A/N: I know… it's been FOREVER, but I'm finally back! I'm sorry for the long wait. Real life has taken a toll on me, but I finally found some time to write a new chapter. Thank you for the patience of everyone who has continued to follow this story and welcome to all the new readers. I hope you all enjoy.

The next day at school, Beryl watched with disgust as Darien walked hand in hand with Serena as he laughed at something she said to him. She scowled when she saw him kiss her cheek right before she went into her classroom then walk away with a goofy smile on his face. She jumped when she felt someone wrap their arms around her. She turned around and rolled her eyes when she saw Diamond Blackmoon with a smirk on his face. She pushed him away. "Don't do that," she complained.

"I just wanted to surprise you," he said before kissing her on the cheek.

"I hate surprises."

Diamond sighed and followed her line of vision to where Darien was standing at his locker. "You're staring at him again," he commented as started stroking her arm. "Why bother with a loser like him when you have me?" He scoffed. "Can you believe he's dating the Meatball Head?"

Beryl continued watching Darien for a moment. He closed his locker and started walking in their direction just as she finally turned to face Diamond. "You're right," she said as she traced a heart on his chest. "You're way more fun." Beryl briefly made eye contact with Darien just as he was about to pass her by and she chose that moment to pull Diamond in for a kiss.

They pulled apart and rested their foreheads against each other. "Wanna get out of here?" Diamond asked.

"We can't skip again," Beryl replied. "But I'm off from work today. We can spend the afternoon together. My dad's still out of town and we know my mom isn't coming back anytime soon."

"Can I have a preview?"

Beryl obliged and gave him a longer kiss. She started dating Diamond shortly after her last conversation with Darien about his conversion to Christianity. Deep in her heart she knew she wasn't really happy with Diamond and he was just a rebound, but she liked having someone around who was willing to do whatever she wanted. Even though he was at her beck and call and gave her whatever she wanted he wasn't Darien. Thinking about him caused her to stop kissing Diamond just as the bell rang. "See you later," she said before hurrying away.

Meanwhile

Darien walked hand in hand with Serena through the halls of the school proudly. He could hear people whispering about them, but it just didn't matter. He had Serena by his side and he could finally call her his own; nothing anyone said could bring him down. He stopped them in front of the door of her History class and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you at your locker before lunch."

Serena smiled at him. "Can't wait," she said as she squeezed his hand before letting go. "Have a good day."

Darien watched as she went into the classroom grinning like an idiot as she took a seat at her desk. He continued smiling as he walked to his locker. Months ago he never would have imagined being so happy because of Serena's influence on his life, let alone dating her, and it still blew his mind every time he thought about it. He wouldn't have it any other way because he knew without a doubt that he and Serena belonged together. He closed his locker and headed to class passing Beryl along the way. He briefly made eye contact with her before she started making out with Diamond Blackmoon. He quickened his pace and sighed. The scene reminded him of unwanted memories, but that was all behind him now. He had a future with Serena and that's all that mattered. That thought brought a smile to his face once again as he headed to class.

The bell rang and Beryl exited her classroom to head to the cafeteria. When she turned a corner she saw Darien standing at Serena's locker and she hurried to him. She saw him frown when he caught sight of her but stepped in front of him before he had a chance to walk away. "Hi Darien."

"Hey," he said distractedly. Beryl just stood there looking at him. "What do you want, Beryl?"

"I'm not here to cause trouble if that's what you're worried about," she said haughtily. "I have a great boyfriend, but I happened to see you over here and I just wanted to check in with you. It's been a while and I'm just trying to be a good friend. So how are you?"

Darien looked around for Serena and sighed when he didn't see her. "I'm fine," he said when he finally looked at Beryl. "I'm just waiting for Serena so we can walk to lunch together."

"Oh… yeah. Well congrats on making it official. It still baffles me how you two… work, but if she makes you happy then I guess that's all that matters."

"She's wonderful," Darien said as a blush colored his cheeks. Beryl inwardly cringed. Darien looked around her and smiled. "I see Serena coming so I'll catch up with you later." He walked around Beryl and headed down the hall to meet Serena. Beryl started to follow, but stopped when she saw Darien greeting Serena enthusiastically. He gave her a prolonged hug and didn't stop smiling while she was saying something to him. They then started walking hand in hand towards the cafeteria without looking back.

