The Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters, but the story is most thankfully mine.  Please don’t sue.

The songs used in this story aren’t mine…
“Falling into you” belongs to Celine Dion
“My All” belongs to Mariah Carey
“Whenever You Call” belongs to Mariah Carey
“To the Moon and Back” belongs to Savagegarden

An Award

Chapter 1 - Family and Gossip
     The blond at the mahogany desk looked absently out her 52nd
floor story window to see the amazing night-time skyline of New York
City when she was suddenly startled by the ring of a telephone.
     Collecting herself, exhausted over her paperwork, she took off her
golden-frame reading glasses and picked up the phone.  She sighed,
“Larynce and Larynce, Larynce the younger speaking.”
     “Serena Larynce, if you don’t come back home later tonight, I will
go to New York, knock you out, and carry you back to Massachusetts!”
     “Good evening, mother,” Serena lazily sat back in her black leather
chair.  It engulfed her thin body, and she felt sleepy.  She rubbed her
temples, contemplating the New York skyline, drenched in darkness,
smattered with glitter of lighted towers of gold.  “I’ll be there tomorrow
early afternoon.  I just have to finish up some business here, go to
Cambridge and pick up a few papers there to grade, and I’ll be there.”
     “But tomorrow’s Christmas Eve!  We wanted you to be here with
us the whole day!”
     “I will…later,” she said, picking up another paper and starting to
read it.
     “Serena…”
     “Mother, please don’t start with me.  We went through this last
year.  I went though it today.  And Aunt Hetty already threw a fit when I
wanted to stay in New York this week, instead of going to the Castle with
her.”
     “Well that just shows I’m right.  When your SENIOR partner in
your law firm, who is also your aunt, calls it a day for both of you, it
means that you both stop working.”
     “Mother…”
     “Don’t ‘mother’ me.  I want you home tomorrow morning.  The
Dredsdales are spending Christmas with us, so you have to be here too.”
     “ALL the Dredsdales?”  Her heart started to pound.  All the
Dredsdales…which included…well…HIM!
     “Yes, and if you came to visit more often, you’d know.  But no,
you’re too busy with your law firm in New York and teaching at Harvard
to come!”
     “I’m sorry…” Serena felt her mind in a flurry of wishes…to stay at
home, to go there and finally confront him, to just forget he ever existed…
     “I’m worried about you…”
     *When ISN’T she worried?* she rolled her eyes, tugging a short
gold curl that fell in front of her face back behind her ear.  She focused her
thoughts on talking to her mother.  She shouldn’t think about HIM right
now.
     “Serena, you’re all alone in that city, and you haven’t met
anyone…”
     *Of all times…of course!  It’s the holiday season…Nothing like
packing a bunch of people in a house to know how much you want a
bunch a people for yourself!*  “I’m still young…”
     “YOU’RE TWENTY-SIX!”
     “That’s not old…”
     “Serena, a twenty-six-year-old does not just LIVE in New York.
She hides in the office buildings and apartment buildings, and goodness
knows where you’ll meet someone in all the millions of people who live
there…”
     “Mom, I’m fine the way I am…”
     “HA!  If you were fine the way you were, you’d be here.  Mark my
words Serena, if you had any sense in family tradition, you’d be right here,
right now.  And perhaps, if you had a HUSBAND, you’d understand that
kind of duty…it’s called love of the family.  Look it up some time!”
     With that, Ilene Larynce slammed down the phone, convincing her
daughter to get out of her chair, and start to go back to her apartment.  She
shut her eyes a moment, gathered her thoughts, and then stood up.
     Serena sighed as she packed her things up.  *Mother…*
     Ilene Larynce was still a stickler for tradition and American family
values.  Even if it meant beating up her daughter to take her home.  Her
reign as the First Lady was over, but the White House was never the same
again.  Serena laughed to herself as she thought about it.
     She brought her leather briefcase out the door of her nice office,
and started to walk to the elevators.  She was the only one left on the floor.
Serena felt somewhat content with that fact, and walked a little lighter.
     She got in the elevators and pressed the down button.
     Serena was a stickler for work.  It was amazing how her value of
American family was so different from her mother’s.  Serena had married
her studies and job, and had began in her aunt’s law firm and had worked
her way to the top.  She then took on Harvard, as the new law professor.
She rose to be head of the department.  She had a busy schedule, but she
liked the business.  It was more professional.  And she was the
embodiment of professionalism.
     Her very fit body was always in strict business wear, unless she
was out in one of those social things her mother told her to attend, every
once in a while.  She jogged every morning in Cambridge when she was at
Harvard, and sometimes ran in Central Park early in the morning when she
was in New York.  But no one could really tell that now.  She looked
feminine, and she looked professional.  Right now, she was wearing a pink
Laura Ashley business suit, and her gold hair was bouncy and slightly
straight, curling at the ends to her neck.  It flowed to just above her
shoulders.  But it was now elegantly coiled up in a professional French
twist, but strands were falling out and gathering around her soft face.  She
took the short haircut out of the fact that there was little maintenance, and
not because it was stylish, though she looked very beautiful with her hair
that way.
     As she stepped out of the elevator, she said good night to the
security guard, and put on her trench coat, and buttoned up.  She wound
her pink cashmere scarf around her neck, and put on her pink beret.  She
then stepped out into the cold bustling of Manhattan.
     The scarf and beret gave more away about her than anything else in
her appearance.  The scarf showed that she was soft, and very beautiful on
the inside, that she liked fun and pretty things, though she didn’t show it
too often.  She had learned to restrain herself from careless fancies over
the years.  But Serena Larynce, no matter how distant she was to the
public, was still a little girl at heart, and only this way with her family and
friends.
     Now, the scarf was whipping against the late December winds.
Snow was swirling about, in pretty tendrils from the sky.  She walked
briskly and lightly down 5th Avenue, passing the shoppers rushing out of
Saks, happy with tons of shopping bags.  She passed the crowds walking
about the Rockefeller Center, sighed and turned away while passing the
beautiful Christmas tree, and after a few blocks, went up the steps to a
fancy tall building.  As the doorman greeted her, she smiled and wished
him a happy Christmas.  She then walked to the brass doors of the elevator
and pushed the up button.  As she stepped in, she rested against the wall,
closing her eyes lightly, pressing the button for the top floor, and inserting
the key into the elevator that would allow her access to that floor.
     As she stepped off the elevator, and got out her key to open her
penthouse apartment.  She entered, plopping her work bag and purse to the
floor, already carpeted with various other things she had carelessly
dropped after coming home other times.
     So Serena Larynce wasn’t perfect.  She didn’t have to manage a
beautiful life AND clean her apartment.  That was just expecting way too
much!  She only cleaned on rare occasions, when she knew she’d have
company, or when she had a rare Saturday to herself.  Since she spent
most of her engagements in other places, and since she rarely had a free
Saturday, her apartment, however nicely it was decorated, was still a mess.
     Serena had two main alternatives when she first decorated her
apartment, and that was the homey, or the elegant.  She chose elegant, and
cream velvet carpets, silky cream curtains, and cream-colored leather
furniture.  The coffee table was glass with white marble ends, and her
walls were cream, lit dimly by the simple light at the ceiling of the room.
The walls were also decorated with soft Monets and other impressionists.
     She sighed as that elegance had more of the homey appearance
now, literally, for her coffee table was cluttered with coffee mugs she had
been mindlessly leaving there for a month or so, and her couch was
cluttered with briefs she was reading, and more papers she was grading
covered her laptop computer, which had drowned somewhere in there.
     She stepped around the obstacles on the floor to the kitchen, which
was spotless, for lack of use.  However, her sink was filled to the brim
with more coffee mugs.
     *And my colleagues actually WONDER why I buy so many mugs,
and why I like them for Christmas!*
     Serena went to the kitchen counter, by her cordless phone charger.
She reached underneath the pile of papers next to it, pressed the button on
the answering machine, and walked away from it, to the refrigerator,
wondering if any of the leftovers of Chinese take out she had ordered three
days ago was still edible.
     “Serena!”
     Serena jumped from the refrigerator and laughed when she realized
that it was only her mother on the answering machine, and not in her
apartment.  *If Mom saw this place NOW, she’d kill me!*  Her mother
had undoubtedly called to find out why her daughter was not at the Castle,
and still in New York.  *She first probably tried Cambridge and then my
prof office, and then called here and then my work number right after this,
and yelled at me then!  I’ll have to remember that when I check my
answering machines at Cambridge!*
     “It is 9:30 on the night before Christmas Eve.  It’s bad enough you
aren’t here, with the rest of us, but it’s even worse you aren’t even at your
APARTMENT!  But then again, it must look like a pigsty now!  You
better be out shopping or doing something careless, because if I call and
catch you at work I will ground you at the Castle until you have spent all
of a year with us!”
     Serena then tuned out as she rummaged the refrigerator once more,
pulling out and smelling the Chinese carton.  She wrinkled her nose and
tossed it into her now slightly overflowing garbage can.  *I’ve got to take
out the trash!*
     She opened the freezer and finally decided on an ice cream
sandwich.
     A furious click.  Her mother had hung up.  Serena tuned in for
more messages.
     “Rena.  Ken.  Call.”
     Serena laughed.  Kenneth Larynce DID hate answering machines.
     And that was the end of the messages.
     She went into the living room, paced around a bit, and finally
decided that the phone was in the refrigerator.
     She went to the refrigerator, and there it was, sitting next to the
milk carton.  *I don’t know HOW it got there, and I don’t know HOW I
know.* she calmly told herself.  *I don’t want to know.  If I have time,
maybe I’ll clean up a little before I go to bed tonight.  It’s only around ten
or so now,* as she looked at the clock on the wall.  *I’ve got a few hours.
But I probably need two lifetimes.*
     She then remembered the phone call, and picked up her phone and
dialed Ken’s cell phone number.
     A woman picked up, her slightly deep and rich voice answering.
“Ken Larynce’s phone, his wife speaking.”
     “Hey Lita!”
     “Rena Larynce, if you don’t get your butt here now your mother
will kill you!” Lita scolded teasingly over the phone.
     “I know, I know, it’s tough to get things done, though.  I’ll try.  I
just got your husband’s message, so can I talk to my second cousin once
removed?”  Serena laughed.
     “He’s tucking his little princess in.”
     “And how is his queen?”
     “Fine, my restaurant’s doing great.  I’m thinking of opening in
New York now as well.”
     “So Boston, Denver, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Washington DC,
Seattle, Orlando and goodness knows where still isn’t good enough?”
     “Well, when your husband is the president-elect, the first lady’s
got to do something!”
     Serena laughed.  “I suppose so.  And are all the Larynces and
Dredsdales there at the Castle, listening to my mother rant and rave about
her irresponsible daughter who doesn’t have her priorities set straight?”
     “Pretty much all the guests have arrived.  Mina Lockhart got here
this morning with Andrew, and Chad Larynce and his wife Raye got here
this afternoon.  You remember her, right?  The wedding in…what was
it…August?  Yeah, right after cousin Loraine’s!”
     “Yes, Raye is the somewhat temperamental business woman.  But
very kind and sweet once you get to know her.  I remember her.  Didn’t
really get to talk with her or anything…hope to be better acquainted,
though.”
     “And first cousin Amy came this evening, and brought her fiancee,
Greg!”
     “OHHHHHH!!!  THAT’S SOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!”  Serena
squealed.  “It’s about time Amy met someone special.  I remember school
years; she was more than a social recluse!”
     “Yeah, I’m pleased too.  Greg is a very sweet and intelligent young
man. He’s pretty cute.  To top it all off, he also absolutely worships her.
They love each other a lot.”
     “I’m glad, but I wish Amy had told me!”
     “Well, considering no one can ever get a hold of you…why don’t
you try a cell phone, or a pager?”
     “I fear having them robbed.”
     “Then move somewhere safe!  You’re twenty-six, and alone in a
huge dangerous city.”
     “You sound like my mother.”
     “Well, I worry.”
     “Even more like my mother.”
     “Serena, you know you’re always the one set apart from the
Larynces…you never come to these family things…”
     Serena smiled over the phone.  “Well, things get busy…”
     “Busier than family?”
     “Believe me, I don’t miss much except for my mom, dad, Sam, and
you guys.  And sometimes Gram, when she’s not setting me up…”
     “Speaking of setups…”
     “Oh…No…” Serena closed her eyes rubbing her eyes.
     “There’s something funny going on here…”
     “And I bet it has to do with me and a Dredsdale.  The lengths my
grandmother will go to see me ‘happily settled’.  I can find my own
husband…if I want one.”
     “Serena…”
     “What?”
     “Anyways, rumor has it that the Dredsdale PRINCE is here for
Christmas.  I don’t believe YOU have ever met him, though almost every
other Larynce girl has.  They’re all madly in love.”
     “Prince?” her heart beat faster.  HIM.
     “Yes…from what I hear, he’s Gertrude’s favorite, she raised him
since his parents had died.  Every Larynce princess is crazy about him.  He
is hot, I’m told,” Lita laughed, thinking of the distress that was in Serena
right now.
     “But Dredsdales are genetically inclined to look fabulous anyhow,”
Serena giggled, trying to sound calm.  Her heart…it was up in her throat.
HIM!
     “But none are as hot as the prince.  I haven’t met him, but I’ve
heard.  Ken tutored him English when he first came to America.”
     “From where?” Serena asked, dumbly.  Of course, she knew.  She
knew everything.
     “Japan,” Lita said, smiling over the line.
     “Japan?” she asked again conversationally…trying to sound
calm…she knew the story…she just wanted to hear it again, she supposed.
Besides, Lita didn’t know about…that…did she?
     “But he’s not Japanese.  He was born in America, had the same
story as you did, basically, but this time, it’s not a happy ending.  His
parents got killed in a car accident, and he was taken here by Gertrude,”
Lita continued, thinking she could hear the shallow nervous breathing on
the other side of the line.
     “Ah…no wonder the Larynce cats are all sharpening their claws.
The matriarch’s prodigy.  I think I’ve heard of him.  Hot, but cruel!  Isn’t
he some kind of DOCTOR or something?” she asked, again
conversationally.  Of course he was a doctor…she’d known that for
years…
     “Yeah.  From what I hear, he’s a GREAT doctor, top of his field,
teaching at Johns Hopskins.  I hear he also teaches a little med and bio up
at Harvard as well.  You might know him,” Lita said, *HA!  Know Him,
or know OF Him?*
     “I don’t think so.  I haven’t really gotten to know the staff outside
of the law department.  I don’t think I even SET FOOT outside the law
department buildings and my apartment there.  But anyways, about the
prince…what was his name…Darrick, Darren, Dorkus…what was it?” she
laughed.  Keep up the charade…besides, she never really MET him…
     “Darien.”
     “Ah…with a name like that a girl ought to melt upon just hearing
it!” Serena faked a sigh.  The name, however, was more than familiar.  Ah,
the boy Gram always mentioned to Serena, the name that had been
stealthily slipped into her mind and memory.  *Darien did this…Darien
did that…*  She was FIERCELY competitive with the image of all Darien
represented.  However, she wouldn’t compete in medicine with him…she
wasn’t really into the medical stuff.  She loved politics and American
Government and History…and she had an astounding speaking ability…a
captain of the Debate team for three years in a row in high school, then
another three in college.  No, Darien Dredsdale couldn’t compete with her
there, but he did projects with profs and ended up going to places like
Poland and Italy to present his ideas…it was ridiculous the way they
competed, and she knew it now, but when she was younger, there was an
importance.  “Oh, I’m already feeling my cheeks flush at his name, and
my heart is thudding.”  Actually, it was, for she was going to finally meet,
face to face, with the one man she had competed with all her life.  She
wondered what it would be like.  And she knew, it would be strange.
     “Rena, I wouldn’t talk so fast.  If everything said about him is true,
then you will absolutely swoon once you meet him.” *SWOON?  She’ll be
in love…she’s already halfway there…though she’s never met him!* Lita
smirked.
     “I’m sure I will…with laughter…”  She knew of his good looks.
She never saw him…she had many opportunities when she was younger,
at many of the parties, but she never cared much to meet him.  She was
always afraid…to go and find that the boy she was competing with, this
young intelligent man, would be a nice guy.  It was TOO hard to compete
with a nice guy.  Now, she had read some medical journals about him
(only to remain up to date in medicine, of course).  His name was
everywhere.  She’d never seen him before, but had a vague image in her
mind of him.  She imagined the arrogant young man she’d always
pictured, with slicked blond hair, and proud dark brown eyes.  He’d be tall
and domineering, with an ego the size of Mount Everest.  To see an actual
picture would spoil her image, and spoil her whole fancy.
     “Serena…I know you’ve been wanting to meet him.  When I first
met you, one of the first things Ken said to me was that you had been
fiercely competitive with  guy you’ve never met, and that he was Darien
Dredsdale.  I don’t know…we all thought that it would be romantic…”
Lita started, thinking that she HAD to tell Serena she knew…it was fair
this way, she supposed.  Then she could tease her all the more for
pretending Serena DIDN’T know of him.
     “HA!  I thought I was beyond the age of romance!” Serena laughed
nervously, having been seen through.  Her cheeks colored and she looked
up the ceiling, closing her eyes.  Darien’d never hear about this anyhow,
but all the same…
     “Ken married me when he was twenty-nine.  Darien’s only twenty-
eight.  I was twenty-seven.  You’re only going to be twenty-six.  Ken and
I’ve been married for ten years now, and have a beautiful nine-year-old,
and a wonderful six-year-old.  That wasn’t too late.  Who knows, Serena,
Darien could sweep you off your feet, and you could fall in love, as fast as
I did.”
     “Yeah, but you’re sweet, agreeable.  You WANTED matrimony.
You loved each other.  I’m not that kind of girl anymore.  I was when I
was a teenager, and that was what being a teenager was all about.  Being
foolish enough to fall in love with love.  Now I know romance does exist,
but only for certain ones.  Not me.  Especially not with some “prince” all
my mindless cousins are swooning over; he’s probably got the body of a
tennis pro, a bank account the size of Fort Knox in Switzerland, and let’s
not forget the brain of tapioca pudding…”
     “He’s the HEAD OF THE MED DEPARTMENT OF JOHN’S
HOPSKINS!”  Lita sighed.
     “Yeah, yeah, whatever.  My cousins don’t care for intelligent guys;
they tend to be boring, seeing that INTELLIGENT guys tend to talk about
things other than other women’s dresses.  I hope my taste in men is better
than THAT, or else, he’ll have to keep me up with fashion trends!”  Serena
knew that was entirely untrue.  If he was a blockhead, then she’d never
forgive herself for competing with an illusion.
     “We’ll see, when you duel with the prince yourself tomorrow.”
     “And is my charming opponent already there?” she asked, her eyes
bright and wide.  Her heart quivering.
     “As a matter of fact, he came in an hour ago.  He then proceeded to
be locked up in the den with my husband for an hour, and they discussed
macho guy things.  Speaking of which, I think my husband is ready for
you now.”  Serena wanted to protest.  She wanted to hear more about
Darien…so she’d be prepared tomorrow.
     She heard the phone being passed, and she heard a clearing of a
throat.  “Rena Larynce.  Why aren’t you here yet?  You’re mother’s
worried sick about you!”
     Serena laughed.  “And how is my cousin, the president-elect of the
United States of America?”
     “Good, if his dear cousin Rena will agree to be his wonderful
attorney general.”
     “WHAT?”
     “I meant it, Rena. I want you to be my attorney general when I take
office.  I KNOW you’ll just do a great job!”
     Serena laughed. “I’m, well, very flattered that you have asked me!
In fact, I am going to something I don’t normally do.  I’m going to accept
this position impulsively, and not even bother thinking about that law firm
I have in New York.”
     “I know, it’s complicated to get out of a law partnership, but Rena,
I know it’s been your dream to sweep all of Washington, ever since you’ve
lived here to be mortified at the press.”
     Serena pressed her lips, remembering the past.  She had changed
over the years.  No, the eight year old Usagi Tsukino in that walked
carefully onto American soil for the first time would never had guessed
she’d end up being Serena Larynce, the former first daughter, successful
lawyer.
     Sure, she had certainly regretted leaving Japan.  Though she was
born in America, she had barely even begun to live when her father was
transferred for diplomatic reasons to Japan to discuss politics with the
Japanese president. It wasn’t fair that when she was eight, the American
government had decided that Michael Larynce was needed back in
Washington, where he could preside over American politics.
     And certainly wasn’t fair when Usagi Tsukino had to give up her
bunny name, her Japanese name, which was a mere adoption to make the
Larynces welcome in Japan, to be Miss Serena Larynce, always “Miss
Serena” to everyone, or “the Larynce princess”.
     And it was even more unfair when she had to learn English from
scratch, since the only thing she had known in her life was Japanese.  And
being a Larynce didn’t help.  She didn’t understand everything, but she
knew that people looked down on her, as the dull-witted princess, the Late
Larynce, as she was nicknamed, who’d only get what she want because
she had the money to do it.
     Well, she showed them.  Serena was very sensitive to what people
said, and after going through stages of arrogance, anger and self-pity, she
decided not to throw in the towel, and just take the press on a little ride.
     She had risen quickly, taking in her information the speed of light,
and skipping two grades…the one grade behind she had started before at,
and then another grade for good measure.  She was accomplished, and she
was ready.  She had shown them all.  Serena Larynce was not a dumb
princess.  She was clever, beautiful, and very distant.
     It wasn’t her fault if she was born into one of the richest families in
America, and it was even less her fault that her father had happened to be
likable enough to become Massachusetts state senator, and eventually
president of the United States.  So there was absolutely no reason why the
press should have had a field day with her anyway.
     He became president when Serena was studying in the most
prestigious schools in the nation, when she was fourteen.  She heard about
it on the radio, and had called her father, who hadn’t wanted to disturb her
studies; after all, she had two huge tests the next day.
     She spent only two years at the White House, when she was not at
her private boarding school, and the remaining six years of her father’s
presidential term was spent at college.  She had only been sixteen when
she had graduated high school.
     Serena Larynce was different, but not quite as different as everyone
thought.  She kept the distant image because it suited her study
environment.  If she remained distant, the press would be distant with her
as well, calling her shots as acts of arrogance, or some nonsense
foolishness.  But she wasn’t really as distant and cold as the press said.  In
fact, she loved her family, and she loved her friends.  It wasn’t her fault if
the press had set out to throw mud at her in the very beginning, and it
wasn’t her fault if the press decided to nickname her the Ice Queen.
     Of course, in the midst of all this, there was also another icon she
always fought…and that was the ever-lasting image of this boy her
grandmother had put on a pedestal…Darien Dredsdale, the Dredsdale
prodigy…her “intended”, sort of.  She knew her grandmother had hopes
for both of them, and it annoyed her.  So she strived to be better than
Darien, trying to show her grandmother that she was good enough for
anyone she chose…it was her choice, and not Darien’s, not Gram’s.
     “Rena?  You there?  Are you reminiscing?”
     “Of course!  What else?”
     “Rena.  Don’t worry about the press.  You are untouchable now.
Perfect.  Besides, you never really cared much about what they said.”
     A bump formed in Serena’s throat and she laughed superficially
and said, “No, of course not!”
     “Well, then just show them you don’t care.  Be my attorney
general, and be the best attorney general in history.  Make the Larynces
proud.”
     “All right.”
     “Now pack those bags.  We want to see you here tomorrow, safe
and sound, relaxed and cheerful.  It’s the holidays, and we’re going to be
one loving family again.”
     “Yeah, the bunch of brats, sweeties, gossips, charity saviors, snobs
and other things that we are.  I can’t wait.  For a whole week, and maybe
beyond, if there is a snow blizzard.  And this time, we do it times two,
with a new family there as well,” she sighed, laughing.  No, the Larynces
weren’t ALL floozies, only a few.  Over all, the Larynces were a great
family.
     “Well, see you tomorrow.”
     “Bye, Ken, and thank you.”
     As she pressed the off button, she placed the phone back in the
refrigerator as she mindlessly took out the milk carton and poured herself
some milk.  As she gulped down the glass, calm and composed, a smile
crept into her like a tide.  She set the glass in the pile of mugs in her sink
and shined.
     *ATTORNEY GENERAL!!!!!*  “WAHOO!!!!!!!” she shouted
into the air.
     She spun around the things on the floor, and slipped on a stray
sheet and fell the couch, laughing hysterically that no matter how late she
had to stay up, she was going to clean this apartment, pack up, and leave
for Boston first thing tomorrow.
     She started to organize her things and pick them up.  She took the
shopping bags she had carelessly brought home over the last month and
hung the clothes inside the bags up in her closet.  All those nice business
suits which she never had the time to get out of the shopping bags.  And
all those nice casual clothes she was going to bring with her.  Serena rarely
went shopping, but when she did, she went all out.  She spent a whole day.
She knew she had some things in her Cambridge apartment as well, but
she decided she didn’t need to stop by there anymore.  She had some
papers already here, and she’d take those to grade.  As she piled stack over
stack of briefs on the shelves, into the folders of the filing cabinet, she
chose a few she was going to bring with her to Massachusetts.
     At four in the morning, Serena had cleaned her living room, her
desk room, her kitchen, her bedroom and closet.  Her mugs were all
washed, and her phone was charging in the phone set.  Two or three of her
briefs were sitting on her desk to be packed into her work bag for her trip,
a yellow highlighter placed on top, and a stack of papers was at the side,
with a red marker placed on top of that.  By that, her packed up laptop
computer sat in her nice desk chair, and a sappy romance novel was placed
with it.
     In her bedroom all the clothes she had planned to bring were folded
and laid on the bed.
     Serena was laid out on the couch, asleep.

