      Chance Encounters


      Author: aria


      Rated: NC17



      Chapter 3
      The next month was hell, Serena returned to her classes to find that Jeff 
      had somehow registered for the same ones. He was there in all her classes 
      lurking in the back. He never said anything or did anything but just 
      knowing he was there bothered Serena. He would arrive at the class before 
      her so she could see him as she walked in, and then sit until she walked 
      past him at the end of class.
      This daily routine wore Serena out. She didn't know what he was thinking 
      or what he was planning to do. At the end of each day Serena was exhausted 
      and usually went straight home, did some reading and then went to sleep. 
      She almost completely lost her appetite. She would settle for a coffee in 
      the morning and maybe a sandwich at lunch and that was it.
      Darien called at least twice a week, he missed her as much as she did him. 
      They talked about what they had been doing and what they were going to do. 
      How much they missed each other.
      Serena thought she was going to go crazy, she missed him so much. She told 
      him what was going on with Jeff. Darien was not impressed. He worried 
      about her. Especially since Lita had taken it upon herself to tell Darien 
      what was going on with Serena and he didn't like it.
      One night while Serena was in the shower she snuck into her room and 
      called him up on the cell phone. She told him how Serena wasn't eating and 
      how she was tired a lot of the time. He didn't mention their conversation 
      to Serena though. He would have to arrange to come over sooner than they 
      had planned.
      The girls worried about her. Serena had lost too much weight and looked 
      like a ghost of her former self. They tried cooking exotic foods, but she 
      wasn't interested. They tried regular meals, take out, dessert foods, but 
      nothing seemed to appeal to her. Serena assured them that she was alright 
      but they weren't so sure. They wanted her to go see a doctor but she 
      refused saying that she was ok. That she was just stressed out and she 
      would get over it. After all exams were coming up and having Jeff in all 
      her classes didn't help at all.
      Serena walked into the suite after another long day to find everyone 
      standing in the living room waiting for her.
      "Hi guys what's going on?" she walked into the kitchen to grab a coffee.
      "We've decided that enough is enough. We can't have you walking around 
      like a zombie anymore!" Lita grabbed her and sat her down on the couch. 
      "We're all going out tonight to the clubs and you can't say no."
      Serena shook her head. "I don't feel like it."
      "Nope you're coming. It's the last chance we have to party before exams 
      start."
      "You guys..." she tried weakly.
      "You're coming." She looked at everyone and they all nodded.
      "Fine." She was just going to sit there anyways.
      "Good we leave in a couple of hours."
      Serena looked at the time. It was already 6 o'clock. "Ok. But I'm 
driving."
      "Nope." Seiya came up behind her. "I am. You can drink and have fun."
      Serena sighed. There was no arguing with them, they had already planned 
      everything. "Alright you guys."
      Lita, Min and Raye dragged her off to find something to wear. They went 
      into her room and turned on her stereo really loud and started going 
      through her closet and drawers. The finally picked out black cigarette 
      pants and a tight floral velour top. Everyone rushed around as usual 
      getting ready. Serena began feeling better when she started getting 
      dressed and putting her makeup on. It got her out of the monotony of her 
      days. They all finished up and went across the hall to the guys' place. 
      They were all ready and waiting on the girls.
      "All ready?" The girls nodded. "Let's go then!" They all piled into Raye's 
      truck. The girls climbed into the cab with Seiya while to boys got in the 
      back and lay down to hide from cops. At the club they got out and got into 
      line. The Munk was the most popular club for the university crowd. It was 
      the newest one in town and had the best ambience and sound. They waited 
      their turn to get past the bouncer and finally were all in. They pushed 
      their way through the crowd and headed up the stairs. Upstairs were tables 
      and funkily designed chairs and they managed to get a hold of three tables 
      and enough chairs for them all. A waitress headed over and asked them what 
      they wanted. Raye ordered a vodka slime for each of the girls to start.
      "You know it's two for one night right?" She looked at them all.
      "Cool." Raye nodded and the rest of the girls smiled.
      She reappeared moments later with the drinks.
      The took their drinks and headed over to the pool table. They played for a 
      while and when their drinks were done they headed back to the bar. They 
      ordered another round and went back to the table the staked off as theirs. 
      They looked over at the guys and they looked like they were having a great 
      time. Several girls were crowded around their table looking very 
      interested in what they were doing. The guys were having a chugging 
      contest and the girls were loving every minute of it.
      The girls laughed and finished off their drinks. Raye looked over at 
      Serena. "Wanna dance?" Serena nodded.
      They headed down and started dancing in the middle of the crowd. Before 
      long the rest of the girls joined them. They were having a great time. 
      Mina and Serena went to the bar to order more drinks.
      Serena looked at Mina. "What do you want? It's on me!"
      She shrugged. "Whatever you feel like."
      Serena ordered a couple of tequila shooters. "Ok try this. I'm warning you 
      it's strong." She handed her one of the shot glasses. They both took the 
      shots. Mina started coughing and choking. Serena laughed and slapped her 
      on the back. "I warned you!" She ordered a couple of vodka shots next. 
      "Let's go back to table!"
      Min followed still spluttering from the effects of the tequila.
      Min shook her head. "Let's dance!" Serena nodded and handed her a shot, 
      they downed them and headed back onto the dance floor. Raye had collected 
      a few admirers and they were dancing in the middle of the floor. Lita and 
      Seiya were next to them and the rest of the guys were no where to be seen. 
      Shrugging the two girls joined them and danced.
      It felt nice to get out and do something other than go to classes and the 
      library. Serena let herself have fun. She danced with the girls until her 
      legs hurt. She signaled to the girls that she was going to sit down. They 
      nodded. Raye joined her.
      "Having fun?" Raye sat next to her at the table.
      "Yeah!" Serena tapped her hands to the beat of the music. She felt a lot 
      better now that she was out of the suite and away from work.
      "Me too! You have to help me celebrate!" Raye signalled a waitress.
      "Celebrate what?" Serena looked at her.
      Raye looked at the waitress. "Two margaritas!" Her attention went back to 
      Serena. "I am single as of today!"
      "I didn't know you were going out with anyone." Surprised, Serena looked 
      at her. Raye had never mentioned a boyfriend.
      "Yup he lives back home. He told me today that he's seeing someone else." 
      She took the drink the waitress offered and held it out.
      "What happened?" Serena took hers and they touched rims. Raye guzzled 
      hers. Serena took a sip.
      "We thought that we could make a long distance relationship work. But it 
      didn't work out quite as we planned. He got together with an old friend of 
      ours and now I'm out of the picture." She grinned bitterly.
      Serena grimaced. Ouch that had to hurt. "Are you alright?"
      Raye nodded emphatically. "Best thing that could happen!" She took another 
      sip. She grinned at Serena. "Now I can find a great guy like Darien!"
      Serena smiled weakly. "If you need to talk you know where to come."
      Raye nodded. "Yup, but right now we have got to party!" She grabbed 
      Serena's arm and pulled her down the stairs and to the DJ booth. "We want 
      'Jungle Boogie' and 'Heart of Glass'." Raye and Serena were notorious for 
      their taste for disco music. And these two were their favourite. The DJ 
      nodded and the girls went back to the dance floor. The songs started 
      moments later and they started dancing and singing along. The whole group 
      was together on the floor amid the heaving mass of bodies. Serena looked 
      at everyone, they all looked so happy, even Raye was grinning ear to ear. 
      Serena couldn't help but pick up on the good mood.
      They danced and sang for a while more and then headed back up to the 
      table. Lita and Mina were grinning happily. Serena looked around for Raye.
      "Where's Raye?" They shrugged their shoulders at her. Serena walked over 
      to the railing and leaned over it looking for Raye. She spotted her on the 
      bottom level sitting at a table crowded by guys. She shook her head. 
      Serena decided to leave her for a few more minutes before heading down to 
      get her. she walked back to the others.
      "Where is she then?"
      Serena pointed down. "She's talking to a bunch of guys." They nodded.
      Mina got up. "Anyone want another drink? I'm heading to the bar." Serena 
      and Lita joined her. By now the girls were getting tipsy and they waved 
      their way to the bar, trying to keep each other up by holding on to each 
      other. They giggled as they nearly tipped over a table.
      "Hey! Watch it!" Serena looked over and a very big guy stood up. "You 
      almost made me spill my drink."
      Serena put up her hand. "Sorry buddy, we didn't mean to. I'll get you 
      another." They walked away to the bar.
      He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back. He was shaking his 
      head. "I know a way you can make it up to me." He leered at Mina and Lita 
      as well.
      She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "Get lost!" He grabbed her arm 
      again. The move brought back memories of Halloween. Serena wrench her arm, 
      away grabbed his drink and threw it in his face. "I said leave us alone!" 
      Lita and Mina looked completely shocked. Especially when Serena turned to 
      confront him.
