Title: BROKEN

Discalimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: Here you go, another chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews! And don't worry, you will find out at some point what happened between them in the past.

Darien watched the girl sitting across from him and smiled. Today had been the best day he could remember. His whole life flashed in random images around his mind and he could not remember another day as perfect as this one. All he saw was her, and all he cared about was her. It was like the rest of the world faded away and his weakness hid deep within him. He felt almost whole again.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Serena asked blushing.

"Like what?" Darien asked.

Serena just shook her head and continued eating her ice cream.

"What should we do next?" Darien asked.

"Next?" Serena asked bewildered. "I thought this was the last stop. We've been hanging out all night. Lita will kill me if I'm not home soon."

Darien didn't like the idea that this might be the end. He wanted today to last forever. His mind imagined that now Serena would go home and call Nathan, and she would go out with him tonight.

His eyes darkened.

"Why is she living with you?" Darien asked.

"Her father's not exactly stable. He doesn't touch her or anything, but he's really verbally violent towards her. He's drunk pretty much every day and I'm just giving her a way out."

Darien nodded.

"Thank you for not calling me names today," Serena changed the subject.

"I could if you wanted, I still remember some of them," Darien teased.

"Please don't," Serena giggled.

"You don't really fit any of them anymore," Darien said softly.

"Well, I grew up. I was bound to happen at some point."

Darien laughed.

"Why was it so important to get to know me again?" Serena asked.

Darien realized she was asking why he couldn't remember the first time they had gotten to know each other. He fidgeted slightly. He desperately wanted to know what had happened between them, but he knew she wouldn't say anything about it.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer."

"Do you regret doing it?" Darien asked.

She shrugged. "I guess not."

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No," Serena said finishing her ice cream and standing up. "Really I think we've done enough already today. I can find my own way home."

"Can we do this again tomorrow?" Darien asked.

Serena looked at him curiously. "We'll see," she said softly.

She turned to walk away, but Darien gently took her hand causing her to turn back to him. He raised it to his lips and gently kissed it, lingering for a moment before smiling at her.

Serena just looked at him wide eyed, frozen in her place for a moment.

Her heart beat as the heat from his hand on hers radiated up into her. His touch sent fire into her.

She couldn't help but let out a small gasp.

Then she whirled around and walked out the door.

Darien just watched her go feeling the rest of the world slowly creep back towards him. For the first time that day he thought of Nathan. If his friend knew about this he would be furious, but Darien didn't care. All he wanted was Serena.

Andrew saw Serena walking across the street a little ways away from him and quickly ran towards her. When he called her name she looked up at him and smiled in delight.

"Andrew! What are you doing here?"

"Is this such an unusual place?" He asked looking around.

Serena shrugged. "I guess not. What's going on?"

Andrew hesitated. "I just wanted to talk to you about Darien."

Serena looked backwards hesitantly.

Andrew followed her gaze but didn't see anything.

"Is something the matter?"

"I was just with him," she said honestly.

"Oh," Andrew said surprised. "Aren't you dating Nathan?"

Nobody could have missed the guilty look that flashed across her face. "I'm not dating Darien, we were just meeting as friends."

Andrew nodded but his eyes weren't convinced. "Okay, the thing is I don't think Darien is really stable right now Serena. I really think of all people in the world you might be the one to get through to him, but I don't want you to be put in any danger."

"Danger?" She asked surprised. "He's dangerous?"

"No, Darien would never physically or purposely harm your Serena, believe me. But I'm worried you're going to get sucked into the middle of what's going on between him and Nathan, and the rest of the world."

"Why does everyone warn me to stay away but nobody will tell me what's really going on?"

Andrew sighed. "It's not for any of us to tell."

"Oh great," Serena said starting to walk away.

"Serena wait," Andrew followed her. "I'm not trying to confuse you."

"Then why can't I be with him?" She demanded.

Andrew stopped short, looking down at her. Her eyes were clear and angry.

"You want to be with him?" he asked slowly.

Serena realized her mistake and her emotions rapidly changed to confusion, surprise and guilt. "No," she said shaking her head and quickly trying to walk away. Her heart beat quickly and she felt her mind start to spin.

"That's what you said," Andrew argued.

"Well it's not what I mean," Serena said angrily.

Andrew grabbed her arm before she could go any further. "Just be careful."

Serena could see the genuine concern in his face and she softened. Andrew had always been there for her and she knew he always would be there for her. If he was trying to warn her about something, then maybe he was right. She nodded softly and Andrew let her go.

She turned and continued walking towards her home.

Her mind was a mess. She couldn't seem to come up with any kind of a solution to any of the problems coursing through her. And what she had said to Andrew still shook her. Did she want to be with Darien? Could she really forgive him enough to be with him again? It hardly seemed possible, but she hadn't thought about that day so many years ago since the morning. Today she had been happy and relaxed with him, just like that day.