Beryl watched the couple with disdain. Everything about them rubbed her the wrong way. The way he looked at her. The way he blushed when she mentioned her name. The way he smiled at her when she wasn't looking. He never did anything like that when they were together and she didn't understand why. As far as she was concerned she had so much more to offer than that stupid Meatball Head, but she knew deep down she brought this on herself. I don't need him she thought as she marched towards the cafeteria. She had Diamond and if she wanted to be showered with affection she could get him to do it at the drop of a hat.

A few days later, Serena and Darien headed to the Crown for a mini date after school since all of their other friends were busy. "Do you want your usual?" Darien asked her while they waited in line.

"Yes please. I'm going to the restroom then I'll find us a table."

Darien watched her go and sighed happily. As far as he was concerned everything was right in the world. His faith was growing, homework was becoming lighter as the AP test dates were approaching, his friends were overjoyed for him and Serena, and Serena was so much more than he could have ever thought or imagined. It was just so easy to be around her and he couldn't be thankful enough for their friendship and the growing love he had for her.

Darien finally got to the front of the line and smiled at the cashier. "Hi Lizzie."

"Hey, Darien," she replied happily. It was uncanny how much she resembled Andrew. "What can I get for you today?"

"A Strawberry Delight and a medium strawberry banana smoothie, please."

She put the order in and started making the treats for him. "No coffee today? That's unusual."

Darien smiled sheepishly. "Things change," he replied as he paid for the items. "Can I get one more spoon please?"

"For what...?" Lizzie's eyes widened. "Are you and Serena finally a thing?!"

"Yes. Serena is officially my girlfriend. I'm surprised Andrew didn't tell you already."

"He never tells me anything, but whatever. This development makes me SO happy!"

"Me too. See you later, Lizzie." Darien picked up the treats and turned around to scan the area for Serena. He found her in a booth and started walking in her direction, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw someone else sit across from her.

Moments earlier

Today was just not Beryl's day. Her teachers were breathing down her neck, her friends were annoying her, and her argument with Diamond just pushed her over the edge. Beryl walked into the Crown absentmindedly and headed straight to the bathroom. She went to the mirror and started fixing her hair, but rolled her eyes when she saw Serena come out of the stall behind her. Oh, God. She pretended not to see her and distracted herself with her hair while Serena washed her hands.

"Hi Beryl," Serena said as she started drying her hands.

Beryl glanced at her. "Hey," she said casually before continuing to focus on her hair. She still felt Serena's eyes on her and it was increasingly annoying her. She really didn't have the energy to deal with her and just wanted her to go away.

"Did you do something new with your hair?" Serena asked before Beryl had a chance to make a comment. "Something is definitely different."

Beryl continued playing with her hair. "I got some lowlights yesterday."

"It's really pretty. I've always liked your red hair, but I think that color combination goes really well with your skin tone."

Beryl stopped messing with her hair and finally looked at Serena. The compliment completely caught her off guard and she wasn't sure what to say. "Uh… Thanks." Beryl sighed. It was truly pathetic that her so called nemesis noticed the change and gave her a compliment before her own boyfriend did. He hadn't said anything about her hair all day. She started walking out of the bathroom as Serena followed.

"I bet Diamond likes it too," Serena commented. "Is he here?"

"No," she said quickly. "He's… busy." Busy being a baby. She was annoyed enough at Diamond for not noticing her hair, but she was harboring even more hurt about him declining her offer to have a mini date at the Crown instead of going straight to her house like he wanted to for yet another make-out session. They had an argument about it after school before he stormed away instead of talking about it like a mature person. Beryl frowned at the memory, but fixed her face when she saw Serena still looking at her.

"Would you like to join me and Darien for a bit?"

Beryl wrestled with the idea. Would she rather be miserable by herself or be miserable sitting with her religious ex-boyfriend and current girlfriend? Sitting with them would mean she'd get to be close to Darien again and he wouldn't have an excuse to get away from her since she was invited. "Sure, why not?"

Present

Darien frowned when he saw Serena sitting at the booth in the corner with Beryl sitting across from her. He hurried to the table and towered above the two girls as he stood beside his girlfriend. "What are you doing here?" He asked Beryl pointedly.

