Sooooooooo *hopefully* everyone will love me!

I have finished Learning Again! =D

It is split into two chapters. Please don't hate-as I decided to focus more so on Serena and Darien-as I originally wanted this to be their story-with bits and pieces of Rei/Jed tossed in. I sometimes I think it didn't turn out exactly as I had wanted-but it turned out. uhh that makes sense-right?

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this story! I hope you all also continue reading my other stories as well! "The Queens" is taking me a bit longer to finish-and I ask for patience. =)

Reviewers:

Galaxy Princess- haha yes, for this story I must end it with a cliff hanger! Its mandatory! Actually, I've just tried to figure out the best place to stop the story and pretty much do that. =)

LoveInTheBattleField- If I haven't said it yet, HAPPY BELATED Valentines day to you as well! Or, as I like to say, "Happy Massacre Day!" =P

I'm cynical sometimes hahaha

NeoPrincessRini- Thank you! I hope you enjoy the ending! I realize it could go on further-but alas, it needs to end!

Grumpy DelSan13 - I fear I will disappoint you-as there is no wedding scene. Only talked about and very little. *hides behind editor* "don't hurt me!"

rosebudjamie- Thank you! I hope you enjoy the ending!

nicky- BWAHAHAHAHAHA google translate is indeed a good friend-sometimes! My Russian friend will send me things that "google translate" translated for him-ohh goodness! The horrors! His job requires him to read/speak English-so he sends me random things, asking me to correct it. He also has sent me conversations between him (a Russian) and another guy (a German) trying to speak English to communicate about a project. He swore it would make me laugh. It had me giggling. Though, I've learned non-native English speakers usually have a better grasp of the English language then native speakers. hahaha

CynDLou12- The vermin comes out to play ;)

For all my viewers-Thank you soooooooooo much! Because of you simply reading my story (stories) I have gained confidence to finish my novel. =) I was thinking about posting just a small excerpt on here (though unsure how I would categorize it-as its all original story line and original characters.)

Anyways, отзывы!

Serena smiled as Detective Kit stood outside her door, notepad in hand, "Ms Kit, please come in."

Serena stepped aside as the taller woman made her way into the classroom, "I apologize for coming to your place of work Ms. Moore, but I have some news that I felt you needed to know."

Serena took a deep breath, "Please, go on."

"We have reason to believe that Mr. Taggort has gone back to Boston."

Serena found the nearest chair and sat down. Her shoulders sagged as she leaned forward, "How sure are you? And why do you believe so?"

"I'm about 90% sure. We believe so because his car was located in the Sky Harbor parking lot and a man matching his exact description was seen boarding a plane to Boston. We believe he used another name."

Serena felt dumbfounded and could only nod again.

"I know this news is not exactly what you wanted to hear, but I hope it allows you to breath. The stress cannot be good for your baby." Serena's hand went protectively to her growing bump and she smiled gently. Detective Kit pointed towards Serena, "Are you getting married Ms. Moore?" Serena's smile widened as she held out her hand, as every woman before wished to inspect the ring, "Darien proposed." Serena felt a little awkward when the Detective simply nodded and wrote something in her notepad instead. "I believe that's all the information I have for you right now Ms. Moore. If anything new comes up, please know I will inform you as soon as possible." Serena stood as the detective made her way quickly to the door, "Thank you Detective Kit. For everything."

"Just doing my job ma'am." She seemed to eye Serena's engagement ring again, a blank expression donning her face, "Congratulations." And with that, she was gone.

End of June

Serena giggled as she held up another onsie, this one pink in color, and heard the "oohs" and "ahhs" of the women surrounding her.

Darien smiled from the side of the couch as he took hold of the tiny baby outfit and looked over at Mina, "You're determined for it to be a girl, huh?" Mina could only shrug as she smiled, "I know it's a girl. I feel it in my bones!"

