Chapter 15 - And…ACTION!

            Serena breathed in and out slowly sitting back in her seat.  *12:10. 

God Dredsdale.  You’re punctual.* she thought, sarcastically.

            At that moment, Lucy buzzed.  “Dr. Dredsdale is here to see you.”

            Serena almost fell out of her chair.  *He’s here, already?*  she

though panicked.  “I’ll be right out.”

            Serena grabbed her the bag that contained her dress and slung it

over her shoulder, as she held it by the hanger hook.  She then grabbed her

brief case and walked out.

            *Here we go again.*

            “Larynce.”

            “Dredsdale.”

            They stopped in front of each other.  Standing in front of her

secretary, the both cringed at each other as they both leaned in stiffly.  He

kissed her mechanically on the cheek, and she pecked him.  The quickly

stood back up straight, and Darien said odd, clearing his throat, “Ready to

go?”

            “Yeah.  Lucy, take the rest of the day off, we are closing early this

wonderful Friday.  I have a social thing to get to, and I’ve already

informed Ken of it.  He’s going to call me using your cell phone,

Dredsdale, seeing that I don’t have one.”

            “Get a pager.”

            “I’m working on it.”

            “Sure,” he rolled his eyes.

            “Look, let’s just get this over with, Dredsdale.”  With that, she led

the way to the elevators.

            However, as she realized there would be a shell of press outside the

building, as there had been when she came in earlier, she waited for

Darien.  As they got on the elevator, she quickly snatched his hand, and

held it.  His hand was VERY warm.

            Darien nearly jumped back.  “What do you do?  Soak your body in

ice?”

            “No, it just comes naturally,” she smiled.

            She was beautiful when she smiled.  Very beautiful, Darien noted. 

He gripped her hand, as he felt the fingers grow warmer by the second.

            Serena held her breath.  It was odd, the way they touched.

            At ground floor, the elevator doors opened. 

            The press saw a beautiful couple walk to the door.  Right before

exiting the building, Darien helped Serena into her coat, and wound her

scarf about her neck, and straightened her beret.  Serena reached to

straighten a lock of hair, and he kissed her forehead automatically, though

it appeared very loving to the press.  He opened the door for her, and

guided her out, keeping his palm at a protective position at the base of her

back, at her waist.

            “Yes…” she said to a reporter nearby, as they continued to the taxi

which waited for them.

 

            Serena walked out of her hotel room, which was across the hall

from Darien’s.  He wasn’t out, so she knocked on the door, but found that

it was open.

            She pushed open the door wider.  “Dredsdale?”

            “Here, come in.”

            Serena stepped in, with her dress coat on, finding Dredsdale

adjusting his bow tie to no avail.

            “Ha!  Come on, I can tie it right,” Serena said, coming up to him,

adjusting it herself, like the so many times she had done so for Sam when

they were kids.  “There.  you owe me now.  Let’s go.”

            As Darien looked at his reflection in the mirror, of the two people

who stood next to each other, he concluded that she could tie a bow tie

right.  She was already wearing a thick formal winter coat, so he couldn’t

see what she wore for tonight.  He only hoped she had as much taste as she

had skill in tying bow ties.  But if Larynce had on something that was half

as stylish as she had on all those previous evenings, his eyes would be

glued on her the whole evening, and that did not seem so displeasing in

HIS mind.

            “So when did we officially get engaged?”  Serena asked.

            “We told our beloved matriarchs yesterday, and are formally

announcing ourselves tonight.  We truly got engaged a few days ago, and

here is your engagement ring…” he said, reaching into his tux jacket.

            “You didn’t have to.  We could have just said we didn’t have time

to get it,” Serena protested.

            “But then we would have to get the ring later.  Either way, same

outcome.  Take it, Larynce, put it on, and let’s go.”

            “You don’t know my ring size, and I don’t want a ring!”

            “I’ve held your hand before, I think I know by now what your

finger size is.  Besides, you HAVE to take the ring.  You’re my fiancee,

remember?”

            “It won’t fit, and I still don’t want it.”

            “You haven’t even seen it yet, now open the box and put it on.”

            She looked around, distracted.  She finally focused on him, and

said the lamest reason she could think of, “I’m waiting for you to get on

your knees.”

            *She’s stalling.  She doesn’t want to make it official.*  “Fine,” he

kneeled down and sighed resignedly.  “Marry me Larynce.”

            “You have the romance of a rock, you know that?”  Serena said,

rolling her eyes, as she opened the box.  “The romance of…oh my god!”

            It was circle of gold, with a diamond that had the purity of water.

            “It’s the classic diamond ring, only much richer.  It was my…it

was my mom’s.  Her engagement ring.  She’d want my fiancee to have it,

even IF we weren’t really getting married.”

            “It’s almost alive.  So bright and beautiful.  I…I can’t wear this.  It

has special meaning.”

            “Great aunt Gertrude wants it this way.  She gave me the ring for

my “beloved” when I was twenty-one, and I was to keep it until…IF I got

engaged, and if I didn’t give my fiancee this ring, then I was ‘turning my

back on my own mother’.  Now come on, try on the ring.”

            “All right,” she agreed, dazedly.  “Do you want to do the honors?”

            He took the small black velvet box, and took out the ring.  He then

took her cold left hand and slipped the ring on her finger.

            The moment she slipped in on her finger, it fit perfectly, and at that

instant, she realized she had just promised herself in marriage to Darien.

            It shouldn’t have hit her so hard.  After all, she knew that she was

engaged to him beforehand, but now, everything seemed to become

magnified, about more than a thousand times.  Maybe because now, it

might actually be real.  A part of her was rather sad at the depressing state

her life had just slipped into…engaged to a gorgeous intelligent man that

her grandmother sent her up with…and she was still not pleased…

            The difference was definitely noticeable in her expression.  Darien

noticed it, and realized that with that ring, he just sealed an engagement. 

No matter how false it was underneath, it was true to the very last detail on

the outside.  Serena Larynce was now his fiancee.  Annoyingly perfect,

bitingly cold Serena Larynce…beautiful, vivacious Serena Larynce.

            At least she was interesting…more than interesting…the thought

crossed his mind that had it been anyone else, Darien would have opted for

breaking off the engagement as soon as possible.  But…there was

definitely a distinction with Serena Larynce…most definitely a difference.

            “Are we ready, Larynce?”

            “All right,” she said, clearing her throat.  “Let’s knock them dead.”

 

            They walked out of the taxi in front of a large banquet hall.

            “Looks like we’re fashionably late, Larynce.”

            “Well, here we go.  Come on…honey.”  With that, Serena threaded

her arm in his, and they held hands.  She noted that his were very cold.

            Hers were surprisingly warm, and Darien couldn’t remember for a

second why she was the Ice Queen when she was so warm.  It was contrast

to what they felt just ten minutes ago, when he’d given her the ring.  He

shook his head and they entered the building together, and went into the

coat check.

            As Darien helped Serena take her coat off, he was stunned by her

gown.

            It was a forest green velvet dress, sleeveless of course, to show off

those beautiful pale arms.  The cut was pretty low, and curved around her

closely, until it reached her waist, when it was followed by a forest green

satin pouffy skirt, with black sparkling lace screening over it beaded with

pretty sparkling beads.  At her ears, emerald earrings, glimmering against

her hair, which she had pinned up with emerald combs.

            Darien should have been used to it by now.  Larynce couldn’t pull

that many tricks and still get the kicks.  But he couldn’t get over how

lovely she looked each time he met her at one of these things.  Always a

different beauty, but nevertheless always stunning.

            He whispered teasingly into her ear, “Nice, Larynce.  I think I’m

proud.  You’re gorgeous.”

            “You know Larynce jewels…they’re enchanted…” she muttered,

smiling.  “Just doing my part in the fiasco,” she continued simply, but

blushed inside at his compliment.  It was nice that he appreciated the effort

she put into selecting a gown for tonight.  But having him whisper

compliments into her ear just gave her a case of excessive shivers.

            With that, he put his arm around her waist protectively, as a fiancee

would, he concluded, and guided her to the ballroom.  Serena figured that

the same thing, and just leaned against him.

            The minute they entered, they were barraged with questions.

