran a hand through her lovely locks. A small smile curled the corners of her lips.

"Will you move in with me? Into the new place?" she asked.

"Really?" Mina replied with an arched eyebrow. "You want me to move in with you? Are you sure that's so smart?"

"It will be better than living alone," she shrugged.

"You sure you don't want him?" Mina gestured with a tilt of her head toward Darien.

Darien's tensed up shoulders slouched at the mention of him moving in with Serena. Mina turned around and winked at Darien, showing that she was only joking. She looked back at her friend and clenched onto her hands.

"I know you're going through a tough time," Mina said quietly, "so are you sure about this? Are you sure you don't want to think about this for a few more days?"

"No. I'm sure," she said definitely. "I mean, I'll have to figure out what to do with all of his furniture and his stuff, but I would like for you to live with me … if you feel comfortable."

There was a pause before Mina spoke again. She had to think about this carefully. Did she really want to move back to the fast paced lifestyle of LA? It was going to very different compared to her life in New York. There, people didn't know who you were. They all kept their heads down and didn't look up from their destination. In LA, people were fake, they looked you in the eye without any sincerity and they expected you to lick their foot in order to get an interview with anyone that would hire you. The thought of coming back here was disgusting to Mina. But with one look into Serena's begging eyes, she caved.

"Fine," she sighed. Mina's eye rolls and exasperated sighs were covered by an overjoyed hug from Serena. When the young blonde finally let go of her, she relaxed a bit and shook her head, "I can't believe you left the reception to come here and ask me to move in. You haven't even received the proper documents or anything yet."

"You know … I really didn't want to be there," Serena sighed. She bit her lower lip to try and keep it from quivering. A few thick tears rolled down her cheek and she sniffed a little bit, "My life is … it feels like it's in shambles."

"It's not in shambles," Mina whispered as she rubbed Serena's back. "It can be whatever you want it to be. You can turn this tragedy around and come out on top. It's all up to you. You're a strong woman."

Serena started shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. She just couldn't help herself. The grief and agony she had kept inside for the past few days was now coming to a head and she couldn't contain it anymore. Mina worriedly looked back at Darien who took a few quick strides across the room to console her. She waved away his outstretched arms and stood up immediately. Serena cried her way into Mina's room and shut the door behind herself. When Darien walked up to the closed door, he asked if there was anything he could do.

"I just need to be alone for a little bit," she groaned through the barrier.

He sighed and walked back to the couch to join Mina. She pursed her lips and turned the television on, only to find that Darien and Lorena were on the entertainment news station. She turned it up to hear what they had to say about him while he just placed his head in his hands.

"High profile movie star Darien and his ex-lover, Lorena, are in more hot water. As we all have been watching lately, Lorena has become a booming force in the modeling industry. She was the face of Louis Vuitton and had just signed a contract with Lancôme cosmetics. These coveted spots in the fashion industry were going to make her a household name until she was arrested just a few days ago. Darien had reportedly found her breaking into his Los Angeles loft in West Hollywood. The model was able to pay her bail and is now waiting for her trial which isn't for another month. There has been speculation that there were items were stolen from his home, but nothing has been recovered as of late. For more on this story, watch E! news live tonight," the reporter concluded.

Mina couldn't help but snicker a little bit at the ridiculousness of it all, "Seriously … what the hell is going on with you?"

"I've been having some troubles, clearly," he replied.

"Does Serena know?" she asked quietly.

"I don't think so. She's been wrapped up in this drama in her family lately," he answered. "I don't want to worry her about this."

Mina leaned over and grabbed her glass of water that was sitting on the table. After taking a sip, she said to Darien, "You want my honest opinion about this whole situation?"

"Not really."

"Well too bad. You're going to get it," she snapped. "I don't think you should be in her life. I think she has enough on her plate as it is."

"That's not your decision Mina," Serena said from the doorway. She was leaning against the frame and was still brushing tears away from her glowing face.

Mina stood up and walked over to her friend, "I know it's not, but—"

"Don't," she interrupted. "I'm a grown woman. I can make my own choices." She licked her lips and averted her gaze to Darien, "Let's go. My mother is probably waiting for me."

Mina couldn't help but feel as though she had stepped over her boundaries. She waved goodbye as the couple left her apartment. She hoped that Darien would heed her word and maybe step back a bit from Serena's life. Everything was unraveling around her and all Mina could do was be there when Serena would eventually need her.

Up next is Cooper's meeting with this mystery person, Mina's move in with Serena, and Darien's own troubles start to form. ^_^ Please review! Thank you!