Title: Glass Rose - Chapter 3
Author: Azure
E-mail: shakira642@hotmail.com
Standard Disclaimer Apply

Okay, I think I owe a lot of people apologies. I wrote this fan fic about a 
year ago and never attempted to finish it. I had many other writing projects 
and much of my time was being consumed by school. First of all, I'm sooo 
sorry to those people who e-mailed me and I never e-mailed back to!!!! 
Please don't think I hate being critiqued and don't hesitate to e-mail me 
again!!! Oh, and please notice that I have a new e-mail address. Alright, 
now read and enjoy!!! =)

    Beautiful. The one adjective that could describe Mina Aino to the pin. 
Many said she was the most beautiful woman on Earth, the holy reincarnation 
for Helen of Sparta. It was predicted that many men would fall because of 
Mina Aino, just as Troy fell because of Helen. Enthrallment with the 
gorgeous actress was a disease that spread to all corners of the planet. 
Only one known person was immune to Mina's beauty. Ironically, that person 
was her husband, Chad Kumada. Chad Kumada, wild and extremely handsome in 
the rugged way, legendary rock star, long hair, startling green eyes. The 
Tommy Lee of this decade, just as Mina was the Pamela Anderson Lee. Love 
wasn't what this couple was about. Lust was what they thought about, passion 
was what they yearned for. Both had long ago been drained from their 
troubled marriage. They turned to distractions, each going their separate 
ways. Mina leeched onto Darien Shields, Hollywood's knight in shining armor. 
Chad found RayLeen O'Connor, a lesser-known musician who was as equally 
beautiful as her cohort. Both reached their wildest fantasies, both found 
lust and passion. Yet, there was something more in their relationships. A 
little linkling, a little seedling...a tiny ounce of love. That love grew, 
grew with a fierocity they knew nothing of. Suddenly, they found they would 
do anything for the approval...for the simple touch of their hand. They 
dreamed of lives together, a full happiness they wanted so badly but 
couldn't comprehend. Because despite their fame, fortune, and beauty...they 
had never known real happiness. Not the kind that will fulfill you and wrap 
you in its arms. Mina wanted a husband who would care for her, love her for 
*her* not for her body. Chad wanted a wife who would respect him, adore him, 
and love him for his intelligence, for the fire that burned within him.
    None was to be.
    Darien was a married man, who claimed that despite problems in his own 
marriage, he loved his wife. He admitted he'd done wrong and he must do all 
he could to redeem himself. But he could no longer be with Mina. That alone 
was dishonest and he was an honorable man. In fact, his chivalry was what 
Mina loved most about him. Never was there a day when he didn't show 
compassion and empathy. Darien understood the human spirit. But he didn't 
understand how much Mina loved him. Mina would give up everything for him, 
her respect, her dignity, her career...her husband! She didn't care what the 
acid-tongued reporters said about her. She didn't care if all of Hollywood 
hated her. And she especially didn't care if her career was ruined. She'd 
never wanted to act, anyway. A writer, that's what she'd always wanted to 
be. To create characters, characters full of love and life and passion. 
Characters whom she'd thought real humans could never be like...until she 
met Darien. When Darien refused her, Mina would not be satisfied. She would 
kill herself, she would not take an *accidental* overdose of pills like 
those foolish, cowardly women did. She would be strong. She would hold out. 
And eventually...eventually Darien would realize what he was giving up. And 
he would love her. Yes, as God in heaven was her witness, he would love her 
like he had loved none other.
    Oh, and Chad...poor Chad. Raye could not love him anymore. "Egotistic, 
spoiled brat," she'd called him. "Son of a bitch." "Husband of a whore." 
