In response to a question from last time, the song that has been repeating is "One Week" by the Barenaked Ladies. I thought I had mentioned it, but apparently not. Thank you for letting me know, because they definitely deserve credit!

Thank you again for all of your wonderful reviews! This is the second to last chapter… hope you like how it plays out. Enjoy!

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"What is it going to take?" Darien roared at the top of his lungs, pulling the silk shirt up over his head and flinging it across the store. The woman who was trying her very best to calm him down now went scrambling across the room to pick up the expensive piece of fabric. Brushing the dirt off of it, she stood up in time to catch the jacket he had decided to send flying through the air as well. Sighing, she folded the articles of clothing quickly, setting them down next to the register. Darien didn't take notice… he could even begin to care, "What do I have to do?"

"I don't know, Darien…" the store clerk mumbled for the millionth time. He had been waiting at her door as she came to open the store and he had since proceeded to tell her his name, his thoughts and all the pain that he had endured for the past few days… or, as he claimed, this day. She had to admit, she found the entire ordeal a little crazy, but he was indeed pleasing to the eye and she had nothing else to do… a little conversation was good, even if it was insane. "Just… talk to her."

"I've tried!" Darien shouted, throwing his hands up in the air as if tossing away the idea. He had tried over and over… he had told her he likes her. Heck, he even told her how much he loves her! And how does she respond each and every time? She dismissed his feelings, screaming and yelling as if he were playing some cruel joke. Of course… of course she would think that, "But…"

"I know, I know… she thinks you're joking," the woman said, chin now resting in her palms as she watched Darien pace up and down along the length of the counter. She had already heard this triad… but apparently it was helping him somehow. She waved one hand dismissively, continuing, "Can you blame her, Darien? You tease and belittle the girl every single day of her life. You probably send her home crying all the time and then all of a sudden, you love her? It just doesn't add up. No wonder she thinks you're playing some cruel trick on her."

"But I'm not!" Darien protested, turning sharply to face the woman who held up her hands in a defensive manner, "Why should she think I'm tricking her!"

"Because you always do!" The woman shouted, slamming her hands upon the counter and causing Darien to fall back a few paces at the motion. The woman sighed, holding one hand to her head for a moment.

Okay, girl… Count down from ten and try again…

"You always do, Darien. Or at least you always have," she began, slowly this time. He opened his mouth to protest, but she held up one hand to quickly silence any words that might have come out. "What does she have to go on? If what you say today is true, she's skipping happily down the sidewalk to that same arcade, completely oblivious to the fact that you ever hurt her. She doesn't know that you broke her heart… only you remember that."

"But how does that help me?" Darien muttered, beginning to pace the length of the room once more. His mind was buzzing widely with thoughts of Serena and the red headed woman that had ruined everything from the day before. So he remembers the pain, he remembers all the torment and he could suffer it once again today. How could that make things any better when he could feel his heart shatter every time he saw her face?

"Darien, get off your high horse… or low horse… Damn it, Darien! Just pick up your stuff and try again. You get the fifth… sixth? Oh, who cares! You get more chances than most people get in a lifetime! So get your act together and get the girl you love!" The woman shouted, waving her arms at him with a smile. Gosh, she was so inspirational.

Of course, Darien didn't think so.

"I can't take anymore!" Darien yelled, his fist flying on its own accord and smashing into the mirror that displayed his image. He felt the skin over his knuckles split in some areas, but he couldn't even wince at the pain. Glass fell to the floor in a soft rain of silver. The woman stared at him blankly, her mouth gaping open. Now what in the world was she supposed to say to that? "I… can't… I can't feel this pain anymore. I don't want to… even if… if…"

The woman wasn't able to get out a word of encouragement before Darien pushed through the doors, tears rolling down his cheeks.

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He really couldn't take this pain anymore. Sure, Serena was worth everything to him, but there was nothing else that he could do… he had exhausted all possible routes. He had tried seducing her, being himself, telling her how much he loved her. None of it had worked for him… not one technique had won her heart over to him. And he could think of nothing else to do other than give up… to live through the day and pray that it would eventually have an end.

