Serenity was home alone. Darien had gone to the hospital for work and she wanted to experiment a little more with the cookbook. Darien had urged her not to go outside and play in the front yard, because he was not sure what would happen if the neighbors saw her making flowers grow from what seemed like nothing. So instead, he got her a potted plant that played with. The small amount of flecks around it danced around her fingers as she made the plant grow and shrink. Sometimes she thought she heard whispers in her head, but she usually could ignore them. She put the plant on the middle of the kitchen table so that she could keep on eye on it while experimenting with different recipes.

It was around lunchtime when she heard the door opening. Not expecting Darien back so soon, she peeked from around the corner. However, it was not Darien. It was an older gentleman, someone who was wheezing and staggering around with a cane in his hand. He suddenly fell on his knees. Serenity rushed out to help the man, grabbing his arm to pull him up. But the man refused to move, and instead grabbed her arm. He glared at her.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?" the man rasped out. His eyes were sunken in, but she could see the anger. She tried to pull him again to lead him to the couch, but he pulled her down.

"Are you a thief?! Well over my dead body will you steal something from my home!" the man yelled. He started hitting her with his cane. Not caring about what bruises he was giving her, he tried to hit her as hard as he could. He would protect his home from thieves, and this girl had somehow found her way inside. Serenity tried to pull away now, afraid of the old man. She wrenched her arm away, holding it close to her as she ran to the kitchen. Memories of another man grabbing her arm flooded in, and she felt the same emotions of panic again. The man followed her to the kitchen, still waving his cane. He brought it down on the table blinding, destroying her plant. Serenity was crying now, both from the pain of the cane and the loss of her companion. She tried to slip past him, but got hit in the process. Serenity ran to the bedroom, locking the door behind her. She could hear the old man hitting the door, trying to get him. She ran to hide under the bed, sobbing as she did so. There were bruises on her arms, and those were the only ones she could see.

For hours, there was banging on the door. The old man would come back and forth every so often, yelling at her to get out, asking who she was, trying to break the door down with various objects. Thankfully Darien had gotten rid of anything heavy years ago, learning from his past experience with his father's drunken habits that anything could be used as a weapon. So there was not much Lucas could do. Serenity stayed under the bed, shivering in fear. Memories of the other man kept replaying in her mind, and she could not ignore them and the old man yelling at her. The other man….Lionus? He had called a witch. She could not remember his face completely, but she did remember his grip. She had not wanted to go with him and there was grass everywhere. Serenity clutched her head with her hands as other memories streamed in, not in any particular order. There were faces of other men, ones with kind faces and ones with cruel faces. She was in a forest, surrounded by trees all the time. The men pulled her, and she always fought back. A man with white hair or a woman with flowing black hair was also there. She remembered called out to them, feeling safe around them.

Finally there was quiet. Serenity heard another voice join the angry man's. Relaxing at the familiar timbre of Darien's voice, she was crawling out from under the bed when Darien opened the door with a spare key to go into the room. He rushed over to her, helping her up. She winced as he touched some particularly painful bruises.

Darien had come home to chaos. He heard his father yelling, and feared for Serenity. He had not expected his father to come home so early from the hospital. He had run inside, and seeing his father trying to break the bedroom door down, he had grabbed his father and dragged him to his own room. Darien sedated his father and hooked up a heart monitor to him to check his state of health. Confirming that his father would be sleeping for a few hours, Darien ran to his own room and once he opened the door he saw Serenity crawling out from under the bed. Not bothering to turn on the lights, Darien rushed over to grab her and he noticed she winced at his touch. Carefully, he sat her down on the bed and turned on the lights. He saw bruises on her arms and red marks, familiar marks. Enraged, he stomped to the bathroom, knowing her wounds would need to be taken care of first before his father. As gently as he could, he rubbed the ointment on the bruises he could see. He tried not to look at her face as he apologized.

