AU: Hello everyone. I'm back. I know it's been a while but I've finally finished this chapter. I'v decided that I'm going to write shorter chapters and post more frequently, in this way I'll keep my readers' interested. Or at least, I hope to. Soccer season is finally over. Yippee, but now state testing is on it's way. Yikes. It's hard to be a student and I know you all know exactly what I'm talking about. In fact, today I have to type up my research paper which is due tomorrow and I have not yet started because I was too busy writing this chapter, but it's okay, really. My best work comes from the most pressure and limited amount of time.

About This Chapter: I thought I'd show a little bit more of Serena and Darien's relationship, and introduce a little bit of the mystery in this story. Advice: Read through the entire story, don't skip through the beginning, it's imperative to understand the rest of the story. I know it may seem a little weird of me to say that, but I'm one of those people who like to skip through a lot of stuff that doesn't have to do with the hero and the heroine, and so I advise everyone else who is like me to take their time reading this chapter.

I hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to send me a review, telling me what you liked and disliked. Or if you have any questions, go ahead and send them to me, and I'll do my best to answer. Also, if there are questions concerning the St. James family, please just wait until my next chapters, because I'll unravel a lot more of the mystery then.

Thank you, and enjoy. Gaosheng

"Jack, its Sloan," said Mitch. He handed the telephone receiver over to the blonde sitting behind the desk. Mitch raised an inquisitive brow at Jack as he did so. He watched with mild curiosity at the meaningful expression Jack gave him as he reached over the desk to put the call on speaker, and set down the receiver.

"Listen to this," Jack ordered; a sly smile curving his lips.

They were sitting in Jack's office. It wasn't a very big room, but it was his most importantly. The only pieces of furniture in the room were a shelf, a filing cabinet, a computer, a desk, and a chair, which Jack sat upon behind the desk. Mitch was perched on the side of the desk. He had been standing there for the past hour, discussing plans for the theme of the next magazine when the phone rang.

"Sloan, did you get the pictures of Tsukino I sent you?" Jack asked; he leant back in his chair and smiled. He was feeling mighty confident about something, Mitch observed, and his brows furrowed deeper.

"Sure did, Jack. I looked into the lead you gave me too. That's some interesting stuff—and when I say interesting, I mean interesting in a weird, twisted, sick way," a voice replied from the machine.

"So?" Jack inquired, shooting Mitch another look that he could not understand.

Folding his hands across his chest and leaning one hip against the desk, Mitch said, "Look Jack, it's been months since the Tsukino accident. Let it go; I don't think it's wise to—" Jack didn't let him finish.

"I'm not asking you to think, Mitch. Listen, please, just listen to this theory I have. Come on man, don't give me that look. I'm serious this time, I think I've just dug up some pretty dirty crap from the grave. Usagi Tsukino's grave."

"You mean I dug up the grave," Sloan's voice crackled from the machine again. "And hi Mitch, I didn't know you were there. How are you doing in Japan?"

Mitch took his exasperated gaze from Jack and looked down at the speaker. "Good, good," he answered. "It was tough adjusting at first, but everything's become routinely now."

The voice laughed, "Well you must be feeling just at home there in Japan."

"No, actually, turns out the Japanese don't take kindly to half-breeds." Jack thought he was being funny.

Sloan laughed.

Mitch didn't.

"That's too bad; I always thought Mitch would perform better in his natural surroundings." Sloan's voice was as smooth as melted butter.

Mitch didn't like it.

"I am not a half-breed, Jack, you idiot. And I'd much rather prefer that you don't talk about me as though I'm some kind of panda bear that has been released back into the wilds of China. You two are really getting on my nerves."

"You're so white-washed, Mitch, you're nearly a half-breed. You don't have to protest," Jack defended teasingly. He was enjoying his friend's irritation.

"You think you're so funny; I swear Jack, I wouldn't be talking if I were you."

"Yeah?" Jack challenged. He sat straight up in his chair.

"I'm of Japanese descent, but you're full American trying to pass off as Japanese."

"Burn," Sloan's voice sang with humor, "Do you need some ice for that burn Jack? Or did Mitch already call the fire department?"

"That was so teenage, Sloan," Jack deprecated.

Sloan only laughed, and through the phone it sounded like she had a severe case of bronchitis and was hacking out her lungs.

"Can we get back to the point here?" Mitch requested testily.

"Yeah, go ahead, Sloan, continue from where you left off." Jack returned to his reclined position on his chair. He pretended to be uninterested as he started to check his email.

In tiny fits of laughter, Sloan began her report, "So I looked through some files we kept on Serenity St. James like you told me to, and found her picture. You were right, Jack. Usagi Tsukino is the exact image of St. James."

"That doesn't mean anything," Mitch protested. "So what if she's a look alike, that sure is some hard evidence you have there," he bit out sarcastically.

"Let her finish," Jack reasoned. His gaze never left his computer screen.

"Sheesh, Mitch, take it easy. All we have here is a theory; you hear that? I said a theory; nothing more, nothing less." Sloan's frown was visible through her tone.