Chapter 2 - Getting Home
     Serena lazily opened her eyes as she looked around the perfectly
clean living room.  She was at first disoriented, but she then remembered
why she was in jeans and a sweatshirt, with a dust rag over her golden
curls, and sprawled out on the couch.
     She got up slowly, and looked at the clock.  It was noon!
     *Oh shoot!*
     Serena rushed into the bedroom, starting to place the clothes into
the suitcase she had already brought out last night, er, morning.
     *I must have been more tired than I thought!  I actually slept for
EIGHT hours!*
     She stormed into her desk room, attacking her things with a
vengeance as they were all shoved recklessly into her work bag.
     After she showered and washed her hair, she blow-dried it, and put
on a white turtle neck, a pink angora cardigan sweater, and some light
khakis.  She drew some of her hair back and clipped it in a pearl barrette.
She quickly fastened pearl earrings in her ears.  She then stuffed her
bathroom accessories into her suitcase and out the door she went, hectic at
2:00 in the afternoon, anxious to catch the subway to the train station.

     Darien Dredsdale paced his guest room as he talked into a phone,
outlining a procedure to some doctors of the phone.  “You’re sure I don’t
need to go and help?”  *Please say I need to go…*
     “No, I think we can handle it from here, Dr. Dredsdale.  We just
couldn’t read your diagnosis at first…have a good vacation.  Merry
Christmas.”
     *Yeah right.  Merry whatever…Bah humbug and hope your new
years sucks!*
     He pressed the “off” button of the cordless, and carelessly tossed it
on the bed.  He then threw himself on the soft mattress as well, and stared
at the ceiling.
     He was trapped.  In Larynce Manor…the “Castle”, as everyone
called it.  It was a beautiful place, but he’d much rather be at home, in
Washington.
     But no, this time his great aunt WANTED him to be here.  Earlier
years, she had always sent him off to boarding schools and other things,
but this year, she wanted him here.
     And from what he’d heard from Ilene Larynce’s wailing, SHE was
going to be here.
     The girl that had haunted his very existence ever since childhood.
     Sure, she skipped to two grades.  Who cared?  Sure, she was a nice
successful lawyer with a penthouse in New York.  So what?  He’d work
hard too.
     Serena Larynce, the first brat, as he had dubbed her, had too much.
    And was a snob, and an Ice Queen, and it was so obvious that she did not
know anything about her family, if she wasn’t here already.  Her mom had
to DRAG her here!
     Never mind the fact that HIS great aunt had done the same exact
thing to HIM two days before.
     But he’d listened, and he was here, unlike her.
     She was in his memory as far back as he could remember.  This
perfect statue, who would always remain a memory of cool intelligence
and snobbery.  And now, he was going to meet her, see that face, which
he’d always imagined before.
     Sure, he’d seen pictures of her in her childhood, from the
magazines, since her family was in the spotlight then.  But now, she’d
faded into the busy world of New York.  *Meatball head.*  The very
uniquely strange hairstyle she had maintained with her heavy river of hair
for goodness knows how long.  He imagined her, though.  A tall blonde
very much like her cousins, or maybe even shallow enough to dye her hair
to another shade.  He imagined cold dark eyes.  A frail thin body, for
starving and overworking.  Her nose would be pointing to the ceiling, and
her neck would be arched back permanently, since she had turned up her
nose to everyone too long.
     He smirked.  He’d be HONORED to meet her.
     But, he’d heard rumors from his own relatives, and even his
cousins.  Serena Larynce was supposedly one of the most beautiful women
in the whole circle, and a whole lot smarter than her cousins.
     He hoped so.  There had to be ONE woman here that he could find
interesting enough to dance with, or else he’d be alone and fall prey to the
scheming cousins.  Serena Larynce HAD to be smart.  After all, she WAS
a lawyer.  Sure, he’d hate her for her intelligence, but at least she’d be
interesting.  And besides, he didn’t want to find out that this stupid little
competition all these years was an floozy.
     He sighed, as he picked up another medical journal to read.