            “You didn’t, did you?”  Ilene pushed herself to the front.

            Serena lifted her left hand to show off the engagement ring.

            “It’s gorgeous!” Ilene beamed.  “I only wish my daughter TOLD

me about it, instead of leaving me to find out in the paper.”

            “Sorry, mother, it’s just that things were moving so fast…”  Serena

breezed, looking up to Darien, with that glance of admiration a fiancee

would have, though it was not entirely fake.

            *If it had to be someone, I suppose Darien is the best one.  He’s

interesting enough, and at least I won’t be bored these next several

months.  Plus, I have to admit, he is the most GORGEOUS guy I have

seen in my life.*

            “When is the wedding?”  asked another guest.

            “Next June.”

            “Next March.”

            Serena and Darien looked at each other and Darien smiled. 

“We’ve been so caught up in the whole concept of being engaged we

haven’t really discussed the wedding yet,” he squeezed Serena’s hand. 

Serena stiffened slightly, and she knew Darien felt it, because he seemed

to tease her more by holding it more firmly.

            Suddenly realizing she had to spend a whole evening with the

Dredsdale, she decided to make the most of it.  *Just because we’re

engaged does NOT mean we like each other.*  Going back to the game

they had played at the New Year’s Eve Ball, she decided that the game

was the only way to make it convincing.  Otherwise, she’d kill him by the

end of the evening.

            A part of her heart felt a warm completeness, as it had felt the

week they had after New Years, after being snowed in.  In fact, she was,

for the first time, happy again, in all honesty.  There was something about

him…

            She leaned her head on his shoulder.

            Darien turned to look at her head.  She looked up at him, with the

challenge issued in her eyes, laughing.

            *You’re on.*

            *I’m going to win.  And when I do, we’ll celebrate this hoax

tonight.  If I win, you buy champagne.  If you win, it’s on me.*

            *All right.*

            With that, his hold around her suddenly got a lot more tight around

her, and more personal.  Serena caught her breath.  *Okay, Dr. Dread. 

Let’s play.*

 

Chapter 16 - Heart to Heart

            Serena sipped the champagne they had bought together, fifty-fifty,

sitting in Darien’s hotel room, on a chair in the corner, watching TV. 

Darien walked out of the bathroom with only his shirt and pants from the

whole tuxedo outfit.  The rest was thrown on the bed.

            Serena sighed.  This was certainly quite a way to spend the

weekend, with a man she didn’t even like.  They wouldn’t even get along,

if it weren’t for those silly bets.  At least, that’s what she told herself.

            Tonight had been dangerous.  When Dr. Dread was charming, she

knew it.  The way he’d hold her, the way he’d keep her close to him.  It

was as if they really WERE engaged.  Well, they were, but not in the

strictest sense, she hoped.  They couldn’t ACTUALLY get married. 

Dredsdale was only around for the games, the make-believe.  It would

have never worked if it was real.  *Though,* Serena thought.  *If it

COULD work out in the real world, it’d make life a lot less lonely and

more interesting.*

            She had floated the entire evening…in his arms, in her mind, in her

heart.  With him, she felt as if she was high on a cloud, being swept up and

carried over some strange threshold…a new emotion, perhaps, but who

knew what it was.

            “So Larynce, we have to discuss a few things.”

            “What would that be?”

            “Wedding date.”

            “You said March, I said June.  Let’s compromise.  May.”

            “April.”

            “WE’RE NOT EVEN GETTTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!”

            “So?  We still have to agree.”

            “Then I suggest this.  The later we put it, the fewer wedding

preparations we’ll have to make before this whole thing is off.  Let’s face

it, Dredsdale.  We’re breaking up at Christmas.  We don’t want to start

preparing for a wedding that’s never going to happen.”

            “True.  But I still say April, and we agree on April.” Darien said. 

But he didn’t want to agree with Larynce.  The ease he’d felt when he was

with her was entirely too frightening.  The whole sense of being in a

couple with her really made no sense at all.  He had tried to charm her out,

to see her squirm, but she took it coldly, and just fought back, muddling

his mind up with confusing dreams of kissing that beautifully curved

mouth.

            “April showers…”

            “But May flowers?”

            “If I AM going to get married, it might as well be beautiful outside

when I tie the knot.”

            “We’re not getting married, as you are constantly reminding me.”

            “But since you’re so in love with me, you’ll let me have my way,

right dear?” She flashed those beautiful perfect teeth of hers, and he

wanted to melt.  When she smiled at him, even superficially, there was a

certain warmth.  When she smiled genuinely, which was VERY rare,

Darien sometimes thought he was in love.  Those eyes were warm, a warm

blue sky in the summer when the sun was out.  Pure, joyful, unblemished

blue.  And her lips had that special quirk in an honest smile, the kissable

quirk.  But it was only that.  She was gorgeous.  Who WOULDN’T want

to kiss her?  It wasn’t as if he actually liked her mind or anything like that.

            “Tell me about yourself,” she said, suddenly.

            “What?”  Darien asked, puzzled.

            “Tell me about yourself.  If we’re engaged, we should be able to

talk as if we knew each other.  We don’t right now.  I don’t want to

accidentally something that isn’t true about your life, only to have myself

contradicted, and we’re supposedly in love, so I’m supposed to know a

LOT more about you than I do right now.  You don’t have to get too

personal or anything, but tell me enough so that I can talk to others about

you without having to worry about being wrong.”

            “All right, pour me a glass of that, will you?”

            “After I go to my room and get some PJs on.  These heels are

killing me, and I’m starting to get cold in this dress.”

 

            “Okay,” Serena said, settling down on the opposite side of the bed

in her pink silk jammies.  “Shoot.”

            “Well, as you know, I’m surgeon general of this beautiful nation,

and I teach at Johns H, heading the med department.”

            “Cousin Amy teaches there, right?”

            “Yes, that would be Amy Anderson and her fiancee Greg Urawa,

who are on Cloud Nine whenever they’re together.  It gets annoying to the

staff at times, for they never seem to be able to do anything else but talk

about the wedding.”

            “It’s an improvement from when she was a child.  She was always

so SERIOUS!”

            “And you weren’t?”

            “What do you mean?” Serena shifted in her place, suddenly self-

conscious.  She played with a loose thread on the bed cover.

            “You skipped two grades.  You KNOW what I mean,” Darien said,

gently.

            “No, I don’t.  I was being ambitious.”

            “You were also so studious you didn’t go out in the social circles

like your cousins,” he looked at her, matter-of-factly.

            “Hey, that’s a PRIVILEDGE!  If I ended up like them I’d kill

myself!” she joked, fighting to keep the atmosphere light.

            “Okay, so it’s a bad suggestion.”

            “If I remember correctly, you’ve met all my cousins, and according

to Lita, they’re all in love with you.  Would you prefer I was one of them,

another starry-eyed grown-up teenager?  And they’re all very materialistic

and stuck up.  They want husbands who look like tennis pros and who

have bank accounts in Switzerland.  But my favorite has to be Candy

Larynce.  Such style!  No one could wear an elegant dress and still manage

to look desperate.”

            Darien laughed.  How true.  However, he became serious again

rather quickly.  “You say that they’re materialistic, but what about you? 

What do you live for?  You aren’t materialistic, but you don’t really shine

with ideals in your eyes.”

            “Fairy tales don’t come true.  I thought they did, but when I came

and found that I LIVED a fairy tale, I found that it wasn’t one at all,

because fairy tales don’t exist.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like my life, and I

like my family, despite all the materialistic snobs (which only total to be

about an annoying ten; the rest of them are quite nice), and I like what I

do.  I just don’t want to wish for more, because I’ll only be let down in the

end.”

            “No such thing as love?” he asked, gently, reaching across, taking

a small grip on her chin, and tilting her eyes to meet his.

            Serena nervously drew in a breath, and then began.  “There is such

thing as love.  Otherwise, Amy would never blush when Greg walked into

a room, and Lita wouldn’t get that expression in her eyes when she talks

about Ken, even after all these years.  And my every time my father

doesn’t think anyone’s looking, he’ll take my mother’s hand, and hold it,

or bring it to his lips and kiss it.  There is love out there, but I’m just

saying that it’s not out there for me.  I believed in it before, but that

illusion was shattered a long time ago.”