      "You bitch!" He tried to grab for her again, but the bartender came over 
      and grabbed him.
      "I think it's time for you to go pal." He waved at one of the bouncers and 
      he came over and took him away.
      "Are you girls alright?" They nodded. "Ok then have a couple on the 
      house." He walked back behind the counter. "What'll it be?"
      They looked at each other. "Margaritas!" He made them and handed them to 
      the girls.
      "So what are good looking girls like you doing here all alone?" he smiled 
      at them. Mina shook her head. "We're not. My boyfriend is with some 
      friends some where." Lita nodded. Serena shrugged.
      "How about you?" he nodded at Serena.
      Lita laughed, "You can forget about her. She's taken!"
      Serena smiled and nodded. She held up her hand displaying the glittering 
      ring. "I've got something to do." She left the girls talking to the nice 
      bartender. She walked down the stairs and headed over to where she saw 
      Raye last. She wove her way through the crowd and finally got to the table 
      where Raye was. She was smiling from behind her glass at a couple of guys. 
      Serena looked at the table and it was literally covered with empty 
      glasses. She shook her head and tapped Raye on the arm.
      "Hey! How's it going?"
      Raye smiled. "Great!" she took another sip. "These are my new friends Tom 
      and Gord." She pointed at them.
      She nodded to them. "Mind if I join you?" Serena sat down next to her when 
      she shook her head. "Are you ready to go home yet?" Raye shook her head.
      Serena was about to say something else when she felt a hand on her 
      shoulder. Not knowing what to expect, she whipped her head around ready to 
      confront who ever it was.
      "Hey having a good time?" She looked up to see Seiya's smiling face. 
      Serena nodded then pointed at Raye.
      He shook his head as he watched her sway in her seat. "Hey Raye I think 
      it's time to go home!"
      Raye shook her head and got up. Laughing she ran off into the crowd. They 
      spotted her some time later sitting on the stairs that led to the sunken 
      dance floor.
      A bouncer approached them as they walked over to her. "I think you're 
      friend's had enough." He pointed at Raye. "If she has anymore I'll have to 
      ask her to leave!" They nodded and he walked back to his post.
      Seiya leaned down and picked her up. "Raye it's time to go." This time she 
      was too disorientated to argue. Seiya stayed with Raye while Serena went 
      and gathered everyone up. About ten minutes later Serena had everyone 
      together and they left the club and piled back into the truck.
      Back at Rez, they half carried half dragged Raye and Andrew up the hill to 
      the building. Apparently according to Kyle's drunken slur, Andrew got into 
      a drinking contest with some guys at the club. He won, but the state he 
      was left in made you wonder if he really was the winner. The girls helped 
      the boys navigate the stairs and everyone got to their rooms safe and 
      sound.
      After making sure Raye was safe in her bed, and that she wasn't going to 
      throw up or anything, Serena walked out to the kitchen and made herself a 
      coffee. As she walked past the front door she saw a white envelope laying 
      the floor that she didn't see when she walked in. She reached down a 
      picked it up. It had her name on the front so she opened it while she 
      filled the kettle and put it on the stove. Pulling the note out of the 
      envelope she grabbed her mug out of the cupboard and put it down beside 
      the stove.
      The note had three simple words scrawled on it: 'I'm watching you.' Serena 
      shuddered and dropped the note onto the countertop. She was suddenly very 
      aware of the window. Quickly she went over and pulled the blinds. Serena 
      then looked out the peephole, seeing no one outside she locked the door 
      and leaned up against it. She felt safer and let out a relieved breath.
      Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
      The sound had Serena's nerves bunching up again. She ran, jumping for the 
      knives on the counter by the sink. It was close to four o'clock in the 
      morning. Who could be knocking on the door at this hour?
      "Hey Serena! I know you're awake open up!" She heard the familiar voice 
      shout on the other side of the door.
      Slowly Serena relaxed again. Seiya. It was Seiya. She opened the door. "Hi 
      Seiya." She moved so that he could walk in.
      "Hey I knew you would be awake." He looked at the kettle. "Making coffee?"
      "Yeah, you wanna cup?"
      He nodded and sat on the couch. "Yeah." He looked at her. She looked pale. 
      "Are you ok? You don't look so happy."
      Serena walked out with the coffees and the note. She put the mugs down on 
      the table and handed him the note. "I just got this. Someone slipped it 
      under the door."
      He looked at it and frowned. "Are you sure it's for you?" She handed him 
      the envelope.
      "Ok, so it is for you. Any idea who?"
      "I have a few ideas." Serena took a sip of her coffee and looked at him.
      "Care to share?" He was serious.
      "Well there's the obvious. Jeff." She looked at him. "He's somehow gotten 
      into every one of my classes. But he hasn't done anything besides sit 
      there."
      Seiya nodded. "And?"
      Serena exhaled slowly. "While I was in Vienna with Darien, I was 
      threatened by his ex girlfriend, Sabine." Seiya was staring at her. 
      "Darien said not to worry about it since she's done the freaking out thing 
      a lot but nothing has ever become of her threats before."
      "There's always a first time." He looked at the note one more time. "Are 
      you going to report this?"
      Serena nodded. "I will first thing tomorrow."
      Seiya got up and handed her the note. "Ok, you want me to go with you?" 
      Serena shook her head. "Fine, but if you need me I'm just across the hall, 
      alright? 'Night, Sere." He gave her a hug and left.
      "'Night, Seiya." Serena stared at the shut door for a while and then got 
      up and locked it. She quietly walked to her room and picked up the cell 
      phone. "I've got to talk to Darien."
      ----
      Darien spent the month doing the same routine. Concert, dinners, 
      interviews. He never realized how empty the whole thing was until he was 
      left to do it alone. He missed Serena tremendously. Her laugh, her smile, 
      he missed everything about her. He would be watching TV and see something 
      funny and would think about how she would laugh at it and his heart would 
      ache. Darien called her every chance he got but it just wasn't enough.
      Nephlite laughed at his friend. "Darien, calm yourself. You are going to 
      drive yourself insane!"
      "I miss her so much! I have to find a way to be with her again." Darien 
      ran a hand through his hair and looked out the window at the busy Parisian 
      streets below his flat.
      Nephlite slapped his back. "You will. But in the mean time you have to 
      relax a bit. Or you'll go crazy." Nephlite had never seen Darien this 
      messed up over anything before let alone a woman. He shook his head, she 
      must be something special.
      ----
      The rest of the month went by pretty quickly for Serena. The exam period 
      was the usual frenzy of tempers, cramming, coffee and jangled nerves. 
      Serena's own nerves were on the verge of a breakdown, both over the exams 
      and waiting for another note to appear. She had gone to campus security 
      about it but they said that they couldn't do anything about it because it 
      was a one off thing and there was no concrete evidence as to who could 
      have done it.
      At the end of it she decided that she definitely needed a break. Serena 
      was one of the last people to finish off the final exams. By the time she 
      was done most of the students living in residence were already cleared out 
      for the holidays. In her own suite, only Lita and herself were left. Mina 
      and Raye had already gone home to spend the holidays with their families.
      Serena walked into the suite. "Lita! I'm finally done!" She dropped her 
      bag at the door and slumped on the couch.
      Lita came out of her room. "Shut up! I've got one more to go at six."
      "Ouch, that sucks." Serena couldn't stop smiling though.
      "Why are you grinning?" She arched a brow at Serena. "Wait a sec I know 
      that grin.
      "You're going to be seeing Darien sometime soon aren't you?"
      Serena smiled even wider. "Yeah, I've decided to catch him while he's 
      still in Paris and surprise him. Spend a couple of days with him and then 
      head home to the family."
      "That's great so when do you leave?" Lita flipped through her notes.
      "Tonight." She walked to her room.
      Lita followed Serena to her room and sat on the bed.
      "I can't wait to see him again." She started stuffing clothes into her 
      suitcase.
      "What's it been? Two months?" Lita looked at Serena.
      She could have told her to the exact minute. "Yeah about that." Serena dug 
      into her pile of shoes and threw a couple of pairs into the case. "This is 
      going to be great! I've never been to Paris before."
      "Neither have I. Can I come?" Lita laughed at the stern look she gave her. 
      "Ok, ok I won't!"
      Serena looked at the swirling snow outside her window and smiled. He would 
      be so surprised!
      About twelve hours later, Serena landed at Charles de Gaulle airport. She 
      retrieved her bags and walked outside and hailed a cab. She gave the 
      driver the address and they were off. The airport was practically a city 
      itself. It was a wonder of metal and glass. Serena gazed out the window in 
      awe as the buildings zipped past. As they drove into the city Serena 
      caught glimpses of its beauty. In the distance she saw the Eiffel Tower 
      standing tall in the sky. She and Darien would have to climb it before she 
      left. Smiling she settled back into her seat and watched the buildings and 
      cars whiz past.