"I am so sorry. I did not know he was coming home today. I am really sorry, Serenity," he kept apologizing. Once he was done with the medication, he stood to leave but she grabbed his hands. He finally looked at her. Her face was tear-stained and there were tears in her clothes. Her hands were shaking, her hair wild. But she was smiling at him. Guilt-ridden, Darien tried to leave but she held onto him. Serenity put her hands on his cheeks, her usual sign of thanks. Then she came forward and hugged him as tight as she could. She was very obviously shaken. Darien had been scared out of his mind once he realized she had locked herself in the room and wanted to make sure she was still in one piece. He hugged her back, making a mental note of her physical state.

Serenity was so glad Darien was back. She wanted his warmth, to hear his heartbeat. She started to cry again, completely overwhelmed from the mental trauma of the day. Darien only held her quietly, still apologizing. After she calmed down, Serenity gave Darien a shaky smile.

"Serenity, my father won't be awake for a few hours. Do you want to go out to eat tonight? We can go to the shopkeeper's restaurant?" Darien suggested. He did not want her in the house right now. There would be some emotional scarring and he wanted Serenity to feel safe again. She nodded and left to wash her face and change her clothes.

They walked hand-in-hand back towards the street where they had met Lita. Darien had gotten her business card before they had left and knew where to go. He guided Serenity inside the restaurant called "Roses".

Inside, there were vines along the walls. On every table was a small vase with one or two roses, and the setting was classy and modern. There was quiet music and it was full of people, mostly couples. Darien went up to the hostess and asked for Lita. She nodded and went to go find her boss. A few minutes later, Lita came out in a chef's uniform.

"You two! I am so glad you could make it!" she gushed. Lita grabbed Serenity's hands in hers and shook them vigorously. Serenity reached up to kiss Lita on the cheek.

"If it is possible, can we get a table for two?" Darien asked.

"Why don't you join my husband and I for dinner? He and I are going to take a short break right now. It's in the kitchen so it's a little hot, but I would love for you two to meet my husband," suggested Lita. Darien looked to Serenity, who nodded. She wanted to talk more to Lita, her second friend.

Lita led them to the back of the restaurant, and it was indeed hot and boisterous. Chefs-in-training, waiters and waitresses, sous-chefs and so many other were moving quickly. Lita led them past the chaos to a little table. Her husband was already seated. Lita reached over to kiss her husband on the cheek.

"Lita, who are your guests?" he asked. His voice, Serenity noticed, was quiet. His clothes were casual and he had a relaxed posture.

"My name is Darien, and this is Serenity. We met your charming wife yesterday as she was selling jewelry at her chart. She gave us the sun and moon charms," Darien introduced. He reached out to shake the other man's hand.

"My name is Nephrite. Well I am always glad to meet Lita's friends. I am always telling her to go out and meet new people instead of just staying in the kitchen all the time," he joked.

Lita smacked her husband's shoulder lightly. "They need me here, Mr. Owner."

"Co-owner, Mrs. Owner," he replied back, kissing her hand. They smiled at one another. Darien coughed lightly. Serenity had stars in her eyes as she stared at the couple who was so obviously in love. A person brought some food over and they all seated themselves around the table.

After dinner, they sat around the table still talking. Dinner had been wonderful and Darien had constantly complimented Lita on her cooking. Nephrite sipped his wine slowly, watching Darien and Lita talk continuously.

"So Darien, what is the story between you and Serenity?" Lita asked. The two in question looked at each other. Darien took Serenity's hand in his, and she smiled broadly at him.

"I actually just met her. I found her alone and injured and brought her to my home. I am a doctor at the hospital nearby." Darien did not want to tell them that he had found her outside the city walls.

"You just met her? Lita tells me you're married," said Nephrite skeptically.

Serenity waved her arms around, trying to explain the situation.

"Actually, we're not married. Though sometimes it seems like it," Darien said. Lita looked in Serenity's direction.

"Serenity, are you alright?" asked Lita.

