Perfect Match
Author: PsychoBunny
Rated: PG13
*dum dum dum*
Yes! I finally finished the next chapter of PM! haha. Consider it my belated
Christmas present to all you lovely readers out there. And thank you all for the
lovely reviews and death threats. *sniff* I didn't realize you liked me so much. XD
So for all of you out there dying to know what happens next, here's the next
chapter for you. Happy reading!
Thanks to my lovely DTT's for helping me edit this chapter. Love you AB and SA! ^^
Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon and I never will. It's a cruel, harsh reality
I've learned to accept. -_-;
Chapter 4
Shadows danced wildly across the walls and rug covered floor of the room while the
light from the fire outlined the silhouette that sat in the chair. Restless, he sat
in silence watching the flames crackle in the fireplace, keeping the midnight chill
out of the dark, silent house. The glow of the fire cast against his features,
making the angles of his face seem harsher than what they really were.
Winter was already beginning to show itself within the town, bringing a cold
indifferent feeling with it. This time of year was always the same for Darien,
lonely, cold and dreary, much like his mood.
He'd always been partial to this season more than any other. Perhaps, it was
because to him it represented the harsh reality of life. Winter failed to capture
the innocent scent of spring or the joyful feeling of summer, even the calm autumn
air paled in comparison to winter's dominant aura. No, winter didn't sugar coat
itself in frivolous frills. The season had a powerful air about it, the severe cold
a more distant feeling than anything. Winter stood out as a loner, a deep, and
complex and wiser season, similar to Darien in many ways.
He hummed in mock humor, rubbing his tired, blood-shot eyes. He must be beyond
insomnia and to the point of insanity if he were beginning to compare himself to
seasons. But he rationalized that it was better to dwell on crazy thoughts than to
be reminded of the source for his insomnia.
Darien downed another cup of black coffee, relishing the way the scorching liquid
soothed his edgy nerves. Frustrated, he rubbed his hands over his face and through
his tousled hair, striving to rid himself of the image that had imbedded itself in
his mind. Yet, the image was there as vivid as it had been a couple of hours ago.
The horrible image was the reason he could not sleep. Every time he closed his
eyes, a haunting pair of light blue eyes stared straight back at him.
Darien hunched over in his chair with his elbows resting on his knees and clasped
his hands together. His eyes fixated on the wooden floor beneath him, his mind
drifting off. His heart lurched when he replayed the scene with Serena in the park
today.
He didn't understand why it had agitated him so much that he didn't try to say or
do anything to console her. He knew she would have been offended and mad if he had
attempted to but he still could've tried. He felt like someone had punched him in
the chest whenever he recalled the way she�d looked at him with hurt eyes then
turned and walked away.
Darien was shaken by the simple fact that it had truly bothered him to see her in
such a state, much less feeling guilty about not doing anything to help.
His eyes wandered to the flickering flame in the fireplace, willing for an answer
to his unspoken question. What was he going to do? A quick glance at the clock
proved it was far too late to go visit Serena. But Darien knew that sleep would
elude him until he cleared his conscience of guilt. At least, that's what he kept
telling himself.
He snorted in distaste at himself. Why did it bother him so much? Why was he so
concerned about her? They'd never really been friends; they were hardly even
considered acquaintances. But deep inside, he knew there was something more behind
his reason of concern. What it was, he couldn�t figure out for the life of him.
Suddenly, a revelation hit him, jolting him from his thoughts. Did he actually
fancy Serena? No, that couldn't be it. Sure, he'd been infatuated with her ever
since they'd known each other but that was just that; a strong infatuation. She was
attractive, no doubt, but he harbored no real feelings of affection for her. He
couldn't love her or...
Wait! Love?! Who said anything about love? Darien abruptly straightened in his
chair, his body tensing in defense. The thought had come out of nowhere. It shocked
him to the core that the word would even cross his sleep-deprived mind.
He scoffed at the very idea of it. He didn't believe in such things as love and
even if he did, he wasn't capable of such an emotion. No, he couldn't love anyone
or anything; it simply wasn't plausible. His parents had made sure of that.