"I invited her," Serena answered as she placed a hand on his forearm.

Darien looked down at Serena and had an entire conversation with her without either of them saying a word. Her touch calmed him down and her eyes told him to trust her so he relaxed and took a seat beside her. "Sorry, Beryl," he finally said as he set the treats on the table. "You just surprised me."

Beryl shrugged. "Since your… girlfriend invited me I figured it was as good a chance as any to work on being a good friend. Is that ok?"

"If it's all right with Serena, then it's all right with me." He handed Serena a spoon and a straw. He hesitated then gave Beryl his other spoon. "Sorry, I only got one smoothie."

"You didn't get yourself one?" Serena asked him before taking a sip. He shook his head no. "Don't you need the extra vitamins since you're practicing karate later?"

"I'll be all right. I had a nutritious lunch and the fruit salad Lita made was more than enough."

"At least have a little bit," she said holding the smoothie out to him. "I remember seeing how hard you practice and I don't want you to pass out. And aside from that I can't drink this big thing all by myself."

Darien gave in and took a sip and the action didn't go unnoticed by Beryl before another thought crossed her mind. "I thought karate practice at the school was closed to the public," she said as she took a bite of ice cream.

"I watched Darien practice at his apartment after he taught me some basic lessons," Serena responded.

"It was for our project," Darien added. "We had to take a walk in each other's shoes. Since I had dinner at her house she came to my place as a trade-off."

Serena nodded. "Darien's a great teacher and all and I had a lot of fun, but I don't think karate is something I'll pick up again anytime soon. It's so intense. Have you tried before, Beryl?"

Beryl almost broke the plastic spoon she was holding. "Can't say that I have," she said slowly. She did all she could not to let irritation show on her face. Darien never offered to teach her karate and he certainly never allowed her to come to his apartment by herself. She didn't even want to imagine how heated things got when they practiced together because she remembered complaining about how sweaty he always was whenever he stopped to see her in the lobby before getting showered in the locker room.

"Beryl?" Serena's voice distracted her from her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you wanted anything else to eat, but I guess you didn't hear me."

"I'm fine. I don't really have much of an appetite."

"Are you sure?"

"I said I'm fine," Beryl snapped. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, it's been a long day."

"Care to talk about it?" Serena asked as Darien used Serena's spoon to take a bite of ice cream.

"Not really." Beryl couldn't take it anymore. She checked the time then stood up. "I actually need to get going."

"Enjoy the rest of your day," Serena said. "Good to see you." Beryl left without saying anything.

"Well that was fun," Darien said sarcastically.

Serena gave him a look. "Baby steps," she replied. "I seem to remember being in a similar situation with a certain someone not too long ago."

"That's different."

"It's really not. I know she's not exactly our favorite person, but she deserves a chance just the same. She actually agreed to sit with us and she didn't say anything mean. That's definitely progress. We even had a moment in the bathroom."

"Do I even want to know?"

"I just complimented her hair." Darien stared at her blankly. "It's a girl thing. You wouldn't get it."

"Obviously."

"Sometimes that's all it takes. With God anything is possible."

"I guess you're right." He took a longer sip from her smoothie.

"Hey! I thought you didn't want any."

"I never said that. I was hoping to share the whole thing with you, but I didn't wanna do that in front of Beryl because I know what it's like to be the third wheel. And besides you're the one who said I needed the extra vitamins, remember?" Serena smiled then frowned. "What?"

"Do you think Beryl's ok? Something seemed off with her."

"I noticed too. But she's a strong girl and she doesn't give up that easily." Darien sighed. "It's one of her many strengths and greatest vices so I can only pray this doesn't blow up in our faces."

Beryl walked home in a rage. She knew it was a risk to sit with Darien and Serena in the first place and she certainly didn't expect how much it would actually hurt to see them interacting as a couple. They did the stupid, typical, couple-y things, but even in all that she could tell how much Darien cared about Serena all along. She'd never be able to compare to her and she knew it. She thought about Diamond and remembered what he said a few days ago. She had him so why worry about Darien anyway? She pulled out her cell phone and called Diamond. So what if he didn't compliment her hair? So what if he wasn't willing to take her on a real date? At least she had someone and that was better than dating a freak like Meatball Head any day. "Hey," she said when he answered. "I'm sorry about earlier. What do you say we kiss and make up?"