     Serena hurried off the train onto the platform in Boston at 4:45.
Her family would begin dinner in an hour and fifteen minutes.  From the
station, the taxi would take half and hour to an hour to get to the Castle, in
GOOD traffic.
     As she had noticed, the traffic looked pretty okay, and she signaled
a taxi.  She hurried in.  “Larynce Manor.  If you make it in less than an
hour, I’ll pay you double!”
     The taxi driver, anxious to get that double pay, drove quickly.
Serena quietly looked out the window, watching the familiar sights pass
her by.
     The Larynce week.  Times two.
     Serena remembered the Christmas week with her family in her
teenage years.  Even with her crowded schedule, she always spent
Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the entire week until New Years Day, with
her family.  Most of the time, there was a snow blizzard to bring the New
Year, and Serena had to stay a few days longer with her family.
     This year would definitely be different.  The Dresdales weren’t
total strangers or anything like that.  She’d met quite a few Dredsdales as
the years had gone by.  And her grandmother spoke constantly about them,
because Gertrude Dredsdale, was after all, her best friend.  So it was
perfectly normal that the Larynce traditional everyone-get-together week
was extended to more “family” and the Castle was going to be shared.
     But this time, Darien Dredsdale would be there.
     He was never there before at the gatherings, and if he WAS there,
then she’d always have some business or test…or if not, her grandmother
had that knack of sending Serena to do something like skiing with her
cousins or on some stupid excursion like that.
     No, this time, they’d meet, and she quivered at the thought.
     Him, her only him, whom she had competed with all these years,
yearned to beat.  He was a paragon, and now, he was…well…he was
going to meet her.
     And she knew that he probably care less about meeting her.

     She could see it now.
     Larynce Manor was fondly nicknamed the Castle by all the
Larynces, for Serena’s grandmother Gail reigned it like a queen, and the
Larynces who lived in it were her subjects.  The Castle was built like a
castle as well, by Serena’s great-great-grandfather, who loved castles in
youth, and decided to have one of his own when he had enough money.
     The Castle was a gothic structure, and finely built.  Not many
repairs had to be made on it.  And, as Serena remembered, living in the
White House was NOTHING like living in the Castle.
     All the Larynces lived in it, at one time or another.  For visits, for
life, it didn’t really matter, the Castle was so big, one didn’t necessarily
see family every day in that house!
     Serena’s own room in her childhood in the Castle would be hers
again this week.  Closing her eyes, she imagined the multitude of sleep she
could catch this week.  She could see her room, the perfect little place
where she’d lock herself in many times, especially when she did not desire
to spend time with her gossiping cousins.
     There was white carpeting, and white walls, bordered on the top
edge to the ceiling and the bottom edge to the floor with a line complex
golden design on wallpaper.  The space between was blank, save for the
paintings and other things she had hung up.
     There was a shelf of awards, newspaper clippings, magazine
pictures of her and her family, and photo albums on one wall, adjacent to
her wonderful book collection.  There was also a window the opposite side
of the shelves.  It was very large, and very wide, and also had a window
seat.  Her room was on the third floor and had a view of the rose garden.
She had spent many times sitting on the window seat, dreaming, reading,
and studying.  Her desk was inside, by the windows.  Her bed was located
next to the desk, a cozy thing with a white silk blanket with gold
embroidery.  All her furniture was white.
     She shook herself out of reverie as the house came into her view.
The trip, as she checked her brown leather-band watch on her wrist, had
taken fifty minutes.  It was now 5:35.  She paid the driver double and
grabbed her work bag, her laptop, and her small suitcase and went up to
the door, pulling the sash of the doorbell.
     *Lots of pomp and circumstance.*
     Serena looked sheepish as she saw that it was dark and she just cut
it to dinner by 25 minutes.  Her mother would have something to say, for
sure.
     The maid opened the door and Serena smiled and greeted her
nicely.
     “Miss Serena!  Your mother has been worried sick about you!” the
maid began.
     “What else is new?” Serena rolled her eyes.
     It was then when all the people of the house crowded into the foyer
and all smiled as they all focused on the very last guest.  Serena the VERY
Late Larynce.

Chapter 3 - Homecoming
     “Rena!”  Amy came running forward.  Serena greeted her with a
fierce hug.  She was looking better, with her porcelain face tinted slightly
with healthy pink and her blue hair nice and fluffy.  Amy looked very
happy and her blue eyes glowed with happiness.
     *Not at all like what she was like when we were in school.*
     Amy Anderson was not only one of her best friends, but she was
also her first cousin, by her father’s younger sister, and they had studied
together, though Serena knew her path would be in law, and Amy’s in
medicine.  Amy was a sweet girl, soft blue-eyed, as soft as water, and her
hair blue-streaked light, and fluffy.  She was very shy and had met Serena
because they shared a dorm room at the private school they went to
together.
     “Your mom’s-“
     “I know, worried about me.”
     Another excited squeal was heard and a blond woman pushed
through the people on the stairs to run to Serena.  “Rena!!!!!!!!!!!”  Mina
Lockhart bounded over to Serena.
     However shy Amy was, Mina Lockhart was much different.  The
blond, blue-eyed angel was very outgoing and the silver-screen princess.
She was a superb actress, and that was how she had met her movie star
husband Andrew.  She looked amazingly like Serena, for they were
distantly related because their grandmothers on Serena’s mother and
Mina’s father sides were sisters.  However, Mina was also one of the
Virginia Dredsdales, for her mother had been a Dredsdale.  The Dresdales
were almost as famous as the Larynces, and they owned most of Virginia’s
seats in the house and senate.  There was even a Dredsdale as governor!
     Serena’s grandmother on her father’s side, Gail Larynce, was best
friends with Gretchen Dredsdale, the matriarch of the Dredsdales.
Serena’s grandmother was the matriarch of the Larynces, so it was no
surprise that Serena had seen plenty of Mina, since they always met at the
constant social gatherings.
     Now, as Serena looked at Mina, she was surprised to see Mina’s
stomach quite swollen.  “Wait a minute, you didn’t say you were…”
     “Expecting?  It’s fabulous, isn’t it?”
     “Boy or girl?”
     “We don’t want to know yet.  We want it to be a surprise.  But I
think it’s a girl.  Andrew thinks its a boy.  I don’t care; either way, I’m
going to be a mommy!”
     “Mina!  Oh my gosh!”  Serena smiled glowing, dizzy with all the
happiness she felt.  “Congratulations!”
     “I wanted to tell you in person!  I wanted to see that face of yours.
I knew it’d be quite a show.  It appears the family thinks so too!”
     Serena was now speechless.  She just stood, shaking her head,
trying to clear her thoughts.
     “Also, Serena, your mother is going to lock you up for a year.”
     “How many people has she actually TOLD?”
     At that moment, she heard a woman shoving her way through the
crowd by the hall leading to kitchen.
     “Serena Rebecca Larynce!  You are now grounded!”
     “Hello mother!”  Serena smiled weakly, hugging the late fifty-
year-old woman.  “I had a few problems getting here.”
     “Don’t give me that!  You are now grounded and you can’t leave
for another year.”
     “How about another week?  I do, after all, have some classes to
teach, and some more briefs to read.  I still have some leftover papers to
grade from last semester.  That is LAST time I decide on an essay final!
And where is Daddy and Sam?”
     “Right here sis!”  Sam, a tall young man at twenty-three, with light
brown hair and the same eyes as his sister, threaded through another crowd
to greet his sister with a kiss on the cheek.  “I have a surprise for you too!
I’m engaged!”
     “You are only twenty-three, young man!  You’re already getting
married.  I feel ancient now!”
     “Meet my fiancee, Mika Stevens.” A redhead with beautiful blue-
green eyes approached Serena and she smiled at her warmly.
     “Serena Larynce, Sam’s big sister.  Watch out, he talks in sleep,”
Serena said.
     “Sis!”
     “And-“
     “That’s enough, Bunny!”
     “Daddy!” Serena ran and plowed herself into her father’s arms.  “I
missed you Daddy.  You never scold me or bug me, and I’m so happy to
see you again.”
     “I don’t bother bugging you because your Aunt Hetty reports to me
every Monday morning.”
     “DADDY!”
     “She’s your law associate.  She knows pretty much what happens
in your life.”
     “Michael Larynce, you will stop frustrating your daughter right
now!”  a regal elderly voice hung over everyone.  Serena turned to the
entrance of the hall that led to the throne room, and her eyes widened.
     “Gram!”  If it was possible to glow even more, Serena did.  She
gave the woman a hug.  Gail Larynce looked as regal as she always was,
in a gown of blue velvet, with the tall stature she had passed on to her
children and grandchildren.
     “Now, we don’t have to all stand here.  Dinner is in twenty-five
minutes!” Gail now yelled to everyone, looking at her gold pocket watch.
“You’ve all got to wash up and get up in the Christmas clothes!  So let’s
get!”
     Serena smiled as the crowd retreated.  She was starting to feel
claustrophobic.  Gail then turned to her and said, “Now you get going
upstairs to your room and get on some classy clothes.  We’ll catch up
later.”
     Serena grinned, and took her things up the winding stairs, through
the crowds of Larynces and Dredsdales…some she knew, and some she
didn’t.
     She walked down the slightly crowded hall, and into her room.
*Nothing like home.*  She then plopped herself down on the bed and
leaned back, ready to fall asleep.  Instantly, she remembered she had to
change for dinner.  She immediately sat up, thinking about what to wear.
     She didn’t have to wear anything truly fancy, like “gala” or
“wedding” for Christmas dinner.  No, the Larynces wore the “formal
familiness” kind of clothing.  She pushed herself off the bed and turned on
the small crystal chandelier.
     Little rainbows refracted from the crystal danced about the ceiling
and Serena went to the suitcase to open it and hang up some clothes.
     Five minutes later, she pulled out a skirt of layers of lavender silk,
looking misty and flowing, a lavender silk tunic that flowed to her hips in
wavy ends of the same layered misty quality that would go over her
shoulders with a wide but not low cut collar and tied together at the sides
by a pair of lavender satin ribbons on each side tipped with pearls, and a
lavender silk blouse.
     She took her clothes off and started with the lavender silk knee-
highs.  After, she out on the blouse, followed by the skirt and finally the
tunic.  She tied a pretty bow on each side.  She then put on lavender silk
flats.
     She went to the mirror and brushed her hair, sitting down.  She
combed her hair up into two buns, capping them with lavender lace covers,
as a family joke; Serena had worn that hair style from the time she had
hair long enough to age sixteen.  She wore it occasionally now.  However,
the length of her hair no longer allowed streamers of hair to fall down
from the buns anymore, so the lace bun covers had thin lavender ribbon
hanging down to her ears, with pearls tipping the end.  She kept her pearl
earrings on, and decided to unbutton the top button of her blouse to put on
a thin gold chain with a single pearl around the base of her neck.
     As she stood up, she smiled.  The hair do made her look like a
child…a rather big child.  But she was still beautiful, and sophistication
seeped her entire being.  She got up from her white wooden chair, with a
gold cushion, and opened her walk -in closet door to check herself in the
full-length mirror.
     At that moment, the dinner bell sounded, and Serena walked to the
door, opening it and stepping out, turning the light off behind her.
     She walked into a man who was walking out of the room next to
hers.  *The halls really should have been built larger.*
     Actually, the halls were rather large, and Serena’s was at the end of
a hall, in a circular court of rooms.  Serena had only backed up after she
closed her door because she noticed a name plate above her room and read
“Serena Rebecca Larynce.”  It was a new improvement.  So was the little
gold box by her door, which was apparently stuffed with mail.
     “Oh, excuse me,” mumbled softly.
     Her sapphire blue eyes turned to meet ocean blue eyes, and was
shocked to find the deepest pair she had ever seen in her life.

Chapter 4 - Who is HE?
     He was tall, with dark black hair and broad shoulders.  He was in
great shape, Serena noted, and he was very hot.  *Who is this?*  Serena
contemplated.
     In the dim lighting of the hallway, she felt a general air of
romance, and she smiled him, feeling very romantic and beautiful.  She
then turned and walked away, knowing, she’d meet him later.

     His mouth was twisted in a slight smile, and his face though
strongly and handsomely carved, displaying slight confusion.
     *Who is SHE?*  Darien Dredsdale stood, looking after the blond
with the gorgeous blue eyes.
     He’d been sleeping the better part of the afternoon after talking on
the phone with Washington this morning and finding out that his presence
was not needed.  Between structuring curriculum for Johns Hopskins, and
correcting his final essays, he slept some more…being a surgeon, and
professor he normally didn’t get much sleep.  He’d been sleeping when he
heard the dinner bell.  He was slightly annoyed, for he was very tired, and
wanted to sleep a little more.  He quickly checked his slightly sleep-ruffled
hair, and quickly went to the closet to grab his navy blue shirt.  He
changed his sweatpants into khakis and put on a nice silk tie to finish it
off.
     And he had stepped out to find a young woman backing into his
arms.
     As she turned and apologized, Darien’s still slightly asleep mind
was trying to register where he’d seen her before.
     She was beautiful, in the dim light, all her features were soft and
pleasing, especially in that nice outfit.  Her hair was adorably put up, and
it reminded him a little of the pictures of Serena Larynce…but then again,
all the Larynces looked pretty much the same, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
     It was then when he saw her eyes glow as she smiled, and saw her
turn and walk down the hall.  He stood there a little while more, trying to
place the face, but still failing miserably.  She was either a Larynce or a
distant Dredsdale.  Who knew which.  He didn’t know his family.  He’d
been ten when he first came to America.  He was twenty-nine now.  He
didn’t have the time to get to know everyone in his family, with all his
studying.
     Darien, however handsome he was, was not as charming as all the
Larynce girls thought.  His looks had slightly clouded their minds, for
Darien Dredsdale was actually a distant, emotionless young man.  And he
saw no reason to marry, though he’d heard rumors of his marrying one of
the Larynce princesses.
     He prided himself on proving them absolutely wrong.
     *Where did she come from?* he looked around the hall.  There
were a few rooms everywhere, but he had no idea which on she had come
out of.  As he looked around, his gaze fixed upon one name plaque which
slightly interested him.
     *I didn’t know I was staying next door to the Ice Queen!*
     As he puzzled over the fact that he had not yet seen Serena
Larynce, he heard some people coming out of the room two doors down.
Ken and Lita Larynce stepped out of the room, and smiled to Darien.
     “Hey Darien!  What are you looking at?” Lita asked nicely.
     “Serena Larynce is next door to me,” Darien pointed to the plaque.
     “You met her?  She FINALLY got in about twenty minutes ago.
There was this huge show in the foyer.”
     “I didn’t see her.  I was asleep, I think.”
     “Well then, that’s your fault.  Serena’s a very sweet girl.”
     “The ice queen?” he said, questioningly.
     “I resent that,” Ken shook his head.  “I though I chose an open-
minded surgeon general.”
     “The press are all in fear of her.  There is plenty of reason to call
her that.”
     “That’s because they never tried to understand her…” Lita started,
in defense for her friend.
     “But did she ever try to let herself be understood?”  Darien asked
back.
     Lita was silent.  Darien had a point.  Serena Larynce never triend
to let the press think otherwise about her.
     “She’s actually very sweet, Darien, and I know you’ll like her,”
Ken looked at Lita and they decided not to tell him that she’d be his
colleague when Ken became president.
     “Well, let’s get to dinner,” Lita said.  “We don’t want to miss
anything!”