His parents. He grimaced in remembrance of the memories. The rich, infamous Mr. and
Mrs. William Shields. He could feel the beginnings of a migraine form in his
already strained, confused mind. A vile, bitter taste arose in his mouth at the
thought of the names that belonged his so-called �parents�. Unfortuantely, they
were his biological parents, but they couldn't truly be called parents.
He held a strong resentment towards his parents for what they�d done to him; for
what they�d made him. He hadn�t been abused as a child, nor mistreated, but they�d
neglected him and hadn�t given him the attention and acceptance children so
desperately craved. Darien's father had given his son everything a little boy could
ever dream of; things ranging from toy trains to the latest laptops. Darien's
mother had taught her son about manners, respect and girls. They had sent him to
the most prestigious schools money could buy. But yet, they both had failed in
their duties as a parent; they had failed to give him the love he needed.
Darien had been left at home without a second thought, while both thrived upon the
glitzy parties and social clubs of the rich. They had always been indifferent and
distant towards him. All he had ever been to them was a trophy to brag about and
someone to carry on the family name.
Darien remembered once asking his mother if she married her husband for love. She
had retorted: "It was a smart match and we had similar ideas of what was expected
and done in a marriage."
Then told him she�d given birth to him out of "duty". In all his 30 years of life,
he had never once heard the woman use the term "love".
From the time he had entered high school, Darien had been bred to follow in his
father's footsteps as a successful lawyer. As the past five generations of the male
Shields had been either prominent lawyers or doctors, he too, was expected to be.
But as he�d always been different from his family, Darien hid his true passion from
his parents, computers.
Upholding family tradition - or better termed as control - was something that had
weighed heavily on his shoulders even at a young age. Caught in-between the
pressure from his parents and his own secret interest, Darien fled the big, old
mansion in California and everything that tied him down to it.
At the time, he hadn't the slightest notion of where he was going but knew that
anything would have been better than that old house. At 18 with his cell phone and
a small portion of his trust fund in his pocket, he went wherever his car would
take him. Darien had somehow ended up in this small town. Nobody would ever think
to look for him there, so he decided to stay and easily got in to a nice college in
the nearest city.
His parents were infuriated when they found out he had runaway. They threatened to
disown him if he didn't return home and go to Harvard as they had planned. Darien
told them they'd be doing him a favor if they disowned him. That had been the last
time he'd spoken to his parents.
His parents, if such a label could be graced upon them, were no longer an important
part of his life anymore. Or was it that he wasn't an important part of theirs?
Whatever the circumstance might be, his parents were the sole reason he was like he
was. He was a very rational man, even to the point of cynical at times, who
couldn't love, be sympathetic, kind, generous, or any of that rubbish. He didn't
let feelings rule his life or make his decisions for him. Darien Shields followed
his head, not his heart.
Perhaps, that was what caused him to be drawn to Serena. He was insatiable when it
came to being surrounded by her mere presence, her kind heart and positive
attitude. She embodied the very things he could never, but longed to, be. He
admitted that at times she could be overly emotional - or hormonal, depending on
the day - but he was hopelessly drawn to her empathic ways. There was a special
something that seemed to radiate from deep within her that captivated him as
nothing had. Her sense of humor and wit weren't too bad either.
Darien made a face while watching the remaining embers of the dying fire slowly
burn out. You'd really think he fancied the girl from the way he went on about her.
Getting up and out of his chair, Darien stretched his aching limbs and made his way
to bed. Though a fruitless effort, he would attempt to at least get an hour's worth
of sleep then go see Serena in the morning. He was going to go check up on her and
make sure she was all right. That's what he kept telling himself anyways.
**********
Serena ushered Sapphire into the house and sat him down on the couch with her.
Concerned, he asked her if she was holding up well after the whole incident. She
became teary-eyed from the kindness he showed her, from holding her hand to hugging
her when she cried again. He was one of the only people she knew who was thoughtful
enough to travel from one side of the country to the other just to visit her.
But he had always been a wonderful person. She�d met him at an after show party at
one of her shows. He was so charming and sweet that she had liked him immediately.