            “How?”

            “Oh, I met a guy, never knew who he was.  He gave me my first

kiss, and I got all starry eyed and I hoped I’d see him again.  I waited for

him until I was 23.  Of course, in the end, I was totally depressed, and

decided that I wasn’t ever going to put myself into believing those things. 

Besides, I don’t have time for relationships, and I don’t have the emotional

strength.  I can’t believe this.  You hardly know me, and I already told you

this.  I’m still working up the courage to tell my friends not to bother with

their lame attempts at setting me up.”

            “They really can’t do that now, can they?.”

            “No, but this whole thing was started by matchmaking, only at the

highest level, the matriarchs.  But at least the friends stop now.  They all

wanted to see me ‘happy’.  You know, marry off the unlucky one.  I’m the

last one of all my female friends to still be single.  I’m an endangered

species,” she laughed.

            “No, you’re extinct now,” he reminded her.

            “We’re not REALLY getting married, though.  And why am I

saying all this?  I thought you were supposed to tell me about you.”

            “You started it.”

            “Well now I’m ending it; your life now.  Why don’t you take one

of my cousins out of my hair and marry them?”

            “Aside from that fact that they’re ALL scheming cats out to rip

each other’s faces off?”

            Serena laughed.  “No, tell me, you’re the Dredsdale prince.  Why

haven’t you actually settled down with a princess?”

            “I’m REALLY idealistic, I suppose.  I believe strongly in love, and

I believe that it WILL come for me some day.  But not too soon.  It’ll

come when I’m ready for it.  I’m a go-with-the-flow guy.  I had to be

when my parents died.”

            “Lita told me about it.  How old were you?” Serena’s eyes became

soft, caressing his face with a gentle almost tearful blue.

            “Only ten years old.  It tore my heart out.  I was totally lost.  But I

met someone.”

            “You work fast!” Serena teased lightly, “Ten years old and already

attracting someone!”

            “No, not necessarily attracting.  She just made me think, that’s all. 

She was a little girl, running into the hospital room with this beautiful red

rose.  Said her brother was born that day, and that she wanted to give it to

her mother, but she decided I needed it more.  So she gave it to me.  She

was a sweet thing.  She got me believing again.  Seeing her made me

realize that I could go on, as long as I toughed it out.”

            The alcohol started to make Serena a lot more understanding and

calm, but also somewhat light-headed.  “This is so weird, but I need to ask

this question.  I bet you know I was in Japan in my childhood, so I guess

it’s not that odd.  Do you remember if the girl had a funny hair do, and

blue eyes?  And do you remember if that nurse that chased her out had on

some fluorescent pink-“

            “Bunny slippers?” Darien completed.

            “Then…then…Darien, I met you when I was six years old!”

            Darien suddenly broke out in a smile.  “This is just amazing.  Are

you sure?”

            “I remember.  I went to hospital because Sammy was born and I

remembered being very bored so daddy brought me to a flower shop.  He

let me get one red rose for mommy, but on our way in, I saw that across

the room, there was dark-haired boy crying about his parents.  So I went

over to him and gave him my rose, and told him to be brave.  Then I was

chased away but a nurse with fluorescent pink bunny slippers.”

            “Did you ever find out why the bunny slippers?” Darien laughed.

            “I didn’t, did you?”

            “No.”

            A few moments of silence followed in which they both burst out

laughing.

            “Well, that will remain a mystery to us.  So go on about your life. 

What other things happened.  When did the prince get HIS first kiss?  I

told you mine.”

            “When he was twenty years old.”

            “THAT old?”

            “What?”

            “It’s just that…”

            “Let’s just say that I wanted to find THE one.  I told you I was

super-idealistic.”

            “So did you find her?  And if you took so long to find her, why

isn’t she going out with you,” her heart started to sink.  It wasn’t jealousy,

but if he had been with someone else…

            “It was at a masquerade.  She was so beautiful.  She reminded me

of the little girl in Tokyo Hospital, but she was older, more beautiful, and

so idealistic.  She was probably seventeen, about to graduate, thinking the

world would be in the palm of her hand with no problem.  So I asked her

to dance, and we danced the whole evening.  And at the end, I kissed her.”

            She was slightly upset.  “So did you ever meet HER again?  That

was dumb.  Dredsdale, you are dumber than I thought.  You should have

chased her down, found her.  You waited until you were TWENTY for

her, for God’s sake.  That’s most of your life!  If you are waiting for her,

you should be pretending to be engaged with HER, not me.  Or at least

you should be MARRIED!  If you were married to the dumb girl, we

wouldn’t have to go through all this!”  Serena said bitingly, with what

seemed like a bit of icy envy on the fringes.

            “I COULDN’T see her again.” Darien mused.

            “What do you mean?”

            “I didn’t return the masquerade for many years.  My aunt kept me

busy all the time at Christmas,” Darien smiled.

            “Woah, this is just a little too weird for me.  I have the distinct

feeling I will eat those words I said before.  Christmas?  Masquerade? 

Was this at Larynce Manor?”

            “Yeah,” Darien looked hopefully at her, watching her thought

processes go through her eyes very quickly, creating a whirlwind of

thought radiating in those blue orbs.

            “So then, so then, did you call her-“

            “Bright angel?  It IS you, isn’t it?  I kissed YOU that night.  I don’t

know, when I saw you the first time just this Christmas, you looked

familiar.”

            “So I waited until I was 23 for YOU!?!?!?”

            “You make it sound as if it is a bad thing.”

            “Dredsdale, let’s be serious.  We have done nothing but play this

stupid game since we met.  I can’t believe I waited for YOU!!!”

            “I crushed your beliefs,” Darien smiled, slightly.  He had affected

Serena Larynce.  Of course, crushing beliefs was a very bad thing to do,

but HE HAD AFFECTED HER LIFE!!!!!

            “It’s just as well that you did, I couldn’t stay up in the clouds

forever, you know.  And it wasn’t just you.”

            “So what’s made the difference?”

            “What in the WORLD do you mean?”  Serena looked up from the

pattern of the comforter to his deep eyes.

            “I mean what made the difference.  When you were a teenager, the

newspapers all said you were a clutz who would never apply herself.  You

were idealistic.  But you lost those ideals when I never came back.  What’s

made you change?  Was it me?”

            “Don’t remind me.”

            “No, I’m not trying to insult you.  I’m just curious.  I mean, a

princess born into an empire, which you said wasn’t very great for you

after all.  Why didn’t you just drop into the crowd and live a normal life? 

Some people, after losing their ideals, even drop to the way bottom.  I

want to know what kept you up.”

            “Because I needed to prove something to myself, I suppose.  It’s

true, I guess.  I was an awkward preteen obsessed with what people

thought of me, because I had no idea who I wanted to be.  I guess in the

end, after deciding the press knew NOTHING about me, I’d show them,

and maybe I’d show myself just WHAT I could do.”

            “You’ve certainly shown that.  But Serena, are you really happy

the way you are?”

            “Why shouldn’t I be happy?  I’m part of a legacy that rivals the

Kennedys, and I’m able to fight my way from being the dim watt to the

star.  That gives me a LOT of satisfaction.  I prof at Harvard, where all my

students respect me, and most even like me.  I’ve got a great career in

Washington, heck I’m attorney general!  I earned my way there!  I did the

work, I was approved by the Senate, though they did frown upon it in the

beginning because I WAS a relative.  But my rep stuck, and they accepted

me in the end anyway.  And if I can’t hold it out here, I’ll go off into New

York again and start up with Aunt Hetty again.  Heck, I could go

anywhere and I’d be able to set something up.  My life’s stable.  It’s fixed. 

There are no more chances, no leaps of faith, because I don’t need

anything.”

            “What about anyone?  Do you need anyone?”

            “I have my family…” she started automatically.

            “When you decide to visit…” he reproached.

            “Wait a second here, what are you doing?  Why are you attacking

me like this?”  Serena narrowed her eyes, annoyance starting to come in

like a tide.

            “I just want to find out a little more about you, that’s all.”