Lita shoved her gift in front of Serena, while glaring at Mina, "It's a boy!" Serena shook her head.

"Too bad you all won't know until the baby is born." Mina pouted as Serena lifted up a green sleepwear outfit that had baby monkeys decorated all over it. "Why don't you find out? I can't wait another two months!" Serena laughed again, "Darien and I decided we wanted to be surprised. So, everyone gets to be surprised with us."

Jed walked over next, a massive box situated awkwardly in his arms, "I think you two will like this one!" He placed the box in front of Serena and winked. Rei leaned forward, her brown eyes anxious to see Serena's reaction. Serena rolled her eyes at the wrapping paper. 'It's a GIRL' written excessively all over.

Ripping the paper off, Serena eyed the large brown box. "Allow me, Sere." Darien stood and brought his pocket knife out to cut the tape on top and stood over it. Opening the box together, Serena smiled at the contents. "Rei, Jed, you guys shouldn't have. This is expensive!" Serena pulled out the diaper bag that she had eyed a few weeks ago. It was bright pink with soft white polka dots. The edges and straps were black leather. "Seriously you two." Serena pulled out multiple outfits, diapers, blankets and a small baby bathtub. Everything was in pinks, purples, yellows, and soft blues. "Uh oh, here comes the water works!" Rei laughed as Serena wiped her eyes for the tenth time, "Sorry, I'm just so thankful." Serena smiled up at Darien, "I think our baby will be spoiled with all these gifts. We'll have nowhere to put everything!"

Darien seemed to smile secretly as he held his hand out, "Actually Sere, I wanted to give you my gift now."

Serena eyed him suspiciously but took his offered hand, "Darien, this is our baby shower, you're not supposed to get me anything." He pulled her gently out of the family room and towards the hallway, "I am. I'm the father."

He moved to one of the guest rooms at the end of the hall and gave her a quick kiss, "This is for you, Sere."

He opened the bedroom door and watched her eyes widen at the scene before her. He had the girls take Serena out all weekend so that he could accomplish what was presented before her. The once brown walls were now painted in a soft yellow. Along one wall was a brand new crib, dark brown in color but with the matching yellow and white sheets. Beside that was the matching rocking chair. On the other side of the room was the matching changing table. Serena glanced down at the soft rug he had placed over the dark hardwood; it was a deep blue with a bright yellow trim. She walked further into the room to inspect the small animal designs that had been placed sporadically along the walls. She looked towards the closet and her smile grew even more. The entire closet had been remolded with a dark wood insert and baby coat hangers sat on the rails.

Serena turned, tears filling her eyes as she closed the distance between them quickly, "Darien…how...when...when did you do this? How?" He chuckled, "The girls took you out. Jed, Nathan, Zack and Andrew came over. We literally had it done within a few hours." Serena stood on her tippy toes and kissed his lips gently, "I don't think I can thank you enough."

"Sere, this is your home now. This is where our baby will grow up." Serena smiled and nodded, wiping more tears of joy from her eyes. Taking hold of her hand, Darien led her back to the party, "Come on, we don't want you to miss your own baby shower."

Serena smiled as Darien's hand instinctively rubbed her swollen belly, his own white gold band glinting in the soft light-his eyes watching the 6 o'clock news. With her head on his lap, and her feet propped up on pillows, Serena had never felt more at home and more at peace as she did in this moment. She eyed her engagement band and wedding band again, a beautiful white gold and diamonds ensemble . Shortly after the baby shower, Darien surprised her with another gift-a small and casual, yet beautiful wedding. She sighed. She truly did feel at peace.

"Everything okay Sere?" She glanced up and smiled again, "Yes. I'm just happy." Darien brought his hand to her hair and gave her a quick head massage. "I was thinking about what we should do for dinner?"