"After that," she continued in her professional voice, "I went on to find a picture of Serena St. James. Her face is a good match but that's where it stops, Jack."

Jack noticeably stiffened, in his chair. Mitch noticed, and realized that he didn't take well to that news at all. Had he been hoping to frame Tsukino as the missing and the already-proclaimed-dead heiress Serena St. James? That was a preposterous idea, Mitch thought. Besides the fact that Tsukino looked like a dead wringer for Serenity St. James, he really didn't know how Jack could possibly relate the two cases together.

"Are you sure?" Jack insisted.

"Well…not really…" her uncertain reply seemed to give Jack some relief, he smiled again.

"What's the matter, Sloan?" He asked inquisitively.

"You see, Jack," Sloan began, "Serena has brown hair. At the age of eight, which was the last time anybody last saw her, she had natural brown wavy hair."

Jack nearly hollered with joy. "That's it? That's you're concern? Aw, Sloan, I thought you're smarter than that. Tsukino is Japanese, well supposedly, and let me tell you, blonde hair is not natural to Asians—at least I'm pretty sure so. So, you see, Tsukino could have easily dyed her hair."

There was a long silence after his outburst. Sloan didn't say anything for a while, and Jack and Mitch sat in relative peace staring at one another as they waited for her. She sighed a weary sigh. At the age of eighteen Sloan had joined their writing agency back in the States as one of their top intern researchers. Sloan worked like a fiend, and solved every mystery thrown her way. An overachiever and workaholic, currently at twenty-five, Sloan's ways have never changed. But now her worn spirit was exposed. They listened as she cleared her throat. Her perplexity evident.

"Well, she must have a pretty good hair stylist, Jack; because that's the best hair coloring job I've ever seen."

"Come on, you can't believe it's real." Jack replied.

"Sorry, Jack," Sloan said grimly, "I checked into it."

"And how'd you do that?" Jack's voice became eerily calm.

"I looked her up on Wikipedia."

"What?" Jack exclaimed. "You expect an online source like that to be reliable?"

Sloan became sheepish, "Heh heh," she chuckled, "Um, well she's become pretty famous since her accident, you have to admit that."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Jack shouted in frustration.

"Jeez, calm down, Jack. Just hear me out first, all right?" Sloan placated.

"Okay, so I checked her out on Wikipedia, and got some general information on her. They talked a little about her background, mostly speculation, nothing too detailed, just where she went to school, where she works, where she's lived, and all that junk. They talked about her parents, but the bulk of the article was all gossip about her relationship to that billionaire, Chiba."

"Getting on with the point," Sloan moved on, "On Wiki there were tons of related links on Tsukino—oh my gosh to think one can get so popular by getting ran over by a car. Anyways, as I continued on with my search through every single link, I noticed that they all had the general statistics on Tsukino. Her height varied, her weight varied, her blood type varied, but do you know what the one thing that remained constant on each page was? Her hair color. Every single page stated that her hair was naturally blond. What do you say to that, Jack?"

"I say you must be loosing your touch, Sloan. How can you believe all that crap, come on, fan sites? When did fan sites become reliable sources to you?"

"Did I also mention I was able to get into contact with Lita Kino?"

At that, Jack paled. His plans were going to smoke and he didn't like the feeling of being wrong at all. He couldn't be wrong. He never had been before. From the beginning of his career, he had let his instincts be the driver of his every action, and he had always been successful. And right now, his instincts were telling him that his hunch about the St. James family was correct.

"How did you get into contact with Lita, Sloan? It's been damn near impossible for me to get a hold of anyone within Tsukino's social circle here in Japan, how did you do it all the way from the U.S?" He sounded irritable.

"I'm not the top researcher in America for no reason, Jack."

"Yeah," Jack remarked dryly, "And that's why you work for a Magazine?"

"Exactly," Sloan replied cheerfully, "My superior intellect is simply too good to use for all of that government crap. That's why I went into a field focused on the complex and mysterious ways of the human race. Nothing's more challenging and interesting than tracking and cracking down our celebrities to expose to the public."

"You belong in a loony-bin, you know that?" Mitch laughed.

"Which is another reason why I'm still here taking all of Smith's crap, for a measly salary of 65,000 a year," she became bitter.

"Word of advice, Sloan," Jack quipped, leaning forward to talk directly into the speaker, "Stick to it. I know that old kook's going to retire soon. And then it's promotion time for you."

Sloan didn't seem to believe a word he said, she replied dryly, "Yeah, sure. And is that why you and Mitch decided to relocate yourselves half way around the world?"

Jack broke into a broad grin. "Well it seems you've got me all figured out."

"What are you talking about Jack? I've got you read like an open book. Gosh, see what you've done? You've got me digressing again." Talking over a grumble from Jack, who objected deeply to her claim, she explained, "Females know how to work with females. It's as simple as that."

The smugness in her tone was not missed by Jack and Mitch; they could only shake their heads disapprovingly.

"So I took the newspaper clipping you sent to me, sent an email to the given contact for the article, used a little of my female charms, and there you have it, I get Lita Kino's number."