Raye couldn't stand him, the way he wanted her to worship him. But she 
didn't understand. Chad needed her support, her constant remindings of love 
because he was insecure. He could not believe that such an angel could love 
him. If only...if only she could see the way he felt about her. The way he 
wanted to throw everything away for her. Psh...what was his career. And most 
importantly, who cared what other people said about him? He just wanted...he 
wanted to be happy. And he wanted Raye to be happy. He swore to God, if Raye 
could forgive him and love him again, he would be the kindest person in the 
world. He'd give up his whole fortune to poor, everything to last penny. 
Because Raye was his light, his life. What had once been his object of 
obsession was now his soul. And...a man could not live without his soul.
    They sat there, husband and wife, Chad and Mina. They sat in the plush, 
cherrywood chairs, their backs straight, their eyes hollow, staring straight 
ahead. The photographers flashed their cameras, nosy, rude reporters pushed 
up ahead and forced ridiculous questions into their minds. To the world, 
they were one of the couples of the century. They were both beautiful, 
talented, and successful. Plus, they seemed to be completely in love with 
each other. But inside their hearts, a whole tumult of emotions was storming 
like a wondrously hideous hurricane threatening to explode them.
    "Oh, Mina, where could they be?"
    Poor, foolish Olivia, thought Mina. She doesn't even know her husband's 
a cheat. She doesn't know her husband has shared their own bed with another. 
She doesn't know that Darien...Darien loves me. And soon he will come to me 
and announce our love to the world. She will suffer, yes. But she deserves 
it. She has not right to have Darien. Darien is mine. He has always 
been...ever since we were children. Oh, Olivia, please don't hate me. You 
might be stupid and unsympathetic, but I am quite fond of you...sometimes. 
Of course, there are time when I wana slit your throat and watch the blood 
squeezing out from the cut. Ahh...blood! The essence of life.
    "Mina?"
    "Oh, Olivia, stop worrying!" Mina exclaimed abruptly, startling her 
friend. She set down her wine glass with a clank. "I'm sure they'll be here 
soon."
    "I suppose..." Olivia said doubtfully. "I'm just afraid that Serena's 
going to refuse. She was forced to come visit us by Kenji and I did forget 
to pick her up at the airport."
    Ha. Flighty and absent-minded, too. What could Darien have seen in her? 
She had no depth. She was just...a hollow woman. A fresh, pretty dummy. 
Nothing inside her head...or her heart. "Liv..."
    "I think they're here," Chad interrupted. His brow furrowed as he craned 
his neck to see above the useless crowd of reporters and photographers.
    "How do you know?"
    "Because. Suddenly all those fools are heading towards the entrance. 
Come on, you know it's gonna be the headline of the century. Darien and 
Stepdaughter United!" Chad quipped dryly.
    All around them, celebrities dining under candlelight turned in their 
chairs to welcome Darien and Serena. There was Michelle Kaioh and her 'love 
interest' Amara Tenou, the notorious racecar driver. Lita was there with her 
lawyer boyfriend, Ken. Amy Mizuno, who played Doctor Karin on General 
Hospital, was present with her husband, Greg Urawa, who was a *real* 
specialist surgeon. And of course, there was Patricia Haruna, the legendary 
acting coach, with her husband of forty-five years.
    Rendesvous was a restaurant where dreams and nightmares could come true. 
Scandals everywhere were exposed...loves were discovered. A mother had the 
chance to see her daughter after four long years of yearning and hardship. 
And a bitter, but beautiful actress would have to see the love of her life 
with another woman...his wife. How sad life could be sometimes. And yet, 
sadness wasn't reserved just for the poor, or just for the evil. Sadness and 
hardship reached very part of human civilization. Everyone felt it. 
Everyone.