She tried to shake herself back to reality when she saw her house come into view. Toady had gone well, she should just see it like that. She wasn't interested in Darien, she was interested in Nathan.

She opened the front door and walked in.

"Hey Serena!"

Serena was startled to hear Mina's voice jolt through her house. She nearly had a heart attack at the sudden sound.

"Are you alright?" Mina asked concerned.

"Yeah," Serena said breathing hard. "You just startled me. Is Lita here?"

"Nope," Mina said easily. "She got a phone call and took off. She looked pretty worried about something. I hope it's not about her dad. I was sort of hoping she wouldn't see him for a few months and get back on her feet. Then she could deal with him calmly."

Serena smiled at her blond friend. Mina might be sort of ditsy, but she cared deeply about her friends. She sat down beside her, feeling tired.

"How's Darien?" Mina asked after a moment.

Serena looked at her curiously. Lita must have told her where she was.

"He's fine," she said softly. "But what are you doing back here Mina? I thought you left after dinner."

"I did, but I didn't feel like going home. I went to see Andrew for awhile and then decided to come back here. I'm glad I did, Lita and I had a good talk."

"Do you want to stay?" Serena asked.

"Yeah," Mina said softly. "If that's alright."

"Of course it is," Serena smiled. "What's the use of this big house if it isn't full?"

Mina giggled. "So are you going to tell me about Darien?"

"We had a nice time," Serena said honestly. "We just talked, and he didn't call me a single bad name and it was like we were friends."

Mina smiled at her. "Well good," she said softly.

The phone rang.

"Hello?" Serena answered.

"It's Lita."

Serena shot to attention. Lita sounded tired and upset.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm at the hospital," Lita said. "He hit me."

Serena felt fear grip her. "Which hospital Lita, I'll be there as fast as I can."

Lita told her and Serena grabbed a startled Mina and bolted to the door. She stopped in the hallway to grab her shoes. Mina pulled hers on as well with wides eyes and ragged breath. She was scared.

"She's all the way across town," Serena said desperately. "How are we going to get there."

"Amy's not home tonight," Mina said. "She's the only one with a car."

Serena quickly picked up the phone and called Nathan, but there was no answer.

She looked at Mina desperately who hung up her own phone without an answer.

"We could take a cab," Mina said.

Serena shook her head. "That'll take to long."

Who else could they call? Andrew would be working.

"Darien has a car," Mina said finally.

Serena shuddered despite herself. She needed to get to Lita this moment and she didn't want to call Darien. It had been less then an hour since she had been with him and she was still feeling confused about the kiss and what she had said to Andrew.

But Lita needed her.

She dialed the number.

"Hello?" Darien answered.

Serenas heart both lept and sank.

"It's Serena," she said hesitantly. "I need your help."

Darien arrived minutes later and Serena and Mina jumped into the car quickly. Serena all but shouted at him to go and Darien drove off.

All the girls could do was sit there, dread filling them. They couldn't speak.

Serena could feel Darien sitting beside her. She felt too close to him, like they were touching even though there was at least a foot of space them and Mina leaning between the seats to block their eye line. Her heart pounded both in fear and anxiety. All she could think about was the kiss. It felt like moments ago.

They didn't speak the whole way there.

Serena lept out of the car with Mina behind her. She ran quickly into the hospital and almost collided with the front desk. The nurse looked at her in alarm.

"Lita Hino, we're here to see her," Serena said breathlessly.

"Is she alright?" Mina asked frantically. "Is she hurt? Does she need blood? I'll give her some."

The nurse shook her head. "She's going to be fine."

"Where is she?" Serena asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't……"

The nurse looked paste them startled. Serena followed her gaze to Darien who walked calmly and gracefully up behind them.

"It's okay," Darien said softly. "Is Zach here?"

The nurse nodded and picked up a phone.

"Darien Shields is here to see you," she said.

It took minutes before the doors burst open and a doctor raced towards them. He looked surprised and concerned. Serena had only met him a couple times. As far as she had been told he was a work-a-holic. She hadn't realized that he was friends with Darien.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Zach asked hurriedly.

Darien nodded calmly. "I'm really sorry to meet like this Zach, but Lita Hino is here and we need to get in to see her. We're not family, but Serena and Mina are her best friends and the closest thing she's got."

Zach looked at them both and nodded.

"Which room is she in?" He asked the nurse.

"416," she answered.

Zach led them quickly through the emergency room and into a long hallway. There was a small room on one side and before anyone could move Serena and Mina rushed in.

Lita sat upright on the narrow bed with an ice pack against her eye. Tears flowed silently down her face.