"What?"

"Okay, okay, so it took a lot of persuading—all right it was persuasion and a little bit of the twisted truth—that finally made the representative at Tokyo Times agree to give me Ms. Kino's number; however, he warned me, and seemed pretty sure too, that Ms. Kino would not pick up or return any of my calls." She sighed, "Boy was he wrong," she nearly barked with glee, "Lita Kino picked up on my first call—probably was a little puzzled by a call from the United States."

"Well, what did she say?" Jack asked eagerly.

"She asked me who I was, and I told her I was an American author writing a book on the richest families in the world, and I wanted to ask her about the Chiba family. Lucky for me, taking Japanese as a second language actually was a good idea. I thought the only time it would come in use was when I watched anime."

"She wouldn't have fallen for that," Mitch remarked.

"Yeah, you're right; she almost hung up on me."

"So what happened?"

"I begged her not to hang up of course, you big dummy, how else would I have stopped her from hanging up? Oh—and maybe also, because I told her I was working for the Chiba's Investigative Agency and I was ordered by Mamoru Chiba himself to question her, for more information on Tsukino's case."

"You're such a liar, you know that? I swear, where the hell do you get all that junk?" Jack scoffed with discussed, though he really admired her.

"It's a gift," She answered.

"So what did you ask?"

"I asked her if Tsukino's hair was naturally blond, and she said that for as long as she'd known Tsukino, her hair had always been blond."

"Well, shit," Jack cursed. "There went all my theories."

"Not quite, actually," Sloan drawled. "I did say that I found out some pretty interesting stuff on the St. James family, didn't I?"

"Yeah?" Jack wondered.

"Well it turns out your theories may possibly be the solutions in solving both the St. James and Tsukino investigations."

"What else did Kino say?" Jack questioned.

"Huh? What about her? I asked her only one question, and as soon as she answered I hung up. That's all I wanted to know from her anyway."

Jack's palm slammed on the desk, showing his irritation. He sighed loudly, and then grumbled cantankerously, "You had Lita Kino on the phone, ready to answer your every question on Tsukino, but you hung up as soon as you found out Tsukino's hair color?" With his head in his palms, Jack looked as though he was in need of a Tylenol.

"Yep," came back Sloan's cheery reply.

"Why?" Jack whined; grabbing a fist full of his hair and then pulling on them.

"Because all the information she would be able to supply would be immaterial to what you instructed me to look into," was Sloan's matter of fact answer.

"You didn't feel compelled to ask her anything else…you know…out of human curiosity?"

"You don't have to be so God damned rude, Jack. My guilty conscience got to me, all right? I was already questioning her under false pretenses, my mind simply would not let me continue the interrogation; I couldn't do that to another member of the female race. It's just not acceptable under our feminine code of conduct."

"Your guilty conscience?" Jack asked near-savage.

"Hey! Don't take that tone with me Mr. Hot-Shot, who had to move all the way to Japan just so that you could broaden your experience in—you know what? This is pointless. All I have to say, Jack, is that I have to live with my conscience. Not you."

"All right, whatever. I apologize. Are you happy now?" Jack did not sound at all sympathetic although.

"No, but that'd have to do," Sloan snapped from the other line.

"Are you two done acting like children, now? 'Cause I'd like to hear what Sloan found that's so damning in the Tsukino and St. James cases." Mitch interrupted impatiently.

He had been waiting quietly, listening to the two quibbling. He was bored, and over all highly irritated by the constant digression from the topic. Honestly, he thought that if they changed the subject one more time, he'd simply end the phone call and take the rest of the damned day off. He threatened the two with exactly that, and Sloan began her account once more, with a promise from Jack not to open his mouth until she was finished.

"Here's what the police records have on Serena St. James. She went missing the night of Ronald St. James birthday party at the mansion, which was the third of May about ten years ago. The Police launched one of the largest search parties for her in history, yet she was never found and so the search for Serena St. James was discontinued. She was then pronounced dead on her would-be-eighteenth birthday, which just passed last June, in fact—no evidence, no body, no nothing."

"Jack, you don't think Tsukino could be…you know…" Mitch didn't seem to stomach the idea that well.

"That's exactly what I think, Mitch," Jack answered grimly.

"All of your evidence is so far-fetched; it's ludicrous!"

"Actually, no, it isn't, Mitch," Sloan's voice crackled from the speaker. "It makes perfect sense to me. According to all of the research I've done on Usagi Tsukino, she's a nonentity. Except for a couple of misdemeanors with the law in her youth, I can't see how she can be the object of cold blooded murder. There has to be a significant reason for someone to want her dead, and if she is the missing heiress then everything falls into perfect place."

"Still, what evidence do we have, besides the fact that Tsukino is a dead ringer for Serenity St. James, to support your claim?" Mitch asked in aggravation.

"Well…," Sloan sighed, "I also did background checks on all the St. James family members. There's something fishy about that bunch, despite that they're one of the most revered families in the U.S they just give me shivers. I'm not done with Ronald St. James yet, but I'm telling you Mitch, I think this family is hiding something."