      The driver stopped in front of a large building. Serena got out and paid 
      the driver. She picked up her bags and walked to the front door of the 
      building. The doorman held open one off the glass doors and tipped his 
      hat. Serena mumbled a 'merci' and walked through. Inside was a large lobby 
      decorated with period furniture. Serena stopped a moment to take in her 
      surroundings and smiled. It was very nice.
      A little bald man approached her. "Mademoiselle? Voulez-vous quelque 
      chose?" He eyed her wrinkled clothing and general dishevelled appearance 
      with obvious disgust.
      She ignored his look and concentrated on quickly translating the phrase in 
      her head. She nodded. "Oui. Ou est l'appartement de Monsieur le Conte?" 
      Serena hoped that she said that right.
      He looked at her wearily. A foreigner fantastique. "Il n'est pas ici 
      maintenant. Il retournerait plus tard." He spoke slowly.
      Serena started to get irritated with the man. "Quand est-ce qu'il 
      retourner?"
      He shrugged. "Je ne sais pas, Mademoiselle. Voulez-vous un caf?" He 
      motioned to the couch in the lobby.
      Too tired to argue with him Serena nodded and sat down. He brought her a 
      coffee. She sat and slowly sipped at it while she stared at the door.
      About an hour later, Serena was getting fed up with waiting. She had 
      already looked at all the furniture and decorations. She identified all 
      the paintings and she was successfully ignoring the little man's curious 
      looks at her.
      Just as she was contemplating going out and finding a hotel, Darien walked 
      in the door. He wasn't alone.
      With him were Nephlite and a beautiful blonde woman. Finally. Relieved 
      that the waiting was over, Serena got up and went to go and greet him but 
      froze when Darien gave the leggy blonde a hug and lovingly kissed her 
      temple. Not believing her eyes she stood and stared at them. Her head 
      swam, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She blinked and refocused 
      her eyes. He lied to her. Darien was just like the rest of them, a lying 
      pig. All she could manage was a whispered, 'Darien'.
      He must have heard her because Darien looked at her then. His facial 
      expression changed from disbelief to incredible joy when he saw her. 
      "Serena!" She was here! His smile faded when he saw the stricken 
      expression on her face. Oh no. He looked at the woman and realized what 
      Serena must have seen. What she must be thinking. No! Blank faced, Serena 
      simply turned away from him and walked out the door. Running, he left the 
      woman and Nephlite without a word and chased her out the door.
      "Serena!" He caught up with her as she was getting into a cab. She 
      pretended not to hear him and shut the door.
      Darien ran up to the cab and slammed his hand on the hood and windshield. 
      "Attendez!"
      The driver stuck his head out ready to shout at him, but saw who it was 
      and stopped. Instead, he sat back and watched enthralled with what was 
      going on. He'd have to tell his friends later that Darien le Conte himself 
      made a scene and his cab was in the middle of it. He made sure to take in 
      all the gritty details.
      "Serena!" Darien pounded on her window.
      Serena stared straight ahead like he wasn't even there. "Allez! Allez!" 
      She was shouting at the driver to go, but he wasn't listening to her. He 
      was more interested in watching the scene. She pounded the glass behind 
      his head. "Asshole!"
      "Serena! Please come out!" Darien pleaded with her through the window.
      She glared at him. "You lied to me." Her voice was barely audible through 
      the window.
      "Serena! It's not what you think! She's Nephlite's sister! She's like a 
      sister to me!" Darien looked desperate. "Please Serena! You know I would 
      never lie to you. I love you!" He yelled it loud enough that several 
      people walking by stopped to look.
      Head pounding, Serena looked at him. She decided to give him the benefit 
      of the doubt.
      Telling herself she was being an idiot she opened the door. How can you 
      believe him? just because he's great looking and given you everything... 
      Light flashed off of the ring on her finger drawing her eye to it. How 
      could she not believe him? He was always completely honest with her.
      He practically yanked her out of the cab and hugged her gleefully. Serena 
      stood gripping her bag. "Chre I'm so happy to see you!" Darien was 
      pulling her into to building again.
      Serena managed a weak smile. "Hi Darien."
      "Come I'll introduce you to her."
      Though she didn't want to, Serena followed him to where Nephlite and the 
      woman were standing. She nodded hello to Nephlite then turned her 
      attention to the woman.
      "Serena, this is Fabienne Noyez, Nephlite's sister. Fabienne, this is my 
      Serena." The woman nodded a smile of recognition coming over her face.
      Darien must have told her about me, Serena thought. "Enchant." She shook 
      hands with her trying to smile. The other woman smiled sweetly then 
      Fabienne started to get blurry. The room started to spin just before 
      everything went black.
      Darien panicked. Still, he managed to catch her as she slid boneless to 
      the floor. Without a second thought he picked her up and brought her up to 
      his apartment ignoring the curious looks of the other patrons. Kicking the 
      door shut he walked into the bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. He 
      looked her over and realized she was fast asleep. Sighing in relief, 
      Darien knelt on the floor next to her and watched her while she slept. She 
      came to him! She must have left right after her exams. Serena must have 
      been exhausted! She had gotten too thin. Serena looked pale and even more 
      fragile than before. He caressed her cheek tenderly. It was the sweetest 
      thing anyone had ever done for him. His heart swelled and he kissed her 
      gently. Darien sat and watched over her until her eyes started to flutter.
      When she came to, Serena found herself nestled comfortably in a large soft 
      bed with Darien kneeling on the floor beside her looking worried.
      "Chre, are you alright?" He put a cool hand on her forehead.
      "Yeah I'm alright." She tried to sit up but her head swam as she did.
      Darien gently helped her lay back down. "Doucement chre. You must be so 
      tired!" He kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad you are here. I missed you so 
      much! To tell you the truth I was going to fly over to you tomorrow." He 
      grinned sheepishly and reached behind him. He pulled a ticket off the 
      softly illuminated end table next to his bed and handed it to Serena.
      Serena looked at him. "A commercial flight?" She looked at the ticket 
      puzzled. "But you have your own plane." She looked at him. Or was he lying 
      about that?
      "Oui, but I gave the pilots the holiday off." He smiled at her. "You do 
      not think that I am so cruel as to keep them away from their families on 
      the holidays do you?"
      "Of course not." Sighing, Serena sat up slowly. Why was she being so 
      suspicious? This was Darien. He wasn't like Jeff, not in the least. 
      "You're the kindest man I know." She put her hand on his. "I'm sorry I 
      jumped to the wrong conclusion. I just wasn't expecting to see what I saw. 
      I was tired and the flight was terrible..."
      Darien silenced her with a kiss. "Chre, I understand. You were tired. You 
      just finished exams and had to fly all the way over here. But you really 
      have to stop thinking that I am like your ex." He stopped and shook his 
      head when she opened her mouth to apologize. "But all I care about is the 
      fact that you are here with me right now." He kissed her again her taste 
      was intoxicating. "I can't believe you flew all that way alone." He held 
      her to him. "I almost went crazy without you."
      "Me too." She pulled him back to her. She looked at his face gazing at 
      every feature. She stopped at his happily sparkling eyes. Serena smiled at 
      him. "I missed you so much, Darien."
      He looked at her, suddenly serious. "Serena what about that note you got. 
      What happened about that?"
      Serena completely forgot about it. "Nothing ever came of it. Security 
      couldn't do anything about it since I never got another one and I had no 
      proof as to who could have written it."
      Darien pulled her to him and held her. "Useless. They're all useless." He 
      tightened his arms around her. "Stay with me Serena. I can keep an eye on 
      you that way."
      Serena shook her head. "I can't live my life in fear Darien. If I do they 
      win."
      "I can have my men keep an eye on you."
      Images of men in black suits and dark sunglasses danced their way through 
      Serena's mind. "No I think I can live without that."
      Darien laughed. "What were you just thinking chre?" He had seen the 
      strange look on her face.
      "Visions of secret service men entered my mind." She laughed too at the 
      thought. She looked at Darien. He was smiling impishly.
      "Now, how about saying hi to me properly?"
      ----
      A few hours later they lay in bed exhausted holding each other.
      "Serena you will be here for Christmas, non? My parents are dying to meet 
      you." He toyed with her fingers.
      "I can't. I have to go back to my parents' house to spend it with them." 
      Serena sighed. "I wish I could stay longer."
      "Me too." He looked thoughtful. "How about I call them up and they can 
      come here?"
      Serena smiled. "Sure. I'd like to meet them." She stretched and smiled 
      some more. "I guess we should get up and do something huh?"
      Darien grinned. "You don't want some sleep? You have had a very long day 
      chre."
      Serena laughed. "So? I'm more interested in spending time with you. I can 
      sleep when I get to my mom's house."
      "Ok then what would you like to do first?" He sat up and crossed his legs, 
      looking at her.