     Serena sat at a round table with Amy on her left, Mina on her right.
She sat back and looked about her, scanning the room for her mother and
father and Sam.
     Mother and father sat with Uncle William and Aunt Hilary, the
Clintons.  The former president’s grandmother was a Larynce.  It appeared
that they were discussing White House life.  It was sweet.
     And Sam was over in another corner, talking with Bill Gates, one
of the more popular Dredsdales…his mother was a Dredsdale.  Sam was a
computer engineer, and was very enthusiastic about it.  Mika, as Serena
had found out was in computer graphics.
     The dinner was held in the grand dining room, which was only
used on very formal occasions.  It was the second largest room in the
Castle, and just as beautiful as the Throne room.  The floor was dark green
marble, with obsidian swirled into it, and the room was dimly lit by
chandeliers at the high ceiling.  The walls were lined halfway up with
wooden paneling, and the rest was white, with portraits of
Larynces…lining all the way.  Also, every once in a while, there was a
lamp on the wall, with a green lamp shade.
     Serena smiled as she focused on the doorway.  Ken and Lita
entered the room, and smiled and waved at her.  She smiled, stood and
pointed to the last few seats left at the table.  She then frowned as she
noticed that there was another person walking with them, and that man
was the one she had met in the hall.
     Ken and Lita made their way to the table, and Serena went forward
to hug Lita.  “I didn’t see YOU running to me when I got in!”
     “I was trying to get Kevin to take a bath.”
     “Did you?”
     “After almost knocking him out, yes.”
     Serena smiled.  “Nice to see you, Lita.”
     She then turned to Ken, “Ken!  I’m so happy to see you, after just
talking with you on the phone yesterday.”
     “Well, you know talking isn’t the same as seeing.”
     “Yeah, I’ve missed you.  I miss having mud in my face.”
     “It was your fault if you decided to come out and play football with
all of us last year!”
     “Yeah, can you imagine!  Me, the ice queen, playing football on
the lawns of Larynce Manor, on the day after Christmas, and then being
tackled the president elect of the United States of America.”
     She had noticed then that the young man previously with Lita and
Ken was now up at the table with Gertrude, and taking a seat with her.
*So he’s tight with the matriarch.*
     They talked on, and as they listened to Gail and Gertrude toast the
Christmas dinner, they smiled and clinked champagne glasses.
     Serena ate dinner to her heart’s content, and after dessert, sat back,
smiling at the others.  Chad and Raye came and talked with them a while,
and the dinner was generally very fun and heartwarming.
     Her eyes, however, always strayed to a faraway table, where a man
sat, facing her.  She discovered that he was looking at her as much as she
was looking at him.
     Catching his eyes made her whole being shake.  She’d lower her
eyes, or look away, and be extremely distracted.  The others at the table
noticed, but did not know the reason for her distraction.  Raye Larynce,
however, noticed, but kept the knowledge to herself.
     As dinner finished, Serena got up and walked out early, and into
the throne room by herself, looking at the brightly lit Christmas tree,
surrounded by darkness at the moment.
     The throne room was the largest in the Castle.  On ordinary days,
the room would be empty, its velvet curtains drawn back on the whole
west and east walls, letting sunlight pour in.  The room’s chandeliers were
crystal, and hung from the ceiling.  The floor was gold and white marble,
as Serena remembered, and there was a gold carpet running the length of
entrance to throne.  The throne was a simple elegance.  Sitting on a
platform of gold velvet carpeting, it was gold with slight carving, and
white velvet cushion.  Nothing more.
     On social evenings, the carpet strip was removed, but the platform
and the throne stayed.  There were sometimes tables set up for fancy
banquets, or an orchestra was set up in front of the throne, for a night of
ballroom dancing.  The chandeliers were lit, and the gold and white velvet
curtains were sometimes drawn and sometimes not.
     It was Serena’s favorite room.  She loved the whole royalty of it.
She like elegance and style.  She had remembered, that for her sixteenth
birthday, Gram let her sit on the throne for the first time, and Serena was
absolutely thrilled.
     Now, since it was Christmastime, there were golden ornaments,
and red ribbons, and red satin Christmas balls.  The tree stood where the
throne normally was, so it was large and very intimidating to any child,
being a whole twenty-five feet tall.
     The star at the top was made out of pure gold, and was glittering
beautifully in the light of the candles which were lit around the room.
Serena’s eyes shined as she looked around the ballroom, to see the
garlands everywhere, with holly and mistletoe at the doorways, even the
ones that led out to the east and west gardens, which were on the opposite
window sides.  It was beautiful, and she spun around and around,
imagining the balls to be held by her grandmother for Christmas and New
Year’s.  The Throne room would comfortably fit more than a thousand
people…dancing!  At Christmas time, Serena’s grandmother held the most
exclusive, glamorous ball of the rich American social calendar, and she
invited people all over the country.
     The Christmas Masquerade was the most famous of Larynce
traditions.  Everyone in Larynce Port would be invited, the population
being a number of successful businessmen, and others.  There were also
guests from elsewhere, from around the country.  There were only 150 to
200 Larynces, after all, and there was room for a thousand guests!  There
was fun and excitement everywhere, and at the end of the evening, the
unmasking occurred.  Each person unmasked his/her partner, and if you
were under the golden mistletoe, come next year, you’d be engaged!
     Serena never really stayed around to actually get caught.  She had
always gotten away with no man ever desiring her company, and she
always wisked off early, without anyone noticing and came back at
midnight just to see who the destined couple was this year.
     It was so much fun to see the surprised expressions on the faces of
the dancers as they found out the identity of their partners, and even more
fun to see their reaction when they were found under the mistletoe,
because it was all so romantic.
     She finally turned and walked to the door, and walked out, wanting
to go up to her room and read.

Chapter 5 - Meeting Dare
     She woke at six in the morning the next day, and got out of bed,
and put on a sweatshirt and some sweatpants, and went down the stairs,
and out running.
     The air was cool and nice, and though it was dark, Serena knew the
grounds of the Castle very well, though the grounds were large.  She
always jogged the same route, by the pond, up the hill, through the woods,
across the wooden bridge over the stream, past the lighthouse, and down
the beach, and back to the Castle.
     As she jogged in, truly awake, and went up the stairs, she smiled at
the young man from the night before as he came in the front door as she
was about to go down the hall.  Apparently, he had decided to go jogging
as well.  *He IS hot, whoever he is.  I don’t know who the Dredsdale
prince is, but this guy is MUCH hotter than the prince could ever be!*
She made that judgment on the fact that her cousins and herself had far
different tastes in men, and while they examined the bank account and the
looks, she preferred something much more deep.  *The Dredsdale prince is
probably some self-centered twit snob!*
     She then took her shower in her private bathroom and changed into
a pair of jeans and a white blouse.  It was time to bring down her presents,
for the kids would be up in a few minutes.

     After breakfast, Serena wandered into the Castle library later, to do
some paper grading.
     Again she found the young man she had seen before!  She decided
it was time to meet him.  He was correcting some papers as well.  “Good
afternoon!” she smiled, sitting down next to him.
     “It is indeed, Miss…?”
     Serena, mistaking his attempt to find out her name for a sign of
respect just because she was the former first daughter, smiled and said,
    “Rena, please.  Just Rena.”
     Darien smiled.  Rena.  She smiled beautifully.
     “And you are?”
     “Dare,” he smiled, giving her his nickname, being friendly.
     “Nice to meet you.  Are you a teacher?”
     “Yeah.  And you?” he asked, gesturing to the bag at her side, with
a paper popping out with a grade.  Being a prof was being a teacher, he
supposed.
     “Um-hm.  I think teaching’s so much fun, don’t you?” Serena
answered, not really distinguishing being a prof and being a teacher.  In
her mind, they WERE the same.
     “Why else would I live it?” Darien asked.
     “Yeah.”  Serena sighed.  “I’m liking you a lot already, Dare.”
     “Me too, Rena,” he said, putting aside the papers he was reading
by students who were trying for their PhD.  He found Rena a lot more
interesting.

     They went into dinner together.
     By that time, Serena had found out that Dare was indeed a
Dredsdale, and he was very into biology and sciences, and was an
excellent conversationalist.  He had a motorcycle at his home, by the
university.  He was a professor, and loved what he taught.
     Darien found out that Rena was a Larynce, and a happy person
who loved to talk and laugh.  He liked her smile, and could tell that her
teaching must have drawn many students, if there were THAT many
student papers for her to grade.  Of course, she had only responded with
the fact that she had procrastinated the grading of the papers, which made
him like her even more.
     “Hey Rena!  Kinda late are we?” Lita smiled at Serena, confused.
    *Rena’s already tight with the prince!  Woah!  Just before, she wasn’t
liking him much!*
     “Yeah, I was talking with Dare here about life in general!”
     Lita then realized that Serena probably DIDN’T know this man
was Darien Dredsdale.  *Well, let’s not unprejudice her right now.  She
likes him, and so, let her, and when she likes him for him, we’ll let her
know who he really is.  This will be so much fun!*
     “Sit down, Dare.  How have you been?”
     “Fine, Lita.”
     Serena smiled.  *I didn’t know Lita already knew Dare!”

Chapter 6 - Preparations and Reflections
     After dinner, Serena rushed upstairs to get into costume.  The
masquerade was to be tonight, in an hour.  For that reason, dinner was
served early at 5:00.  Now, it was 6:00.
     She went into her closet.  *Well, now to make myself look like
someone other than Serena Larynce.  If they found out who I was, then I
wouldn’t be able to leave the ball room.  However, if they had no idea who
I was, well, no harming them, and I’ll leave early!*
     She pulled her hair into a tight blond bun and pinned it tightly.
She then took a long black wig and placed it over, the tresses falling to her
waist.  She pinned it securely and combed hair out.  It was a rather
beautiful wig, and she DID look pretty in it, even if it wasn’t her actual
hair color.
     She then looked at her mask.  She was right in her beginning
judgment.  Though the mask covered her eyes, she need insurance.  So,
she put in her black contacts and blinked as she saw someone else’s face in
the mirror.  But she took some foundation of an almost white shade than
her usual and placed it over her face.  She also put sliver glitter on her
face.  She looked different enough.  It would work.  She then got up and
went to the closet.  She was not going to be an angel, for yet another time,
as she had been in childhood.  This year, she was going to be a ice queen,
for of all the things the Larynces knew her to be, they never guessed she’d
actually GO as the Ice Queen the newspapers all said she was.  She put on
a shimmering gown of white satin, embroidered everywhere with slivery
thread and jeweled with diamonds and pearls.  Over that, she put on a
chiffon overdress, which was also seeded with pearls and diamonds,
though not embroidered.  She liked it.  The sleeves were loose and she
wore white satin gloves underneath, and tons of silver rings on each hand.
She wore thin intricately bent silver wire snowflakes at her ears, and one
on a silver chain at her exposed throat, which had also been whitened and
glittered.  She then put on a white mask which was also decorated with
pearls and diamonds, and edged with white swan feathers.  She then put on
the glittering tiara, and slipped her feet, which were in white pantyhose
with silver glitter, into some silver dancing slippers.
     *I might just stick around tonight.  I actually still look like a rather
pretty dancing partner, so who knows, I might actually get asked to
dance!*
     As she sat and sighed, with five minutes to spare, she’d thought of
the reason why she never wanted to stick around anymore.  Back to a
Christmas ball when she was sixteen years old…would HE be here?

(Ten years ago)
     She was beautiful.  She was an angel this year, as usual, but she
was enthusiastic about it this time.  A white silk gown, edged with gold
flowed to her feet, which were in gold slippers.  She wore white wings, out
of real swan feathers behind her back, and a gold halo at the top.  She
looked pretty.  Her golden hair was let down this time, flowing to her
waist in waves, and her blue eyes flashed with excitement.  She wore a
gold mask, jeweled with diamonds.
     She entered the ballroom, excited and feeling glamorous.  She
relaxing after studying hard for the past few weeks, and she was happy.
Tonight, who knew?  It was out of a fairy tale!  She might meet the prince
of her dreams.
     Of course, that was only a fantasy, she thought slightly bitterly.
Being a Larynce Princess wasn’t being royalty, as she had found out.  She
sighed at that…she only wished.
     *Please, anyone who’s up there, if you’re not going to let me live
happily ever after, at least give me Prince Charming*
     As her eyes fell back from the ceiling to the crowd about her, she
froze.  It was him.
     But shockingly enough, he was there.  Standing out on the balcony,
with black hair and he was very tall.  He was dressed as a prince, in forest
green velvet tunic and black pants and black boots.  He wore a gold crown,
and a forest green mask.  A forest green cape was about his shoulders.
     Serena caught her breath.  He was HANDSOME!!!!!
     She weaved her way through the crowd, not really caring where
she went, but not approaching her prince.  The prince had to come to her,
as Mina always said happened.
     And he turned and he saw her, and that moment, time stood still, or
at least Serena’s heart did.  He stood up from his place by a table, and
approached her.
     She caught her breath and smiled warily at him.
     “Good evening, bright angel,” he said, taking her hand, and kissing
it softly, lingeringly.
     “Good evening!” she smiled, a blush creeping up, and a warmth
making her hand tingle.  Her heart was pounding, and her mind was
dissolving away.  What had happened tonight?  Magic?
     “Do you care to dance?”
     She nodded, smiling widely.
     His eyes glittered with mirth and admiration.
     Her teeth were perfect, and dazzled him.
     They danced the whole evening.  Serena’s mind was in the clouds
the whole time, every thought tingled her mind, and her heart.  Her whole
body was almost floating.  And her heart felt VERY warm and full.  It was
wonderful, and before the last dance, he drew her out to the balcony and
smiled at her, his blue eyes, which were sparkling underneath the mask,
smiled in hers.
     He bent forward, and kissed her on the forehead, then, trailing a
small path down her cheek to her mouth, where she met his in equal ardor,
exhilarated and happy.  Her mind and her heart had fused in a glory of
sensation.  His lips were warm, and so were his arms, and everything
about him.  She curved her arms around his neck, and held on for life,
reveling in the youth of love.