A few nights later, Darien was laughing with Serena as they walked out of the movie theater hand in hand. "I'll admit it," he was saying. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."

"I told you," Serena sing-songed. "Next time I'll let you pick the movie."

While they were talking someone bumped into Darien. "Sorry," he said before looking to see who he bumped into. He frowned when he saw Diamond Blackmoon smirking at him. Beryl was standing nearby and readjusted herself so her arm was looped through his. Diamond's brother Sapphire was also standing nearby with his girlfriend Prisma and a couple of their other friends, Ruben and Emerald. The group formed a semicircle blocking his and Serena's exit.

"Hi Beryl," Serena said cheerfully.

"Look at that," Beryl said snidely. "The Virgin Serena acknowledged my presence." She looked at Darien. "Is St. Darien willing to do the same or is he too righteous for that?"

Darien rolled his eyes as he unconsciously pulled Serena closer to him. "Could you please excuse us?"

"You could at least stay a bit longer to chat," Ruben said. "You don't have to be rude."

"We were just on our way out so if you could please move out of the way I'd greatly appreciate it."

"You're no fun," Diamond complained. "They do look like they're in a hurry so I guess we should move so they can get back to Christian mingling." The group snickered.

"Yeah, I'm sure they have some holy rolling to do in the missionary position," Emerald said before cackling obnoxiously.

The group laughed as Darien's face started to redden. He was embarrassed and his temper was starting to rise, but he also felt Serena's calming touch as she tightened her hold on his hand. "Please excuse us," he said slowly.

"Ooh," Sapphire said sarcastically. "You're really scaring the hell out of us. Let's go before he does something really scary." They started laughing again as they walked towards the concession stand.

Darien led Serena out the door with his hand on the small of her back and silently guided her through the parking lot to his car. He opened the car door for her before getting in on the driver's side and slammed his door shut. He started the car silently and headed to Serena's house.

Serena knew better than to say anything right away as they got in the car together. The silence in the car was deafening making the ride home awkward for her even as low music came from the radio. Serena frowned as she looked at him. His jaw was set tightly as he gripped the steering wheel clearly indicating that he was still upset. She gently placed a hand on his arm and felt how tense he was. He glanced at her briefly then returned his attention to the road.

"I don't care about them," he stated.

Serena sighed as she rubbed his arm up and down. "You should care…"

"Because that's what Jesus would do?" he interrupted. "I already know that!"

Serena pulled her hand away and looked out her window. She knew Darien didn't mean to yell at her, but it still hurt whenever he did. Beryl and her friends suddenly started going out of their way gang up on them and make rude remarks since the day she was at the Crown with them and she didn't understand why. Darien had been trying his best not to let it get to him, but sometimes he'd take his pent up frustration out on her. She had learned to give him some space before he eventually apologized and tried to make things right. Regardless, it was still one of the more challenging parts of their relationship. She felt his hand around hers and she turned to face him.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "I didn't mean to yell at you… again. I just hate that they keep doing this to you. To us."

"I know," she replied as she caressed his hand.

A moment passed between them. "What were you going to say before I so rudely interrupted?"

"You shouldn't be completely apathetic. Care enough to stand up for yourself when the time is right, but don't let what they say get to you. That just gives them power."

"Is that what you do?"

"I try. I don't always succeed, but at the end of the day I know I still go on because God will keep giving me the strength I need even when I don't deserve it."

Darien sighed. "I wish they could see what I see." He glanced at her and smiled before watching the road again. "Thanks for always keeping me in line."

Serena smiled back. "Someone has to." She heard a familiar song on the radio and turned up the volume. "I love this song."

Darien listened to the lyrics of one of his new favorite songs and they couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Oh, Father won't you forgive them? They don't know what they've been doin' Oh, Father, give me grace to forgive them, 'Cause I feel like the one losin' Yeah, I feel like I've been losing. Darien sighed as the song ended. He certainly needed all the grace he could get if he was going to be able to forgive what Beryl and her friends kept doing to him and Serena.

A/N: I hope that was worth the wait. At least 2 more chapters and an epilogue are left. We have to know what happens at prom and see how Serena and Darien do on their project, right? Stay tuned!