      "Whatever. But I have to climb the Eiffel Tower before I leave. Oh and go 
      to the Louvre. And see the Arc de Triomphe, and the Sacre Coeur-"
      Darien laughed and held up his hands. "Ok, ok we'll do all those things."
      "Ok. But first I want to see what you're apartment is like. I've been 
      wondering for a while."
      "Sure." He helped her out of bed. Serena grabbed the T-shirt she was 
      wearing and pulled it over her head. Darien pulled on a pair of jeans and 
      lead her out of the bedroom.
      Serena noticed that it wasn't so much as a bedroom as a section of a much, 
      much larger room. The studio was huge and surprisingly modern. From what 
      the lobby looked like she expected a much more sombre, period decorated 
      type room. What she saw brought a smile to her face.
      It was all white and hard wood floors. It was accented with chrome lamps, 
      black and white photos and vivid paintings which added some colour on the 
      walls. The 'living room' had a deep blue couch, a matching love seat and a 
      black leather chair and ottoman. One entire wall was glass and the pulled 
      curtains showed a gorgeous view of the city. Serena walked up to the 
      window and looked at the glittering sight. Night had fallen and the entire 
      city was lit up and twinkled in the growing darkness. Serena turned and 
      ran her hand over the entertainment centre that was against another wall 
      and walked over to the grand piano. Off to one side was another couch in 
      front of a fireplace. She ran her hands over the large book case that was 
      stuffed full with books and magazines. The kitchen had hard wood floors as 
      well. The appliances were all done in what looked like brushed steel. The 
      countertops looked like marble and the cupboard doors were glass showing 
      off the dishes and glasses enclosed within them. Serena was very impressed 
      but she wrinkled her nose. The studio wasn't exactly severe but it 
      definitely needed a feminine touch.
      She then wandered into the bathroom. It was huge. There was a large 
      Jacuzzi tub and a shower in the corner of the room. A deep purple chaise 
      decorated a side of the room along with some potted plants. She smiled. He 
      did a very nice job of decorating the place.
      "So what do you think of my home chre?" He looked shyly at her waiting 
      for an answer.
      "Darien, I love it! It's great!" She walked to him and gave him a hug. 
      "You're right it does look almost exactly like my place. Except that it's 
      humungous!"
      He laughed. "I'm glad you like it. So you think you could live here?" 
      Darien held her to him. He just couldn't seem to keep his hands off of 
her.
      Serena nodded. "Definitely."
      "Good. Chre, earlier, why didn't you use your key? You could have come 
      straight up."
      Serena leaned back and looked at him. "I forgot about it when I was 
      talking to that little man." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of him.
      "Did Didier give you a hard time?" He ran his hand through her hair. "He 
      won't once he learns who you are."
      "Yeah it was like he hated foreigners or something. You should have seen 
      the looks he gave me." She shrugged. "Oh well, whatever." Whatever the 
      little man thought of her it didn't matter. What did matter was that she 
      was in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with the man she 
      loved. She looked out the window again and sighed. It was so beautiful. 
      And dark.
      "Darien. I didn't realize how late it was. Did you need to get some 
sleep?"
      He ran a finger down her cheek. "No, chre. My schedule is cleared for the 
      next few days. I was supposed to be in Canada remember?"
      "Great! So what is there to do in Paris at night?"
      "Come. We will get dressed and I will show you."
      Half an hour later they were speeding down the streets of Paris in 
      Darien's car.
      He led her down to the parking area under the apartment building to his 
      car. She gasped when she saw it. It was a gorgeous, black, sleek European 
      car that she didn't recognize. It was beautiful though. Darien saw her 
      admiring gaze. "It is a Lotus Esprit. You like it, non?"
      "Yes."
      "If not we could take the other one or the bike." He motioned to another 
      car and a motorbike. The other car was a fiery red Ferrari, Serena's eyes 
      widened when she saw it. tearing her eyes away from the car she looked at 
      where he pointed out the bike. In the corner of the garage was a sexy 
      looking racing bike. It was red, white and black with the name Kawasaki 
      emblazoned in the side. She definitely wanted to have a ride on that 
      before she went home.
      Smiling, she turned back to Darien. He opened the door for her and she got 
      in. She slid into her seat and looked around. It was snug and comfortable. 
      Darien slid into his seat and started the engine. Deftly, he shifted gears 
      and they were off. Easily, he swerved in and out of traffic, speeding past 
      the slower cars. Minutes later he veered off the road and parked the car 
      on the sidewalk.
      "Darien are you allowed to park here?" Serena found it strange to park on 
      the sidewalk like this.
      "Oui, it's the only place to park." He waved his hand at the other cars.
      Serena looked up and down the street. Every single car was parked on the 
      sidewalk. "Weird."
      Darien put his arm around her waist and started walking, guiding her down 
      the street.
      Serena sighed. "Paris is so beautiful." She looked at the buildings. They 
      glowed in the dim light of the street lamps.
      "It is. The first time I came here was when I was a child. My parents 
      decided to come for a little vacation. Ever since then I have always 
      wanted to move here." He looked at Serena and smiled wistfully. "You know 
      be a part of the magic and the beauty."
      "Well you got your wish, cher." She smiled up at him.
      "Oui, I finally got the chance a couple of years ago. But I just moved 
      into that apartment a few weeks before I met you. Good timing non?" He 
      paused and pointed ahead of them. "Look."
      Serena turned and looked in the direction Darien pointed and gasped. In 
      the distance was the Eiffel Tower. It was lit up from within. Its golden 
      glow dominated the night sky. Serena stared at it. "Darien, it's 
      incredible!"
      He came up behind her and held her to him wrapping his arms around her 
      shoulders and linking his hands in front. "I thought you might like it, 
      Serena."
      They stood and looked at it for a long while before deciding to walk some 
      more. Darien lead her to the Louvre and showed her the famous glass 
      pyramid. Serena stared in awe again unable to speak. She turned to him and 
      smiled. Before she could say anything she yawned.
      Darien smiled. "Come, you can see the rest of the city tomorrow." He led 
      her back to the car. He was back on the street at breakneck speed again
      Serena turned to Darien, "I can't believe how much traffic there is. It 
      must be at least 1am!" She now realized why it was so easy for him to 
      navigate around Vancouver. Compared to Paris, Vancouver was a sleepy 
      little village.
      Darien laughed, "The city never sleeps, chre. I don't think I have ever 
      seen it without traffic."
      Before she knew it he was parking the car in its space again. They walked 
      past the night guard, who looked at them interested in who was with 
      Darien. They ignored his curious gaze and took the elevator up to the 
      apartment. Serena smiled as she walked in the door. She loved this place. 
      They kicked off their shoes at the door.
      "Serena, what would you like to do? Watch a movie? Sleep? Or anything 
      else?" he wiggled his eyebrows and smiled playfully.
      Serena laughed. "Let's curl up on the couch and watch a movie."
      He gave her a pout, but laughed when she punched him in the shoulder. 
      "Ok." They took off their coats and walked into the kitchen to grab some 
      food, then headed over to the couch and settled down. Darien turned on the 
      TV and started surfing the channels trying to find something to watch. 
      "Look at this. A hundred channels and nothing on." He threw the remote on 
      the couch, got up and started going through a collection of DVD's. "How 
      about this?" He held up Pretty Woman.
      Serena nodded. "Sure." He put it in and sat back down on the couch. Serena 
      put her feet up and leaned against him putting her head on his shoulder. 
      She fell asleep after the opening scene.
      Darien must have fallen asleep as well, because when Serena woke up she 
      and Darien were cuddled up on the couch still. She moved her arm it was 
      numb from being trapped underneath her. The slight movement woke him up.
      "Morning, chre." He sat up and looked around groggily. It was still very 
      early. The sunlight was barely bright enough to dimly light up the living 
      room. He grinned at her and picked her up and took her to the bedroom. 
      Serena didn't say a word.
      At around ten they stirred again. Serena snuggled up to Darien breathing 
      in his scent. Barely awake, he gave her an appreciative growl. Serena 
      smiled, loving the contentedness she felt when she was with him. She 
      turned to him. "What do you want for breakfast, Darien?" She laughed at 
      the grin on his face. "Seriously. Breakfast."
      "Let's go out. There is a nice little caf not to far from here." He got 
      up. "Join me for a shower?"
      "Ok" She got out and followed him to the bathroom. In the daylight it was 
      even better. The light streamed in the frosted glass windows, brightly 
      illuminating the room. They got into the glass enclosed shower and Darien 
      turned it on as Serena shut the door. They got out of the shower later and 
      got dressed and walked down the street to the caf. The streets were 
      filled with people and cars zoomed past. The city was so full of life even 
      though it was a chilly morning. They arrived at the caf within minutes.
      "So what do you think?" He nodded at the little coffee-house.