(Now)
     It was her first kiss.  It was indeed, something very special.
     Serena remembered her prince, and kept on remembering him to
this day.  She didn’t ever find out who he was, but she knew that she was
waiting for him, and some day, they’d find each other.
     So she came to every ball, and waited around, but no one came, so
she’d leave.
     Now, she started to forget about him, except for whenever she was
preparing for a ball…then she’d always remember him…she always
looked beautiful for him, in case he ever just “stopped by”.  But he never
came.  He was part of the past, and he’d never come for her.  She’d given
up when she was twenty-three.
     Sure he was handsome, but they weren’t destined, and it was all a
bunch of teenage foolishness.  It had to be, as she reasoned now.
     As she looked at the clock, she noticed her five minutes to herself
were up, and got out of her chair, to come out her room, meeting another
person who was already in the hall, about to go down the hall when he
heard Serena Larynce’s door open.

Chapter 7 - Get Out the Swords!
     Darien suddenly stepped back as he saw Serena Larynce in person
for the first time in his life.
     She was very beautiful.  She had black hair, and dark eyes, though
he couldn’t tell what color in the dim light.  He smirked…so she WAS as
superficial as to dye her hair.  But she looked gorgeous, nonetheless.  She
was very regal.  Her figure was outlined in white, which emphasized a
very shapely figure.  She was an Ice Queen, and the way she looked made
him think immediately of winter.
     “Good evening,” she said, in a cold voice, which she practiced.
After all, the Ice Queen couldn’t go around with her warm cheery voice.
     That voice chilled his blood, and he felt the warmth drain out of his
face.  No one’s voice had EVER froze his heart before, but he felt it now.
     Serena looked curiously at the young man before her.  Strangely
enough, her companion  was apparently a sun king.
     His hair was golden, a very light brown sun-streaked blond.  His
eyes were gold, underneath the gold mask he wore.  His attire was also
gold, a gold velvet tunic, golden velvet pants and golden leather boots,
with a gold velvet cape with gold satin lining.  It outlined a fit, very built
body.  His face was also a golden tan.
     He was entirely too handsome, Serena caught her breath.
     “Good evening,” he said, condescendingly.  Darien had disguised
himself well this time.  He was aware of the destiny thing, and assumed
that if the Larynce princesses all knew it was him, they’d go after him and
try to end up at the end.  For that reason, he dressed himself in gold, wore
the gold contacts, put on tanning lotion, and a nice golden wig, that went
in a full waving mass about his head under a gold crown.  It was going to
work, he determined.
     “Darien!” Ken smiled.  “You look quite royal-like.  Sun king, cute.
Just make sure you don’t insult her too much!  I couldn’t really tell who
you were until I noticed your stride.”
     He saw the second of the two figures in the hall.
     “Serena!  The ICE QUEEN?  Good choice!  I wouldn’t have
known you except for the fact that you’re standing in your doorway.  You
two are perfect complements of each other!  Sun king and Ice queen!  You
two will have lots of fun tonight!  I had no idea you guys already knew
each other!  I was going to introduce you when you started working
together at the White House, but I guess that isn’t necessary!”
     Serena felt a queer feeling in her heart.  So this was Darien
Dredsdale, no mistake.  He was handsome, VERY handsome, and his
name was Darien.  There were not many other possibilities.
     It was just as well he had chosen to be arrogant royalty!  She
inwardly sneered.  *HIM, the SUN KING?  Already assuming too much
are we, Prince Darien?  Ha!*
     But her heart jumped some beats.  He was FINE!  She felt her cold
white cheeks bloom into summer roses.
     Darien, meanwhile, was trying to find a way to get away from the
Larynce brat.  The former first kid was undoubtedly some prissy snob, and
her voice was cold enough to freeze his toes.  But fearing he wasn’t being
courteous, he offered her his arm.  “Shall we?”
     “Shall we what?” she asked, with a smile quirking in one of her
mouth.
     It was a kissable mouth.  Very kissable, and though appearing cold
looked soft ad inviting, with smooth curves.  “I only offered my arm for
fear you may trip yourself…” *over that ego!* he completed in his mind.
     Serena was determined not to show that she cared for who he was,
and determined to show him that Serena Larynce would not be led around
like other women.  She wanted to walk away from him, coldly snubbing
him.  However, he was offering his arm, and as a matter of courtesy and
pride, and somewhat intrigue, she took it.  “We shall,” she said, in her
smooth, icy queen tone.

     The evening was a far cry from perfect.
     Serena despised Darien.  He was snobbish, arrogant, and too
handsome.
     It was obvious to every female in the room who he was and when
he had entered.  Serena couldn’t deny the fact that her partner was more
handsome than any other person in the room.  *But he still doesn’t beat
Dare!  Dare is handsome AND sweet!*
     As she drank punch with him and danced with him, she saw the
way the other Larynce princesses wished her death.  She wasn’t blind.
And because she pitied him only for that reason, she kept on dancing with
him.  Besides, Darien was a good dancer, and if Darien didn’t dance with
her, then she’d end up dancing with Melvin Morris, who was looking at
her in that weird way again.  *He dances horribly, my feet are always
blistered when I stop dancing with him, and he gives me these weird
goggle-eyed looks!*
     There was also a matter of pride, and because she was NOT going
to let Darien Dredsdale triumph over her, she stuck to him.  If he chose to
be a cold arrogant partner, then she could just as easily be one to.  *Just
remember who started it, Dredsdale!*
     Darien, meanwhile, was not about to let Larynce triumph.  She was
gorgeous, and she knew it.  That cold beauty, the dark hair and dark eyes
with the delicate look to her almost made him believe that she was not a
witch underneath all that.  He also saw the way the Larynce princesses
wanted to get to him.  Preferring this Larynce to the others, he decided to
tough it out.
     At least this Larynce had spirit.  Lots of it.  She was different, and
separate from others, distinct.  She had an attitude that bit him, but set her
apart, in a good way, even though it made him think even worse of her
ego.  Darien thought, as he danced with her, that even though she acted
like a two-year-old snob, she DID dance well, and her pride and character
was, well, SLIGHTLY admirable.
     They danced around the room, each trying to out-dance the other.
They caught eyes, and the spectators all wondered when the “entranced”
two were going to “come down from their cloud” and find other people.
     Serena was scanning the room for someone that wouldn’t mind
cutting in on them.
     But Darien just HAD to look intimidating, didn’t he?  With his
thick, luxurious gold hair and his piercing gold eyes, he WAS the sun
king.  He could cast a spell on her if she let herself, but she wasn’t going
to let THAT happen.
     She had to admit though, that this man was a maverick.  Not at all
like the other men she’d danced with, dined with, and talked business
with.  Some of them were attracted to her, some of them weren’t.  But they
all couldn’t stay out in Serena’s storm very long.  Men came by and
looked, but they NEVER pushed it.  She had the impression that Darien
Dredsdale could and would.  And the fact that they were going to work in
the White House together made the prospect of attorney general a lot
more, well, frightening, but very interesting.
     Sure, she didn’t like his type, but there was nothing wrong with
some harmless bantering and debating with a worthy opponent.
     “So what office will you hold in Washington?” she asked, slowly,
curiously.
     “Surgeon general.”
     “Nice,” she said, slightly surprised.
     “And you?” he said, twirling her out and into his arms.
     “Attorney general.”
     He seemed quite surprised at that.
     “Really?” he asked, almost skeptical.
     “Um-hm,” she said, a little out of it.  *WHAT WAS IT WITH
THIS GUY?*
     *She’s clever, intelligent, beautiful.  And a shrew.  Interesting.*

     As midnight approached, Serena was still dancing with Darien, and
having danced three straight hours after they last had a punch break, she
should have felt tired, but she was not.  In fact, she felt like she was
dancing on a cloud.  Though the company was not superb, the dancing
was.  He made her feel so light and dainty, like a fairy with his dancing.
With his remarks, he made her feel like a bitter old maid who had nothing
better to do than be unpleasant.
     Darien was enjoying the beautiful woman dancing in his arms.
She had a lot of spirit.  And stamina.  Three hours.  He didn’t really feel
tired, and in fact, he’d never felt better.  This girl really gave him the
workout.
     And though they didn’t talk much, he enjoyed their bantering.
They didn’t seem to agree on ANYTHING!  But then again, he didn’t try
to agree with her.  She’d say something, and he immediately decided to
peeve her by stating that his opinion was just the opposite.  Evidently, he
had to change his opinions on almost everything they had talked about.
     On the other side of the room, a woman with a black velvet gown
and a black sequined mask approached another woman dressed similarly.
“Gail, I think they’re falling for each other.”
     “I don’t know.  They don’t really appear to be enjoying each
other’s company.  Only the concept of fighting for their dignity.  They
look like they’re dueling.”
     “But they’ve danced for three hours!”
     “Their pride wouldn’t allow for anything less.  He’s determined to
dance longer than her and her longer than him.”
     “But that still doesn’t explain why I saw them talking this
afternoon in the library.”
     “I saw them introduce themselves.  They’re Rena and Dare, not
Serena and Darien.  But I’d much rather that way, because as their true
selves they are getting absolutely no where.”
     “It was so perfect when they were younger.  Remember, ten years
ago, they had snuck off and kissed for the first time!  Oh, I was so happy
that night!”
     “Yes, but we can’t just tell them that.  Oh!”  Gail looked at her
pocket watch.  “It’s time to unmask.  Let’s see the expression on their
faces when they realize that the person they’d been dancing with all night
and despising is actually the person they had met this afternoon!  This
should be fun!”
     “All right everyone!” Gail Larynce went in front of the orchestra,
and said into a microphone.  “It’s time to unmask who you’re with!”
     Around the room there were squeals of delight and excitement as
person after person removed their partner’s mask.
     As Serena stopped dancing, she felt the true weight of her body,
and her feet began to feel sore.  She looked at Darien.  *Should I bother?*
     “Go on, Serena!” urged Mina, who stood next to her.
     “Oh, all right,” she mumbled.
     She carefully reached up to removed the golden sequined and
jeweled mask.  The face she saw was a familiar shape.
     He reached to slowly remove her white mask.  No, that angle of the
cheek.  It couldn’t be, could it?
     “YOU?” two voices simultaneously stammered out.

Chapter 8 - Aftermath
     “And let’s see who’s under the lucky mistletoe this year!” Gail
smiled into the audience at her granddaughter and her prince Charming, or
un-charming, whatever.  The surprise was evident, and it seemed to put an
uncomfortable aura of hatred and confusion around them.
     She looked above the heads of the surprised two to find they were
under the gold mistletoe.
     “Serena Larynce and Darien Dredsdale, do you have something to
tell us?” Gail beamed.  This was luck!  Who knew the Christmas spirit
would agree that Serena Larynce was just what Darien Dredsdale needed,
and Darien Dredsdale was just what Serena Larynce needed?  “Now kiss.”
     Serena had always laughed at the tradition before, because the two
found under the gold mistletoe usually WERE engaged by next Christmas.
It was odd and scary.  This year, she had totally forgot to look to the
ceiling for the hidden mistletoe, which she had always found year after
year.  She had forgotten, and it was obviously very bad luck that she and
Darien were standing underneath the darn thing.
     But with the audience around, she didn’t argue.  Christmas
traditions were never argued.  Especially Larynce traditions.  Apparently,
as she looked into Darien’s eyes, they seemed to agree on this point.  He
leaned in, and kissed her on the lips, and she kissed lightly back.
Immediately when their lips touched, they moved back, stiffly, and they
left the room together, keeping charade up, but secretly confused.

     Serena entered her bedroom.  How dare the Christmas spirit, or
whatever it was, choose her to fall in love with a man she so obviously
despised?  It was evident that they didn’t love each other.  Serena didn’t
want to get married, and Darien would hardly be the husband she would
have chosen if she were actually going to get married.  Sure, he WAS
handsome, and he was a worthy bickering opponent, but really, what else
could they do together?
     What shocked her was the fact that they actually had gotten along
that afternoon.  It proved that they could, and to her mortification, it
proved they could have a WONDERFUL time together.
     Sickened with a queasiness in her stomach, Serena slipped off her
gown and went to her shower, attempting to wash away all the mixed-up
feelings she was getting.  *ME AND DARIEN DREDSDALE?!?!
HA!!!!*

     “It’s destiny, I tell you!” Lita told her husband.  “They ARE
attracted to each other, and destiny arranged it so that they’d meet
unbiased first, and feel the attraction in person, and destiny made it so that
they’d meet tonight before the ball and force them to stick together so
long!  And destiny for SURE made the mistletoe above their heads!”
     “But who knows if the mistletoe actually works!”
     “It worked for Mina and Andrew, and Betty and Lincoln the year
before last, and in fact, I think Serena’s own mother and father were under
that mistletoe once.  The mistletoe doesn’t lie, Ken!”
     “Well, I just think that destiny or not, they are great complements
for each other, and anyone can see that though they despise each other,
they greatly respect each other.  Who knows?”

     The mask was beautiful, with sequins and diamonds and pearls all
over it.  It was bordered by swan feathers and had an air of extravagance.
     Darien fingered the mask in his hand.  They never returned each
other’s masks.  Well, he’d keep hers then.  It was too elaborate and
beautiful to just throw away, and undoubtedly expensive.  It was so
delicate and sophisticated.  Just like its owner.
     So Rena was actually Serena, the former first kid, and the Ice
Queen as he had always dubbed her.  From the behavior she had displayed
this evening, he’d believe it, but from the happiness, innocence and
kindness she had naturally displayed this afternoon, Darien was inclined to
disagree.
     Serena Larynce was a puzzle.  That was the only way to describe
it.