Serena didn't hesitate, she threw her arms around her friend.

Mina did the same, sitting up on the bed beside her.

Lita just cried into them, grasping at their support.

"What happened?" Darien asked softly. He and Zach stayed a little way away.

"She came in herself," Zach said reading her file. "She says her father hit her when he realized she had moved out. We don't dispute it because there's a history already. The police took a statement."

Darien nodded.

"Are you alright?" Zach asked.

"I'm not sure," Darien said looking at his friend. "I'm really sorry I didn't call."

"It's alright," Zach said waving his hand. "I know that getting back into your life will be hard. I can't image what you went through so I can't predict how you might heal. But I'm here if you need me."

Darien nodded.

"I did hear about Nathan though," Zach said softly.

"It's not what it sounds like," Darien said.

Zach nodded. "I hope not."

Serena and Mina helped Lita gently to bed. They tucked her in and kissed her head gently, being careful not to touch her bruise. Then they walked slowly out of the room, turning off the lights.

They sat together, tired.

"We should call the other girls," Mina said not looking at Darien who stood near the door. "I'll do it in your fathers study," she said getting up again.

Serena just nodded.

When Mina left there was silence.

She didn't really know why Darien was there, but part of her needed the support.

"Will you be alright?" Darien asked.

"I'm afraid of her father," Serena said. "If he went this far, what's stopping him from coming over here and attacking her again?"

"The police are looking for him," Darien said.

"They might not find him."

There was another long silence.

"Do you want me to stay?" Darien asked.

She hated that part of her wanted to say yes. Part of her wanted to keep him close to her so that she felt safe and warm. Part of her wanted to let him back into her life. But part of her knew that in doing so, she would be betraying Nathan. And part of her was scared.

When she didn't answer, Darien silently walked over and sat down next to her.

Serena fought against her own movements, but she allowed him to put his arm gently around her. She leaned on his shoulder, trying not to cry.

Darien rested his chin gently on her head, breathing her in.

"I would protect you from anything," he whispered.

Serena felt her resolve fade.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked again.

Why was he so hard to deny?

"Yes," Serena said quietly. "But I'm going to tell Nathan."

Serena pushed herself away from Darien and stood up in front of him. Their eyes locked and she knew that she had been kidding herself when she said she didn't still have feelings for him. How could she not? This was the one person that had taken her heart and he was the reason she had never been able to give it to anyone else.

"Do you love him?" Darien asked.

Serena just looked at him. "You have no right to ask," she said. "I'll set up the couch for you, you can stay down here. Mina is also staying. I'll be right back," she said walking away softly.

Serena felt so guilty she could hardly stand it.

She picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Nathan asked.

"It's Serena," she said softly. "I tried to call you before."

"I'm sorry, I was with Andrew. What's wrong?"

"Lita's dad hit her," she said hearing his gasp. "She's alright and she's already at home, but I needed to get to the hospital." She paused. "I had to call Darien."

She felt his pause like it was empty space.

"I couldn't get a hold of anyone else," she tried to explain. "He just picked us up and took as to the hospital. Zach let us in to see Lita and then he drove us all back to my place."

"Is he still there?"

Serena hesitated. "Yes."

"Is he staying?"

"Nathan, please trust me on this. I need to make Lita feel safe and as much as I know you guys are fighting he's capable of doing that. It has nothing to do with me at all. If you want to come over and take his place then I understand."

"You say that knowing I can't," he said sounding bitter.

"I'm sorry," Serena said.

"Serena, if you tell me that there's nothing between you then I trust you. I'm not angry at you at all."

"But you're angry at him for helping me?" She asked.

"I'm angry with him, it has nothing to do with you."

"I trust him," she said softly.

There was another long pause as Serena tried not to cry.

"I have to go Nathan, I'll talk to you later."

She hung up the phone and looked back towards the living room where Darien was quietly listening to her. She just looked at him. His glossy black hair shone in the light and his stormy blue eyes were gentle and caring in that moment. His tall lean frame rested almost gracefully against the couch. Why was he doing this to her?

"Goodnight," she said softly.

"Goodnight," Darien said with emotion in his voice.

She walked quietly towards the stairs and met Mina coming out of her fathers study looking tired and worried. She told her the situation and asked Mina to get extra blankets for Darien. Mina just nodded wordlessly.

Serena went to her room, tightly closing the door behind her.

And she collapsed.

She cried.

The night became its darkest and the moon moved high into the sky.

After hours she fell asleep like that. Tears stained her face and she lay on the floor, and sleep overtook her. And as much as she wanted to dream about Nathan, it was Darien that took up her mind. Even in her sleep she fought against him, trying to push him away, but he clung on to her. He would never let her go.

End of chapter Eight!

Please review! No matter what you thought I'd like to know!