      Serena smiled. "It definitely looks Parisian!" She followed him to a 
      little table and they sat down. The caf was crowded and smoky, Serena sat 
      back in her chair and watched all the activity going on around her.
      A waiter approached them and stopped. He recognised Darien it seemed. 
      Smiling he looked at Serena his eyes widened appreciatively then turned 
      back to look at Darien.
      "Monsieur le Conte! Bon matin! Qu'est-ce que vous voulez aujourd'hui?"
      "Cappuccino s'il vous plait." He looked at Serena.
      The waiter followed suit. "Mademoiselle?"
      "Un croissant et un caf au lait, s'il vous plait." She looked at Darien. 
      Had she said that right? He gave her an almost imperceptible nod and 
      smiled.
      The waiter walked off to get their order.
      "You speak French quite well chre. I thought you said that you hadn't 
      spoken it in a while." He took her hand and smiled.
      "I haven't! You can thank my high school French teacher for that. He made 
      sure the language was branded into our brain by the end of every class." 
      She laughed. "I dreaded that class because he use to make us go to the 
      front of the class and speak. It was horrible!"
      "How else are you to learn?" He laughed.
      "I hated it! I always got tongue tied and couldn't say anything except a 
      garbled mess." She thought back and laughed at how ridiculous the whole 
      thing was. "It was so sad!"
      They laughed while the waiter returned. He placed their drinks and 
      Serena's croissant in front of them. Darien thanked him and sipped his 
      cappuccino.
      Serena took a bite of the croissant. It melted in her mouth. "This is so 
      good! Here have some." She held the pastry in front of Darien so that he 
      could take a bite. "So what shall we do today?" She brought it back to her 
      mouth and took another bite.
      "That's up to you chre. I will take you where ever you want to go." He 
      sat back and watched her eat. She was so delightful. He couldn't take his 
      eyes off of her.
      "Ok, you up for the Louvre then? I've heard that you can spend days 
      there." She sipped her coffee.
      "Sure. I can do that."
      They sat for a little while longer before heading back to the hotel for 
      the car and heading to the Louvre. They spent the entire day wandering 
      through looking at all the paintings and sculptures housed there. Then 
      they wandered through the shops. Darien bought her a small statue of Bast, 
      the Egyptian cat goddess, and a few prints of several different works. It 
      was dark before they got back home.
      "That was fun." Serena used her key this time. They walked in and put down 
      the things that they bought.
      "Oui. It was." He smiled as he watched her take off her coat and hung it 
      up. Then she kicked off her shoes and padded across the floor to him. It 
      made him happy to see her make herself at home. "Want something to eat?" 
      He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
      Serena was starved, she came up behind him and put her arms around his 
      waist. "Yes, I'm famished."
      "What would you like?"
      She pointed at the cans of Coke and some vegetables. "Would you mind 
      making me a salad?"
      "Of course not." He kissed her nose and went to work.
      Serena went back out the living room and looked at the stuff they bought. 
      She took the statue and placed it on a table next to the couch and brought 
      out the prints and started looking for a place to hang them.
      When Darien came out he found she had redecorated parts of the room. He 
      smiled. "So you are changing things already are you?"
      "You don't mind do you?" Worried, she looked at him. Did she over step her 
      bounds? Serena hadn't even given it a second thought when she started 
      changing things around.
      "Don't be silly. This place is as much yours as it is mine." He put the 
      bowls of salad and the cokes down on the coffee table. "I'm glad you can 
      settle in here so easily. And besides I'm sure you can do a better job of 
      decorating than I can." He pulled her down on the couch.
      "That's not true! You've done a wonderful job. I think you've done the 
      place beautifully." She decided to wait a little longer before she changed 
      anything else and took a bite of the salad.
      "Mmmm. This is good."
      "Thanks, chre. So you like my dressing?" He smiled.
      "You're dressing?" She took another bite. "You mean you made this?"
      "Yes. It's amazing what a little oil, vinegar and seasoning can do. It's 
      actually my maman's recipe."
      "It's great!" She took another mouthful. He was so amazing. "Weren't you 
      going to call your parents?" Serena smiled at him.
      "Ah oui. I will do that now." He reached over and picked up the phone. He 
      dialled and waited for a second before someone picked up. "All? Maman, 
      comment allez-vous? Bon. Maman, avez vous le temps a nous visiter? Oui, 
      Serena et moi. Oui, elle m'a surprise. Elle est arrive hier. Bon. A 
      bientt." He hung up and looked at Serena smiling. "They will be here 
      tomorrow."
      Serena's eyes widened. "Wow, that's quick."
      "Well they are dying to meet their future daughter in law. They'll take 
      the train in the morning and will be here by the afternoon." He grinned at 
      her. "You are not getting nervous are you?" He watched as Serena rubbed 
      her palms on her jeans.
      "A little." More than a little actually. She picked up her drink and 
      gulped it down. He watched her in amazement. His Serena was nervous. He'd 
      never seen her like this.
      "Do not worry Serena. They like you already." He wanted to ease some of 
      her tension.
      "You didn't build me up to be some superwoman did you?" She drank some 
      more, her throat was incredibly dry.
      "No of course not. I just told them the truth. That you are a beautiful, 
      intelligent and wonderful woman."
      She stared at him. "And that's not building me up?"
      "Serena, don't worry." He put a hand on her knee and leaned over. "They 
      will love you." He kissed her.
      They sat in front of the fire for most of the night, talking. Serena 
      looked around some more while sitting with Darien. Everything felt so 
      perfect. Here she was in a romantic city with the most incredible man 
      she'd ever known. She smiled. She really loved this apartment. She looked 
      at Darien and watched the firelight flicker over his face. And she really 
      loved this man. Nothing could be more perfect. She leaned up against his 
      chest and sighed. "Yes."
      Darien was leaning back on the couch enjoying the moment when she said it. 
      He looked down at her puzzled. "Yes?" He had no clue what she was agreeing 
      to. "What did I ask?"
      She sat up and faced him. "Yes." She held out her hand letting the ring 
      catch the light. "I'll marry you."
      He grinned hugely. "Vraiment? Really? You will be my wife?" He gathered 
      her up in his arms and held her.
      Serena felt his heart pounding. Her own heart was beating just as rapidly. 
      "Yes, I love you Darien and I want to marry you."
      "Serena!" he kissed her. "I love you too." He kissed her again and again 
      very gently. He moved from her lips to her cheeks and down her neck. He 
      whispered into her throat, "You have made me the happiest man." He slowly 
      undid her blouse and kissed her collarbone. She never ceased to amaze him. 
      Just yesterday, he thought he might never see her again after that episode 
      with Fabienne. And now she was going to be with him forever. He kissed her 
      breasts through the thin fabric of her bra. He looked at her and saw the 
      love in her face. He breathed a ragged breath. Darien kissed her again and 
      picked her up, taking her to his, no their bedroom.
      He lay Serena on the bed and she smiled up at him. She held her hand out 
      to him. Darien took it and came down to her. They stayed there the rest of 
      the night before falling into an exhausted sleep in the early hours of the 
      morning.
      ----
      Late the next morning they got up and tidied up the apartment before 
      Darien's parents arrived. Serena was in a complete panic over leaving 
      everything so late and combined with her nervousness it was quite a scene.
      "Chre, slow down!" Darien grabbed her as she ran past. He had been 
      watching her while he washed the dishes. She flitted in and out of rooms 
      dragging things this way and that. He didn't know whether to be amused or 
      worried.
      Serena was running in from the living room having just dusted and 
      arranged. "Darien let go! I've got to clean the bathroom!"
      "Serena, I'll do the bathroom and you make breakfast ok? You have already 
      cleaned all the other rooms, I should do at least one." He pointed her in 
      the direction of the kitchen and patted her bum.
      Serena washed her hands and opened the fridge. She pulled out some fruit 
      then went to the cupboards and got some muesli. Serena quickly chopped up 
      the fruit and added it to the bowl then dumped some milk over it. She 
      brought the bowls out to the dining room and put them on the table.
      "Darien, breakfast is done." She went back in to squeeze some orange 
      juice. When she came out with the glasses Darien was there waiting at the 
      table for her.
      "Serena, I was going to give you this last night but we were kind of 
      busy." He grinned at her when she blushed. Darien held out a little black 
      box.
      Serena looked at it then looked at Darien. "Darien?" She took it from him 
      and opened it. Inside was another brilliantly shimmering ring. This one 
      was a large but simple marquis cut diamond that glittered in the light. 
      Serena gasped. "Darien...it's gorgeous! But what about..." she held out 
      her left hand and looked at the other ring. Darien took her hand and 
      gently pulled the ring off. He put it on her other hand then took the new 
      ring and put it on her ring finger.
      "Just think of it as an official engagement ring." He kissed her hand.
