Shady Business by Silver MoonAngel -------------------------------------------------------------------- STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- Darien paced outside her door. She had been locked in there for nearly a week; opening her door only for meals. Darien was tearing his hair out. Had it never occurred to her that her absence was a form of torture for him? He was so close to breaking down her door and making her admit...what? Darien ran a hand through his hair as he stared at her door, contemplating what it was he wanted her to admit to. Serena sat at the vanity, listening to Darien pace back and forth for the past week. She had been mentally coaching herself that it would be a good thing when she was finally able to leave this place, only to realize that her thoughts invariably returned to Darien. She whispered, "Get the hell out of my mind," to a cold and empty room. She rose out of the chair and pressed her ear against the door. She could hear him breathing heavily and every once and a while soft curses would be uttered. In response, she whispered, "Go away," praying that he would hear her and take his leave. Darien looked at the door. She was standing behind it, softly urging him to go away. "Serena," he begged, "please let me in." He waited a few minutes in silence; which was shattered when he heard a soft, "No." Serena didn't need him to come in. They would start kissing and it would be over. Her wait would have been in vain and it would have to start again. "Come back in a week." From behind her she heard a soft chuckle. She whirled around to Darien. "I don't think I can wait that long." She gasped at him. "I don't know how the hell you got in here," Serena narrowed her eyes at him, "but you had better remove yourself. Now." Darien shook his head at her. "I'm afraid I can't do that." He walked over and took her face into his hands. Kissing her softly, he said, "I want you so bad, I think I'm going to burst into flame." Serena searched his eyes; there was a stark need there as well as an underlying gentleness. No matter what happened, it was going to happen; it was out of her hands now. Serena laced her arms around his neck and deeply kissed him. She abandoned herself to her senses and threw her problems down the tubes; this felt so right that nothing could get in the way of it. She breathed, "Oh, Darien," and became prey to the unrelenting force that had buried itself inside her skin. * * * Serena laid lazily on the bed, stroking Darien's hair as he laid on top of her. She must have had a goofy smile on her face, she felt that happy. She forced him to look at her. "Are we going to do anything besides have sex?" Darien gazed into her eyes, drowning in their depths. She wanted more; he almost jumped for joy. "Do you really want more?" Serena felt her spirits lift. Maybe that week apart had done them good. She idly kissed him, pouring out her nervous energy. "Do you have a fireplace?" Darien rolled to the side of the bed, pulling Serena on top of him. "Of course," he chuckled. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't have a fireplace?" He gathered her close and kissed the top of her head. Letting his fingers wander around her back, he whispered, "I've wanted this for a long time," so quietly that Serena thought her mind had made it up. Serena pulled away and sat up; she needed to ask him this now. "Darien, what would happen if I became pregnant?" She searched his face for an answer. Darien was blown away. What would he do if she got pregnant? He pulled her on top of him and traced circles on her back. "I guess I would help you take care of it." He looked up into her face, "I would love to have a little girl that looked like you." Tears gathered in Serena's eyes. She silently coached herself not to cry. In a choked voice, she said, "I think I would like that too." Serena got out of bed and threw a shirt and a pair of jeans on. She grabbed a brush off her vanity and went about viciously attacking her hair. A pair of warm hands took the brush out of her hand and began using gentle strokes to untangle the mass. Nipping Serena's ear, Darien said, "I guess this is my cue to start getting dressed." Serena said, with her back turned, "You should take that as a yes." Wondering what he had done now, Darien swiftly pulled his clothes back on. He definitely needed to learn more about Serena before they moved onto the next stage in their love lives. * * * Serena climbed the stairs after hiding out in the library all day. After what had happened this morning, she figured the library was the safest place to be; he wouldn't ravish her in there with the possibility of maids wandering in and out. Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw something red caught in her door. Slowly opening it, she grabbed the rose before it fell on the floor. She sighed as she opened her door; rose petals had been scattered everywhere and there was a path of roses. Dropping to pick up each one, Serena pulled up short when she encountered a wall. Darien stood on the other side, watching Serena puzzle over the wall. The secret entrance to her room had been built in when his father and mother were first married; the passage connected to his room and various others. Darien slid back the panel and watched her follow the path, being careful not to make his presence known. Serena wandered down the hall, making sure to pick up each rose, wanting to save and treasure them when she left. It had never been her intent to fall for Darien, but it had happened all the same and there was to be no turning back. She edged back a door and stood in a room that had a fireplace in which the firelight played on the black and red furnishings. In the middle of the bed, surrounded by red roses, was a single white rose. Darien came up from behind her and wrapped her in his arms. Kissing her neck, he said, "These roses symbolize all the women in my life. You are the white rose; the only one unique and beautiful enough to catch my full attention." He stood there for several moments, listening to the soft shuttering sighs that Serena uttered. Serena turned around and gazed at Darien. Tears shone in her eyes as she tried to analyze what it was he was doing. "Darien, you..." Darien put a finger to her lips. He didn't want her to say something that they could both regret; he planned on living for today and didn't want to move past that. He gathered her in his arms and relished in the quiet silence of it all; most of all, he relished in the feel of Serena, his Serena. Darien carried her over to a chair and set her in his lap. He lifted her chin up and asked her, "Tell me about your first love." Serena looked at him wide-eyed. Tracing circles on his chest, she said, "You get straight to the point, don't you?" Not waiting for an answer she told him, "My first love is a mystery man I met when I was sixteen. The reason he's a mystery man is that I never saw his face. I could have, mind you, by I didn't want to. I would have broken it." Darien sat back, drank in the details, and came to a few conclusions. The first was that Serena loved him, or at least had at one point. The second is that if he hadn't been such an ass and left the first time, he wouldn't have had to buy her out and start his little charade. Darien suddenly leaned down and kissed her, cutting off whatever she had been saying about her 'mystery man.' Serena leaned into the kiss. It was everything that the previous ones weren't: sweet, gentle, and loving. There was no need for raw emotion here. The passion from that morning had shattered the physical barriers, whereas this single innocent, gentle kiss was shattering and creating new emotional barriers. Who was to know that they would be tested soon afterwards?