It's been forever sorry! I'm sure this doesn't make up for it either. I promise to take out another chapter two weeks from now to make up! As usual, Sailor Moon and anything else copy written doesn't belong to me- it belongs to their respective owners. I'm sure y'all knew that though…

The tinkling noise her phone was emitting grabbed her attention. The caller ID assured her, that yes, it was Darien.

"Hello Mr. Shields."

"Cut the formalities Serena."

"I'd prefer if you referred to me as Ms. Tsukino, Mr. Shields."

"Where do you want to meet? My apartment is certainly a quiet place we can work in."

"The only time you'll see me in your apartment is in your dreams."

"Fine, the coffee shop on 77th is open till all hours of the night."

"Comforting, I'll be there by 7:30 pm." Shutting her phone in less then a millisecond, she called out to the blond one in the living room.

"I'll be gone for awhile; if you need something my phone is on."

Pulling up a pair of jeans she found in her room, she continued marshalling instructions to the tall man. "Mina might stop by. Do you remember her Drew? Anyway, she's going to want the bag on the couch-she's going out tonight and 'can't find one that matches.'"

Tripping on a pair of heels she hopped around her bedroom in pain. Looking for a decent top she decided to try her luck in her forgotten closet. Pulling a v-necked tank and a grey vest she grinned to herself; even if half her wardrobe lingered on her floor she still had enough to compose a proper ensemble.

Dropping to the floor and searching for her elusive flats she came face to face with her cats. For two days they had hidden away in her bedroom, presumably afraid of the tall man in the living room. The black one meowed in her general direction; the white one maintained his sleeping position. Thankful for the self serving bowls she bought, keeping them fed wasn't a problem. Shoving Luna, the black cat, revealed the grey flats she'd been laying on.

"At least it wasn't Artemis, he'd have left white fur everywhere, and then I'd have to lint roll that too," she whispered to Luna.

Hoisting herself up she managed to clear enough space to get within reach of her mirror. With no time to spare, she pulled up her flaxen hair and dabbed on gloss, deciding to skip out on the rest of her beauty regimen. Slipping on her shoes as she ran towards the kitchen, she called out to her friend, "I'm leaving now! Emergency numbers are umm...err...I can't find them but they're in the kitchen."

"Don't worry Usa, I'm not twelve."

"And don't forget..."

"...about Mina. I got it."

"Thanks Drew!' Rushing out into the corridor, she turned when she heard him laughing. Stepping out into the brightly lit hall was her fair-haired companion. Holding out her purse and her keys, he stifled an on coming bout of laughter.

"You might need these. It was just a thought." Her face burned scarlet as she seized her things. Waving goodbye, he stepped back into her apartment.

It could be worse; she could have tripped before she reached her things.

Reaching the shining enclosure that was the elevator she let out a soft sigh, this night was not turning out to be the one she'd imagined when she woke up.

Racing out of the lobby into the parking garage took less time then she imagined. She stopped to catch her breath as she climbed into the sleek car.

This isn't a date, why are you freaking out? She mentally berated herself as she pulled out of the garage.

The light turned and she sped towards her destination. Still not close enough before a traffic light delayed her arrival. Glancing over at the time she cursed under her breath, 7:10 pm, she wasn't going to make it to the stupid coffee shop by 7:30 p.m.

Traffic was an annoyance; she stood in a line of cars that either didn't know she was in a rush or purposely slowed to keep her from her destination. Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, she sighed.

She'd known Darien since college. They'd both coincidently met during their stay at NYU. Long story short their relationship lasted one blissful semester. The breakup consumed most of the summer and the animosity had remained since then. Being on separate ends of the legal system doesn't help their odd situation either.

Honking at the slow car in front of her, she again was trapped behind the accursed red light. She considered calling him, she really did, but the effort seemed to out-weigh the actual benefit of warning the black haired man at the cafe.

Turning on the radio kept her from yelling at the top of her lungs, Serena counted down the minutes until she knew she would get another phone call from the blue eyed man. The tinkling noise alerted her to another one of his phone calls.

"Serena, it is 7:35 pm."

"I'm aware of that Mr. Shields."

"Are you going to be here anytime soon?"

"Look I'm trying to make headway in terrible traffic, So It'll be another ten minutes."

"I'll be waiting Sweetheart."

Throwing the phone into the passenger's seat, she cursed the day she met the jerk. In her mind's eye she could still see that odd little winter day.

It was a known fact, whether in heels or sneakers, that Serena Tsukino was a giant klutz. Also known to the general public is that she is a notoriously late sleeper. It came as no surprise when in the last year of grad school when she was overworked and overstressed and that she met the bane of her existence.