      "That's so sweet. I love it, I love you." Serena hugged him to her and 
      kissed him. There was a knock at the door. Serena looked at him wide eyed. 
      Was everything alright? How did she look?
      "They are here chre." He put his arm around Serena's shoulders. "You look 
      great and so does the apartment so don't worry."
      He read her mind again "How do you do that?"
      Smiling he shrugged and they headed to the door.
      Darien opened it. Serena smiled at the man and woman on the other side. 
      Darien's mom was a beautiful woman. She was slight and had blonde hair and 
      though she had a few faint wrinkles it did nothing to dull her beauty. His 
      father looked like an older version of Darien the only big difference was 
      the grey that accented his temples.
      "Maman, Papa." Darien gave them both a hug and kissed their cheeks.
      They both looked at Serena and smiled. Darien's mom gave her a big hug and 
      so did his dad.
      "Bonjour, Madame et Monsieur le Conte." Serena smiled.
      "Non, tu nous appelles Maman et Papa." They hugged her again.
      "Merci. Voulez vous le djeuner?" Serena motioned at the table where their 
      breakfast was waiting.
      "No we already ate on the train over." Josette le Conte pulled them down 
      on the couch.
      "We want to hear more about the two of you." She took Serena's hand and 
      looked at the ring. She smiled. "So you are going to get married?" She 
      definitely got right to the point.
      "Yes." Darien and Serena smiled at each other.
      "We'll have to get started on the preparations then won't we?" Darien's 
      mom had a giant smile on her face.
      They spent the entire day with Darien's parents. Darien was right they 
      were very nice and seemed to like Serena a lot. Darien's mom was 
      intelligent and funny. She loved to talk.
      Christophe le Conte possessed a dry wit and was able to tell Serena just 
      about everything she wanted to know about the sights. Serena completely 
      relaxed as the day went on.
      They went shopping at les Galleries Lafayette and had lunch at a great 
      restaurant then toured to rest of the sights. Serena had a wonderful time. 
      That night they returned to the apartment and talked some more over coffee 
      and pastries that Josette bought on their way home.
      The men talked about sports while Serena and Josette flipped through 
      wedding magazines that they bought on an impulse.
      It was late when Darien's parents decided to leave.
      "Won't you stay here with us?" Serena smiled at them. "We have more than 
      enough room."
      "No dear, we have to get going. We can't leave the vineyard for long." 
      They looked at each other and laughed. "The last time we did it was a 
      disaster."
      Serena and Darien walked them to the door. "Do you want us to drop you 
off?
      "No, no. We'll catch a cab. You two should spend some time alone together. 
      When will we see you again Serena?" Smiling, Darien's mom looked at them.
      "I have to go home tomorrow morning. Then I'll be at school again in 
      January. In February, Darien and I were planning to go to Venice. Perhaps 
      we'll drop by and visit."
      Christophe pat Darien on the back. "Make sure you do son." He winked at 
      Serena.They said their good byes and went and sat on the couch.
      "You're parents are great." She leaned back. "They are so funny!"
      "Yes they are. Didn't I tell you they would love you?" He nudged her ribs 
      smiling happily.
      The phone rang. Grinning, Darien answered it. "All?"
      She looked at him. He had a peculiar look on his face. "Darien?" He 
      ignored her. He listened to whoever it was and didn't look very happy. 
      Without saying a word he hung up. "Are you ok?"
      He snapped out of his trance. "Oui chre? Oh. Everything is ok." He got up 
      and drew the curtains.
      "Who was on the phone?" Serena watched Darien. He looked very agitated.
      "No one chre, just someone wanting an interview." He looked at her but 
      avoided her eyes. Please forgive me for lying to you. He thought. "Come 
      let's go to bed."
      Serena looked at him. Something was wrong and he was lying to her about 
      it. "Darien tell me what's wrong."
      "It is nothing." He pulled her up off the couch and pushed her toward the 
      bedroom. He needed to get her into a room with fewer windows.
      "Darien! What is the matter with you?" She looked at him. What was going 
      on with him?
      "Nothing." He continued to push her.
      "Darien! Stop it! Now tell me what's going on!" Serena was getting mad 
      now. Why was he lying to her? Something was so obviously wrong when he 
      said everything was alright.
      "Chre, I told you..." he started lamely.
      "A lie. You told me a lie." Serena looked at him disgusted. "I'm taking a 
      bath." She walked off to the bathroom without a second glance at him. In 
      the bathroom she locked the door and sat down on the chaise completely 
      bewildered.
      Darien heard the bathroom door lock. Damn! What was he going to do? She 
      was angry. Really angry. He saw it in her eyes. Better angry than injured 
      though. He went and locked the front door and proceeded to pull every 
      curtain in the apartment shut.
      This had to be a sick joke. He could still hear the voice. It was totally 
      distorted so he couldn't make out whether it was a man or a woman but the 
      voice had chills running down his spine.
      Darien, you two look pretty cosy cuddled up on the couch like that. Just 
      so you know I have a gun aimed at her head right now. It would be just so 
      easy to pull the trigger and end it all now. Break off contact with Serena 
      immediately or she dies. If you call her I'll know about it. If you go to 
      her I'll know about it. Call the cops and it's game over. Remember I'm 
      watching you.
      He punched the wall. For the first time in his life, Darien felt 
      completely and utterly useless. What was he going to do? He had to get her 
      somewhere safe. He went to the bedroom and started packing up her stuff. 
      He was going to get her out of here tonight.
      Serena sat in the bathtub thinking. Why was he lying? What was he hiding 
      from her? He saw the way his face paled when he heard the voice on the 
      phone. It had to be someone he didn't want to hear from. Or perhaps 
      someone he didn't want her hearing. Serena got out of the tub and dried 
      herself off. She was going to find out. She wrapped the towel around 
      herself and walked out to the living room where she left him. He wasn't 
      there. She looked all over the apartment. He was no where to be found.
      Fuming, Serena walked into the bedroom. She found her bag packed and 
      sitting just inside the door. *I take it he wants me to leave.* She 
      grabbed the bag and slung it on the bed and got dressed in a pair of jeans 
      and a sweat shirt. She picked up the bag and walked out grabbing her coat 
      and stuffing on her shoes along the way.
      In the lobby she saw that little man, Didier, again. She walked up to him. 
      Serena reached into her sweatshirt and took off the necklace with the key 
      on it. "Donnez la clef a Monsieur le Conte s'il vous plait. Merci. Au 
      revoir." Without waiting for a reply she walked out front and hailed a 
      cab. She was going home.
      ----
      Darien had packed up Serena's bag then ran down the stairs and jumped into 
      his nearest car. He parked in front of the building, behind a cab that was 
      pulling away. He ran into the lobby and past the desk when Didier stopped 
      him.
      "Didier je n'ai pas le temps!" He was about to run past when the object in 
      Didier's hand caught his eye.
      "Monsieur le Conte. Voici votre clef." He gave him the key with the 
      necklace stillattached.
      Darien stared at it. "Merde! Ou est elle?" He grabbed the key off him and 
      shouted at him again for an answer.
      "Elle est partie dans un taxi." He pointed at the spot the cab just 
      vacated.
      Darien ran back to his car and tried to catch up with the cab. It was too 
      late. He lost sight of it in the traffic. Darien slammed his hands on the 
      steering wheel. He never hated the traffic more. She would be heading for 
      the airport. He would go there and try to stop her and explain before she 
      took off.
      ----
      From the window across the street a figure stood watching the action 
      smiling. Even through the curtains, the actions were telling. Things were 
      going well. Serena was completely enraged from the look of it. She was 
      slamming doors and throwing things around the apartment.
      Interested eyes watched as Serena pulled off the rings as she walked out 
      the door. A very good sign indeed. And there was no way Darien was going 
      to reach her in the traffic. She probably wouldn't talk to him again. If 
      it kept developing this way, she would never return to Darien and he would 
      be free again. This was good.
      ----
      Serena sat at the back of the cab completely sapped of any strength. 
      Darien. She just
      walked out on the most amazing man she'd ever known. She thought back 
      about everything they had done and shared. In a few minutes that would all 
      be gone. Serena blinked, fighting back the tears. It was over. Serena 
      closed her eyes and tried not to see his face, his black hair, his 
      incredibly long, lush lashes. Those magnetic, smiling, sapphire blue eyes.
      The cab dropped Serena off at the international terminal thirty minutes 
      later. She reached into her pockets and didn't bother counting. She handed 
      him her last few bills and got out. She walked to the Air Canada counter.
      Serena steadied herself and tried to speak without breaking down. "Hi." 
      Her voice cracked. She breathed in slowly. "I was wondering if I could 
      take an earlier flight?" She smiled weakly at the guy working there. Hands 
      trembling, she handed him her ticket.
      He smiled back kindly. The poor girl looked really upset. "We'll see what 
      we can do." He started to type at the computer.