    Serena felt so awkward and gauche and naive next to the smooth and 
confident Darien Shields. He guided her along the royally red carpeted 
walkway to the entrance of Rendesvous through the frenzied paparazzi and 
screaming reporters with such ease and poise. She tightened her hold on 
Darien's solid arm, feeling safe when she was so close to him. She wondered 
what she must look like to the media. She felt so...so young and 
unexperienced. And most of all, she felt ugly next to Hollywood's finest and 
most beautiful. How could she compare? She couldn't...and she was so 
annoyingly aware of it. Lost in her thoughts, she let out a terrified shriek 
when suddenly, a reporter broke through the confining rope and jumped into 
the pathway. She stumbled against Darien, knowing she must look ridiculously 
foolish.
    "How do you feel meeting your stepfather for the first time!?" the 
reporter shouted rudely, slightly spitting into their faces.
    Serena recoiled, disgusted. Darien snapped his fingers and his bodyguard 
quickly pushed him back behind the rope and out of their way. Darien cast 
Serena a reassuring smile and continued his walk down the bright red 
pathway.
    When they entered the posh restaurant, they were only greeted with 
blaring lights and blinding flashes. Darien growled under his breath, "Why 
in the world do they let those pesky photographers in here?" To Serena's 
relief, however, there were no reporters and the photographers were kept to 
a minimum. The stiff, starchly dressed maitre 'd picked up two menus and 
bowed.
    "Ah, Mr. Shields. Here to join your wife and the Kumadas I presume?" he 
inquired, his voice polite and constrained. He nodded to Serena, but his 
expression was distant and disinterested. After years of service to 
Rendesvous, celebrities and beauty did not faze him.
    "You got it, Alfred. This is Serena, Olivia's daughter. Ser, this is 
Alfred, Rendesvous's manager. He keeps things running," Darien introduced 
them with a wink.
    Serena smiled and nodded to Alfred. He was a short, thin man with 
balding hair and a slick, salt-and-pepper moustache. Despite his crisp 
politeness, she suspected he did have a playful side to him as he gave her a 
slight, mysterious grin. She supposed the restaurant didn't even need to 
take reservations, for it was obvious who was with who.
    They followed Alfred through the tables, Serena avoiding the curious 
glances and Darien smiling, nodding, and greeting polite hellos to his 
acquiantences. Apparently, he knew almost everyone dining at the restaurant. 
She observed the setting. It was all very fancy with creamy white pillars 
with gold decoration set against milky walls. The lighting was dim, mostly 
coming from the beautifully-shaped candles on each table. There was an 
elegance about the place, an aura that oozed with charisma. She thought it 
wouldn't take too much time for her to get used to this lifestyle.
    "Ser," Darien whispered. "There she is. Olivia."
    With surprise, Serena raised her head. She swallowed hard, her heart 
slamming against her chest in both anticipation and wonder. Finally. Olivia. 
Her mother. And there she is. The woman she'd dedicated her life yearning 
for. All dressed up in an expensive creme suit with a silk miniskirt and a 
matching silk jacket lined with faux fur over a lacy satin camisole. Her 
thick, black hair twirled under a milk-white hat covered in lace, a lone 
daisy peeking out from the brim. Although she was sitting, Olivia was 
obviously a tall woman, heightened by matching leather pumps lined with the 
same faux fur over peach-silk knee-highs. She looked...different than Serena 
remembered her. Olivia had never been glamorously beautiful...her beauty was 
from her clean-scrubbed face and innocence. She always had that kind of 
*country girl* look. Long, clean golden blonde hair, not styled, all the 
same length...beautiful and old-fashioned. Big, brown eyes that evinced 
kindness and femininity. Her face had been round, clean...usually without 
any makeup...freckles across her nose. She'd gotten older, yes. Her face was 
thinner, more sallow. There were hollows in her cheeks. And, of course, her 
hair dyed black and cut and styled into a fashionable way made much of a 
difference.
    Alfred took Serena's shawl and guided her into her chair. Darien 
shrugged off his blazer, wriggled free of tie, unbuttoned the top of his 
shirt and handed it to Alfred before sitting.
    "Usako..." Olivia murmured. She smiled, newfound wrinkles appearing next 
to her sparkling eyes. "That was Kenji's pet name for you, wasn't it?"
    Serena bit her lip. "I...I would prefer if you didn't call me that." 
Suddenly, for reasons she couldn't explain, unspeakable anger started to 
burst inside of her. She wanted to be nasty and mean. She wantd to *hurt* 
her mother in any possible way she could.