"No, absolutely not." Serena shook her head adamantly. Her mind began to clear from the incredible sensations Darien made her feel. Her body still tingled from his kiss, but she made sure that in her voice she did not show him how violent her reaction was to his single touch. No, he would never know how much he affected her.

Darien smiled roguishly, not at all put off by her answer. He could hear the tremor in her voice, and see the uncertainty in her eyes. Despite how hard Serena tried to hide her emotions, she simply couldn't—not from him anyways. Every emotion that she happened to be feeling always flashed across her face as transparent as water in a glass cup. And Darien liked that trait about her. Her eyes were the windows into her soul, and though he did not think it were very wise, her windows were always open; her eyes animated with all she felt.

A broad grin flashed across his face. And Serena thought he looked like a child with an ingenious idea being concocted in his head. She decided she didn't like his reaction one bit.

"Thank you for proposing to me again, but I think there must have been something wrong with me that night. I could not have said yes to your proposal of marriage, and I could not have crossed the street without looking both ways unless there was something seriously wrong with my head. So, I'm declining your proposal Darien."

She thought she was being forward and matter-of-fact with her answer.

Darien thought she was being down-right cute.

"What if you're making the biggest mistake of your life?" Darien queried teasingly, lifting one eyebrow.

Serena frowned at his smug tone, and replied sassily, "Well, I've lived most of my life without you, so I can continue on doing so."

"Do you really think you can just walk out of here without wondering why you agreed to marry me that night?" He was lying through his teeth, but he was an awesome actor.

Serena surprised him with her answer. "I know exactly why," she told him, and there was an unbending certainty in her eyes that scared Darien for a moment. And then she did something that Darien hardly expected from her.

She threw herself at him.

He was irresistible. She simply could not help herself. It was apparent to her that this was why she had agreed to marry him, their sexual attraction was electrifying, and Darien, with all of his oozing charisma and virility, was definitely a catch she would not let by—especially if she had been influenced by alcohol.

Catching her around the waist, Darien groaned at the contact of her mouth against his. She was uninhibited in her kiss this time. He felt her hands glide up his arms and caress him around the shoulders before she laced them through the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck. And all he could do was squeeze her around the waist to let her know how much he liked her aggression.

He fought for control, as he heard her sighs of pleasure. He told himself to let her explore the kiss for herself, to slow down the pace just a little, but as she became restless with his lack of response, she began to nibble on his lower lip, and from there, Darien let go of his restraint. She was driving him crazy.

Serena let out a surprised sigh as Darien grabbed her around the back of her thighs and hauled her up around his waist. Before she knew it, he had her pinned to the wall, with his mouth in total possession of hers. She was lost in oblivion, only aware of the dreamy state that Darien was once again drowning her in. And she felt so damned good, and maybe, just a little bit vulnerable.

From the back of her mind, she thought she heard Darien growl as she kissed him back with all of the passion he was giving her, and then the kiss turned hot and open-mouthed, and she had to pull on his hair to hold herself down from soaring to heaven. She didn't know how he could make her feel so…so powerful, but she didn't care. She loved the sensations he made her feel.

His tongue teased her lips for a good while, and then it slid sensuously into her mouth. At his initial thrust she gasped, and then she drew his tongue in to let him explore her sweet mouth. Growing bolder, she touched her tongue to his and was rewarded with an aching groan from Darien, as he pressed her further into the wall, bringing her in closer contact with his hard straining body. In and out his tongue move, letting the ritual as old as time take over.

He was lost. Lost in the pleasure she was giving him, her sighs of delight, and the incredible feeling of her soft body pressed up against his. His mouth then was everywhere, on her jaw, behind her ear, and then leaving a steamy wet trail down her neck. As damned as it sounded, the kiss was magical. And deciding that he could take no longer of her roaming hands, sliding up and down his back, he pulled away, knowing if he didn't stop he'd probably take her right there on her hospital bed. The absurdity of the idea!

They were both panting when Darien lifted his head away; both heard someone groan from the loss of contact, but neither knew which one did it or if it was them both. He had to admit that was the most erotic kiss he'd ever experience—even more sexually charged than thirty minutes of foreplay, and damn it, he had thought he was always disciplined in bed. But now, with Serena's legs wrapped tightly around his waist and her heaving bosom pressed against his chest, he couldn't help but think about how good it would be like to have her naked in bed with him. It would be a mind-blowing experience that was for sure.

He caught his breath and found his composure before her, and Serena could feel the fool penetration of his intense stare as she continued to struggle to gain some kind of semblance of her control. There was an arrogant look in his entire expression as he peered down at her, and his sexy sensual lips were spread wide as he grinned with satisfaction. And the way his eyes were being so intimate and warm made her remember all of the things he just did to her, making her squirm a little uncomfortably.