"Darien?" he had been sitting silently in the booth for more than ten minutes before Andrew finally noticed him. He was so used to being greeted at the counter by Darien that he hardly believed it was him sitting in the booth. His eyes were sullen, all life… all the light, completely gone. It seemed he had no caring heart left in his chest. Dark circles ran under his eyes, his hair a sloppy mop on his head. His clothes looked as though they had simply been thrown on his body in haste, nothing more than a need to be clothed.

Darien didn't even look up when Andrew set a cup of coffee down in front of him, speaking his name once again in the vain hope that he would answer. Andrew took a seat across from his depressed friend and waited. He knew he probably looked stupid, sitting there and staring intently at his friend who wouldn't even raise his head… but he didn't care. He would always be there for Darien, no matter what happened between them, through thick and thin… he would be there. And Darien, of course, knew this.

He wanted to lift his head… to speak to his good friend and tell him all of his troubles. He wanted to tell his friend how his heart had been shattered into so many pieces that Humpty Dumpty now looked like an easy fixer upper. Darien's head felt as though he were wearing weights for a hat, his neck bending to lower his head closer and closer to the table. None of it mattered…

He wouldn't have her, no matter how much he wanted to. There would always be something standing in the way… whether it was time, another woman, or her understandable inability to trust him farther than she could throw him. His forehead finally met the table, as he knew it eventually would, and his shoulders sagged down, easing him closer to the surface. And then the tears fell once again, his body shaking with each sob that wracked his frame.

"Darien!" Andrew was at his side in a matter of seconds, his arm held supportively around Darien's shoulders. But Darien's crying did not cease… in fact, it only continued to grow. He was so tired, so drained of every motion in his body that he couldn't even begin to care anymore. He didn't want anything anymore… besides the ability to finally finish this day. He wanted to go to sleep and wake up to the bright sunny morning of February 15th. He wanted to forget any of this had ever happened to him, he wanted to go back to the way things were… before all of the pain.

"Andrew…" Darien chocked out between sobs. He didn't have to wait for a response… he knew Andrew was waiting for him to continue, "I just… I need some time alone. I appreciate the fact that you're here and the fact that you want to help me… but you can't right now."

Andrew stared at his friend with sad eyes before pulling him in close, giving him a supportive hug before standing up from the booth and walking back to the counter. He knew Darien would come to him when he was ready and when the time was right. He could wait.

Darien, however, didn't know how long he could wait for this day to end. He wanted to give all of this torment away, even if he had to live with the fact that he would never have a chance with Serena. Even if he could never hold her the way he wanted to, kiss her the way he wanted to… tell her the way he felt about her… he needed the day to finally end. All of these thoughts clouded Darien's mind and he hardly noticed as the arcade doors whooshed open to allow his angel through. He didn't see her as she spotted him and headed directly for his booth. He almost missed the fact that she had sat down across from him. And as Darien looked up, he was met with two light blue eyes… worried eyes. Worried for him.

Serena…

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"Darien," she whispered, concern dripping off his name as she spoke. He stared at her like a deer caught in headlights, completely unable to face her after all that had happened. She didn't seem to notice his expression… all she could see was his tear stained cheeks and sad eyes, still filled with tears. "Darien… what's wrong? What happened? Is everyone you know all right? Did you get hurt? Did someone you know get hurt."

Darien couldn't help but blink at her myriad of questions and although he knew he wanted to chuckle, his body seemed incapable of laughter at this point in time. He shook his head slowly, his gaze dropping down to the table between them, "No… Serena. I'm not hurt. Someone I know is hurt, but there is nothing I can do about it… No matter how much I want to, I can-…"

"Who is it?" she reached across the table and took a hold of his hands in hers, closing her fingers securely around them in the most comforting way imaginable. Darien stared down at their hands and felt right, even if for only a second. Contentment filled his eyes before reality finally came crashing back down around him and his gaze returned back to her, "Maybe we can bring them some flowers. I bet that'd cheer both of you up!"

"I bet it would…" Darien muttered, his eyes retreating from her joyous ones and back to their hands. She was such a sweet girl, in everyway imaginable. She was always thinking about others… even him, even the guy who teased her each and every day. She continued to stare at him expectantly and after a long moment of silence, he turned his attentions back to her.

"Well…" she drew out slowly, squeezing his hands supportively, "Who is it?"

You.