    "Oh." Olivia's smile quickly disappeared. There was an awkward silence 
where everyone stared at their empty plates or took a sip of wine from their 
glass.
    Darien broke the silence. "Oh, Ser, weren't you telling me earlier 
you're a Chad Kumada fan?" He grinned. "Well...meet Chad Kumada and his 
wife, Mina Aino!"
    Serena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled girlishly. 
Gosh, she told herself. Stop acting so childish! "Mr. Kumada...you're one of 
my favorite artists...I absolutely love your new CD," she gushed, aware she 
sounded stupid.
    Chad laughed. "Ha, Mina! I *told* you that the younger generation 
listens to my music! I'm not an old geyser after all...!"
    Mina rolled her eyes and cupped her hand, pretending to tell Serena a 
huge secret. "He's going through his midlife crisis."
    Serena grinned. "Oh, and I loved you in 'The Prostitute'! You're such a 
good actress...and so beautiful! I'm just wondering...how do you get your 
skin so clear?"
    Mina raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "Oh, sweetie, it's a simple 
trick of makeup. If you want, I'll get Zoe to make you up one day. I'm sure 
you'd look fabulous. Olivia...your daughter is so pretty!"
    Olivia pursed her lips. "Mina...of *course*! Did you expect anything 
less of my daughter?"
    "Psh," Darien shook his head. "Don't you think you adults should engage 
Serena in a more *adult* conversation?"
    "I don't think Liv and Mina can be capable of it," Chad joked, giving 
Serena a wink.
    Mina raised her wine glass and took a sip of the liquid. "So. What are 
your plans to do in Beverly Hills, Serena?"
    "Oh...well...I don't really know. I'm probably just going to stay in and 
catch up on my summer reading," Serena replied.
    "Sweetie! You're in Beverly Hills! Go out and have some fun! Oh, I know 
the perfect thing!" Mina exclaimed. "Tomorrow's the premiere of 
'Tantalizing'. It would be the perfect time for you to meet celebrities and 
you'd get to see it before anyone else back home. Isn't that just 
spectacular, Darien?"
    "Oh! We've got to get you a dress and some jewelry...!" Olivia cut in. 
"We'll go shopping together in the morning."
    "No need," said Darien, leaning back against his chair. "We already 
went. She's got enough dresses for a hundred premieres. So, Ser, you wanna 
go?"
    "Oh, would I!" exclaimed Serena. "Darien...aren't you in 'Tantalizing'?"
    Darien groaned. "Don't remind me! Gosh, that movie's almost as annoying 
as 'The Prostitute.' They said I would only have a bit part in it...so I 
agreed. Turn's out I have the lead! Gosh! I felt like killing the producers 
behind this."
    "Oh, Darien! It's a beautiful love story!" Olivia gushed. "See, it's 
about forbidden romance set during the French Revolution between the 
daughter of a Parisian aristocrat and a pauper who supports the Republic. 
Very moving and romantic. I've read the script."
    "Who plays the love interest?" Serena asked curiously. She thought Mina 
Aino would be perfect for the part. The chemistry between Mina and Darien 
was sizzling, it was apparent in the 'The Prostitute.'
    "Appropriately, a French actress!" Darien answered. He smiled, "Camille 
Doube. She's one of Patty's newest flavors."
    "Absolutely gorgeous, too," Chad let out an enormous sigh and winked at 
his wife.
    "Juliette Binoche and Leonardo DiCaprio have some of the major roles," 
countered Olivia. She turned towards her daughter, the daughter who had been 
trying her best to ignore her throughout the conversation.
    "Usagi-chan, has anyone ever told you that you have the look for 
acting?" she asked. Her expression was sincere and hopeful; hopeful that her 
daughter would extend her hand and reach out to her.
    "Ha, Lita did earlier today. She's got this messed up plan to change the 
script and she wants Ser to play her screwed character," Darien boistered.
    Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? That's wonderful! Do you want me 
to represent you?"
    "What!?" Darien turned towards her, shocked and slightly angry. "You 
*want* her to do this? I told Lita to back off...I mean, gosh, its a nudity 
scene and Ser's only seventeen!"
    "I don't see what's so bad about it," countered Olivia. "Come on, Darry, 
Usagi's gotta chance to become known if not famous! Think of the advantage 
it'll give her!"
    Mina laughed. "You guys sound like real parents fighting over which 
school you're going to send your child, too. See, *my* opinion is to ask 
what Serena wants."
    Darien and Olivia bit their lips simultaneously and cast apologetic 
grins toward Serena. She smiled slowly and shrugged. "Don't ask me. I really 
don't have any opinions about it. But, I just have to warn you, I can't 
act."
    "Oh, sweetie, that's okay," Mina reassured. "I couldn't act at first, 
either. With looks like yours, you'll get along just fine."