Chapter 9 - A Train Ride in an Another Dimension
     Serena got out of her bedroom the next day with her suitcase and
her things.  It was six a.m., and she decided that she needed to start
looking for a place to live in Washington DC right now.  She’d leave
early.  A week early, but it didn’t matter.  She was NOT going to stick
around and listen to all the teasing about her and Darien.
     She had packed up all her things, and she planned to go to
Washington and find an apartment to stay in while she stayed in
Washington to do her Attorney General duties.
     She had typed up her resignation letter for the law firm last night
when she found she could not fall asleep.  She planned to stay as the head
of the Harvard law department.  As she took the last bag out, ready to meet
the cab that she had called for about five minutes ago, she found that
another person had the same idea.
     “Morning,” she mumbled to Darien.
     “You’re leaving?”
     “Yeah.”
     “Aren’t you supposed to stay the whole week at this thing?”
     “Well you aren’t!” Serena bit back quietly, not wanting people to
wake up.  In one hand he held a travel bag and across his shoulder was the
strap to a laptop.  On the floor by his feet was a briefcase.
     “But I’m not family,” he whispered quietly.
     He had a point, but Serena wasn’t going to let him gloat over that.
“Well I have some business to attend to.”
     “As do I, and I want to catch my taxi, so if you’ll excuse me.”
     Darien went ahead, and Serena, after taking her luggage bag and
picking up her work bag, laptop, and her purse, went up behind.

     There were two taxis outside, and Serena went to one and said,
“Good morning, I’d like to get to the train station please.”
     “All right.”
     Serena noted as they pulled out of the driveway, which was a huge
“U”, that Darien’s taxi just pulled out as well.
     Serena leaned back in her seat, and determined not to think about
the strange man in that car, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
     She decided in her mind that she’d come back for New Year’s Eve
to satisfy her mother.  *But if she thinks I’m going to stick around for all
the Larynce women to look at me like I’m a spoiled brat and hear all that
teasing, well she’s got another thing coming!*

     “Miss, we’re here.”
     Serena woke immediately, and got her things ready.  When the cab
pulled to the train station , she got out and paid the taxi driver, and went to
the platform to purchase a ticket.  To her surprise, Darien Dredsdale got
into line behind her.  She ignored him.
     She checked her appearance in the reflection in the ticket window
anyway.  She looked nice.  Tired but nice.  Her hair was pulled back in a
ponytail, which was more like a bunch of golden curly tips bundled at the
nape of her neck.  Her eyes looked sleepy, and a smooth serene blue.  His
reflection was behind her.  He was slightly taller, his blue eyes dark with
restfulness. He looked nice in that forest green coat, with a black scarf
around his neck.  He was about four inches taller than her five foot ten.
     She noted that they LOOKED like a nice couple.  Nothing more.
     As the old man in front of her walked away with his ticket for the
7:15 going to New York, Serena stepped forward.  “I’d like one for the
7:10 to Washington DC, please.”

     He had the nerve to sit next to her.  She didn’t take into account
that the seat next to hers was the only one empty.
     For being a 7:10 train the day after Christmas, this train was
crowded.  *This is TOO weird!*
     At least she got the window seat.  She looked out as the scenes
passed by quickly.  She watched the sun fight through the clouds to
brighten the snow to an intensity that was brighter than the sun itself.
Serena reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.  She
then leaned her cheek on the cold window and fell asleep.
     Darien sat up surprised when he the train made a right turn and
Serena’s head ended up on his shoulder.
     He looked at her golden head, the sun reflecting off the strands
making a pretty halo.  She looked so pretty and harmless like this.  She
didn’t look like an Ice Queen now.  Of course when she woke up she’d be
ready to fight with him again, all rested up and full of that energy that he’d
seen in her.
     *Drat.*
     “Sir, ticket please?” the railroad official asked.
     Darien passed his ticket to the official.
     “And your wife’s?”
     “My-“
 “In my pocket,” Serena said softly.
 “Darien reached into her pocket and found nothing.  So he reached
around her, letting her fall into his arms as he checked the pocket on the
other side, finding the ticket there.
     He blushed slightly he conceded that the Ice Queen was VERY
soft and warm.
     The ticketman smiled.  *Now THERE’S a wonderful couple!
Probably just got married, too!*
     Darien handed the ticket to the official and the official punched
holes in both.  “Hope you and your wife have a good time in Washington
DC.”
     Darien looked down to her, wondering what she’d say next.  She
didn’t jump up and deny the fact that the railroad official thought that they
were married, and she hadn’t budged when she fell into his arms as he
looked in her pocket.
     She looked so…so…she just belonged there, and the embrace was
sweet, and made him feel heady and warm all over.  He liked holding her.
It made his arms tingle, and his heart overflow with an inexplicable
sensation.  It sprouted warmth in his cheeks, and he had the impulse to just
kiss her forehead, but decidedly vetoed that notion, as he remembered this
was Serena Larynce, not his wife.
     And what was going on with her anyway?
     She fell in his arms to rest her head on his lap, face up.  Before he
realized what he was doing, he reached out, and played with her blond hair
in his fingers, and traced the curve of her face.
     “But honey, I thought we were going to the Christmas thing at the
Castle.  The Castle is in Massachusetts, an hour outside of Boston.  It’s no
where near Washington DC.  You know how my mother gets when I don’t
attend family things.  But if you want to go to Washington, that’s fine too.
Then we can finally spend some time away together away from work,
Darien.  Wait.  Washington is where we work.  Where are we?” Serena
asked lazily, as she took his hand in hers, brought it to her lips, and kissed
it, and held it at her breast, right about her heart, where he could feel it
beating peacefully.
     So she had been dreaming.  Was he supposed to feel flattered that
Serena dreamt that he and she were married?  And the feeling that came
over him at this moment.  It was pleasing to him.  The tingling warmth in
his hands, and the whole happiness she seemed to exhale enveloped him.
     “I guess even that doesn’t matter much.  As long as I’m with you.
I love you,” Serena smiled in sleep, turned into his chest, and hugged his
waist.
     Darien was surprised.
     So was Serena.  You didn’t touch things when you were in dreams.
    What was going on?  She opened her eyes slowly to find herself in his
lap…apparently, there was a weird twist in her dream.
     She pinched his forearm, painfully.
     “Ouch…what was that for?”
     She sat up.  Color was flooding quickly into her cheeks, as she
realized that she was in his arms, like her dream.  What mortified her even
more was that she felt just like she had felt in her dream: safe, loved, and
warm.  The feeling of being with someone whose every touch sent a warm
thrill to her heart, the feeling of being with someone whose every breath
she wanted to share with.  The feeling of being with someone she loved.
     She suddenly backed away, confused, and focused on Darien.
“What is going on here?”
     “That was what I was going to ask you.” Darien stuttered, coldly.
How did she get that Ice Queen tone so fast after she had been so warm
and loving?  He composed himself quickly.  “I wasn’t the one who fell
into my lap and kissed me!”
     “I did NOT fall into your lap and kiss you!”
     *True, but who knew?*  “What if you did?”
     “What if I did?  It doesn’t matter.  I was dreaming I was with
someone else.”
     *Someone else named Darien.  Sure.*  Darien mused inside.  He
wanted to laugh by decided that they’d leave it at that.
     “It was such a nice dream until you just had to take me into your
arms and let me kiss you!”
     *And I thought she loved me.*  Darien burst out laughing.
     His laugh was rich and deep.  Serena liked it, even IF she didn’t
like Darien.  It melted her insides clean.  But she wasn’t about to let him
laugh at her.  “What are YOU laughing about?”
     “Nothing.”  Darien decided that he WOULDN’T tell her what she
had said in her sleep.  Besides that might start something in her and who
would like Serena Larynce to follow you around, thinking she was in love
with him?
     Not that he would have minded much.
     Darien rubbed his temples.  WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH
HIM?

     Darien gladly stepped off the train.  *What was that?  A train ride
in another dimension?*  But he was feeling normal again, and he had
rationalized it.  They were in sleepy moods and weren’t really aware of
what was going on.  His mind was turned off and that was why he actually
thought those strange things.
     Serena followed him off, back to her normal commanding self.
She walked with ice in every step, and she held her head high.  *Just
forget the whole train ride happened.  You don’t even know what
happened, so it didn’t.*
     It had been a pleasant dream, she smiled inside.  She didn’t know
who that husband of hers was, but he was extremely sweet.
     *Wait.  He was Darien.*
     She nearly hit herself in the head, but she decided to hit herself
later.  It wasn’t a dream.  It was a nightmare, and that train ride was just
the beginning.

Chapter 10 - Some Distance
     Serena mused over the nice penthouse apartment the agent was
showing her.  No, it wasn’t like her New York one, but she had to give
that beautiful one in New York up.
     Really, this wasn’t bad.  It had a great view of the nation’s capitol,
and it took her breath away just imagining the view from the penthouse at
night.
     The penthouse was larger than the one she had in New York, by
far.
     There was even a second floor, where her room was, which was
also had a balcony, which gave the stunning view of Washington’s
skyline.  The bedroom was spacious and was connected to a large
bathroom and a walk in closet.
     The downstairs was also great.  There was a living room, dining
space and kitchen, and a nice large den down the hall, as well as a
bathroom across the hall from it.  Both the living room and den had views
of the Washington DC.  The living room was spacious, and one entire wall
was lined with windows, which started two feet of the floor to two feet
below the ceiling.
     The kitchen was simple.  There was an island that would be
suitable for eating once she placed a stool by there.  The stove looked easy
enough to operate, and the refrigerator space was adequate.  There also
many cabinets, with glass doors, and plenty of space for mugs.
     She liked this place.  She liked it a lot.
     It took three days of looking of various apartments to find this one.
Today was December 29th and Serena was relieved.  The search was over.
The cost would undoubtedly be high, but she didn’t really care now.  She
wanted this place.
     “How much is it for the place again?”
     “Fifteen hundred a month.”
     “REALLY?” Serena asked.  Her apartment in New York had cost a
good two thousand a month, and here was an apartment that was larger
and less expensive, by a whole five hundred a month.  *Location, location,
location.* she smiled to herself.
     “I’ll take it.  I’ll move in by the fourth of January.”
     “All right.  Let’s talk papers now.”

     Darien sighed, frustrated, into the phone.  “I’m busy getting ready
for going into the White House.  I don’t have time for silly balls.”
     “Darien!  This is a family event.  Show up, and if you don’t, I will
tan your hide the next time I see you.”
     Darien looked at the calendar.  The 30th of December.  Maybe he
could leave noon tomorrow.  He’d arrive at around 6:00, and that gave an
hour before the ball.  Good enough.  “All right.  I’ll be there.”
     “Good.” >Click.<
     Darien leaned back in his chair.  He was tired of arranging things.
On the screen of his laptop, his resignation letter to Harvard was staring
right back at him.
     *At least Serena won’t be there.* he thought, with something akin
to disappointment in his manner.

     On the 30th of December, Serena rushed to New York after
checking out of her Washington hotel room and getting her things.
     She went to her apartment, and put her things back.  She then
rushed down to the main floor and talked to the leasing office.  She signed
her papers and went back to her apartment.  She called a moving company,
and arranged the numerous small details she almost forgot.  The truck
would come on the third of January, and she’d be hopefully ready.  She
was going to attend the ball at the Castle, after hearing a very annoyed
Ilene Larynce reprimand her daughter.  She’d go home later on the first
and pack away her things then.  That gave her an afternoon and a day.
     At least her apartment was already clean.
     Serena went into the closet, grabbed a garment bag, hoping that
what was inside it was what she wore to the gala in October.  If it wasn’t,
it was hopefully what she wore to the wedding in August, or the one she
wore on September 7, or 14.
     She then rushed out of her apartment.  It was New Year’s Eve, and
noon.  She had no idea the business would take her that long.  She had
wanted to stop by the law office to get her very last case outlined for the
next lawyer to take.  But she was determined to get to Larynce Manor in
time to make a queenly appearance at the New Year’s Eve ball.  She was
determined to put on a smiling face and deny the Christmas fiasco.  And
she’d avoid Melvin.  But at least Darien wasn’t going to be there.
     She rushed out, determined to catch the 12:30 to Boston.

Chapter 11 - Happy New Year?
     At 5:30, she arrived at the Castle.
     Serena let herself in the back door and snuck upstairs into her
room.  She didn’t want to hear lectures.  She wanted to prepare herself for
the evening.  As she entered the room and closed the door, she locked it
also.
    She opened the bag.  The November 8th.  Not bad.  She went
into the shower.
     After washing her hair and taking a relaxing shower, she got out
and put on a robe and blow dried her hair.  She then went into her
bedroom once more.  She sat at the dressing table and brushed her hair.
She then swept it up and pinned it up.  Deciding she needed to complete
the hair style with red roses, she called the maid, and asked her too keep it
quiet that she was here.  She wanted red rosebuds.  While she waited, she
put on a thin layer of foundation, and a little blush.  She put on some red
lipstick.  The maid returned, and she weaved the red rosebuds in a crown
among her golden folds of curls.  She sprinkled a few pearls here and
there.
     She then got up and took the dress out of the garment bag.  The red
shimmering satin was beautiful.  She put it on, and it fell smoothly to her
feet.  It had inch-wide spaghetti straps.  The dress silkily flowed her
curves, showing a nice figure, and from her hips, it flowed to the floor.
She stepped into the shoes that were packed with the dress.  They were red
satin high heels and she was a whole two inches taller, at six feet.  She
then put on the gold rose earrings with the ruby centers, and a red satin
choker.
     Turning around to check her back, se decided she looked good
enough.  She stepped out of her room, to find another person, leaving the
room next to hers.
     She stopped and just gaped.
     As he turned to see her, he did as well.