She had had such a fantastic time in his company that they became fast friends. He
called her often and they spent a lot of time together hanging out. Besides
Charlie, Sapphire had to be her best, most trusted male friend. She considered
dating him at one time as he showed interest beyond just friendship. After
discussing it though, both realized they worked better as friends than lovers.
Later on one of their weekly nights out, Sapphire had introduced Serena to his
older brother Diamond. The rest was ancient history.
After she calmed down, Sapphire recounted to her what had happened after she left
New York. Diamond apparently went crazy after she�d left him. To avoid media
speculation, Sapphire locked Diamond up in a private house outside of town, hired a
personal psychiatrist and a couple of security guards to monitor him.
Sapphire took full control over the Jewel Hotels as president. He'd been put in
charge to run the whole chain of hotels single-handedly, a lot of pressure for any
businessman. Serena could tell he was worn out and stressed from such a huge
responsibility suddenly being thrust upon him. The bags under his eyes and his
scraggly appearance were a dead give away.
She reached out and grabbed his forearm, gently squeezing in a gesture of solace.
He turned to look at her with curious eyes. She smiled sweetly at him and brushed a
few strands of his black hair away from his questioning eyes.
"You really should check into a hotel somewhere and get some rest. You look like
you need it." She said in a softly. Serena loved Sapphire like a brother; she hated
seeing him pushing himself so hard over such an awkward situation.
He grasped her hand in his own and leaned forward. "Serena, I..."
A shrill ring interrupted what he was about to say. He sighed in annoyance and
rummaged through his pocket to answer his cell phone.
While Sapphire talked in hushed tones to whoever called him, Serena began to wonder
what he was going to say before the phone rang. A thought struck her right as
Sapphire ended his conversation and hung up his phone.
"Sapphire, how were you able to find out where I was staying?" She eyed him
curiously.
Scratching the back of his head and giving a lop-sided smile, he laughed nervously.
"Would you believe that a little birdie told me?"
"No, really how did you find me?" She shot him a cautious look. The whole reason
for her coming back to this town was to get away from everybody and everything. She
told only a handful of people where she was staying and unfortunately, Sapphire
hadn't been one of them.
The atmosphere of the room shifted as he gazed intently upon her. A painful look
crossed his face as the words hitched in his throat. His voice came out as a croak.
"Why didn't you tell me, you were leaving New York? I had to learn from the papers
and friends that you left and what happened with Diamond. Do you not trust me
Serena?"
Leave it to Sapphire to be straightforward on matters, but then again he'd never
been the kind to beat around the bush. Serena�s mouth dried in nervousness,
choosing her words carefully.
"Sapphire, I do trust you, but please understand; I couldn't face anyone that
night. I was too scared and ashamed to admit my own boyfriend's affair. I'd denied
it for so long when someone told me they thought he was cheating on me, I'd
immediately came to his defense." The words poured from her mouth before she could
catch herself. She confessed the untainted truth that she herself feared to admit.
"I'm so sorry if I hurt you Sapphire, but I didn't want to tell anyone that
absolutely didn't have to know. I was in so much pain that I refused to speak about
it to my friends. It's still so hard to talk about." Her voice cracked with
emotion, as her throat got scratchy and irritated; unshed tears gleaming in her
expressive blue eyes.
"Oh Serena..." He put an arm around her shoulder, leaning in and murmuring in her
ear.
"Don't worry sweetheart. I understand." Using his other hand, he held her chin and
turned her so they were face to face.
"Hey, now don't cry anymore. That's not the Serena I know. The Serena I know
wouldn't let it get her down and she�d smile. Come on, where's that beautiful
smile?" He gave her an expectant look that indicated he was being goofy. Upon his
request, a small, brave smile crept its way across her face as she sniffed and
blinked back a couple of stray tears in her eyes.
"There, much better! And to answer your earlier question, Charles happened to
mention your whereabouts and here I am!� Sapphire put his arms up over his head and
leaned back into the cushions of the couch, looking particularly smug. A little too
smug if you asked Serena. Her inquiry peaked when a triumphant grin broke out on
his face.