***

    Darien came into the guest bedroom to say goodnight to his stepdaughter. 
He knocked on the slightly ajar door and whistled a greeting. Cautiously and 
slowly, he peered inside the room and supressed a gasp. Serena 
was...incredibly beautiful it was the only word he knew to describe her. 
Freshly-scrubbed, face devoid of makeup, covered only with a long, thick, 
demure nightgown, her glossy golden hair cascading down her shoulders and 
falling past her waist. How simply pretty and innocent she looked. As 
if...as if nothing in the world could touch her and she was just she. A girl 
with dreams and desires, a girl with hopes and heartaches. Nevertheless, she 
held a kind of charm that could send men into overdrive. Did she know what 
she possesed? Or was she as innocent of her charms as she was about people? 
She'd opened up so quickly to Mina and Chad. It was obvious she thought them 
good people, intelligent, humorous, kind people. She hadn't seen that behind 
their facades, they were evil in its darkest form. Wife and husband hated 
each other with a vengeance and a bitterness. Yet, Serena believed them to 
be perfectly in love. To not notice the strain in Mina and Chad's 
relationship, Serena had to be either a fool or an innocent. She was 
certainly no fool.
    "Is everything comfortable?" Darien asked, covering his desire for her 
the only way he could. Evince coldness and overly polite. He was known for 
his light-switch personality. One minute he would animated, glowing. The 
next, he would be icy and indifferent. It was his mask. His way of 
protecting his tender feelings; his tender heart which people rarely knew 
of.
    "Everything's great!" Serena answered enthusiastically. Her voice was 
strained and tired, but there was no mistaking the sincerity in her 
expression. "I...I just want to thank you again. You've done so much for me 
in just one day. I hope...we can become better friends."
    Darien smiled sadly. Oh, he knew it was past time. He could no longer be 
her stepfather. And yet, he'd always wanted to be a father. Since that 
fateful day five years ago when Trista had abruptly left him, taking with 
her his precious Setsuna. He sighed, remembering every detail of Setsuna's 
little face. The tiny, turned-up nose. The wide, inquisitive uniquely amber 
eyes. The thin tuff of dark hair atop her smooth head. She would be six, 
now, wouldn't she? A cute little girl who could always get her own way by 
flashing a sweet smile to a old geyser like him. Darien would have done 
everything for Setsuna. She was...the love of his life. And the simple fact 
of that was so laughable. He'd had his pick of women...he'd gone through 
more women than most men do of dirty socks. And yet, the love of his life 
was a little baby he'd known for only two weeks. Suddenly, he hated Trista 
with such a ferocity. He imagined killing her; punishing her for taking away 
from him the only person that really mattered then. And he fantasized his 
reunion with Setsuna, his little darling. But no...he mustn't dwell on such 
things. He had a new life now...a different life. He had Olivia, who, for 
all her flaws, did sincerely love him. And...although he did not know if 
Olivia was the One he knew he loved her as a brother loves his sister. He 
would never let harm come to Olivia, and God pity the journalist who smacked 
her.
    Serena. Right now, he wanted to rest and think of his stepdaughter...his 
new friend. Because she was as real as Setsuna had been. She contained the 
realness he'd craved for in a person. The realness he'd...he'd *thought* 
Mina had posessed. Oh, Mina. What would he do about her? He couldn't embrace 
Olivia, hold her in his arms, make love to her, without thinking of 
Mina...and guilt flooded his mind. How could he betray Olivia's trust in 
that way? And for all the truth...he had not loved Mina nor did he love her 
now. She was a beautiful woman who showed him a fantasyland. But he grew 
bored of her soon...bored of her antics, her...lack of originality. Despite 
her extraordinary beauty, she was just like every other woman. And Darien 
needed a unique woman, a special woman to keep him happy for eternity.