She looked as though she had just participated in a thoroughly arousing make out session—which she had, but knowing that it was he who she had sprung onto, made him feel strangely pleased. Her eyes were still hazy with passion, and her lips were pink and swollen from his rough attack. Still having problems with catching her breath, her chest moved up and down against his enticingly, and Darien felt as though he were the most powerful man on earth. And at that very moment, he felt a possessive bond forge between him and Serena. He wanted her.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?" Darien wondered aloud at Serena's tiny whisper.

He watched as she looked down, and then looked back up fleetingly into his eyes. "I'll do it, I'll marry you." Serena grumbled.

Darien's smile broadened at his victory, which made Serena glare at him through her blond bangs.

"Can you let me down now?" She asked.

Darien realized he was still holding her pinned against the wall, with her legs clinging to his waist. "I don't think so," He answered jokingly, "I like this position."

Serena gasped at the sexual innuendo in his tone, and slapped him on the arm. "That's gross!" She squealed.

"It's not as gross as what you were doing to me a few minutes ago with that tongue of yours," Darien answered arrogantly.

A look of pure horror struck Serena's face at his comment, and then she began to wail. "Not a word of what happened in this room will bet let out of this room, got it?" She pouted as she came sliding down to the floor as Darien released her. He turned around to grab her bags on the bed.

"I'll think about it," was Darien's smooth reply.

When Darien got no response, he turned around to face her again, and found that she was sulking in the corner. He sighed with exasperation, "We're getting married, Serena, people will be thinking we're going to be doing a lot more than just kissing, okay? So I don't know what you're so worried about."

There was a long silence, and then Serena took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right, I guess."

"Of course I'm right," Darien agreed, and then he leant down to kiss her forehead, and then with her bags in hand, he turned towards the door. "Let's go, your parents are waiting for you outside."

"What?" Serena's ears perked up at that little bit of news. "How do you know?"

"I heard the door open and then close just as you threw yourself at me."

Darien regretted, telling her the truth. An ear-splitting, hair-raising screech emitted from Serena. "You're lying!"

"Nope," Darien shook his head, "They saw you throw yourself at me like a moral-less hussy." His cheerful attitude was like insult to injury, and Serena was seething mad.

"How come you didn't tell me?" She cried.

"Because," Darien answered, "I was too preoccupied with how good your body felt pressed up against mine to care who the hell saw us."

"You're so cruel," Serena stammered, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Well get over it, because you're going to live with me for the rest of your life." Darien sounded all too happy for Serena's liking.

"You're lucky you're just too damn good-looking to refuse. I was right wasn't I? It's because you're such a good kisser that I agreed to marry you," She demanded moodily.

"Babe, I can do much more than kiss you; you haven't seen anything yet. Now if you're done sulking, I'd like to leave."

Down the hospital corridor, Serena's shriek could be heard from through the door.

Serena could not look her parents in the eye for a full week, and she blamed it entirely on Darien.

"So you two have got everything figured out then?" Ilene asked one morning as Serena came to the table for breakfast.

Serena could feel her cheeks flush, and all she could do was nod. She didn't dare trust her voice. She pulled out a chair and sat down with her mother and father.

"I expect there's going to be a wedding," her father grumbled from over his plate of eggs and rice.

"Yes," Serena answered quietly. Her stomach still lurched as she imagined the scene her mother and father had witnessed her with Darien. "I'm not hungry," she said a loud, "Could you pass me the orange juice please?"

"How exciting, Kenji," Ilene sighed, as she handed Serena the pitcher of juice, "Our baby's getting married."

There was no reply from her father, and so Ilene said again, "Isn't it exciting, Kenji?"

"Never thought you'd find a man with a hide thick enough to handle you," her father replied, looking up from his breakfast.

"This is no time to be rude, honey," Ilene reprimanded.

"I'm not being rude, I'm simply telling the truth," Kenji justified, taking another bite of his eggs.

"Don't pay attention to your father, dear," Ilene gently eased, "He's just mad you never told us that you were dating Chiba Mamoru."

Serena smiled, feeling a little bit awkward at the kitchen table. Again, she cursed Darien. "Um, can I be excused? I'm supposed to meet Darien this morning to go over wedding plans."

Ilene beamed with joy. "Oh how wonderful! Go ahead, dear. You go get ready. If you need a ride, I'd be glad to take you over to…"

"The Chiba's," Serena filled in, "I'm meeting him at their house."

Her father snorted, "More like a mansion than a house."

"Shut up, Kenji." Ilene turned to frown at her husband.

"Thanks mom," Serena nodded, "I'll be out in a few minutes."

And then she excused herself from the table.

"Someone get the damn door!" Rei screeched as she thumped down the stairs. She was pulling on a silk red robe as she descended irritably.

It was ten in the morning and she simply could not fathom who the hell could be at the door at this time of the day. As she came to the bottom of the stairs, their butler rushed down the hallway to answer the door. Checking the security cameras, he turned to his mistress and explained, "Its Tsukino. Should I tell her to come back—"

Rei was already unlocking the door. As soon as she was able to swing the door open she pounced upon a surprised Serena. "Oh Serena, I'm so happy to see you! Darien told me about the news! You two are getting married. Oh my gosh, you're gonna be my sister-in-law!"