"You blackmailed him didn�t you?" She raised a finely shaped brow at him. Figures,
being the incredible businessman that he is, Sapphire would be desperate enough to
resort to blackmail.
"I wouldn't call it blackmail, more like negotiated. You know a trade for a trade."
He waved his hand in the air as if to emphasize it was all so logical.
"Sapphire, sometimes I swear you should have been a lawyer." She shook her head and
laughed at his smile widened.
"But how did you pry the information out of Charlie anyways?" She knew Charlie
wasn't the gossiping type and certainly would never let a secret out. She trusted
both men so she really didn't mind that Sapphire knew. Still, it was amazing that
he had managed to find out from Charlie.
"The man can be more stubborn than a mule sometimes. But, I said that I would let
the tabloids know about his new female companion if he didn't tell me where you
were staying. Plus, I agreed to check up on you and give him a full report." He
cocked his head to the side.
"Charlie has a girlfriend?" She gasped audibly.
"He sure does. It's some lady he met at your last show." Sapphire stated and
absently nodded. Serena made a mental note to call Charlie and bug him about his
love life when she got the chance. Thinking about it, she made another mental note
to call Mina too. Catching Serena yawn and rub her eyes tiredly, Sapphire sat up
and stretched.
"I hate to leave you, sweets but I think some sleep would do us both some good."
Escorting him out to her front porch, Serena was surprised to find a dark, cool
night greet them outside. She hadn't realized that it had gotten so late or cold.
Giving Sapphire a big, bear hug, Serena said goodnight and told him to call her
later. Trying to step back from the friendly hug, Serena found Sapphire reluctant
to let go. He pushed her against him, holding on to her for a little longer than
necessary. Feeling a bit uneasy, Serena shoved against his chest and broke the
contact.
She made sure to stand a few feet away from him, wrapping her arms around herself
protectively. The little exchange was quite uncomfortable to Serena, and Sapphire
was acting weird. She shook off the sudden chill that ran up her spine. Waving
goodbye and saying a final good night, Serena went back into the house as soon as
Sapphire got into his car.
It had been quite a night and the only thing on her mind was sleep. Collapsing into
her bed, she crawled under the covers and instantly fell asleep, blissfully unaware
of anything else but her own dreams.
**********
The dark night and tinted windshields blanketed the black car from any prying eyes
that happen to peer inside. The two men sat in silence as one closely monitored the
house and the other was lost in his thoughts. It sure was a shame to waste such a
nice night waiting for the girl's next move and the boss's orders.
The man switched his gaze from the house to his partner that sat beside him. He
uttered a curse under his breath. The damn man was asleep again, the second time
tonight! Why his boss had put him with a partner, he would never know. He could
easily handle this job and certainly didn't need a partner. He never had but the
boss had insisted upon it for such an important job.
Compared to his usual job, though, watching this Serena girl was a piece of cake.
He crookedly smiled at the thought of her. She sure was a beauty but a sly one. She
had tried to trick them several times by renting the house, ditching her car,
getting a new job, and having a man over to her house.
He had to be careful with this one; he had a distinct feeling she could be a
handful. He shifted his body in a different position; his butt was beginning to go
numb from sitting in the car for so long. He prayed that the little minx wasn't
planning for the man to spend the night. He really didn't want to camp out in the
car for the night.
But unfortunately, the boss just had to know everything little thing the girl did,
from whom she interacted with to what she did everyday. Truth be told, the boss
seemed a bit strange.
The man's trained eye caught movement on the front porch. Grabbing a pair of
binoculars, he watched Serena bid the man goodbye and hug him for a while. Funny,
he didn't look like the same guy from the other night, though he did look
remarkably similar. He'd have to find out about both men and their relationship
with her later.
The man drove off as Serena went back into the house. He sighed in relief when all
the lights in the house were turned off. She'd gone to bed and he could finally
leave. But tomorrow was another day and he was anxious to find out exactly who the
men that had visited Serena were.
Great, thanks to you guys, I'm dying to know what's going to happen next too. >.<
And I'm the author. :P Thanks for reading! Come back again some time, ya hear!
Remember kiddos, a review a day keeps the writer happy and writing. ^^