            “Well, I think that for the first time we’re seriously talking about

our lives, this is getting a little over my head here.”

            “Sorry.”

            They sat in silence for another five minutes when Serena

interrupted the silence.  “And who are you to judge anyway, Dredsdale? 

You know nothing about the way I had to life.”

            “Larynce, you know that that isn’t tr-” he sighed.  She was crying

too much to reprove her.

            He wanted to touch her cheek, but decided against it.  She wasn’t

his fiancee in real life, and she didn’t like him.  *And I don’t like her that

way either, so we’d just kid ourselves.*  “I’m not judging, I just wanted to

know more.  I’m sorry Larynce.  I’m trying to find out too much about you

at once.  It’s just that you’re different.  And I wondered.  You know, when

I was a teenager, I’d read about you in the papers, and see how hard they

were on you, and I pitied you.  Some others might have caved.  I didn’t

know what kept you going.  Maybe it was because you were insensitive to

their criticism, or maybe it was because you were so sensitive you were

determined to prove them wrong.  The press took your rise to success the

first way.  The way I see it now, I think it’s the second.  You’re a very

sensitive, passionate person, and I can see that now, and I could hit myself

in the head right now if it’ll make you feel better.  Just don’t cry, Serena,

please don’t.”

            She was silent a few moments, looking out the window.  This was

a strange experience.  She actually told Dr. Dread all about herself, and

she didn’t feel weak, as she should have felt.  She felt better, having

shared these feelings, only maybe sharing them with Dredsdale wasn’t the

best idea.  But then again, he WAS her fiancee.

            “Serena?”

            “How about I hit you instead?” she smiled, trying hard to banish

tears from her eyes.

            Darien laughed.

 

            It was 3:45 am, and Serena and Darien were still sitting up on the

bed, talking.  It seemed that they couldn’t think of one thing NOT to talk

about.

            “So Dredsdale, since you grilled me earlier, I think it’s only right

that I grill you now.”

            “Proceed, counselor.”

            “Very funny.  Now tell ME, doctor.  How does a ten-year-old boy

from Japan not knowing a WORD of English, manage to actually

BECOME surgeon general, let alone a head of the department in the finest

med school in the nation?”

            “I studied.”

            “But what kept YOU going?”

            “I guess it was you.”

            “Me?”

            “No, not you now, you as a little girl.  That moment when I got

your rose, everything was a lot more clear.  You made everything

simplified.  I just had to take everything one step at a time, and keep

everything up.  And I guess, it had to do a little with the fact that I was

forever trying to conquer your image…Aunt Gertrude always talked about

you…’Serena Larynce this…Serena Larynce that…’ I really hated your

name at many points in my life.”

            Serena laughed.  “Join the club.  If I had to hear your name more

time, I was going to scream!”

            Darien smiled at her, a lock of his hair falling in front of his face. 

            Serena’s expression changed, and she leaned forward, pushing

back the lock of hair, and kissing his forehead.  She then settled in his lap,

and let him play with her golden locks.  “But weren’t you lonely?”  Serena

was startled inside.  She had affected Darien Dredsdale’s life, not only

affected, but inspired it!  That gave her a feeling of satisfaction.  And the

fact that he was just as miserable competing with her as she was with

him…

            “Weren’t YOU?” he smiled down into her upturned face.

            “I had Amy and Mina, and my own circle.  Contrary to popular

belief, Serena Larynce DID have friends.  The Ice does melt, you know,”

she smiled.  “So you weren’t lonely?”

            “No, Ken was there for me, and so was Aunt Gertrude.  Ken was

one of my best friends.  He met me when I just came.  Taught me English

and introduced me into the trade.  You know, I got into the circle.  Being a

Dredsdale and in the circle, I guess it’s a lot of influence, even though I

DID have to spend quite a couple years just as a doctor, and another

couple as just a prof.  I wrote a lot of med papers while I was both.  That’s

what essentially brought me to where I am now.  I did make a few changes

to med procedure in the US, and I guess Johns liked the changes a lot, and

so did the health department.  The last few months, when Clinton was

leaving office, the surgeon general was preparing for resignation as well

and Ken asked him to look into some candidates for surgeon general.  I

came up in the conversation, and Ken was interested.  We’d lost touch for

a few years, and he called me up one day and asked me if I was going to

the Larynce thing at Christmas.  I said yeah I was and we set up an

appointment there.  When I got there, he offered me the post.  Of course I

took it.  So I guess my road’s been kinda based on luck and my own

work.”

            “And in all those years, you never tired of just going around by

yourself?  Earlier in my career, there were times when I got pretty lonely.”

            “I didn’t say that pushing myself to the limits wasn’t painful

socially.  You already know that.  And yeah, I guess I DID miss just fitting

in and hanging around instead of studying.  But I really didn’t care about

that.  I had my share of girls courting me,” he smiled again down at her

face as the lock of hair fell again in his eyes.

            “Darien!” this time, she didn’t reach to fix it.

            “It’s not as if I was looking for a relationship with them, and

eventually that number died down.  I pretty much was as interesting as a

bowl of oatmeal.  Cold oatmeal.”

            “And why are you telling ME this?” she said, as she traced a

pattern on her pajama top buttons.

            Darien was strangely affected watching her, lying in his lap. 

“Because I guess you understand what kind of person I am, and where I

came from.  You’ve been through it.  And also probably because we ARE

engaged.”

            “Don’t remind me.” she said, then looking up at her fiancee, with

his heart-pumping smile.  She then turned away, and looked to the mirror

to the right of the bed, and looked at them.  They were a beautiful couple,

and in this position, they looked almost loving.  Her heart yearned for

something like this, and now that she had it, it was so…so…indescribable. 

            He took her hand and held it.  “Larynce, I never thought I’d be

sitting up on a bed at late hours talking with the Larynce princess in her

pink pajamas.  And I never imagined what a different image you presented

from who you were.”

            “Yeah, well, I guess that shoots down my image of the self-

indulging prince who flirted with every woman in the book.”

            He laughed.  “You haven’t even BEGUN to know me, counselor,”

she sat up, pushing him, as they both fell back on the bed.  Serena leaned

her head on his chest, and he put his hands around her, meeting at her

front, where her hands met his.  They reveled in the moment.

            They may have both been drunk, but Serena had to admit that she

had never felt so warm and safe in her life.  She closed her eyes and drifted

off in safety.

 

            Serena’s mind slowly drifted out of sleep, and into the waking

world.  As she slowly peeled her eyes open, she pushed herself slowly out

of bed, and looked around her.  She thought a while before she realized it,

but in the end concluded that last night she had probably exposed herself

more than she had ever done before with no one else but Dredsdale.

            As she attempted to sit up, she felt a bully of a headache come

down on her.  *Hangover.  I am NOT drinking that much ever again!*

            She groaned inwardly as she realized that she was still in his room. 

Where was he?

            *Oh, well.  I’ll take advantage of the situation and run into my

room, and I’ll just pretend that last night ever happened.  It was a huge

mistake.  It was the late hours, and it was the champagne.  He probably

doesn’t even remember, and if he does, when I’m through with him, he’ll

think he DREAMT all it up.*

            She went to the edge of the bed and started to stretch, and then set

her foot down.

            “Ow!”  Serena nearly jumped back.  There, on the floor, with a set

of blankets as his mattress and a pillow for his head, Darien Dredsdale

slumbered.

            *I took his bed.  Oops.*

            Serena decided to sneak out on the other side of the bed, and get

out as soon as possible.  She didn’t want Darien to even THINK last night

had occurred.

            The games were fine.  They could play the games.  They just

couldn’t do anything else.  If they let emotions and understanding get in

the way, the whole engagement situation, as well as her LIFE, would be

seriously messed up.

 

Chapter 17 - Birthdays

            She sat up in bed slowly, looking at the clock.  9:00; she stayed up

to 3:00 a.m. yesterday for him, and Dredsdale hadn’t called.

            And now, she woke up late, when the class she was supposed to

teach was at 9:15.

            *KILL DARIEN DREDSDALE!* suddenly entered her list of

things to do.