***

    Kenji was lost in his thoughts. He lay in bed, quiet, listening to 
Chelsea's steady breathing. He was thinking about a girl. A sweet, carefree 
girl with huge, passionate blue eyes and long blonde hair that had a life of 
its own. His daughter. Would he lose her? Would her...her fascination with 
her mother and stepfather finally swallow her and overtake her? Kenji 
sighed. All he knew...was that he would sacrifice anything for his children. 
Usagi and Shingo were all he had in this world. Except for Chelsea. He 
laughed bitterly. Suddenly, he wanted to have some fun. He rolled over to 
the sleeping woman, until he was on top of her. He shook her, first gently, 
then with more rough force. She awoke, surprised and wondering.
    "Kenji?"
    "Do it."

***

    "Good morning, Ser!"
    "Oh, hi, Darien!"
    Serena was in the breakfast nook, leaning against the table and sipping 
black coffee while reading the morning newspaper. She wore tight-fitting 
black jeans and a pale blue sweater; clothes she had brought from home. Her 
expression pleasant and settled, she looked extremely comfortable and happy. 
Satisfied. Not at all jumpy or nervous, no sense of the slight hostility for 
her mother she'd had yesterday.
    "So what do you feel like doing today?" Darien asked, pouring himself a 
cup of coffee.
    "Oh, I was just going to stay in. I'm a little tired. Besides, aren't 
you and *Olivia* busy?" Serena replied curtly and politely, pressing special 
emphasis on her mother's name.
    Darien paused. Suddenly, Serena had gone cold on him. He wasn't sure how 
to handle it. Should he confront her? Ask her why she was so angry with 
Olivia? He sighed inwardly. No, he should just let her be. She would come 
around...sooner or later. Unfortunately for Livy, he had a feeling she would 
fall in the later category. "Not really. No shooting today. I have publicity 
in an hour, then I'm meeting up with Lita, Michelle, and the writers for 
'All Through the Ages.' They're gonna do that script change. And, of course, 
there's the 'Tantalizing' premiere."
    "If you call that not busy, I don't wanna know what's busy!" Serena 
quipped, smiling brightly. Darien was pleased to see her charismatic, joyful 
personality was back once more to charm him. "Anyways, I would love to spend 
the day with you but I don't want to be a bother."
    Darien rolled his eyes. "Ser, you'll be doing me a favor, not being a 
bother. Hows 'bout you come with me to publicity. Afterwards, we'll get a 
bite to eat then catch up with Lita and Michelle. Later on, we'll meet up 
with Mina and Camille for the premiere. Livy's got an interview and Chad's 
feeling under the weather so they're not going. I'm supposed to escort 
Camille, but I'll see if I can pull a few strings so you'll be with me."

