Of Faux and Friends
Chapter 5
A/N: I know, I know, it's been a while, but I'm stressed out and it's difficult to write. For those of you who are reading Moriari I'll update that one next.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Rating: M
I
I
Serena shivered beneath the warm covers of her large bed as a morning burst of cool air blew against her. Although the weather made her shiver, the shudders now coursing through her body were not only from cold air. Last night Seiya words cut through her and filled her with an unceasing dread that lingered in her soul. She had known him for years now and had seen the horrible things he had done in the name of expanding his business, but he never raised a hand to her or raised his voice. Their verbal fights mainly consisted of him talking in circles and trying to get inside of Serena's head, but he had never even attempted to do something violent with her. Perhaps this was the reason that Serena could not shake the eerie fear that remained present in her mind. The look on his face last night, the chill in his voice, for a moment she thought she was talking to another person; a person that had a dark power over her she couldn't control. For the first time in years, Serena Tsukino was genuinely frightened out of her mind.
Despite Seiya's jealously, would he really do something to physically harm her and would in turn, harm Darien? Her heart fluttered as she thought of him, Darien. A myriad of emotions were presently consuming her and she had the faintest desire to pick up the phone and call Darien and beg him to come over and hold her until her fears dissipated. But after last night, would he want to? He had shared so much of himself with her. He had confided in her things that she imagined he had not shared with anyone else. Her eyes stung as she remembered his words and the sound of voice, thick and full of raw emotion. Serena squinted against the sunlight that was bursting through the curtains, bathing her bedroom in a golden light. She pulled the covers to her chin and sighed. Her mind was too full of dangerous thoughts that she could not control.
Serena jerked when she heard the shrill sound of her phone ringing and with deft fingers, she reached onto the wooden bedside table before taking the hard plastic device into her hands and placing it against her ear.
"Hello." Even to Serena her voiced sounded foreign.
"Are you okay?"
She immediately popped out of bed and sat Indian style across the comforter. "Hi, Darien." Her heart was beating painfully and she once again found herself drowning in a multitude of feelings: fear, dread, despair, most of all excitement; an unbridled excitement that felt warm in her bosom and spread all the way down to her toes.
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned. "You sound strained."
She paused momentarily, wondering whether or not she should tell Darien about what Seiya had said. Would he think her childish if she did? "Nothing."
"Serena, your voice is shaking, what happened?"
She sighed loudly. "I'm just tired that's all."
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked. She could hear the smile in his voice.
"Don't be so smug, you're not the reason I couldn't sleep."
"I'm crushed." She could almost imagine him clutching his heart and keeling over dramatically.
"Then tell me the truth."
"Seiya came over last night," she said glumly.
"Your ex-boyfriend, Seiya?" His voice was monotone.
"The one and only."
"What did he want?"
"To scare me into not seeing you."
Darien paused and she heard him clear his throat. She waited quietly for him to say something and when no reply came, she became anxious. "You still there?"
"Not for long," said Darien, his voice an octave deeper. "I'm coming over."
"Why?"
"I don't like him. He shouldn't be pressuring you into anything, boyfriend or not."
"You don't have to rush over here," Serena said as she kneaded the comforter with her right hand.
"Yes I do," he said. "Besides, it's mostly an excuse for me to see you."
For the first time since she awoke early this morning, Serena smiled broadly into the phone. "Okay."
"I'll be there in half an hour."
"Okay," she repeated.
"Serena?"
"Yeah."
"I love you."
The grin she was wearing was so large it almost broke her face. "I love you too."
With that final goodbye, the blonde practically flew from her bed and into the bathroom where she turned on the water and proceeded to take a hot shower, a futile attempt to wash her waning fears away.
I
I
"What exactly did he say?" asked Darien as he lay reclined against Serena's couch, a cold lemonade in one hand and the other on her thigh.
"He asked me how long I'd been in love with you and I asked him to leave and he said don't make me do something I'll regret."
Darien looked away from her, deep in thought. "He has a key to my apartment," Serena said abruptly.
"Then you'd better get the locks changed."
"I think I'd better just move. Seiya owns this building so the staff is at his beck and call."
"Serena, why would he ask you how long you were in love with me? From what Raye told me, you wouldn't even talk to her about me."
Serena blushed a deep red. "It's a long story," she said, reaching up and scratching the back of her neck.
"We've got time." He grinned sweetly at her.
"Okay well, Seiya and I…we never…you know…"
Darien smirked. "You never what?" His eyebrow cocked.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I won't tell you!" she shrieked.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Please continue."
"Seiya and I were never, ever intimate. One day he accused me of cheating on him and I told him that I wasn't and he started saying that the only thing keeping me out of his bed was the possibility that I was in love with another man."
"And?"
"And that's it. I said I wasn't cheating on him and that I wasn't in love with another man and then he kind of dropped it. But ever since them he would always show up uninvited like he was checking on me. I think he had people following me but I wasn't sure."
"He had people following you?" asked Darien incredulous. "And you were dating him because?"
"I was lonely," she said grimly, looking down at her hands. "I never dated anyone since I dated you and I saw this advice show that said you have to get back on the horse after you fall off or some crap like that." She paused. "Too bad I picked a psycho horse."
Darien chuckled. "I won't let him hurt you, Serena, you know that."
She looked to him and smiled. "I know."
An empty silence descended upon them and they both were at a loss for words. Could they really pick up where they left off? Could Darien love her without fear of encountering more pain? There were so many questions that were thus far left unanswered and if Serena pressed the matter, she might push him further away.