Baffled by Rei's enthusiastic salutation, Serena wrapped her arms around her fiery friend and squeezed her back with as much strength as she could muster from Rei's death-hold. "Hello to you too, Rei," Serena replied wryly.

If only Rei knew the reason why she was going to marry her brother, Serena thought. She sure as hell wouldn't look so damned enthusiastic. Rei, Serena imagined herself saying, the truth is I want to screw your brother. Yep, Serena thought dryly, that'd turn out wonderfully.

"Where's Darien?" Serena asked.

Closing the door, Rei ushered Serena upstairs. "To tell you the truth, I honestly don't know. Why?"

"Well, besides the fact that he's my fiancé?" Serena remarked sarcastically.

Rei laughed. "Yes, besides the fact that he's your soon-to-be-hubby-until-death-do-you-part."

Serena shot her a no-nonsense look. "I'm supposed to go over wedding plans with him today at ten."

Rolling her eyes, Rei led Serena into her bedroom. "That sounds so much like my brother; always following a tightly regimented schedule. You know, Serena," Rei cautioned, "once you marry my brother, you've got to get him out of his uptight shell, or else I swear he'll drive you crazy with all of his appointments."

Serena took her advice to heart, despite Rei's teasing tone. "So, if he's so routinely, I bet you should know what he's doing before his ten o'clock appointment?" Serena queried.

Rei jumped upon her bed and stretched herself across her rumpled sheets. Lying upon her back, she tilted her head back to stare at Serena upside-down. "Let's see, what does he usually do at nine…?" She pondered the question for a minute and then smiled.

"He's usually in the—"

"Gym practicing kendo."

Rei's head tilted slightly to the side, and she smiled brightly. "Look who I found outside, Darien. How unkind of you to be late for your ten o'clock," Rei jokingly frowned at him.

Serena turned around to face Darien and was completely floored by his presence in the doorway. Dressed in nothing but a pair of kakis pants, Darien exuded absolute male prowess. She couldn't help but run her gaze across his bronze sculpted chest, and the rippling muscles in his powerful shoulders and arms. And as her eyes continued down Darien's fine specimen of a male body, she memorized every sinewy dip and bend in his six-pack abs. When she dared no longer to follow the trail of tiny hairs leading down under his pants, her gaze returned to his face.

He was looking at her with a knowing expression on his face. Serena blushed furiously. "Hey," was all he simply said. And she watched in total awe as his muscles flexed as he shifted slightly on his feet and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Hey," Serena replied back breathlessly.

"Darien, go put on a shirt," Rei ordered, "You can't go around the house in nothing but your pants."

"I can do anything I want in this house," Darien rolled his eyes at her. He then turned to Serena and slanted his head back, and invited, "Let's go over to the living room; we can talk there."

Serena nodded her consent, and then turned around to face a scowling Rei. "We'll be just a minute," she assured her friend.

Rei didn't look like she believed her. "Well, Darien," she drawled, "If its wedding plans you two are going over, how come I can't come along?" Rei pouted.

"I have something important I need to talk to Serena about first, but you can sit in later when we go over the wedding plans, okay?" Darien told her.

Serena was in awe of Darien's brotherly and endearing side. She had never seen him like this, almost paternal-like. It was strange, but pleasing all the same; he was such a good man.

Rei didn't look very happy, but she agreed all the same. "Okay," was all she said and then she requested that they closed her bedroom door on the way out.

They walked together in relative peace for a while. Darien was leading Serena down the hallway. She was lost in her own thoughts, while he was stuck in his. As they came to the living room, Darien and Serena sat as far away from each other as possible. Serena's reason was because she was afraid she might throw herself at Darien again. Darien's reason was so that he would not be tempted to do a retake of their make-out session in her hospital room, before he said everything he needed to say.

"Why are you acting so shy around me today?" Darien watched as her attention snapped up from her lap.

"What do you mean?" Serena evaded his question.

Darien lifted his brow in his trademark way that sort of said are-you-really-sure-you-want-to-go-there. "You know exactly what I mean."

Taking a deep breath, and then exhaling it. Serena lifted her full gaze to meet Darien's, and there was an honest look of fear in her eyes that Darien simply did not understand. "Maybe if you put on a shirt, I'd be more comfortable," Serena suggested quietly.

With a weary sigh, Darien replied, "It's this same very chest you were pressed against that day in the hospital."

Serena shook her head, "It was fully clothed then."

"What's the difference?" Darien asked.

"Well," Serena, at lost with words, tried to explain, "I couldn't see your, er—"

"Skin?" Darien smiled.

Nodding her head vigorously, Serena decided to agree. "Thank you, yes. When you're clothed I can't see your skin," as soon as she said that, she realized how ridiculous she sounded, and her cheeks grew brighter. "Oh, you know what I mean," she glared at him, as he continued to grin at her.