            They had gotten engaged only two weeks ago, and she had to

admit, it took some getting used to.  They were now the most glamorous

couple in the nation, and had their pictures on the front of every magazine

in the country.  Just last week, TIME magazine cover featured a picture of

both of them, their profiles facing out to the right superimposed on an

American flag.  The title read “Camelot Returns?”.

            They had appeared together at over twenty social gatherings in a

duration of less than two weeks.

            At least Dredsdale provided pretty good company.  Spending too

much time with someone less energetic, less witty, and less annoying

would be too dull.  No, Dredsdale, with his perfect smile, perfect walk,

perfect air, was an exciting person to be with.  And she was actually

getting used to the idea of being engaged to him; it was actually seemed to

be an appealing idea, when one read all the magazine articles about their

charming fairy tale so-called “love story” and all that propaganda.

            Unfortunately, she didn’t like him enough not to plot his demise. 

*If HE thinks that he has the right to keep me up all night, waiting by the

phone…besides!  It’s HIS turn!  He’s supposed to call.  I called the night

before!*

            Okay, so she DID like talking to him; but he listened, and he talked

back, and they had good times on the phone.  The phone was a great way

of communication.  She loved the rich smooth sound of his voice, it didn’t

make her lose her mind the way his smile did.  Though she could literally

hear the smiles over the phone.

            Okay, she DID like his company too, and there was just something

about talking with him that made everything more fun and interesting, just

sitting through the whole day, and wanting to tell him about it, even if she

did nothing, which was rarely the case.  And even if there was nothing to

talk about, they’d do something about that.

            But no, he didn’t call last night.  She was slightly upset, but more

cranky than upset.  She dragged herself out of bed, and went to her closet,

yanking out a sweatshirt, and some jeans.  She hurried into the bathroom.

            Five minutes later, she exited the bathroom, and went down the

hall, and out the door, without a glance to the calendar.  Marked under the

27, however, in tiny print, the words “My Birthday”.

 

            “Miss Larynce?”

            Serena turned from the front of her still empty lecture room (she

was still five minutes early).

            Her first student to enter the room, a young happy 19 year old,

smiled at her.  “Hello, Crystal.  How are you this morning?”

            “Fine.  But you look tired.”

            “I won’t be once I get started in the lecture.”

            Crystal smiled.  Serena “Loquacious” Larynce was probably the

hardest professor to take notes from.  She had no organized notes, but

managed to structure her ideas in her lectures, which were all done without

the aid of notes or text, unless she actually Xeroxed something for the

whole class for them to read.  Her ideas flowed the speed of light, and it

was hard to always follow her; 75 percent of her class brought mini tape

recorders, and Serena was noted as the prof who racked up the most costs

on campus; even though she did not use any thick expensive textbook, it

was the batteries for the recorders, as well as tapes themselves, and

notebooks, that costed a bundle.

            But Crystal was getting along in the class.  She liked Professor

Larynce.  And as Serena had heard, she had Professor Dredsdale as well,

before he retired from Harvard.

            “I meant to ask you something,” Serena smiled at her student.

            Crystal looked to Serena, while putting her books down in a desk

in middle back.

            “Yeah?”

            “Your records…I was checking them out…say that you used to

study a little med here as well as law; in fact, you had my fiancee for 

professor once for bio…” she blushed.

            Crystal smiled.  *She has it BAD for him!*  “Yeah!  The girls in

my class all SWOONED whenever he entered a room!  But I decided after

this year that I wanted to go into law for sure; before, I was studying both

pre-med and pre-law, but now I’m sure.”

            “Tell me, what is my fiancee like, as a teacher?”

            “He was a really good teacher, a lot like you; entered the class, and

did the class impromptu.  Would draw diagrams randomly and expect us

to see them clearly.  No offense, but he’s as bad an artist as you are…” she

alluded to the many different diagrams Serena had always charted out on

the board in crooked boxes that never fit all that she needed to write.

            Serena laughed, filing the information in her mind.  She liked

hearing praise about him, though she wasn’t in love with him.  It gave her

a warm feeling of knowing her fiancee, even if he wasn’t a true fiancee,

was a wonderful person.  She also liked to hear about him, which made her

feel slightly embarrassed, but not embarrassed enough not to pay attention

whenever someone mentioned his name.

            “Professor Dredsdale was also a very eloquent speaker, as you are. 

I liked his class.  So did most of the female population at Harvard; they

were all kinda disappointed when he chose to resign when he became

Surgeon General.”

            “I’ll bet,” Serena laughed.

            Now, the class was starting to fill up, so Crystal went back to her

seat, and smiled back at Serena.

            “All right, class.”

 

            Serena sighed, as she got into her office at 11:45.  Finding piles of

mail in the mailbox (she had gotten in from Washington last night) she

decided to read through all of them first.  She’d have a short lunch break at

12:45 and then whisk off to teach at 1:15, and after that, her 4:00 was

canceled for the day, for classes officially ended at four.  Today was the

last day before spring break.  All her students were all anxious to get of the

class, and restless.

            She sat back and played the messages on her machine.

            “Hello, Rena darling.”

            *What’s the special occasion?  Mom’s calling, and using her nice

voice!*

            “I called to find out if you were all right.  AFTER ALL, you DID

miss the St. Patrick’s Celebration at the O’Briens, and you know we

ALWAYS go…”

            Serena sighed.  Gentle reproach.  Not THAT bad, but the guilt trip

stung, of course.

            “But of course, I understand how you must want to spend as much

time as you can with Darien-oh-he’s-such-a-sweet-boy!”  (Okay, so

Darien’s name really wasn’t all that, but it ALWAYS sounded like that on

the phone, and Ilene Larynce never said his name without the phrase!)

            “Call me when you have the time…”

            *And strength…* Serena mentally added.  She didn’t have that

now.  It had taken her a whole waste of ten minutes to get her class to calm

down this morning, and additional ten to get her talking speed up to par.  It

was odd.

            *I must be getting old.*

            There were no other messages, and Serena wistfully thought of

Darien.  No, she didn’t EXPECT him to call ALL the time, but…

            She opened up the first envelope, and began to read.

 

            At four o’clock, Serena walked, exhausted after many hours of

teaching, in her mind swearing that she had to make up for the jog she had

missed this morning.  As she walked by the super’s office, he smiled at her

and said, “Your fiancee left a little something for you…I unlocked the

door so the boys could unload it…”

            Serena, suddenly very curious, as well as excited, took her stairs

three at a time.  Her heart was pounding as she wondered what in the

world Darien had gotten her.  On the floor mat of her apartment door,

there sat a single white rose.

            Serena smiled.  *He’s sorry…*  She picked it up, smelling the rose

smilingly, dreamily.  It was as if the hero had returned, though she

wouldn’t admit that.

            She unlocked the door to her apartment, determined to find out

what Dredsdale had done; sure, they weren’t a truly engaged couple, but

the press didn’t know that, and Serena was always a sucker for gifts…

            However, the white rose slipped gently out her grasp, drifting

softly to her hardwood floor, which was gently layered with scattered red

rose petals.

 

            She would have sat down, but there was no where to sit.  The

couch was drowning in roses, as was the table.  Even her usual eating

wood stool had a vase of roses resting there.

            “Wha-?”

            She laughed and slipped off her shoes, not wanting to crush the

rose petals on her floor.  She then entered the room and spun around the

room, deliriously.

            Oh, it as wonderful to be engaged, even IF your fiancee didn’t love

you!  But what brought on the surge of romanticism?

            *What’s today?  The ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY?  No, he’s

not that romantic…no, wait…what is today?*

            She went to the calendar, and then was startled to realize it: *It’s

the 27th, as in, my birthday!*

            She smiled as she looked around.  *So he didn’t have the courtesy

to call to wish me a happy birthday, and yet, he goes to these lengths?* 

she laughed.

            She walked around the apartment, reveling in the romantic sea of

candlelight and roses, and stopped by her kitchen counter, where bouquets

blanketed the entire white marble top.  It was so beautiful.  Somewhere in

her heart, she wondered why a man so arrogant and dense as Darien

Dredsdale would possibly be so romantic with a woman he didn’t even

love.

            In her heart, though, there was feeling of warmth and

embarrassment, to know that something about her made him go to all these

costs.