"I found her with a head wound. She doesn't have most of her memory and she has lost the ability to talk," Darien explained.

"Oh you poor thing!" Lita exclaimed. She grabbed the attention of a nearby chef and made a few gestures. He nodded and quickly brought over a few pieces of cake, some cookies, and 4 small bowls of ice cream. Serenity watched with wide eyes. "Here," Lita said as she gestured to the food. "Eat up. I am sure Darien has been taking great care of you, but you need to take care of yourself too. I am sure that the memories will come back slowly, but you should enjoy the time you have now."

Serenity nodded as she scarfed down the desserts. Darien merely chuckled and let her have her way with the food. After dinner and saying goodbye to Lita and Nephrite, Darien and Serenity started to walk home.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Darien asked. Serenity nodded fervently, jumping up and down and gesturing how much she had enjoyed herself. "Would you mind if we took a little detour?"

Serenity looked at Darien questioningly, but shook her head. She wanted to stay awake with Darien as much as possible and learn about him. As they walked, Darien told her about his parents.

"When I was young, my mother passed away. She was in an accident and we learned that she had a terminal illness. After she died, my father lost his will to continue living and turned to drinking. He used to turn violent when had drank too much. But now, he is not doing well anymore and he is almost always at the hospital. I am not apologizing for his behavior, but I hope you won't hate him."

Serenity only looked at Darien, tears in her eyes. He had grown up so alone, and her heart went out to him. It explained so much, but she could see the warmth of his soul. She leaned against him, trying to comfort her as much as she could. Darien knew what she was doing and squeezed her hand.

They reached their destination, the crack that Darien always snuck out of. Serenity pulled at his arm and pointed to the crack.

"This leads to the outside world," Darien explained. "I was outside of here when I found you by the river. The other side is the forest and is full of trees and wildlife. I wanted to take you there because I feel like you miss nature."

Serenity opened her eyes wide and quickly slipped through the crack, pulling Darien after her. She wanted to see if the outside world was anything like the fragmented memories coming back to her.

Once outside, Serenity took a deep breath. There was almost a different between city air and forest air. She took her shoes off, holding them in one hand. Feeling the earth with her feet, the moonlight shining on her, Serenity felt like she was floating. Darien watched as her shoulders relaxed, her silver hair blowing gently in the wind. Her eyes were closed as her face was turned up to the moon. He was still holding her hand when he started to notice the golden flecks again. He followed them with his eyes as they floated calmly around them. Then all of a sudden, they started to condense, as if making a trail. Darien nudged Serenity. She opened her eyes and also saw the flecks again. She felt a pull towards the path they were making and she moved to follow them. Darien was curious about what they would lead to and followed Serenity.

They came upon the river and started to follow the trail. Darien recognized it as the trail he had always taken. Baffled, he watched the flecks disperse behind them but still consolidate in front of them. Serenity did not look shocked and they came upon the place where Darien had dragged her from the river. The flecks then completely went away, as if this had been their end goal all along. Serenity turned in circles, trying to understand why they had been brought here. Darien sat down on the riverbank. After a few moments, Serenity gave up and sat down between Darien's legs. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her warm. They said nothing, just looked at the stars and the moon. Darien swore he had never seen the stars so bright before.

Serenity was confused. The flecks had led her here, and the whispers in her hand kept saying "she's coming, she's coming". "Who was coming," Serenity wondered. She shook her head, trying to get the voices out. Darien only pulled her closer, and Serenity realized she could feel his heart pounding through her back. Suddenly distracted by Darien, the voices in her head quieted as she turned around to look at Darien. He was looking up towards the moon and so she pulled his head down to look at her. He smiled a small smile.

Emboldened, Serenity put her hands on his neck. He shivered at how cold her fingers were. Still he did not move. She moved closer, and placed her forehead on his so that their eyes aligned. Their breathes were coming faster, as if they realized what was coming. Closing her eyes, Serenity closed the distance between their faces and kissed the love of her life.