      Minutes later she was on her way to the departure gate clutching her new 
      ticket in her cold hand. When she got there it was already empty.
      "Please hurry Miss. We're holding the plane for you." A flight attendant 
      was waving at her to hurry.
      Serena took one look back.
      In the back of her mind she had hoped that Darien would come for her. 
      Seeing no one, Serena turned sadly and boarded the plane. "Goodbye 
Darien."
      ----
      Darien drove like a maniac swerving in and out of traffic. He was yelling 
      at cars completely frustrated. It was impossible. The roads were just too 
      congested. He slowed behind a mini van just outside of the airport. Darien 
      honked and shouted at them for being so useless. He looked up in time to 
      see a plane take off. He instantly knew that she was on that flight. He 
      closed his eyes and put his head on the steering wheel. "Serena." She was 
      gone.
      Darien gripped the wheel and looked up, out of the window. He stared at 
      the plane as it disappeared into the night sky. He couldn't believe she 
      was gone. An angry honk brought him out of his reverie. He turned around 
      at the airport and returned to the apartment completely devastated.
      He walked into the room and put his keys on the table. Serena had left the 
      phone he gave her and both rings next to the magazines she and his mother 
      were gleefully flipping through just hours before. Darien picked them up 
      and gripped them in his hand staring blankly at the happy brides mocking 
      him from the magazine covers.
      The phone rang.
      Darien ran to it. "Serena?"
      "No it's not Serena." It was that voice again. "Take my advice, forget 
      about her." They hung up.
      Angry, helpless and frustrated Darien threw the phone against the wall and 
      watched the pieces fall to the floor. How could he forget about her? 
      Serena, the most wonderful thing in his life was gone. Darien shook his 
      head forlornly. He had to try though. If it was the only way to keep her 
      safe he would do it gladly. He sat on the couch and buried his head in his 
      hands.
      ----
      Serena sat in her seat on the plane. Next to her was a kind looking 
      elderly lady and next to her was an elderly man. Her husband, Serena 
      presumed. She took off her coat and tried to get comfortable. The task was 
      impossible considering she just did the most excruciating she'd ever had 
      to do. Serena stared out the window as the plane took off. She watched as 
      Paris got smaller and smaller until the clouds obscured it so she could no 
      longer see the twinkling lights. Serena looked at her pitiful reflection 
      and put her head in her hands, letting the tears stream down her face.
      "What's the matter dear? Are you ok?" The lady touched her arm lightly.
      Hands over her face Serena nodded.
      "Do you want to talk about it?"
      Serena shook her head. She took her hands away from her face and looked at 
      her miserably.
      The lady smiled kindly. "Come now. It might be good to talk."
      Serena took a shuddering breath. "I doubt it." She stopped talking and 
      tried to control her breathing. "You see I just walked out on my fianc."
      "Oh my. But why dear?" She smiled sympathetically.
      "I think he was seeing someone else." She thought about how strangely he 
      was acting. There was no other explanation for it.
      "How do you know?" she put her hand on Serena's.
      "Just how he was acting. I just know that he's hiding something from me."
      "My dear. Do you have any proof?"
      Serena shook her head.
      The woman took Serena's cold hands into her warm wrinkly ones and smiled 
      softly. "Let me tell you a story. I did the very same thing when I was 
      about you age. I was going out with this wonderful young man. We had a 
      little misunderstanding and I took it the wrong way. I just walked away 
      without a fight."
      "What did he do?"
      "Nothing he gave up. I was very stubborn. I admit it would have been 
      useless for him to follow me. I wouldn't have listened. But I missed him 
      so much that after a few weeks I came around and went and talked to him. 
      We straightened everything out and we've been together ever since." She 
      put her hand on the arm of the man beside her and looked at him lovingly. 
      He stirred in his sleep. "My advice to you is to talk to him and find out 
      what is going on for real. Fight for what you love."
      "Thanks ma'am. I'll do that." Serena leaned back and closed her eyes. I 
      should at least let him explain. He probably has a good reason for what he 
      was doing. She reached into her coat pocket for her phone and remembered 
      that she left it at the apartment. She closed her eyes cursing herself. 
      She didn't even know his number so she couldn't use the plane phone. 
      Serena would have to wait until he called her.
      Serena talked to the lady and her husband until they got off in Vancouver. 
      She thanked the woman for her advice and said goodbye to them both. Serena 
      got on another plane and landed at the tiny Terrace/Kitimat airport an 
      hour and a half later. She took the bus into town. That took another hour. 
      By the time she got into town she was exhausted. She got off and looked 
      around. Nothing had changed at all. It was still a small town with nothing 
      to see. Serena stood in the snow looking around. A few people recognised 
      her and said hello. She waved at them and walked away. Not wanting to talk 
      to anyone, Serena got on another bus and took it up to where her parents' 
      house was.
      Serena waded through the snow at the bus stop and walked down the street 
      to the large house on the corner. She knocked on the door and waited. 
      Serena turned and looked at all the other houses on the street. Everything 
      still looked the same. Even the Christmas lights were arranged in the same 
      patterns on the houses. She shook her head at their lack of imagination.
      The door opened. She turned back to the door. "Hi mom."
      "Serena! I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow!" She gave her a hug and 
      moved out of the way so that Serena could come in.
      There was an awkward silence. Serena looked around then back at her mom. 
      "Where's dad?"
      "Working as usual. You know him. You can't pry him away from work if you 
      used a crowbar." She looked at her daughter. And shook her head 
      disapprovingly. "Serena, dear, you look so tired." She toyed with her 
      hair. "Your hair. Your face. You could have at least tried to make an 
      effort." She shook her head at Serena. "How were your exams?"
      Serena took a look at her mother's own perfectly done hair and face and 
      shrugged. She took Serena's bag from her and followed her in. She tore her 
      scrutinizing gaze from Serena and looked at it shaking her head at her 
      daughter's lack of packing skills. The bag was bulging and the zipper 
      strained to hold it closed. She started to shake her head but noticed tags 
      for Paris airport were hanging off of it. "Why have you got tags for 
      Charles de Gaulle airport on your bag?" She looked at Serena.
      Oh shit! Serena groaned inwardly. In all the rush and confusion, she 
      forgot to take them off. No use trying to make up a story now. "I was 
      there." She shrugged like it was no big deal.
      "What do you mean you were there?" She pulled Serena into the living room 
      and sat her down. "Why were you in a foreign country when you were suppose 
      to be doing your exams? Have you dropped out of school?" She paused and 
      looked at her, stricken. "Serena please tell me you haven't dropped out of 
      school."
      Serena noticed her mom had new couches. "I just flew in from Paris to be 
      home with you and dad for the holidays. Nice couches."
      She waved her hand dismissing the furniture. "Why were you in Paris? You 
      have dropped out!" Her mother looked horrified. "What will people say? 
      What will they think?"
      Serena rolled her eyes, she'd have to tell her now. "I haven't dropped out 
      of school! I was there visiting Darien. After finishing my exams of 
      course." She was careful to add the last bit.
      "Darien?" Her mother looked puzzled.
      "Darien le Conte. He is...was my boyfriend." She proceeded to tell her 
      about Darien and how they met, where they've been. She finally finished 
      with what happened before she took the flight.
      "So where are your rings then?" She scanned her hands for the engagement 
      rings Darien supposedly got her.
      "I gave them back."
      "And the phone?"
      "Gave that back too."
      "Serena are you on drugs?" She put her hands on either side of Serena's 
      face and looked at her studying the colour of her face and eyes. "You're 
      sounding very delusional honey. Vienna, Paris, a marriage proposal from a 
      world famous concert pianist boyfriend. Have you been hallucinating?" She 
      tried to take Serena's hands. "I know school is stressful, I've been there 
      myself, but creating a fantasy world is not the way to go."
      Serena shook her mom off. "No mom I'm not on drugs! And I haven't been 
      hallucinating!" Why did she have to make things so difficult?
      "I don't believe a word of what you just told me. It's not possible. Tell 
      me honestly what you were doing in Paris."
      Too exhausted to fight Serena stood up. "Whatever mom. It's all true. I'm 
      taking a shower." Serena picked up her bag and went to her room. This was 
      going to be a fun vacation. The rest of her stay Serena either wandered 
      around the house or went out with Dave. It was nice to see him again. It 
      had been a while since they hung out last. Dave was doing his last term at 
      BCIT and was just back to visit his parents. They had a good laugh.
      Christmas was terrible and New Years was even worse. She tried to stay at 
      home with her parents and watched TV, Serena didn't feel like celebrating 
      at all. But Dave dragged her out with him and the guys for a few hours 
      before she pleaded a headache and came home. She put on her sweats and 
      plunked herself down in front of the television. She was flicking through 
      the channels when something caught her eye. The news was showing New Years 
      celebrations all over the world. "Hey mom, come here for a sec."