Deciding it was inevitable, Darien stood and walked over to the couch Serena sat on, and took a seat beside her. "Serena," he said gently, taking her hands in his, "You're gonna be seeing a lot more of my skin after we're married." To let the full message of what he was saying sink in, he flattened her fingers across his chest. When she flinched and tried to pull her hands away, he held them down tighter and laughed. She relished in the tremors that racked through his body, somehow reverberated through her fingertips to the rest of her own body. It was a strange kind of intimacy that touched her further than any kiss could do for her.

A soft smile touched her lips as she looked up at him, and in her eyes, Darien saw all of her barriers melt away. "I have only one question, Darien." Serena requested.

"What is it?" Darien encouraged. He still held her hands splayed over his chest, but now she was no longer fighting.

"I know why I want to marry you, but why do you want to marry me?"

Her question pierced him like a burning arrow, setting fire to him on the inside. He knew her questions would come, and he had prepared himself to answer them, but when the time came to it, it was much harder than he thought it would ever be.

"I want you."

That was his answer. And as vulgar as it sounded, it was the truth.

Serena seemed to ponder his answer for a minute, and as she did so, her fingers began sliding up and down his chest unconsciously. He found her ministrations highly distracting, and so he grabbed hold of her hands to stop their movements. Waiting for her to reply was a bitch, and his anxiety ate him up from the inside out.

And then she finally answered; the most innocent expression he'd ever seen on her face, making her look vulnerably sweet. "When you say you want me, you mean sexually?"

He didn't hesitate to nod. It was best for him not to be deceptive about his intentions, and he had already decided long ago to be as honest and straightforward as he could be.

"Then there's no pretense of love in this marriage then?"

When he nodded again, she continued.

"Then why marry me at all? Why not just…get it done with…?" She wondered.

Darien had asked himself those very same questions, but in his heart, he knew Serena deserved better than that; and hearing it come out of her mouth sounded so crude and unfeeling. Three months ago, he had decided to forgo with his plans of marriage to Serena because it was a sound match in both the physical and emotional. But now, with Serena a hit for a murder, he realized he needed to keep her close, and what better way than to have her married to him? In this way he could protect her to the fullest of his capacity and have a solid partner in the public eye for as long as she consented.

"I need a strong partner, Serena," Darien answered gravely. "You're the one."

"I don't think I understand," Serena raised her brows skeptically at him.

"It's easy," He explained bluntly, "You're a nonentity. Your name is not attached to anything. You're not a spoiled heiress, and you've never been in the public eye before, and so you're practically like a baby. By marrying me, you're going to create your own image for the media by your actions, rather than having an image thrust upon you by your lineage. You're the perfect wife."

She looked absolutely baffled. "But what about the scandal having to do with my up bringing?" Serena inquired.

"No one will care," Darien sounded too confident in his inference, and it made Serena uneasy, "You'll be regarded as a Cinderella story. You'll be adored."

Though not many females could stomach hearing that their fiancé had absolutely not reserves for falling in love with them, Serena brushed off the hurt quickly. She was trying to be realistic about all of this, and she knew that if she put her heart first in these matter's nothing would be resolved, except the fact that her heart would be quite bruised from the blow of his rejection. But then again, she argued, she wasn't looking for his love or anyone else's love at all. Shake it off, she told herself, and that's exactly what she did.

"Look Serena," Darien reassured her kindly, like the good man that he was, "I don't mean to be so aloof and unemotional about this. But it's easier to deal with emotions later rather than now because—"

Serena held up her hands in a halting gesture. "I know, Darien. You don't have to explain to me. I understand completely."

Relief swept through Darien's entire body, and he sighed heavily. "Then does that mean you agree to follow throw with our wedding plans?"

Serena nodded, and then hesitated. "This marriage seems to only benefit you, though, Darien. What's in it for me?"

A roguish smile contorted his lips, as he replied, "You mean besides the sex?"

Blushing, Serena became speechless at his frank question. She could only nod. And Darien laughed at her child-like reaction to the S-E-X word.

"I've agreed to pay back your every expense to Akita University, and to provide you with everything in which you want."

"No," Serena denied stubbornly.

"You will not," she shook her head. "I will not let you pay back my school fees."

Her pride was taking issue with his offer, Darien knew. But he would not hear anything of it. "You will let me pay for your school fees, Serena." Darien demanded.

Despite the dramatic change in Darien's warm tone to a chilling businesslike manner, Serena looked the devil himself in the eye and fought with all the strength she had. It was a losing battle from the start.

"Face it Serena, with your current jobs, and with your current life-style it is near impossible for you to save enough money to pay off your school debts. You can't do it alone. Let me help you, let me take some of the burden off of your shoulders. That's what husband's do, and you're not gonna fight me on this matter. It's settled."

Serena knew he was right. She knew she needed him more than ever, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it. Reluctantly, she agreed. Her parent's too were suffering (though it was their fault for their financial problems), and despite their significant help in their debt, she knew their intentions were good, and that she shouldn't be selfish when Darien was offering her a once in a lifetime chance. She had to think about her parents, and what would be also in their best interest. And only for that reason did she agree.

"Just to tell you, Darien," Serena moped, "I don't like this one bit."