            She walked though the rose-garlanded and petal-carpeted halls and

rooms, she came to her desk, where lay a single white rose, and a card.

            *Ah…* Serena felt a nice glow of satisfaction as she picked up the

card and read it.

            “Go to Helzberg Diamonds on 17th.”  *Aren’t WE personal today,

Dredsdale?* she smirked.  *Helzberg Diamonds?*

            She immediately got her coat, wondering where Darien was

leading her.

            Before she left, however, she made sure all her roses were in water.

            As she walked out the door, she took her two white roses.

 

            “Ah Miss Larynce!” the forty-ish blonde smiled at her.

            Serena smiled back.  “I take it that you’ve been expecting me…”

            “Your fiancee said that you’d be around here about this time.”

            Serena laughed.  He had this planned, and she was still

wondering…what in the world was his surprise?  Why was he doing all

this?

            “This is for you…” the woman took out two white roses, as well as

a single card and a long flat box wrapped in gold foil with cream roses

printed on it.  She carefully took the wrapping off, and folded it nicely,

putting it aside.  The box was long, black, and velvet.  Serena had a

sinking, melting feeling as she opened the box, but her eyes glittered

wonderfully when they focused on a diamond bracelet, entwined with

golden filigree which was shaped into rosy flourish.

            Serena wanted to hug the lady who gave it to her.  “It’s so

beautiful…”

            “Mr. Dredsdale spent a long time here, but when he saw that

bracelet, he snatched it up immediately,” the woman beamed.

            Serena smiled.  “I love it.  Where is he?” she asked, as clasping the

bracelet about her wrist, marveling at the living glow of it.

            “I was told to give you these things after.”

            Serena took the envelope from the woman, and smiled as she

opened it to find yet another one of Darien’s single cards, with the gold

rose imprinted in the corner.  On it was written, in Darien’s sharp concise

handwriting, “Saks Fifth in Boston.” *Yet another beautifully eloquent

note!* she laughed.

            Enclosed was a train ticket for 6:00.  On impulse, Serena decided

to follow long and hope that not packing would still be all right.  Besides,

Darien planned it.  As she took her four roses out into the Cambridge air,

she smiled as she, for the first time in a long time, dreamt of romance.

 

            A tall five ten blond strolled into Saks Fifth, having no idea where

to go, but as she walked through the crowd, she walked towards

information, where she’d probably figure out where the heck she was to

go.

            As she approached the counter, the young man smiled at her. 

“Serena Larynce?”

            Serena smiled, and blushed.  “Yes?”

            “Your fiancee left this for you…”

            He gave her a white rose, as well as another envelope.  Inside it,

she found another card, which said, “Women’s evening gowns…wear it

for tonight…”  *Gotta teach him how to write.*

            She smiled, and took her roses with her to evening gown

department.

 

            It was a white satin spaghetti strap.  It fit her nicely, and accented

her stunning figure, flowing all the way to the floor.

            The saleslady also handed her a shoebox, in which were white satin

high heels, and white opera gloves, as well as a comb of gold and

diamonds.

            Serena put all on carefully.

            Darien was planning an evening out for her?

            There, in her white satin purse, there was another envelope, as well

as diamond starburst earrings.

            “7:30 at Hilton Restaurant on Main.”

            She smiled, dazed, as the woman also handed her a night cloak,

and a garment bag, in which her sweatshirt and jeans were put in.

 

            She was beautiful, sitting in the elegant surroundings, looking

around her for his face.

            The white suited her perfectly, as he’d hoped, and his bracelet

cuffed her wrist snugly, elegantly.  He hair tumbled form the comb, and

the curls lightly danced on her creamy shoulders.  Her figure was stunning.

            He had arranged all this as a stunt to show the world just how

romantic they were, and perhaps there was a little in him that wanted to

see her pleased, melting into her surroundings in wonder and romance. 

However, he knew that if he didn’t make his entrance soon, she would

most certainly have a lot to say.  It was best to get her while she was still

in astonished romantic stupor.

            A waiter walked to her table, carrying a tray that held five white

roses to bring her total up to eleven.  On the tray was also two empty

glasses as well as another envelope, this one with a gold rose imprinted on

the envelope as well.

            She opened it slowly, to find two tickets to the Rose gala on June

17th and smiled as she read the cream colored piece of paper, with the

gold rose in the lower right-hand corner.

 

“Larynce”,

            Happy 27th on the 27th of March.  I’m sorry I wasn’t able to call

you last night…(wince).

            Anyhow, I wish you a wonderful birthday, and I wanted to show

you how much I appreciate you, and admire your spirit and enthusiasm,

and perhaps show you a little of something inside you didn’t know you

possessed (no, it’s not life; it’s romanticism).  I have to admit, Larynce, if

there’s a woman I had to be engaged to, you are the best one on my list.

            So, let’s make your 27th memorable.

 

Your “beloved” fiancee,

Dredsdale

 

            She smiled into the air.  There he stood, in a black tuxedo, smiling

warmly at her, carrying a single white rose…his blue eyes were glittering

with mischief, and she couldn’t help but blush under his very startling

gaze.  It was the kind that would melt most teenage girls, and maybe even

herself at that early age.  However, now she was different, because she

was of course older.

            But that look in his eye, the flash in the smile, as well as the fact

hat Dredsdale went to such a drastic measure to charm her on her birthday

made Serena want to just collapse with tears of joy, and fall in his arms

and say that she loved him for it, which was totally irrational, because she

didn’t love him, right?

            *A dozen white roses, and a sea of red…he really is romantic

today, isn’t he?*

            He stepped towards her, and she watched, dazed and admiring. 

*Thank you so much, for all you’ve done for me.*

            She stood up, and as he stood before her, smiling at her sparkling

radiant face, he thought he ever saw anyone so beautiful in his life.  He

wanted to kiss her, and hold her and tell her that she was the most

beautiful, the most intelligent, the most interesting person he’d ever met.

            She stood up as he approached, her eyes flashing with happiness

and unborn tears.  As he got the table, she threw herself into his arms as

everyone in the restaurant applauded.

 

            “You went WAY overboard this time, Dredsdale,” she smiled, as

the danced to the slow soft music in the background, a deejay had replaced

the quartet from dinner.

            “It’s worth it, isn’t it?” he teased.  He danced with her as they

danced to the slow rhythm of Celine Dion’s “Falling into You”

 

“And in your eyes I see ribbons of color

I see us inside of each other

I feel my unconscious merge with yours

And I hear a voice say, “What’s his is hers”

 

I’m falling into you

This dream could come true

And it feel so good falling into you

 

I was afraid to let you in here

Now I have learned love can be made in fear

The walls begin to tumble down

And I can’t even see the ground

 

I’m falling into you

This dream could come true

And it feels so good falling into you

 

Falling like a leaf, falling like a star

Finding a belief, falling where you are

 

Catch me, don’t let me drop!

Love me, don’t ever stop!”

 

            Serena laughed, to interrupt the threateningly true lyrics. 

“Honestly, I don’t believe I’ve ever been more stunned and out of mind in

my life.  But you still did not call last night.”

            He pressed his forehead to Serena’s and smiled into her eyes,

saying softly, “You’ll forgive me anyways, right?”

            Serena laughed.  “I don’t know, Dredsdale.  It’ll take more than a

few roses and a diamond bracelet to make me happy again,” she teased,

rolling her eyes mockingly.

            “How about a kiss?”

            “Umm…” she shifted uncomfortably.  She had to admit…it

sounded tempting…but cats would talk before she told HIM that.  “I was

just kidding; of course I forgive you.  Besides a kiss isn’t a really good

idea-“

            “Shut up for once Larynce…” he leaned his head down and gently

captured her lips in an embrace that startled both him and her.

 

“So close your eyes and let me kiss you

And while you sleep I will miss you…”

 

            It was very gentle, like an angel’s, and it wasn’t the first time they

had kissed, but it was the first time that there was that strange underlying

feeling.  A warm feeling took her soul, and Serena felt something that

wasn’t there before, not only gentleness, but also a certain feeling that was

hanging heavy in her heart.  There was security and protection in that

promise of a kiss.  Was it love?  As she looked for an answer in his cloudy

eyes, she found nothing but a gentleness that held her in a web of

admiration and warmth.  Serena shivered as her arms went around

Darien’s neck, and she put herself into his embrace.  He held her

delicately, and she felt protected, and felt her soul lighten up and her heart

started to creep into her eyes.