***

    Serena had been properly shocked by the viciousness of the reporters. 
She'd always known the people of that profession were born without tact, 
without that certain knowing when a specific question was not appropriate. 
One extremely rude journalist asked openly and curtly if he was cheating on 
his wife. Serena had turned slowly, searching Darien's face for an angered 
reaction. But he never lost his cool, he never lost his poise. He smiled 
icily, the exact smile that made women weak in the knees, and nodded to 
another reporter. Although he never mentioned the incident, he completely 
ignored the acid tongued woman.
    Another aspect that surprised her greatly was the media's interest in 
her. They seemed to delight in learning more about her; her childhood, her 
father, her hobbies. They ate up Darien's quirky comments about Serena's 
modesty, intelligence, and talent. She sat quietly, blushing furiously and 
wishing she could escape this public attention. She wasn't stupidly full of 
false modesty, but she was truly noble with an ego about the size of a 
toothpick. With extreme wonder, Serena read the articles written about her, 
extravagantly exaggerating on her beauty and kindness. She watched silently 
as the Star and the Chronicle suddenly appeared with front covers of her 
childhood photographs-obviously given to them from Olivia. Serena was 
accustomed to anonymity. Certainly, she'd never joined in gossip back in 
high school unlike the other girls. And when certain rumors circulated about 
her, she crawled into an isolated shell and didn't return to society until 
all the buzz about her had finally died down.
    After publicity, the pair climbed into the famous red limousine and 
drove to a local diner curiously called Mama's. They conversed over 
extremely delicious yet messy and overly stuffed sandwiches and cold sodas. 
The restaurant owner, whom Darien seemed to know personally and call Eva, 
tried her best to keep out reporters, photographers, and especially crazed 
women. As it was, they couldn't have five minutes of laughter and enjoyment 
when a fanatic interrupted them with hyperventilating noises and a pen and 
napkin thrust at his chest. Serena had to admit, Darien handled it very 
well. He was polite to all his fans, and to some, even friendly. One cute 
little girl with pigtails shyly shuffled up next to her mother. She loves 
you, her mother stated simply, smiling apologetically for bothering them. 
And yet Darien grinned, signed an autograph, took a picture, and kissed the 
little girl's cheek. From the blissful expression on the girl's face, Serena 
could tell Darien had made her day and she doubted the girl would wash that 
cheek until she was forced to. It was afterwards, when the girl and her 
mother left, that Darien voiced his sympathies and concerns.
    "I wish little children didn't know who I was," Darien whispered softly 
with a sigh as he watched, the little girl skipping down the street, out the 
window.
    Startled, Serena raised her eyebrows and took his hand into hers. 
"But...why not?"
    He turned to her, rubbing his eyes thoughtfully. "Ser, almost all the 
films I've been in aren't appropriate for that little girl. What kind of 
mother would let her six-year-old daughter see 'The Prostitute'? I was 
furious at Silverstone for passing off the movie as rated R. The only reason 
it wasn't NC-17 was 'cos they knew they wouldn't make as much money that 
way. Selfish, pig-headed bastards."
    Serena laughed, delighted. "Oh, Darien, you must be the first actor that 
gives a damn about that kinda stuff. I can't believe it bothers you so 
much."
    "Oh but it does!" Darien breathed passionately. "You think I ever really 
wanted to have this kind of life? I wanted to be a pediatrician...I wanted 
to help kids. What do I do to help society now? Sure, I entertain them for 
two hours. But that's no special accomplishment."
    Truthfully, Serena couldn't believe a prominent of a man like Darien 
would ever think of such things. He was rich. He was extremely handsome. He 
was married to a loyal and faithful wife. He...he had two stepchildren that 
had grown very fond of him. Including Serena. She felt a kind of 
protectivness, security around her stepfather. And she truly enjoyed his 
company. Well, who wouldn't? He was smart, funny, thoughtful, caring, sexy. 
He had the face of a model, the body of a god, and the mind of...Mother 
Theresa! She suppressed a laugh. As much as Darien appreciated all kinds of 
humor, she wasn't sure how he would react to being compared to a saint as 
Mother Theresa.
    "Serena Tsukino!? Is that you!?!"
    With incredible shock, Serena raised her head to a voice she knew, she 
recognized, and fully dreaded.

***

Finished!!!! Okay, I admit it might be a little boring. But after such a 
long break from this story, I needed to get back in touch with the 
characters. Please send feedback...and suggestions!!

Love Always,
Azure