      Her mom came into the room. "Yes Serena?"
      "Take a look at this." She turned up the volume.
      Serena's mom looked at the television and gasped at the man standing in 
      view of the camera. "Now that is one good looking man."
      Serena looked at the TV and sighed. He certainly was. "I know. Just listen 
      mom." She focussed her attention on the newscast.
      The reporter was in Madrid and was covering Darien's concert. "Here in 
      Madrid the parties are huge! One of the largest parties is here at the 
      concert of pianist Darien le Conte." He was jostled by more than one woman 
      trying to get to Darien. He regained his footing and laughed. "I get the 
      feeling that the women here aren't just celebrating the ringing in of the 
      New Year." He paused and pointed at the heaving mass of women trying to 
      get to Darien. "They are going wild for Darien le Conte. The pianist has 
      just recently broken up with his girlfriend Serena Cole while she was 
      visiting at his home in Paris..." the rest of the report was lost on 
      Serena.
      Open mouthed she watched as they started showing a photo diary of their 
      relationship. Pictures of her and Darien in Vienna and in Paris flashed on 
      the screen. They had them all. The ones of them kissing at the dinner in 
      Vienna, him holding her while they took in the sights, walking hand in 
      hand in the streets of Paris, they got one of her feeding him the 
      croissant and they even showed the one with the circle around the ring.
      She nearly hit the television when the report cut to Didier at his desk in 
      Paris. She bet that they didn't have to pay him too much to get him on 
      camera. He looked very happy to be on television and sat up looking very 
      self righteous. A translator's voice came on. "They spent all their time 
      in the apartment." He wiggled his eyebrows as though what he was 
      insinuating wasn't obvious enough. "But then on the last night, she walked 
      down here looking very angry and handed me the key to Monsieur le Conte's 
      apartment. She was very, very rude." He smiled for the camera again.
      Unbelievable! "That little..."
      Then the camera cut to Darien in the midst of the throng that always 
      followed his concerts. Serena stopped cursing Didier and stared at him.
      He looked even better than she remembered. She stared at him from top to 
      bottom; taking in everything. His tall frame was dressed in his usual 
      black tux. He had a soft smile on his lips. Serena shivered when she 
      remembered what those lips were capable of doing. She tore her eyes away 
      to look at the rest of him. His ebony hair was styled perfectly as usual 
      and he was as poised as ever but she noticed something about his eyes. 
      They looked dull. She didn't see any of the laughter or the mischievous 
      glint that use to be there. He looked incredibly worn out. "Darien."
      "That was a stunning concert Monsieur le Conte! How do you feel about it?"
      "Merci. I think it went very well. I had a lot of fun doing it."
      Serena took one look at him and knew he didn't have any fun doing it at 
      all. Women swirled around him thrusting paper and pens at him. Darien 
      wearily signed some more autographs as he smiled half-heartedly at them. 
      The reporter continued to ask him questions about the concert. Darien 
      answered politely, still busily signing autographs.
      The last questions caught Serena's attention and she focussed in on them.
      "Now that you're single again. What are you planning to do? Your fans 
      obviously have some ideas." Next to Darien several women were trying to 
      hand him their keys and underwear. The reporter looked at Darien when he 
      didn't answer.
      Darien couldn't look any more uninterested. He didn't bother taking any of 
      them from the women.
      "Will you be getting back together with your girlfriend then?"
      Darien looked at him. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a necklace 
      from his breast pocket. Her rings hung off of it and sparkled brilliantly 
      in the light.
      "My..." Serena put her hand to her mouth. He kept her rings with him.
      Darien looked at them and smiled sadly. "No comment." He thanked him and 
      walked away from the camera.
      The news switched to what people were doing in Australia.
      "Oh Serena, I'm sorry I didn't believe you." She sat down next to Serena 
      and put her hand on her knee. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
      Serena stared blankly at the TV, her eyes were welling up. What had she 
      done? He looked even worse than she felt and now she couldn't get in 
      contact with him.
      Serena left for Prince George a few days later. She didn't think that she 
      could handle another day with her mom fawning all over her.
      Since she found out about Darien, her mom had been trying her best to make 
      amends for not believing Serena. She made her favourite meals and tried to 
      cheer her up by taking her out shopping, but nothing worked.
      Serena couldn't figure out what was going on with Darien. He obviously 
      still had feelings for her. Why else would he keep her rings with him? But 
      why hadn't he tried to talk to her or contact her? He probably hates me 
      that's why. I left him not the other way around. He probably doesn't want 
      to be with me anymore. Why didn't I just listen to him? Serena obsessed 
      over it the entire trip back to Prince George.
      Serena arrived back at Rez later that afternoon. She was the first one 
      back. She opened the window of her room and breathed in the fresh air. It 
      was good to be back at school. Serena checked her messages hoping that he 
      might have called, but there was nothing from him. She star 69'd her phone 
      checking to see who called last. Who ever called had an unlisted number.
      Frustrated, she sat on her bed. "How am I going to contact him?"
      Serena unpacked slowly. She hung up her clothes and rearranged her shoes. 
      Then she started dusting needlessly just as an excuse to hover by the 
      phone. No one called. She checked the phone for a dial tone. It was there. 
      Serena turned and filed her CD's in alphabetical order then made sure all 
      of her hangers were facing the same direction. Still no call. "Argh! Stop 
      being so pathetic!" Feeling completely helpless she headed to the 
      university bookstore to buy her books for the semester. She had to get her 
      mind off of him.
      She ran into a few people she knew and stopped and talked about the 
      holidays. Apparently quite a few people stayed home on new years and saw 
      the report from Madrid.
      Everyone knew about her and Darien. Frustrated with their questions, she 
      excused herself and tired to pick out her books as quickly as she could 
      before anyone else could approach her again.
      Alone she started to browse through the titles, picking up the ones that 
      she needed. She paid for them and quickly walked back home. Serena tried 
      to concentrate on sorting out her books and papers for her new classes but 
      she couldn't get the sad look on Darien's face out of her mind. "Stop 
      being such a baby!" She berated herself then got up and turned on the 
      stereo and put in her Econoline Crush CD. Serena sat back down on the 
      floor and listened to the loud, industrial dance music. She always 
      listened to it when she was feeling down.
      As Serena filled her binders with paper and labelled them for each class, 
      her mind started to wander. For an extremely short time she had such 
      happiness in her life and in the blink of an eye it was gone. She smiled 
      sadly thinking about the first time they saw each other. The instant 
      attraction was undeniable. Then about how as time wore on they grew even 
      closer. Very close indeed. Serena shivered thinking about the hotel room 
      in Vienna and the first time they were together and that one mad week they 
      spent there. She shook the thought from her head and reached over with her 
      right hand to fidget with her ring. She felt nothing. Serena looked at her 
      bare finger and remembered it was gone. She would have started crying 
      again right there but a voice stopped any flow of tears.
      "Oh my god! Classes haven't even started yet and you already have your 
      angry music on?"
      Serena turned around and saw Lita carrying her bags. She turned back to 
      concentrate on her binders. "Hey Lita. How was your vacation?"
      "Fine." Lita gave Serena a puzzled look. She definitely didn't look happy. 
      "Alright, what happened?"
      "Nothing." Serena dropped her binder and all the paper spilled out over 
      the floor. "Son of a...!" she bent down and started picking them up.
      "So then why are you in such a horrible mood?" Lita stood in her doorway.
      "I'm not." The pages slipped from her hand and spilled back onto the 
      floor. "Argh!" Serena threw her book against the wall and watched it 
      explode in a flurry of paper.
      "And you're saying that you're alright." Lita grabbed her by the arm and 
      pulled her over to the bed and sat her down. "Spill it."
      "It's nothing." Serena stared out the window and sighed. "Life stinks 
      doesn't it?"
      "You got it!" She punched her in the shoulder. "Come on Serena. Tell me or 
      I'll have to beat it out of you."
      Serena cracked a little smile. "Don't make me hurt you." They both knew 
      that Serena could beat her any day.
      "That's a bit better. You're starting to resemble the spunky old Serena 
      that I remember. So what's going on?" It had to be something about Darien; 
      Lita knew it.
      Serena held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. "Notice anything?"
      Lita was puzzled. "You hurt your hand?"
      "Where's you ring?" The squeal came from the door.
      They looked out to see Mina running up to the room. "What happened?"
      "We broke up." It was as simple as that. Serena shrugged her shoulders 
      trying to make it seem like no big deal. The truth was she felt like her 
      guts had been ripped out with a spoon coated in lemon juice.
      "No!" Their eyes were huge. "You couldn't have. You were perfect 
together!"
      "Well we did. It's over." She turned back to the mess in her room. "I 
      gotta clean up you guys." Her voice cracked.
      The girls gave her a hug and left. They knew she didn't like to cry in 
      front of anyone.