            She quickly closed her eyes, closing away the emotion, and started

to back away from the embrace, frightened of what had happened.

            Was it supposed to be this way?  She never thought so before?  Did

happily ever after exist?  In him?  Darien Dredsdale.  A sea of roses, a

glittering bracelet, and all the riches of the world, perhaps, in his eyes, and

would he offer them to her?

            Her mind closed to questions once more as she just savored the

moment, and held him even more tightly, drinking in the atmosphere.

            Darien smiled, and kissed her forehead, and held her to him as they

danced more.

 

“I’m falling into you

This dream could come true

And it feels so good falling into you

 

Falling like a leaf, falling like a star

Finding a belief, falling where you are

 

Falling into you”

 

Chapter 18 - Phone Calls

            Darien sighed as paper after paper of medical terms he was tired of

staring at started to blur his vision.

            Sitting in his bed at half past midnight, he was tired.  Today was a

long day.  He had to collect med papers from a few people, and from

others, exams.  He’d gotten the exams out of the way, but he was still

working on the papers.

            Suddenly, the phone at his bedside rang.

            Taking his glasses off, he reached for the phone, and sighed into it. 

“Morning, Lovely,” his husky voice fell over the line.

            “Am I the only one that calls you this late?” she smiled across the

line.  Serena’s heart smattered.  That husky almost sleepy voice of his

made her heart pound, and her mind fill up with a love potion.  She

couldn’t have fallen in love with the voice.  But not the person.  HA!

            “Yes, I don’t think anyone else is as annoying.”

            “Of course, but remember, I’m the fiancee, so I suddenly have the

right, don’t I?” she smirked over the line.

            As strange as it was, Darien liked getting Serena’s phone calls, and

calling her.  They’d call each other every night at around this time, and

converse on things that were on the agenda, or questions that were raised. 

He loved to hear her voice.  The velvet sound of her almost sore throat

(from talking all day) was something that triggered dreams.  Two months

into the engagement now, and Darien was satisfied, somewhat.

            It was that connection they’d feel, at times.  She pretended now

that on her engagement, she simply went to bed, and nothing important

happened.  Darien was smarter than that.  He knew that she was scared,

and that first night was extremely weird for both of them.  They really

connected that night.  Larynce was an ice cube now, and stayed away as

much as possible.  Except for on her birthday, which was a little touch of

heaven.  However, it was different now.  She didn’t even put the bet for

champagne on anymore, but only was the quiet fiancee who appeared to

say loving things in his ear to make him smile.  At least, that was what the

press called it.  In reality, Serena was making a droll comment on the attire

of one of her cousins, or something of that nature.  He’d laugh.  When they

were alone, however, it was a different story.  She found the way to push

him off, or push him away.  She never stayed around long enough for him

to talk to.

            But then again, Darien didn’t REALLY mind.  After all, Serena

Larynce was NOT the ideal fiancee.  He wasn’t even going to get married,

so he didn’t really have to push the matter.

            But there were times when he wished that perhaps there was

someone out there for him, that would care.

            Like that would really happen to him.

            Serena and him alternated nights calling each other, when Serena

started the tradition the second night of their engagement, asking him what

we were going to do with their careers.  “I had that question presented to

me by a friend of mine.  I said that I intended to keep my job, and you

yours.  But my friend didn’t believe me because we were such a romantic

couple she didn’t think we’d get along without each other.”

            Darien laughed.

            Laughing and scoffing comprised most of their hour-long

conversations each night.  Even if they had nothing to do, they’d read

papers to each other and laugh.  It was odd.  Darien got the feeling that

Serena felt safe when she could be with him alone on the phone and not

have to see him.

            Serena had that EXACTLY in mind.  In fact, it was perfect.  If he

tried anything even slightly romantic, she’d just hang up and claim

disconnection.  Serena never understood why she wanted to talk to him

every night at such a late hour, for such a long time, but she reasoned that

she enjoyed their dueling over the lines, and she enjoyed his insights and

thoughts, especially since they were so different from the dreary common

ones she was used to hearing.

            Since the engagement began, since that NIGHT, she had been very

careful with the Dredsdale prince.  It was hard to act as his fiancee and not

feel the urge to be his in real life, for in public, he was the ideal fiancee,

the one she’d always wanted, and he’d make her laugh and he’d do such

romantic things.  He always sent her a flower at the office, which ever one

she was in for the day, a white rose, and she’d smile like a shy

embarrassed school girl.

            Now, her birthday was a fluke…it was a touching escapade, and

she was surprised Darien never asked for the bracelet back, as she had

expected, and so, she decided that he meant to spend more than four

thousand dollars on a birthday present he wasn’t actually engaged to.

            Of course that was just for the outer appearances.  No one was to

know about their agreement.  And she didn’t want to stick around longer

than she had to so that he could snub her and make her feel like a brat all

over again.  She knew he was acting, and Serena readily admitted that he

was a GREAT actor.

            But she was pretty good to.  There was more than once when she

saw that overwhelmed look in Darien’s eyes.  She relished in those

moments.

            “So there anything special coming up this weekend?” he asked,

casually.

            “Going to Mina’s for lunch.”

            “Good.  And evening?”

            “Plan on staying the night.  Mina and I have a lot to catch up on. 

You?”

            “Hospital seminar.”

            “All day?”

            “Yes, all day.  But at least now, I won’t have those young female

interns giving me those starry eyes now.  I’m a taken man.”

            “That is, until we break it off,” Serena reminded him, and herself.

            “True,” he said, somewhat disappointed.

            Serena couldn’t wait for the engagement to be off.  Only eight

more months.  She was surprised they had survived two already.  She had

been actually engaged for TWO MONTHS!  She looked at the ring on her

finger, and played around with it.  Being around Darien, pretending to be

in love with him, when he was pretending to be in love with you, was

dangerous for any woman.  If Serena weren’t so set against him, she might

have fallen for him.  Emphasize the MIGHT.  But two months had passed. 

I’ll be it, two VERY long moths passed, but Serena was sure that eight

could be passed the very same way, no complications.

            “So what’s going on up there in wonderful Massachusetts?  Long

time since I last came up.”

            “So visit some time.  Harvard’s grand this time of year.  Students

are cramming and teachers are furiously writing new exams.”

            “Well, we haven’t got much better at Johns right now.”

            “Oh yeah, clear the tenth of May.  You have to come back and be

my fiancee at the Harvard professor gala thing.”

            “All right, but the third, a week before, is the Johns H one.”

            “And the week before that, the 26 of April.  That’s Ken’s birthday

ball at the White House.”

            “And the weekend before that is the coming weekend, so we’ve got

our next weeks booked.”

            “My cousins would sneer that we don’t spend any time together

alone, as a couple.”

            “But that’s not what we ever wanted in the first place, now, was

it?” he asked, hoping to hear something to prove otherwise.

            A silence.  “No, it wasn’t,” she said quietly, and hung up.

 

Chapter 19 - Man I Wish the Stork Existed!

            Serena smiled across the lunch table at Mina.  “The salad looks

delicious, and I love your ranch!  It’s so isolated from everything else, and

so perfectly situated.  It’s got GREAT decor.”

            “That’s Susie Setsuna’s job.  Great fashion design, but she is

GREAT at interior decor.  And I like the secludedness too.  I’ve been

around people all my years, but now, I just want it to be me and my family

right now.  It’s nice here.  Very quiet.  The nearest town is an hour away. 

You know, you might want a life like this.  You’ve been bugged by people

all your life.  It’s so relaxing here.”

            “I’ll remember that when Dare and I settle down!” Serena laughed.

            “And how is your handsome fiancee?”

            “He’s great.”

            “Did you invite him here like I asked you to?”

            “He had a med seminar, so I didn’t think he could squeeze it in.  I

left it at that.”

            “It’s just as well, because I didn’t know Andrew was going to have

to go out of town for an appearance in LA.”