But how could he say something like that? It wouldn't make any sense to her and if he tried to explain it, he would only sound like a complete madman to her. But there was no other person he could think of. She was the one he had hurt, over and over again. Her hands were still there, squeezing his hands, her eyes still expectant. He looked back into those light blue orbs and whispered, "You."

"Me?" she asked, perking a brow in obvious confusion, as he knew she would. He had to explain this without sounding absolutely insane… usually a difficult task, if he hadn't already hurt her a dozen times in the past already.

"Yes, you," he began, closing his eyes and holding her hands. He had to savor this moment… savor the feeling of her soft hands. He would tell her the truth… or at least most of it. Enough to get through today, enough to shed his heart to her once more. He couldn't deny her, no matter how much he wanted to turn and run, "Serena, I've hurt you so many times… I've called you all sorts of names and teased your grades, your behavior… everything about you. I've hurt you and I can't take it back, no matter how much I want to."

"Darien," Serena said, blinking at his confession. She hadn't been expecting to walk into the arcade to be met with this kind of conversation from Darien. To be quite honest, she came into the arcade waiting to hear numerous insults and jokes taken at her expense. She was expecting him to do the same thing that he was apologizing for. And although she knew she should keep up her guard, she let all her barriers disappear. Something in those eyes… something in their depths told her that he was honest, "Darien, it's okay. I forgive you."

"But it's not okay!" He said, sharply enough to cause her to jump back in her seat. His emotions were running wild and he felt the pain and torment leaking back into his heart, waiting for another emotional blow. Darien squeezed her hands reassuringly, as if to apologize for his sudden outburst and Serena settled back into her seat once again. "It's not okay, Serena. Maybe you do forgive me, maybe you even trust me just a little. But that's not enough."

"What's not enough?" Serena mumbled, confusion entering those beautiful light blue orbs.

"Your friendship… is not enough," Darien said, continuing quickly as a pained look drew itself across Serena's face, "I value your friendship, Serena, I do. Trust me, if I can achieve your friendship, it would be a dream come true for me. But that's not why I'm so sad. It's not why I've hurt you to the point that I can't fix it anymore."

"Then why are you sad, Darien?" Serena asked, biting her lower lip in anticipation.

"Because I'm in love with you!" Darien said, releasing her hands to place his left hand to his head. Concentrating, he shut his eyes against her reactions, "Drop dead, head over heels… madly, insanely in love with you! You're all I can think about…. You're all I can ever think about and all those times I pushed you away are times I can never take back. I've pushed you so far away that I know you'll never trust me! But I don't care, Serena, I love you!"

"Darien, I… I do trust you," Serena whispered, reaching out to take his hands within hers once again. She held them tightly, her thumbs running over the tops of his hands and enjoying in the soft, smooth surface. She looked up to him with those light blue eyes… those beautiful light blue eyes and she smiled… sadly, "But I don't love you."

And there it was. Her honest answer… after days and days of failed attempts, he had finally received her true answer. An answer given through her admitted trust for him… her true feelings. And that answer was the thing to break the rest of Darien's reserve. He stood from the table, releasing her hands in the same moment and despite her protests and calls for him, he walked out of the arcade.

It's over…

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A hooded figure stood in Darien's room as he walked into his apartment, slamming the door behind him. He stopped, his heart beating rapidly in his chest upon seeing the cloaked image, "Who are you?"

"That's not for you to know," the woman whispered from behind her disguise, keeping her distance from Darien. She knew what had to be done, even if she would be reprimanded for this, she knew it had to be done, "All you need to know is that I am the one controlling this day."

"Oh, that's great to know!" Darien shouted, his anger growing full fledged. So this was the woman that was ruining his life… this was the woman continuously breaking his heart, "Come to cause me more pain?"

"I'm sorry, Darien… I can't stop this yet, but I just needed to tell you," she closed her eyes, whispering softly as she began to disappear from his room, fading away into her own world, "This will all be over soon."

And she was gone.

Darien sunk to his knees, his hands digging into his hair as tears streamed out his shut eyelids and down his cheeks. He sobbed, wishing with all of his heart. He had given up… and wishing with all of his soul… wishing with everything in him, Darien whispered, "Let this day end."

Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Please review! )