Darien smiled, he was proud of her courageous decision. "There's no turning back now."

"I know," She answered, "and that's why I'm so scared. Darien?" Serena looked up at Darien, her eyes showing all of the turmoil and questions building up inside of her.

"Yes?"

"Can you hold me? Just for a little bit?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Darien could here the tears behind it, and he felt like such a jerk.

"Of course," he said achingly.

Serena scooted closer to Darien, and he did everything else from there. Wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders, he hauled her up against his side, and simply held her there for a long while. In silence they reveled in the comfort of each other's presence, knowing that they both were about to embark on a frightful journey together in which the end result was very uncertain. But in those few moments as they snuggled close together, they managed to forget the future for just a while longer.

It was an intensely frightful and immensely satisfactory feeling to have someone so close to you in which you could share everything. And yet somehow, they both had found one another, in there time of need. Warmth seeped through them as they continued to hold one another, and then an overwhelming feeling unknown to Darien began to gnaw at his icy heart, and he found himself tilting Serena's head up towards his, and his head began a slow but sure descent to hers.

The kiss was very sweet; filled with promise and affection. It touched the very core of them both.

Serena pulled away first this time. She smiled awkwardly, and then thanked Darien profusely of his kindness. When Darien said there was no need for her to thank him, she laughed with a new found hope.

"To think this is where our relationship would lead to when I first met you," She reminisced.

Darien agreed whole-heartedly. "I thought you'd just be fun to keep around for a while."

"And now it's till-death-do-us-part," Serena remarked dryly.

"Is it a scary thought?" Darien asked her as he slouched down into the chair, and closed his eyes.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Serena asked wryly.

"Why's that?"

"Because its men who get cold feet when they think about being tied down to the same woman for the rest of their life," Serena replied matter-of-factly.

"Nope," Darien smiled his answer.

Turning to her side to study Darien's chiseled good looks, Serena questioned, "Nope what?"

"I'm not scared at all about marrying you."

Serena knew she might have been reading more into his statement than what he had intended, but she was deeply moved by his sincere admission.

"Well I'm not scared either," she said; suddenly feeling that everything would be all right.

Darien opened his eyes at the sweet tone of her voice, and found himself lost in sapphire blue pools. "I can't believe I used to think you were plain," he chuckled aloud. He raised a hand to caress her cheek.

He didn't know how he could have ever thought that. Serena had an exotic kind of beauty. She had beautiful large eyes, with soft full lips, and a perky dainty nose. Her skin was as soft as silk to his touch, and her body was toned and firm. She had the voluptuous curves of a young woman, and looked like a blond goddess. It drove him crazy thinking about what lay beneath all of the layers of clothes she wore. In his mind, pictures of her in a bikini by the pool teased him, and of her never looking so good in her life as she did that night at Mina's party, so full of confidence.

Turning her face to the side, Serena kissed his palm and smiled. "I used to think you were an arrogant son of a bitch, in fact, I still do."

Darien laughed out right at her comment, and he had to concede her the award of the wittiest. She laughed then too, and couldn't help herself as she rolled over to his side and laid her head upon his shoulder. As their mirth subsided to companionable silence, Serena stayed right beside Darien.

"Can I ask you something, Darien?" Serena broke the calm with her question.

Looking down at Serena who half laid across his chest, Darien nodded. Running his hands through the silky tresses of her hair, Darien occupied himself with watching her golden strands of hair glide through his fingertips as he waited for her to begin.

"Would you regard this—what would you call it?" Serena wondered.

"Call what?" Darien asked.

"Our getting married," Serena supplied. She watched his fascinated expression as he played with her hair, and she had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from giggling.

"A union," Darien answered, "I'd call it a union."

Serena nodded, deciding it was indeed a good word for it. "All right, what would you regard this union as, Darien? Is it a real marriage, or would you call it a business arrangement?"

Darien sense that there was some underlying meaning in his answer that Serena was looking for and automatically, his defenses went back up. He knew woman all too well. "What do you mean, Serena?" He thought to play it safe.

Serena could feel there was a change in attitude in Darien, and she decided there really was no use in being roundabout in her quest. "It's simple Darien. I can't help but feel that our joining together in namesake only is a mockery of marriage. You have to admit that the way we've been conducting ourselves seems a little professional, almost businesslike. Would you agree?"

In a way, Serena really wanted him to disagree, to say that their marriage was not a mockery, but Serena knew that she was only setting herself up to disappointment.

"Yes," Darien replied unfeelingly. "That's exactly what this is. In fact, if you'd like to regard it as a businesslike matter, you can. There's no romantic love or real commitment; just a partnership in which we both will be benefited."

And all the while, as he said this, as he watched the pain flash through Serena's eyes, Darien knew that he was lying. Help him Kami, he was falling and he couldn't stop himself.

End Notes: Again, if they're any questions or comments, please feel free to send them to me, however I request that you hold any questions on the St. James family until I can explain further in next chapters. I hope you really enjoyed this chapter, I actually had a lot of fun writing it. We get to see a closer bonding between Serena and Darien.