There were stars behind his eyes. Her soft, warm lips were caressing his. Darien had certainly been kissed before, but he had never felt like this. Darien lifted his arms to wrap around her, bringing her closer to him. She sighed quietly as she pulled back slightly. But he did not like that. This time, Darien reached for her lips and he moved his hands up and down her body as he kissed her deeply. They were running out of air so Serenity opened her mouth to breathe. Darien took that opportunity to put his tongue in her mouth and she gasped in surprise. She did not know kissing could be like this. She wrapped her arms around his neck, reacting in the only way she could.

Suddenly, they heard a cry in the dark.

"Serenity?!" A young woman came out of the forest, a man with blonde hair next to her. Serenity pulled away from Darien's kisses as she recognized the beautiful woman from her memories. The woman came over and grabbed Serenity from Darien, and he was so surprised he could not react. She held Serenity in her arms as she pointed a sword to his neck.

"Who are you?" she growled. Darien tried to reach for Serenity, ignoring the young woman. But she started to walk away, pulling Serenity with her. Afraid for Serenity, Darien got up to chase after the woman but the man said, "Don't move. Or I put an arrow through you." His arms were poised with a bow in his hands. Serenity pulled away, standing in front of Darien.

"Serenity, what are you doing"?" the young woman asked. Serenity tried to gesture that Darien was safe, that he would never hurt her. "Why won't you talk to me, sister?" the woman begged.

Darien reeled back in shock once he heard those words. The word sister repeated in his head. This was Serenity's family, he realized. He saw the resemblance now between the two women. While they had different coloring, their facial structures were similar. Now he had to make a choice. Keep Serenity with him or let her go to live with her family. With him, she would have to deal with his violent father and he was sure she would never want to stay with a man like him. She liked him because he had rescued her, but that was probably it. Just because he felt a bond with her, it did not mean she did. He wanted Serenity to be happy, and with her family she would be surrounded by love. He had to make this easier for her, so that she could turn without a second glance.

Raye was confused. She had finally found Serenity, but with a strange man. Raye had thought the man was attacking her little sister, but maybe not. And the biggest mystery of all, why wouldn't Serenity talk to her? Raye still held her sword out against the man, but Serenity was in the way. Jadeite was also looking at her, trying to see what Raye wanted him to do. Raye slowly brought her sword down.

"Sister, what is wrong?" she asked.

The man responded. "She can't talk."

"What do you mean?" asked Jadeite.

"I found her here at this river a week ago. When I found her, her memories were gone and so was her speaking ability." His eyes were cold. Serenity had turned around to look at him, but she had never seen his eyes so cold. He looked at her, and there was not a hint of love that she had seen in his eyes just a few moments ago. "You've found your family now," he said. His voice gave her chills. Serenity reached out for his hand, but he pulled away violently. "Good riddance. I thought I would have to care for you forever," he said loudly. Serenity felt as if he was jabbing her heart. Where was the warmth she had always felt from him? He looked towards Raye.

"Take her with you. She has been nothing but trouble. Now that you're here, you can take her away from me," he shouted loudly. He did not want to look at her, to see the tears he knew she would be spilling and to see on her face the hurt he was causing her. He turned around on his heels, to the direction of the city. She grabbed his hand, and he could hear her gasping back her tears. His heart broke. He did not want to hurt her like this, but she should be with her family, not a stranger. If he was cruel, she would not feel guilty for making a decision between her family and him. And he would not be able to take it if she chose her family over him, even if he understood why. He shook her off of him, and she collapsed on the ground. She was sobbing violently, her shoulders shaking. The blonde man came forward, carrying Serenity in his arms.

Raye said nothing and watched as the black-haired man walked away. Jadeite came to Raye with Serenity in his arms. Raye stroked her sister's hair softly, trying to comfort the distraught woman. She nodded towards Jadeite, and they started the trek back to the village. As she heard her sister's sobs, Raye had to wonder, "Did I do the right thing?"