Serena seemed to think it over, but before she could respond, Darien's work phone went off. He cursed under his breath as he answered. Serena tried not to listen but the name Beryl ringing through the phone had her sitting up quickly, well as quickly as she could. "Are you serious? She's asking for me? What the..." he glanced at Serena and watched her roll her eyes. He still refused to use foul language in front of her. "Yeah, I'll be there as soon as possible. Alright." With that, he hung up.

"What's going on Darien?" Darien ran his hands through his hair as he sighed, "They received a 911 call from a woman identifying herself as Beryl. She locked herself in your old house, claiming she will kill herself if I don't speak to her." Serena's sapphire eyes widened into saucers, "Are you serious?"

"I wish I was. SWAT has been called in." He stood up and stretched, then turned and helped Serena up. Walking into their room, he grabbed his gear bag. "You should come with me Sere. The girls can't make it here before I need to leave." Serena waved him off, "I'm exhausted and my feet are swollen. I'll call the girls and lock myself inside. I'll be fine. It only takes them a few minutes to get here." Darien seemed skeptical, "Sere, I don't like that idea at all."

She pouted, "I even have the handgun you gave me. Look, I'll call them right now." To prove a point, she grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Lita's number. Within a few seconds she answered, "Hey Leets, Darien got called in, would you and the girls mind coming over? I think he may be gone all night." She seemed to listen as she nodded to Darien, "Thanks! I'll see you in a few."

"See? I'll be fine. You need to get going." Darien pulled the bag over his shoulder, "I want you to lock the door after me and only open it for the girls."

"Yes. Yes. I know." She shooed him with her hands, "You better get going." Darien leaned down and captured her lips with his own. She giggled when he didn't seem to want to stop, "Save that for later Romeo!" He rolled his eyes and made his way to the door, "Lock it after me and set the alarm. Again, only open it for the girls."

Serena glared as she placed her hands on her widening hips, "I'm not a child Darien, I know."

She watched Darien get in his car from the front window and drive off. She smiled at his protectiveness, but sometimes, he was just too much. They hadn't heard about Lucas for months. Serena had convinced herself that he had given up. She was sure of it.

She turned from the window and stretched again, her hands resting on her back as it ached. "While I love having you with me, I won't lie and say I'll be happy to have my body back." Serena tapped her belly when her baby seemed to respond to her words with a good measure kick. The doorbell rang, moving Serena from her musings.

"Coming girls!" She paused again when the baby seemed to kick with more urgency. "Don't hurt your momma." She scolded, while tapping her hand on her belly.

She unlocked the door and opened it. She felt her heart stop beating for a split second as her eyes widened beyond what was normal as they look in the ragged form of Lucas. His eyes were dark and wild as he stared at her. Before she could even get a scream off, he had shoved the door closed behind him. "I thought he'd never leave."

Serena moved back, quicker than she realized she could move, "What do you want Lucas?" He seemed to laugh, though the sound sent chills down her spine. "I want you Serena, I've always wanted you."

"How did you know that Darien would be leaving? Is Beryl a part of this?" He turned his head slightly to the side, his dark eyes appeared soulless as he stared, "She doesn't realize she is. Brenda was smart enough to include her." Serena's head began to spin, "Brenda? Detective Kit?!" Lucas smiled; his sinister look had Serena narrowing her eyes, "You see I learned that Brenda had a deep love for Darien, one he never seemed to notice regardless of what she did. I came to her and proposed that if I got what I wanted, she'd get what she wanted. Seemed only fair. A woman scorned is deadly indeed."

Serena brought her hand to her chest as she thought back to the last visit she had with the detective. She glanced up though when Lucas took steps towards her, "Now, to only get rid of that nuisance you're carrying." Serena's hand went protectively to her stomach. "You will not lay a finger on my baby, Lucas." He laughed; a sickening sound to Serena's ears, "Whoever said I was going to use my hands?" Serena acted on impulse and took off running towards her master bedroom. Within an instant a cold, thin hand wrapped around her arm and shoved her hard against the wall. She cried out in pain. "You will be mine. Your body should be carrying my child not-" he seemed to hiss. "his."