     “D-Darien.  What a, well, what a surprise!” she stammered, her
heart pounding to her very toes.  Her body was reeling, the floor was
slapping her feet, and she wished it would just break already and let her
fall through.
     *You’re telling ME.*  “Good evening, Serena.  I didn’t know you
were coming back for this,” he said, carefully.  She wasn’t supposed to be
here, not supposed to cause his eyes to glaze over with something of a
dream.
     “Family thing,” she stammered.  It was hard to act stiff and cold
when Darien Dredsdale was standing in front of you in a tuxedo so well
made for him.
     She was about to walk away when she heard her name.
     “Serena!” Lita smiled from her door.  “Looks like you and fiancee
came back for the ball to show each other off!”
     Serena turned to Lita, who stood down the hall and almost blushed.
This wasn’t going to be easy.  She controlled her voice to an icy pitch.  “I
wasn’t aware we were engaged.”
     “Just teasing.  So are you going to ask to escort her down there or
what Darien?”
     Darien looked at Serena and decided why not.  When Serena
looked like THAT, you didn’t let her just pass you by.
     “I was just going to ask her.”
     “Great.  Well, I’ve got to help my president get that bow tie
straight.  We’ll see you there.”
     Darien looked to Serena, “Care to?”
     Serena looked at him critically (though she could find no fault) and
decided to walk away.  “I know how to walk,” she stomped off, leaving
Darien to muse more over Serena’s beautiful face and what had flashed in
her furiously enchanting blue eyes.  *Lots of spirit.  But this will be
interesting, Miss Larynce.  We’ll see.*
     *It’s not as if I like her or anything.  I just like to unnerve her.  I
like to see her irritated, and there is just something in her attitude that I
like to irk.  Nothing more.  She and I would never get along any other
way,* he mused as he went down the stairs after her.

     Serena looked around the room, and decided, from the looks of the
people talking in the room, that she had arrived, indeed, fashionably late
enough.
     “Serena!” her mother smiled greeting her daughter with a smile.
“So you decided to join us?”
     “Of course!” Serena smiled.
     “And there is that charming love of yours.  What was his name,
Darien?”
     Serena gritted her teeth.  “Mother, Darien-“
     “Is right here, and I was looking for you, honey!” he said,
mockingly, putting his arm around her waist from behind, and kissing her
temple.
     Serena looked at him over her shoulder, and saw the bitter
challenge in his eyes.  *I have you now, Ice.*
     *I don’t think so.*  Serena smoothly put her arms around his neck
and gave him a cold but very convincing effusive kiss in front of her
mother.
     The minute their lips met, there was electricity.  Something
happened, and she felt this urge to just keep on kissing him.  There was
something in her blood pounding into her mind.
     And she still couldn’t believe that this was the young man that
she’d always hated in childhood.  He was a good kisser.  And that was an
understatement.
     Darien was stunned speechless.  So was Serena, but she didn’t
show it.  *I can’t believe I just did that.* she breathed heavily.
     “So where were you Serena?” her mother asked.
     “Oh, Darien wanted to help me choose out an apartment in
Washington, and we did that.  I’ll be moving there on the third.  It’s pretty
nice,” she smiled softly, as Darien took her hands and played with her
fingers, his cheek against hers, looking down as he linked their hands
together.
     “Great!” her mother smiled, beaming with pleasure.  *At long
last!*
     Serena was laughing on the inside.  *So there IS a use for Darien
Dredsdale.  I’ll have to remember this the next time mom starts to get mad
at me.*  She wanted to move away from him though.  Her heart was
pounding, and she felt her stomach up in her throat.
     They stood, together, but apart inside.  Serena was slightly mad at
Darien for starting this whole game, but she was determined that she teach
him a lesson.
     And Darien was determined that she would not win.
 “Come on, sweetheart, let’s dance,” he whispered, his lips brushing
her ear.
     It tickled her ear and she shivered, feeling the goosebumps along
her skin.   She told herself to calm down.  *He’s only Darien, you idiot!*
     “All right,” she smiled at him with a hint of ice biting it.
     He took her arms and guided her out to the dance floor and they
started to dance.  Since she was on high heels, her chin just reached his
shoulder and since it was a slower dance, she moved closer and whispered
into her ear, “You will pay for this Dredsdale.”
     He laughed.  “Hold on tight, because it’s going to be a bumpy
ride,” he smirked as he spun her elegantly out, slowly, and spun her back
into his eager arms.

     At around midnight, Serena was relieved that her grandmother
called that the countdown was on, and there were three minutes left in the
year.
     Darien was dancing with her and whispered into her ear in a lover-
like fashion.  “So what are the worst and best things of the year, Ice?”
     “Don’t call me that,” she bit back.
     “Hey, just asking a question.”
     “The worst thing in this year is you.  The fact that I met you, the
fact that I’m dancing with you.”
     “I think you just tried to burst my bubble.  But I won’t take that
personally, because I can see it in your eyes that this hasn’t been an
unpleasant experience,” he said, gently doodling a pattern on her shoulder.
     “Yeah.  Right.” Serena rolled her eyes, wanting to pull away.
     “And the best thing about this year?”
     “The best thing about this year is…” Serena began when she
realized one of the Larynce princesses was looking at them shrewdly and
had evidently heard every word she was speaking.  Serena casually
brushed it off and decided to give her something to gossip about.  “The
best thing about this year is that fact that I love you anyway.”  She moved
closer, ready to kiss his surprised mocking smile when the countdown of
the last minute began.
     Serena was relieved and somewhat disappointed.  She really DID
want to see Darien’s face after she kissed him.
     But as the countdown continued, Serena turned to the throne,
where grandma was smilingly counting it down.  She felt Darien behind
her, putting his arms around her, his hands meeting at her front, and gather
her in his arms closely, kissing the crook of her neck.  “Good shot Ice, I
think you just gave the Larynce clan enough gossip for the next five
months.  So the Ice Queen has stolen the Dredsdale prince from the
heiresses.”
     “Don’t be too sure,” she whispered, irritated.  With him embracing
her so closely, heat was creeping into her cheeks, making her sweat, as
well as feel dizzy.  “I plan on dumping you-“
     “Happy New Year!”
     Serena suddenly smiled and sang along with the crowd, looking
like a shining star.  When the song was over, Serena looked around to see
the people around the room kissing others.  Suddenly inspired she turned
in Darien’s arms, and placed her arms around his neck.  “I plan on
dumping you on Valentine’s Day.  Happy New Year, honey.”  With that
she leaned forward and gave him a kiss long and passionate enough to
convince everyone in the room that was watching them, which included
the Larynce princesses, the matriarchs, and friends, that Serena and Darien
were indeed head over heels for each other.
     What Darien felt at first was coldness on her lips.  He placed on of
his arms right at the her waist, where she was evidently ticklish, and put
the other around the upper part of her back.  She was trying to set the
rules.  “Big mistake.  I make the rules, Ice,” he murmured before catching
her lips in his again, and giving her a kiss that she felt she was going to
melt into.

Chapter 12 - Home for the Holidays
     She opened the door of her room, and peeked carefully out.
     Seeing that the coast was clear, she tiptoed out, and started walking
down the hall.
     Who knew who Dredsdale was acting so weird, but she wanted to
avoid him as much as possible.
     Since the New Years Eve ball, everyone in the Larynce and
Dredsdale clans had accepted the two as a happily engaged couple.  And
apparently, Darien had no problem with such a belief, and did nothing to
disabuse them of the notion.
     Serena did plenty.  However, she was always caught in the act by a
teasing Darien, and she’d find it hard to keep on protesting…
     Now, she was trying to get to breakfast without him, so that she
may at least get some time to herself.  She didn’t mind having Dredsdale
around…in fact he made life a lot spicier and fun, and exciting, but at
night, when she tossed and turned in bed, she wondered what was
happening, whether it was safe or not to stay around a sexy, exciting,
handsome young man like Darien Dredsdale.
     As she slipped down the hall, she turned a corner, and fell right
into his embrace.
     Backing away and blushing, she stammered an apology.  “I’m
sorry, D-Darien, I was going to sneak down right now for some leftover
Christmas cookies.”
     “I’ll join you,” he drawled, lazily.  Why not?  It was a nice
evening, and he loved this.  Though everyone was snowed in after New
Years, Serena Larynce helped the time pass more…easily.
     “Oh, I don’t want to trouble you…”
     “You’re no trouble at all,” he said, smiling that devilish grin at her.
     She laughed nervously.  “I’m plenty of trouble, Darien.  You just
haven’t seen my good side yet!”
     “Oh really?” his eyebrow lifted.
     *Oh my…* her heart fluttered.

     She sat back in Darien’s embrace, as they watched, “While You
Were Sleeping” with Amy and Greg, Mina and Andrew, Raye and Chad,
and Lita and Ken.  His hands were in front of her waist, mingling in her
fingers, and playing with them gently.
     “I love this movie, though it is totally unrealistic!” Serena sighed.
     “And why do you say that?” Darien whispered, kissing her ear.
     The kiss brought a blush from Serena and a warm smile from the
others in the room.
     “Well, I can’t believe a woman could fall in love with a man in a
week, and agree to marry him.”
     “Well…” Amy smiled smugly at them.  “You met at Christmas,
and on New Years…well, everyone knows you two are in love…”
     “Everyone?” Serena’s eyes widened.  *Everyone but me and him!*
     “Come on, Serena, isn’t it obvious?” Mina chided her teasingly.
     Darien’s arms came around her waist tightly.
     “Well, I knew him before Christmas too!” Serena said, softly.
     “You merely heard about him…” Lita said.
     “And he merely heard about you…you two never actually met…”
Raye said, her eyes glittering in the firelight, as they saw Sandra Bullock
yell yet again at Bill Pullman.
     “Oh, this is my favorite part!  Everybody, shh!!!” Serena sighed.
 Sandra Bullock took the newspaper-wrapped bundle from Bill
Pullman, and unwrapped it, while he talked, “I was delivering some
furniture down at Little Italy, when I looked in the store window, and
then…”
     She flipped over a snow down, with a city inside.  “Florence…”
     The strains of pretty music enveloped the room, and everyone was
kissing their spouse or fiancee gently.  Originally, had it been any other
year, Serena would have mad a snide remark at that about being alone, or
she would have felt extremely uncomfortable.
     Tears sat in her eyes, and she wanted to cry, as she always had.
But this time, it was different.
     This time, well, Darien was here, and though she wasn’t in love
with him, she found comfort as he kissed her softly on the cheek, and
pulled her into his arms more, and rested his chin on her shoulder, as she
rested back on his chest.  The tears subsided.
     She sighed, happily.

     Eating dinner with the family was usually a terrifyingly trying
experience.  Between Ilene Tsukino’s whining about her over-ambitious
single daughter, and that daughter’s lack of family value, and Michael
Tsukino’s funny lame jokes, there was always something that made every
cell in Serena’s body cringe at it.  Probably because she never looked
forward to having her mother pick on her single status.
     That was why she usually sat with friends at the dinner parties.
However, her mother, wanting tradition to run her family, always forced
her family to sit together at least once during the holidays.
     Surprisingly enough, this evening was not so bad.  Sam had a
fiancee now, and there was that wedding for Ilene to talk about during
dinner.  However, Serena had to admit that the largest and most enjoyable
change was Darien Dredsdale’s presence.
     He laughed with her father, and told lame jokes as well.  He
charmed her mother.  Her mother talked constantly of how much she’d
like a young man like him in the family…a hint to Serena, of course, and
he kept a nice conversation with Sam.
     Through it all, he held Serena’s hand.
     Serena couldn’t help bit feel lightheaded and happy through the
whole episode.

     He walked her to her taxi the morning she left, and carried her
baggage.  Most of the family was not up yet, but some stood at windows,
admiring the couple from afar.
     “Dredsdale…it’s been…amazing…this past week…thank you
for…making my holidays wonderful.
     “I know how it is to be single, and home for the holidays…believe
me,” he said, quietly.
     “I’ll see you in Washington…” she began.
     “Yep.  Don’t miss me too much.”
     She smiled brightly.  “I’ll be muttering your name under my breath
for an eternity, and I’ll be crying my eyes out over you.  You will occupy
every thought I will have until I see you again, and once I see you again, I
will obsess about ever sngle action you make around me,” she laughed.
“For the record, Dredsdale, I’ll make it clear now.  I need company during
the holidays, but when vacation’s over, it’s work time.  Work time HAS
no breaks.” She said, her eyes slightly cold, as she focused on him, trying
to make him understand.  “It’ll be back to normal…got it?  I don’t like
you, you don’t like me.  I will be this way…it HAS to be this way…”
     “I wonder…”
     “You wonder what?”
     “What would happen if someone dared come into your life, Ice
Queen?” he said, gently taking her face in her hands.
     “I’d make sure he never gets here.”
     “Well,” he sighed, backing away from her.  “I hope you have a
good trip.  I’ll see you in Washington.”
     She started to get in the car.  “Wait…” he said.  She stopped, her
heart froze, and she turned around. “What?”
     “Don’t worry,” he said.  “Back to normal…”

Chapter 13 - I Need Some Closure
     Serena sighed as she put the masking tape on the last of the boxes.
As she finished, she stood up, taking the bright red kerchief off her head
and brushing her sweat-coated forehead with her light blue Harvard
sweatshirt.  She then put the tape down and brushed her sweat-drenched
hands against her jeans, attempting to dry them.
     She was tired.  It was amazing.  January twelfth, and NOW she
was packing for her move.
     What a relief.  Home sweet home.
     The game was over.  Who knew who had won.  Whatever
happened that week was a miracle, but miracles rarely occurred more than
once…not that she wanted to have it happen to her again.
     But she could not remember a time in her life when Christmas was
more enjoyable than this year.
     But after she had arrived at New York and started packing, she
started to think about it more.  Her thoughts became suddenly clear.  *He’s
obviously playing a game with me, and just because I’m the only one of
the Larynces that actually stand up against him, he wants to make me fall
in deep for him.  Sure, to melt the Ice Queen’s heart would be the greatest
accomplishment!  Then, he’ll just relish in that heartless sun king role of
his.  Get too close, you get burned.  Well, you’ve got another thing
coming, Dredsdale.*
     She was ready to think about it more, but she couldn’t…not now,
at lest…and as it looked, not ever.  She had to move.
     She had to move fast.  Ken was being inaugurated the twentieth, as
all presidents always were.  Today was the twelfth and she was moving on
the sixteenth.  What fun.
     She sighed, frustrated, into her boxes.  Sorting things and packing,
juggling her college schedule and passing of the case to another lawyer in
her aunt’s firm was not easy.
     But at least her college schedule was lighter this semester.
     Looking around her room, seeing all the clothes she had yet to
pack…fancy cocktail dresses, gala things, and wedding things, she sighed
miserably.  She’d need the extra time to unpack.

