Hello to all of my readers. I'm so sorry that this took so long and that it's quite short - life became very hectic over the past couple of years. I am working on finishing the story but I don't want to rush it and leave something out. I will be updating again over the weekend for sure. Thank you to all for the continued interest and comments. Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave comments!

Chapter 13

Long after Darien had fallen into the depths of sleep, Serena lay awake, pondering the recent events in her life. She just turned 18, moved in with her boyfriend and only hours ago finished having sex for the first time. She already knew she found the perfect man and even knew that they would eventually have a daughter… Where do you go from there? She knows the future generally, just not the specifics. Waiting… waiting… waiting… To find out how, when, where. She could definitely see why people shouldn't know their fate. Darien, on the other hand, wasn't even thinking about how events would unfold. He already knew that they would be together and happy, with a daughter too. That was enough for him. But as the night carried on, Serena continued to think until she drifted off. Lightly dozing on and off, and dreaming each time she closed her eyes.

"Darien? Where are you taking me?" Serena asked, walking blindfolded but taking in scents of freshly cut grass, and sweet flowers.

"Just relax. I'm sure you'll love it!"

"I'm sure I'd love it if I could actually see it!" Serena was getting impatient and started tugging at the blindfold.

"Hold on, hold on. I'll get to that but I want you to feel this place and remember every detail. Plus, I want it to be a surprise."

Without waiting a second longer, Darien squeezed Serena's hand and slowly undid the blindfold, allowing her to take in the blossoming flowers surrounding them. Rose bushes, rhododendrons, tulips, and lilies all in bright colours. In the centre was a patch of grass with a blanket.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"If you think it's a picnic, then yes."

"Oh, Darien! It's perfect! This is going to be so much fun!"

At that moment, Serena woke up. Frustrated and tired, she continued to think about her dream, trying to piece together how the event might go… Whether Darien would propose or if they would just walk through the gardens hand in hand as they'd done times before. Maybe he would take her to the gazebo and propose or maybe he would wait until they returned home so he could make her a romantic meal, accompanied by lit candles and slow music.

Finally, her mind stopped racing and she was able to catch a bit of shuteye.

Darien awoke long before Serena, as usual. He watched the blankets on her chest rise and fall with her breathing and thought about their night together. He sighed and took in her delicate features. He knew he was lucky to have her and wanted to take every opportunity to show her. She usually goes out for a time during the day with her friends and likely she'll be wanting to gossip with her friends – the perfect time to come up with another way to romance her.

Serena's eyes slowly opened and she was met by Darien's thinking face.

"Morning. Anybody home in there?"

"Oh! Morning!" he laughed a little as he was startled. "Guess I zoned out a bit there."

"Thinking about anything good?" she smiled at him, anxious to hear his reply.

"You… As usual."

Serena blushed and giggled at his cheesy comment and Darien kissed her forehead before walking to get his robe and head into the kitchen. Serena fell back to sleep only to awake suddenly, remembering that Darien had left the bedroom. Removing the blankets and finding her robe, Serena raced into the kitchen and snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around his body. She looked down and saw the French toast and bacon he had prepared for both of them, complete with strawberries and icing sugar.

"Looks so good!" Serena's eyes glazed over as she stared at the pile of food.

Darien laughed. "Thanks. It's no big deal. Let's eat."

Before Darien could move, Serena ran past him, picked up a fork and knife and dug in. Shortly after, they were both finished and got dressed for the day.

"I think I'm going to go see the girls. I'll call you in a bit to let you know when I'll be back."

"Sure, no worries. Have fun! Don't tell them too much about last night…" Darien laughed and Serena slumped away, knowing that she was going to divulge every detail.

When Serena reached the temple, she was greeted by many inquisitive faces.

"So!?" Raye asked loudly.

"How was it?" Lita was a little less forceful but was still anxious to hear the details.

"You guys! It's really none of our business." Amy piped up and was faced with expressions of frustration and disappointment.

"Don't worry, Serena, you don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to." Mina tried to be understanding, giving a hesitant smile.

"Oh relax, you guys. You know I'll tell you what happened… It's worth it to see your jealous faces." Serena laughed to herself and the girls began to turn red, both from anger and embarrassment.

"He was really loving and let me control pretty much all of it." Serena started blushing right away and wasn't sure how much she really should tell them.

"Pretty much? What part did he want to control?" Raye tried to pry more information from Serena.

"Well… He decided to use his tongue for a portion of it. Honestly, the night wasn't very long but it was perfect in a lot of ways."

"Did it hurt?" Amy asked quietly and all of the girls turned, completely surprised that she would ask anything after her comment earlier.

"A little bit at first but he gave me time to adjust and it didn't take long to really enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to the next time, actually."

"I'm glad that it worked out for you, Serena. Really glad." Lita smiled to her and seemed to have a sense of relief. "Darien is a nice guy and he really cares about you."

"I know; I'm so lucky. I just wish I knew what he's planning next…"

"What do you mean? You're living together now and you'll do things that live-in couples do." Mina was confused at Serena's comment and gave her a puzzled look.

"I know that but I feel like I want to know how he'll propose to me."

The girls all looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Come on, Serena. Give it some time. The guy just asked you to move in and is treating you like a princess. Let him have some time to relax before planning your wedding." Raye had a slightly annoyed tone in her voice and Serena knew to drop it.

"Yeah… you're right. I just hate the waiting. But I know that good things will happen and I guess that's enough for now." She faked a smile and started to turn. "I have to get going though; I told Darien I'd be home in about 5 minutes and it takes me 15 to get there! Bye!"

She opened the door, out of breath and stretched her arms out. "I'm home!"

But no answer.

"Hello?" She looked around but again, silence. Another glance and she saw a note in the kitchen.

'Back in a bit. Just went to the store. Love Darien'

She wandered into the bathroom to fix her hair and clean up a bit after running the whole way home. Turning her head, she noticed that the bathtub was filled with hot water and rose petals. Puzzled, she looked around a little more and heard the door open then shut.

"Darien?"

"Whoa! You're home. I wasn't expecting you until 10 minutes from now." He laughed and smiled to her.