One particularly harsh day, she'd survived her shift at work with about an hour and a half of sleep. She came home and decided that a nap before a final was a perfect idea. By the time she actually awoke she had a little less than ten minutes to run from her dorm to Vanderbilt Hall to take her exam.

Flying by students, the blond took no notice of the wide-eyed stares she received from her fellow peers.

The Courtyard in front of Vanderbilt hall had been going through minor renovations; before she realized what was happening, Serena felt herself become weightless. As soon as she made that realization, gravity hit her full force. Hitting something face first wasn't a very nice experience, but being picked up by a ridiculously good looking stranger certainly was.

She remembered his midnight blue eyes gleaming with apparent concern. Yelping as he gently touched her bruised forehead she pulled back and caught sight of her equally beat up phone. With a cry of alarm she raced into the building she'd just tripped in front of.

Recalling her past in front of the red light, the blond chuckled to herself.

I was such a naïve girl.

Settling herself behind the wheel, the blond jumped back to that December day. The chance meeting that took place after their first awkward one was a godsend, or at least that's what she'd thought then.

The small diner they met in was quaint and filled with college students. They shared the same major, and in fact were graduating in the same class. Both were single and quite tired of the semester. At that point Serena had called it fate.

They stayed until the sun came up the next day not realizing that so much time had been spent with each other. From then on they met often. They really…clicked.

By the time March rolled by everything seemed perfect. They'd both be starting out their future with someone they cared about. It was about that time that Serena met one of Darien's good friends. From what she got from the conversation, Marissa had known Darien since high school. The woman was awe inspiring. She had curling claret hair down to her waist, eyes of jade green, and a figure to die for. Serena felt plain in comparison, regardless she took to trying to befriend Darien's friend. They habitually met for coffee or some sort of dinner date- Serena was unsuccessful though. Marissa just didn't seem to like her, try as she might she just wouldn't warm up to her.

Marissa wasn't the friendly type- at least not with her. Marissa was all giggles and clever jokes with Darien. At first Serena didn't mind. They're just friends was the mantra she repeated to herself. Frequently Serena would find the redhead in odd situations with Darien. Try as she might the ugly green dragon would rear its head and she'd have mini-arguments with Darien. He insisted that there was nothing going on between the two.

They say bad things come in threes. The petite blond had just gotten test scores back- low C's, trouble with customers at work, but she figured everything would be ok if she could just be held in Darien's arms for even just a little. Then they could pig out on ice cream and watch movies until she fell asleep. Opening the door to his dorm she wondered about the mystery purse on his coffee table. She figured Marissa had stopped by. Funny, she didn't see either of them here though. She stopped when she heard a quiet noise. Opening the door to his room she was left speechless. What she saw left her incensed and thoroughly heartbroken. Shirtless Darien lay on a rumpled bed as a half naked Marissa straddled his hips. Her hair streaming around her as her hands searched his body, and his arms wrapped around her waist.

She remembered him trying to explain that it wasn't what she thought. Walking out in a daze she made her way out of his room and ran to the elevator. She could still recall the feel of salty tears sliding down her face as she impatiently pushed the elevator button to close the doors.

For two months he tried to plead with her. Graduation came and went. She wouldn't listen to anything he tried to explain. After, they argued until they finally went their separate ways. They'd specialized in two different parts of the law and were mercifully separated until they met in court almost 3 years after their graduation.

Snapping out of her reverie, the blond managed to make her way to Lyla's on 77th with no more interferences from bad drivers or evil traffic lights. At 28 she still had a mortal enemy it seemed, and he was not going to be pleased with her delay to the coffee shop. Dropping quarters into the meter she made her way into the deserted coffee shop. Sitting in a corner was Darien, papers spread about him, and a cup of coffee to his right. Dressed in a rumpled white shirt and gray pants, he looked like he was straight out of a magazine. The 5 o' clock shadow made him look just a tad bit more frazzled and his ebony locks kept his sophisticated air, needless to say he was still a very beautiful man. Walking towards him she dropped the brief on the table startling him.

"Nice to see you've finally made it Serena." His deep voice whispered her name.

"Yes well I got here as soon as I could."

"Well, we might as well get started."

Tonight will be eternal, she mused to herself.

Sorry you guy's it's been like 4 months. I was busy with school this past semester, and I was at summer school in a different state (an archaeology field school, we had no access to computers…) I haven't sent this to my editor I figured I'd just post it…and I don't know if she's still interested (sorry! I've been super careless!). work has also been super busy- I've got to pay tuition somehow right? R&R guys!!

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Bunnie