     On the twentieth of January, Kenneth Robert Larynce was sworn in
as president of the United States.
     Serena Larynce became attorney general officially.  Darien
Dredsdale became surgeon general officially.
     As Serena stood among the on-lookers, and froze her hands in her
rose pink gloves, she looked at Darien.  He stood apart from the rest,
looking up at his friend, admirably and happily.
     He was proud of his friend.  Serena was proud of her cousin.
     Lita stood next to her husband, and their children, Margo and
Kevin, stood by with perfect manners and serious faces.
     Serena was happy.  Everything was perfect in her apartment.
EVERYTHING was unpacked.
     Everything was perfect.

     The inauguration ball was the big event of the evening, and Serena
was aware of it.  She entered the West Wing of the White House with a
small familiarity of the house.  It was funny, coming back as a guest to a
place where she had lived once.  She looked around her, seeing the people
around smiling and laughing.
     Serena had entered carefully, slightly nervous.  A new society.  She
always had to deal with the rumors that had arrived before her, and she
always had to gain the favors of almost everyone in the room.  Great.
     But she had dressed nicely for the occasion.  She wore a black
velvet sleeveless that collared around her neck, with a diamond at the
center at her throat.  From the collar, the cut of fabric on either side went
diagonally from the center of the collar to the crook of her arms and
around to the back, where her line of skin reached down to the small of her
back.  From there, the velvet clung to her figure, and had a slit on her right
side to just above her knee.  She wore black suede pumps and her hair was
again pulled up but with small black bows that had diamond centers.  She
wore diamond earrings, and some gentle blond tendrils framed her face.
     She was ready.  She was going to take the Washington DC society
and turn it in her favor.  As she started walking around, she felt someone’s
gaze on her.  She turned and focused on the person who watched her.
     Darien Dredsdale.

Chapter 14 - A Complication…
     Serena sighed, tired and typed more into the laptop on the desk in
front of her.  It was late February.  She had gone through a month of this,
and even gotten through the lonely Valentine’s Day blues with sappy
romantic movies and strawberries and white chocolate.  Not to mention
plenty of boxes of tissue, especially when she saw “While You Were
Sleeping.”
     It was odd…Christmas was one of the most depressing times for
her, and yet, the past one was so wonderful…but this time, well,
Valentine’s Day bit at her heart harsher than usual.  Maybe it was the
unusually cold weather that had swept in, blamed on El Nino.  But Serena
knew it had to do with the fact that she had a taste of something special at
Christmastime, something that she almost wished she had now.
     But she had things to do, of course, because she was the busy
Attorney General.  But at the same time, she was distressed.  This evening,
she had another social thing to go to, the Lara Dredsdale ball thing in
Richmond.  But she needed a date.  She was not about to go to find her
mother and grandmother both asking her about whatever happened to her
sweet heart.  The problem with Lara Dredsdale was that many of her
friends were the mindless Larynce princesses, and Serena did NOT want
to have them sneering at her all night, gossiping how the prince probably
got back his eyesight after all, and was smart enough to abandon the sickly
thing.
     Serena wasn’t sickly, but the Larynce princesses did not like her
too much, because they always called her the prima donna child, always
requiring the best books, the best schools, and the biggest tuition.  The fact
that Serena wore minimal makeup also bothered them as well, for she was
pretty without the layers of glob, made them all believe she was a pale
sickly thing for her lack of make up.  And another fact that peeved them
was that she had beautiful golden hair full of vibrancy and always shining.
Serena had beautiful hair, and they all envied her, for no dye job could get
such perfectly colored hair.  Serena Larynce was beautiful, and she didn’t
care for her appearance as much as she did for socks.  And that was why
the other Larynce princesses despised her.
     And Serena knew that if she did not show up tonight, they’d talk,
and if she showed up without a date, they’d talk more.  There was already
going to be enough talk when she showed up without Dredsdale.  And she
only hoped that the princesses wouldn’t go after Dredsdale like wolves, for
NO ONE deserved that.
     Dredsdale.  How quickly people can come into a life and interrupt
everything that was happening.  He had changed EVERYTHING for her.
Though the holidays were wonderful, she’d made a point to avoid family
things now, because the family would expect Darien Dredsdale to be there
with her.  And he couldn’t be.  She wouldn’t allow it to be.
     At that moment her secretary came on the intercom.  “Miss
Larynce, the surgeon general is on the phone for you.”
     Confused, she looked at the laptop screen blankly.
     The Inaugural ball had been absolutely boring.  She had spent the
evening dancing with various partners, and not one of them was Darien
Dredsdale, to her relief, but not one was as interesting as him, nor as
wonderful a dancer.  As she danced with partner after partner, she felt
close to yawning.  In the end, she decided to just leave.  So she left a
couple of hours early.  As she looked around her, she noted that Dredsdale
had apparently gotten the same idea, for he was no where to be seen, and
as she walked down the driveway of the White House, flagging for a cab,
Dredsdale was getting into one.
     “Miss Larynce?”
     Serena came out of her thoughtful reverie.  “Yes?”
     “What should I tell Dr. Dredsdale?”
     “I’ll take the call right now, Lucy,” her heart started to pound, and
her mind started to throb.
     She heard a click, and she breathed lightly into the phone, “Hello?”
     “Ice?” his voice, it warmed her.  But she scowled at the name.  She
HAD told him that she watned everything back to normal, but…
     She was an idiot.  He was simply keeping his word.
     “Don’t call me that,” she scowled into the phone.
     “Excuse me, your majesty the high empress of Ice, Serena Rebecca
Larynce.”
     “Will you quit that?”  Serena rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
     “Then what do you want me to call you, Larynce?”
     “Larynce is just fine,” she stated coolly.  “Now why are you calling
me?”
     “You know what?  Forget it.”
     “Forget what?  You never told me anything!”  Serena smirked.
    Now THIS was an interesting conversation.  Too bad it only happened
with Dredsdale; she was kind of hoping that her prince Charming would
be conversational, only less insulting.  And too bad he was acting like this
now…for she remembered that more than a month ago…
     “Goodbye, Larynce.”
     “No, Dredsdale, you called, and I’m curious.  The surgeon general
does not just call the attorney general about business and just decide that
he doesn’t need to.”
     “Look, it had nothing to do with business.”
     Serena couldn’t breathe.  There was that really annoying thing in
her throat again.  She started to cough.
     “Larynce?”
     “Just fine, doctor, I don’t need your help.  I had something in my
throat.  Now why did you call?  A call that has nothing to do with
business?  You of all people know that this could RUIN my rep!” she
laughed bitterly.
     “I called to make sure your rep WASN’T ruined.  Have you seen
today’s newspaper?”
     “What are you talking about?”
     “Look at the paper.”
     “I don’t have a copy right here with me.”
     “Get one.”
     “Why don’t you tell me what’s on it?”
     “You wouldn’t believe me.”
     “All right, I’ll believe you.”
     “Really?”
     “YES!  Now are you going to tell me or NOT?”
     “Aliens have invaded.”
     “Dredsdale, look, if you want to joke around, I have better things
to do…”
     “Okay, okay, so that was a joke, but I think you have to look at the
newspaper yourself.”
     “You mean that aliens have really invaded?” she asked, feigning
innocence.
     “No, now get that paper!”
     “All right!  Just wait a second.”
     She pressed the hold button and buzzed her secretary.  “I need
today’s paper.”
     “I thought you already read it this morning, Miss Larynce.”
     “Apparently not carefully enough.  Could you please bring it in
here, Lucy, please?”
     “Sure, Miss Larynce.”
     A minute later, Lucy walked in.  “You put it in the recycled paper
bin, with shredded paper, so if there is any of that stuff in there, you know
where it came from.”
     Serena smiled to the woman who was slightly older than she, and
decided that she’d save the newspapers until the weekend from then on.
She was only glad she hadn’t dumped the paper in the trash with the
leaking bottle of rubber cement.
     As Lucy closed the door behind her, she pressed the button on her
phone.  “All right, got the paper.  What do you want me to see?”
     “Engagements section.”
     “I’m starting to feel sick,” Serena began, “Who’s getting married?
One of my bratty cousins?”
     “You have to see it to believe it.”
     As she opened the section, she read the names.  “Lisa Arnold to
John Staton, Maria Cassinger to Luke Wood, and special notice for elite
Serena Larynce and Darien Dredsdale…” for a minute, Serena stared at
the page.  “Dredsdale, is this some sick joke?  What are you pulling?  I
will go over there and kill you for what you just did.”
     “Cool it, Larynce, I didn’t do it.  I wouldn’t want to ruin my life.”
     “WHAT?”
     “Look, we’re both extremely surprised now.”
     “How many people will get this news?”
     "Well, I believe that the marriage announcement is on its way to
People magazine, according to my meddlesome great aunt, who figured
she’d speed things up, since we’re getting married in the future anyway,”
he said sarcastically.
    “I will KILL Gretchen Dredsdale.”
     “No, you won’t.  Number one, you’re a lawyer, and you know
what that gets you.  Number two, you’re the attorney general, so I don’t
advise it.  Number three, I won’t let you kill her.”
     “Why?  Don’t you feel like you want to kill her to?  She just
complicated our lives by ten million tons!”
     “Number four, it’d mean you’d have to kill your grandmother too.”
     “Grandma!  She wouldn’t do that…would she?”
     “Gertrude Dredsdale and Gail Larynce announced the engagement
last night at a function in Chicago.”
     “Have you talked to your great aunt?”
     “Yes, and that’s all she said.  She thought it was time I settled
down, and that we were going to be engaged sooner or later, why not
sooner and not later?”
     “That is the dumbest excuse I heard, but my grandmother will use
something like that on me.  She’ll say she’s old and is worried I’ll be all
alone in the world when she “passes on” and give me a break there are
about 150-200 Larynces!  I won’t be all alone for the rest of eternity!
She’s seventy-four, and doc says she’s going to go on for longer than that!
So what do we do?”
     “I don’t know, Larynce.  The way I figure it, we could do one of
three things.”
     “And those would be?”
     “We could pretend the engagement never existed…”
     “I like that one.”
     “I thought so too, but we’ll get into some turbulence when the
news hits the magazines.  But then again, all we have to do is write up…”
     “What are your other suggestions, Dredsdale?” Serena rolled her
eyes to the ceiling.
     “We could stage a fight for tonight…”
     “That shouldn’t be hard.  We fight all the time.”
     “But then we’d be thought very superficial for being engaged for
only a while and argumentative.  Let’s just way we’ll never hear the end of
the matter if we do it this way.”
     “So what are we left with?”
     “Well…um…”
     “Just say it.”
     “We could follow it through-“
     “WHAT?” shrieked Serena.
     Lucy came running in.  “What is it, Miss Larynce?”
     “Funny, I didn’t think the Chicago Bulls could ever lose,” Serena
laughed, putting a hand to her now sweaty forehead.
     Lucy then closed the door behind her, and she frowned as she
heard Darien’s laughter on the other side of the line.  “Shut up Dredsdale!”
she ordered coldly.  “I’m upset as it is already, I don’t need you to make it
worse.”
     “Creative thinker, Larynce.  You’re creative.”
     “Thanks,” she sighed, sarcastically.  “I’m not going marry you,
Dredsdale.”
     “No, I wasn’t going to suggest that.  I just thought we could hold
off the break up for a while, just to make the engagement believable.
Therefore, when we broke it off truly, then we could just go our own ways
and everyone in our families would think we were so hurt, the matriarchs
wouldn’t try to pull a stunt like this ever again.  You know, not a marriage
of convenience, but more of an engagement of convenience.”
     “You DO have a point.  If we pull this off, my family would really
lay off with the matchmaking.  But you might be viciously pursued by my
cousins after.”
     “I can handle them,” he scoffed.
     “So we’ll just use the engagement to our advantage.”
     “Yeah.”
     “There’s only one problem,” Serena sighed.
     “And that would be?”
     “We couldn’t possibly be a happily engaged couple, Dredsdale.  I
don’t even LIKE you!”
     “That’s quite a strong thing to say to your fiancee, ICE!”
     “DON’T CALL ME THAT!!!”
     “All right, all right, Honey.”
     “I don’t like that either.  Stick with Larynce.”
     “Fine.”
     “But we can’t act like…fiancees!”
     “We did at Christmas.”
     “Christmas is another world…” she said, as her heart pounded.  To
have him hold her again…“But then again, we just have to be slightly
loving the first few months, and start having some problems with each
other so that when the engagement break off comes, it’ll be expected.”
     “Good, Larynce.”
     “So how long will this last?”
     “I have no idea.”
     “When do couples normally break it off?”
     “There is no such thing as a normal break-up time.”
     “So when?”
     “I don’t know!”
     “Fine, let’s make it interesting, and contradict that gold mistletoe.
I feel very poetic today.  I say we break up on Christmas Day, right at
breakfast, in front of everyone.  You can get me a totally horrid gift and
I’ll start crying about how horrible you make me feel in general, the gift
only supporting my argument, and I’ll break it off.”
     “But that makes me look like a jerk.”
     “And you AREN’T one?”
     “I resent that.”
     “Besides, no one’s going to believe a man to be tearful.”
     “Fine, you break it off.  After all, you have deliver the gut-
wrenching news to Gail and Gertrude.”
     “Don’t remind me.  We’ll let them be happy old ladies for now, but
it most definitely won’t last.”
     “So are you coming tonight, Larynce?”
     “I’ll be there, but I think fiancees arrive together.  Also, I don’t
want to face the curious press and the family alone.”
     “All right.  How are you getting to Richmond?”
     “Train.”
     “Great.  I’m taking train too.  I‘ll stop by your office at noon, and
we’ll leave for the train station.”
     “But right now, it’s nine o’clock!”
     “Yeah, grab your stuff from your apartment, and pack some work.
You’d have to leave at this time to get there in time by yourself anyway,
so don’t complain.”
     “You know, there IS a reason why I’m the LATE Larynce.”
     “There’s also a reason why you’re the Ice Queen, but you don’t
accept that, so I don’t accept tardiness.  See you later, HONEY,” he bit
out.  >Click.<
     Serena hung up the phone and looked at the phone, then the
newspaper.  She was engaged to Dredsdale. This would certainly be a year
to remember.
     Serena got out of her desk and left her office.  She met Lucy on the
outside.  “I have to go shopping for a stunning dress.  I’ll be back at eleven
thirty.  I think I’ll take today as a sick day.  If anyone calls, take the
message, if Dr. Dredsdale calls, place his message on the top.  If the press
calls, say no comment and hang up.”
     Lucy nodded her head.
     Serena left, her trenchcoat in hand, mission in mind.  Two and a
half hours, and one absolutely eye-numbing dress.

 Continued in the Next Section