"A penny for your thoughts," said Darien.
"I think they're worth a little more than that." Serena remained silent for a moment. "Can we really do this?"
"Do what?" asked Darien, turning his body to face her.
"Us? I mean, we've changed a lot Darien. I'm not eighteen anymore. We've done a lot of growing up apart from each other. What if things are different? What if we can't make it again?"
Darien contemplated her words before responding. "We'll never know if we don't try Serena. I'm not afraid anymore. And I'd rather try a life with you in it, then try to live without you again."
Serena smiled at him before leaning in and kissing him gently on the lips. She sighed into the kiss; she had almost forgotten what it was like to kiss him. Darien's kisses were so different from Seiya's. While Seiya was possessive and controlling, Darien managed to be passionate and sweet at the same time. While Seiya would grip her clothes and attempt to fondle her breasts, Darien would caress her cheek and run his fingers through her hair. His kisses were fervent and intense while still being gentle and delightful. She would never want to kiss another man ever again.
As their kiss intensified Serena felt an unpleasant vibration against her thigh before an annoying beeping sound infiltrated the otherwise silent room. Darien immediately parted from her and looked down at his beeper. He held it up to his face and surveyed the number on the small rectangular screen before sighing loudly. "I'm sorry Serena," he said. "I have to take this." Quickly he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and walked to other side of the apartment where he spoke in a hushed voice. Serena could make out a few words here and there that consisted of congestive heart failure and surgery. His phone conversation finally ended with Darien rushing toward her.
"I'm sorry but I have to go," said Darien picking up his coat from her couch. "A patient needs a bi-ventricular pacemaker and a few surgeons are out at medical conferences."
Serena had no idea what a bi-ven...whatever he said was, but figured that it was important. She got up from her seat and followed Darien to the door. "I'll call you when I'm done."
"Okay."
"Dinner?" he asked.
"I'd love to."
He kissed her chastely before exiting her apartment and walking briskly toward the elevator. Serena smiled to herself and closed the door behind her before leaning on the wooden surface. After years of pining over Darien, he was finally back in her arms. At the moment, Serena's life couldn't get any better.
I
I
Darien keyed into his apartment and entered slowly. It had been a fairly long day at the hospital and he was exhausted. The only thing that got him through the day was the thought that in a number of hours he would be seeing his Serena again. The thought of holding her in his arms and looking into her eyes made his heart flutter with emotion. With skilled hands he undid his tie, unbuttoned his pristine white shirt and kicked off the shiny black shoes he was wearing before laying them on the couch. He walked to his desk and lifted the lid on his laptop before turning it on and walking to the bedroom. He had been away from Tokyo for so long that he didn't know of many restaurants in town and he wanted to take Serena somewhere very special. Quickly he turned on the tap and took a short but refreshing shower before wrapping a towel around his otherwise nude torso and entering the large walk in closet that was to the left of his bathroom. He searched through hordes of clothing before settling on a black pinstripe shirt and black pants. He pulled on a pair of black socks and sat down at the computer desk. He went to a popular search engine and just as he began to type, he heard a loud knock at his front door. Surprised to have a visitor, he traipsed toward the door and opened it. When he saw the figure standing outside the door, his eyes widened in shock.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, as the visitor stared at him blankly.
"Hi, again," she said calmly, clutching an overnight bag and a purse in one hand.
"What are you doing here, Lily?" he repeated his voice firmer.
"Can I come in?"
Darien sighed before grabbing her bag and ushering her into his apartment. "Wow Dare, this is really nice."
"Are you going to answer my question or not?" His tone came out harsher than intended.
Lily sighed and pulled of the decorative hat she was wearing as her long red hair freed itself and cascaded down her back. "Obviously I'm here to visit you."
"You flew all the way from New York to visit me?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Not necessarily."
Darien sighed. "I have plans, Lily, I don't have time for games."
"Fine," she said, "is this serious enough for you." Suddenly the red head removed the oversized coat she was wearing and threw it onto the floor; it landed with a soft thud. Darien's eyes widened for a moment at her appearance but said nothing. She wasn't wearing anything unforgettably beautiful or special. Her legs were covered in blue jeans and she was wearing a long black shirt. The clothing wasn't what bothered him. It was what was under the clothes that scared the hell out of him.
"I'm pregnant," she said, annoyed by his silence.
"I can see that," he said, irritated. "I am a doctor."
"Well say something."
"Congratulations?"
Lily laughed dryly before inching closer to him.
"I'm pregnant Darien," she said grimly. "And this baby is yours."
Darien didn't move, he didn't speak; as a matter of fact his face was so stoic that if he were laying down, someone might have thought he were deceased.
"Please say something."
"I don't believe you," he said, his voice was almost a whisper and his throat was dry. Although there was a pregnant woman waiting expectantly in front of him, one thought continued to run through his mind. Serena.
"You know I'm not lying," she said. "The last time we made love was four months ago Darien and I'm four months pregnant. We're having a baby. If you don't believe me, my doctor tracked the window of conception, I have the file here with me."
Darien was staring blankly at her swollen, protruding belly and he felt his knees weaken. This couldn't be happening. Not now. He had just found Serena again and he was going to lose her because he was going to be…a father. Slowly he walked to the chair behind him and sat down. What was he going to do? What was he going to tell Serena? Dread settled in the pit of his stomach. He was going to lose her again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his head into his hands.
At this moment, his Darien's life couldn't get any worse.