He pulled her towards him, only to shove her back again. He seemed to enjoy her cries of pain, "From now on, you will only give the world my children. Do you hear me?!" He shook her but stopped when she spat in his face. Serena knew she shouldn't provoke him but everything in her demanded that she fight him. Though, that thought was vanished from her mind when his hand connected to the side of her face. "You will never do that again Serena. I love you so much. I will make sure you respect me though." He grabbed her hand again and began dragging her towards the kitchen.

Serena frantically looked around the house. She saw the glass vase on the table next to the kitchen and knew, just knew, that it would be her only chance. She knew if she stopped protesting he would become suspicious and so, she continued on. As they neared the vase, Serena did a mental countdown, 'This has to work! Please, let me save my baby!' Serena ceased her struggles long enough to grab hold of the vase and with as much force as she could muster, she slammed it down on his head. Within an instant his grip vanished as he cried out. Pieces of glass toppled everywhere as he grabbed hold of his head and fell to his knees. Serena didn't bother to care as she turned and took off running towards her and Darien's room.

Darien glared at the wall in their mobile headquarters as the phone continued to ring. This was his 5ht attempt at calling and still, she had not picked up. He slammed the phone down and redialed. Finally, the phone stopped ringing and a tentative "hello?" could be heard. "Beryl, its Darien."

"Darien? Why are you calling me?" He closed his eyes, trying to keep his temper in check, "I'm outside with the entire Phoenix SWAT Beryl. You said you wanted to talk to me."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Beryl?"

"Darien, what are you talking about? I didn't call you or anyone. I'm at work." Darien moved the phone away from his ear, then put it back, "You're at work?" "

"Yes, which is why I did not pick up. I also never usually pick up odd numbers." Darien shared a quick look with his Captain as he turned and sent the two officers standing beside him to the address labeled as Beryl's place of employment. "Beryl, you're telling me that you're not inside Serena's old house and that you never made a 911 call?" She seemed to laugh, "Goodness Darien, I think you're incredibly sexy, actually you're the sexiest man I've ever met, but I wouldn't pull something like that just to get your attention. Not my style."

"Beryl, please stay on the line until the officers show up at your work place." Darien placed the call on mute before he even received an answer. "Captain, who called in the 911 call?" A few officers began shifting through sheets of paper. Within a few seconds a hand shot up, "A woman called at exactly 4:17pm who identified herself as Beryl. She stated she locked herself inside this house with a 12 gauge shotgun and was going to kill herself if she didn't talk to SWAT Officer Darien Shields." Darien moved back to the phone, "Beryl, do you know what a 12-gauge is?"

She seemed to think for a moment, "Is that how fast a car engine goes? Like how they have a 4-6-8?" Darien shut his eyes and rubbed his temples, "Please continue to hold." He put the phone back on mute "Beryl didn't call."

The Captain eyed him, "Are you sure? She could be playing with you."

"I'm positive. She's not in that house and I'm positive she didn't make the call."

Serena stumbled along the way and didn't even look back when she entered their room. She pulled open the drawer and grabbed his handgun. She turned as she heard the heavy footsteps behind her. She had never seen his eyes so dark before, his face no longer appeared to have human characteristics as it twisted up into pure hate. She eyed the butcher knife gripped in his hand.

She knew what he wanted to do. A part of her wished it had never come to this. But, Serena had more to think about then just herself as she raised the gun. "I will shoot Lucas, leave now." He took a step forward and Serena pressed her finger on the trigger. She gasped when nothing happened. Her sapphire eyes locked with his black ones as he smiled. He moved again. Serena flicked her finger over the safety and pulled again. This time, the loud sound echoed throughout the room.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ! *does dance* Opinions? Reviews? Critics?

I'd love to read them all!

~LAla and LaNaHwAnNa