            “Yeah.  It’s just as well because now it’s just us and we can

gossip.”

            “So?”

            “So what?”

            “About you and Dare…”

            “What about us?” Serena asked, cautiously.

            “How are you two?  You don’t get much time together.  I know

how THAT feels.  I always wanted to be with Andrew all the time, and it

drove me crazy that we weren’t together!  You know, when we were

engaged, I called him every night at insane hours and talked to him, just

because I missed him!”

            At that, Serena looked up, slightly surprised and smiled.  Inside,

she was panicked.  *We talk to each other every night at insane hours, and

the engagement is always on my mind, but then again, I think about the

ending of the engagement, not about the fiancee.*  With that, Serena felt

comforted.  So long as she looked forward to the end of the engagement,

they would be okay.  No emotions or feelings to clutter up her business

world.

            Mina leaned back in her chair, and rubbed her now very large

tummy.  Her smile suddenly disappeared, and she frowned very quickly. 

“Oh my gosh, Serena!”

            Serena was on her feet in a minute.  She ran to Mina’s side.  “What

is it?”

            “I think my water just broke.”

            Serena’s eyes widened and she looked around, panicked.  She

quickly guided Mina to her room, and helped her lie down.  Her eyes

focused on the phone on the desk.  “I’m calling for help.”

            She ran to the phone, and instead of dialing 911, she decided to

page Darien.  She then gave Mina’s number into the pager, and then called

911.  Unfortunately, the nearest hospital was two hours away.  From the

way Mina started to cry and kick and scream, it didn’t look like it was

going to be that easy on Serena.

            *Please, Darien, where are you?*

            The phone started rang an hour later, after Serena had pulled her

hair out, and cried with Mina and reassured her.  “Hello?”

            “Serena?  You paged me.  What’s up?”

            “Oh, Darien, there’s a huge problem here.  Mina’s water just

broke, and the ambulance is two hours away, and she’s really screaming!”

            “All right, Serena.  Listen to me.  Ask her how early is the baby.”

            “Dare wants to know how early the baby is.”

            “A FEW WEEKS!!!!” she screamed.

            Serena brought the cordless with her to her friend and comforted

her.

            “You heard her,” Serena said into the phone.

            “All right, and how far apart are her contractions?”

            “WHAT?”

            “How often is she screaming really loudly?”

            “She’s constantly screaming right now.”

            “Louder than usual.”

            She looked at the clock helplessly.  She then looked at Mina. 

“How far apart are the contractions?”

            “An hour and half,” Mina breathed out.

            Serena repeated to Darien.

            “Looks like the ambulance will get there in time, but you’ll have to

do a lot of the work.  Listen to me, Serena you have to do a few things…”

 

            Serena collapsed into the seat by Mina’s bed.  “Whew!  What a

trip, Mina!”

            The ambulance had arrived at the ranch in time, and Mina had her

son at her ranch, but had been brought afterwards to the hospital, to make

sure she’d be okay.  Darien was right, and though Serena had to do most

of the work, the ambulance driver and his colleague had helped when they

had arrived.

            And now, they were in the hospital, Mina gently holding her son

and Serena ready to fall asleep with exhaustion.

            At that moment, a knock came at the door, and Andrew peeked

around the corner.  “Dare said that I had to rush back to the hospital.  Are

you all right, Mina?”

            Serena smiled.  In all the excitement, she had forgotten to call

Andrew.  It was a good thing Darien did…*Darien always remembers to

small sweet details, doesn’t he?*

            “Yes, I’m fine.  Isn’t he beautiful?”

            At that moment, Serena realized that she didn’t belong in here, and

decided to leave the family to themselves.

            As she started down the hall, she looked absently around her,

feeling lonely and tired.  She needed someone here for HER right now.

            It was an odd feeling.  She felt lonely, and tired and very old. 

Everything seemed so much more colorless and empty.  Her life seemed to

be missing something.  For the first time, that little emptiness in her heart

was swollen and ached.  She wished, for the first time in her life, that

someone was here with her.  Him.  She wanted him to be here, taking her

in his arms, holding her.

            As she decided to that she was overreacting and just needed

something to eat, she headed towards the elevators, wanting to go the

cafeteria.  Someone down the hall was evidently a Mariah Carey fan,

“Whenever You Call” was coming out of one room or another.  Serena

wanted to cry.  The melody was more than familiar to her.

 

Love wandered inside

Stronger than you

Stronger than I

And now that it has begun

We cannot turn back

We can only turn into one

 

She felt the tears accumulating…this was what all came down to, wasn’t

it?  In the end, that strange feeling, called love, which did not exist for

cold ice queens…

 

I won’t ever be too far away to feel you

And I won’t hesitate at all

Whenever you call

And I’ll always remember

The part of you so tender

I’ll be the one to catch your fall

Whenever you call

 

It was just amazing how well Darien knew her…the way he always knew

the exact moments to joke with her, and when to be serious…and the

gentleness of his touch…a tear slipped down her cheek.

 

And I’m truly inspired

Finding my soul

There in your eyes

And you

Have opened my heart

And lifted me inside

By showing me yourself

Undisguised

 

*No comment,* she thought, as she walked down the hall.  This was

depressing.

 

And I won’t ever be too far away to feel you

And I won’t hesitate at all

Whenever you call

And I’ll always remember

The part of you so tender

I’ll be the one to catch your fall

Whenever you call

 

            She waited a little and the elevator bell dinged.  She waited for the

doors to open and when they did, she couldn’t move.  How did he know? 

Her face paled and she was frozen in place, when she suddenly smiled.

            There he was, mussed hair, exhausted, just like her, from travel,

rather than frustration, loneliness and fatigue.  Here for her.  He put his

hand to her cheek, and caressed it lightly.  Serena felt that emptiness

quickly being filled, as the wound that was born in her heart suddenly

disappeared like magic.  The feeling would not be ignored.  She felt the

warmth, creeping into her cheeks, and confusion pervading her soul.  But

right now, she couldn’t fight them, when she was too tired, and too weak. 

She simply hurled herself into his arms, and started to cry, holding on for

dear life.

            He held her, holding her shoulders, looking at and feeling the

security and warmth flood into her.  The feeling of having her in his arms.

            She looked up gratefully to him, as if to say thank you, but instead,

her arms twined about his neck and her hands pulled his head to hers, as

she kissed him gently.

 

And I will breathe for you each day

Comfort you through all the pain

Gently kiss your fears away

You can turn to me and cry

Always understand that I

Give you all I am inside

 

I won’t ever be too far away to feel you

And I won’t hesitate at all

Whenever you call

And I’ll always remember

The part of you so tender

I’ll be the one to catch your fall

Whenever you call

 

Chapter 20 - I Shouldn’t NEED Him

            Serena stepped out of the limo, and smiled to Darien, putting her

gloved hand on his arm, as he guided her into the opera house.  He held

her hand lightly in his.

            Her heart was pounding.  He always made her feel so nervous now. 

However, there was something in his presence that indicated that if he

WEREN’T here, she’d feel even more miserable.  Therefore, she found a

strange comfort in being on her nerves.

            They walked up together and walked into a box where they greeted

Amy and Greg.

            “It’s so wonderful that you could join us!”  Amy smiled.

            Serena kissed her friend’s cheek and shook Greg’s hand.  “It’s

been a while since I’ve seen you, and all.”

            “Great.”

            “Besides, Darien and I haven’t been able to be together for a

while,” she said, tightening her grip slightly on Darien’s hand.

            It was all strange and out of whack now.

            Serena really didn’t know what to think.  It had been a month since

that day Mina had her child, but Serena remembered like it was yesterday.

            The holding, the comforting.  Serena and Darien never really

talked about it, but she knew that she needed him there when he came. 

And she knew that he knew it too, or else, he might not have been there.

            He just knew she needed him.  He had flown to Los Angeles,

fought the crowds and found Andrew, and together, they had set out for

Cheyenne.  Darien had driven them to the hospital in a rented car, and was

parking as Andrew rushed to his wife to congratulate his wife and see his

son.

            Darien rushed to his fiancee, to hold her and tell her that she had

done a wonderful job.

            And Serena still didn’t know why she cried that day.  Darien never

talked about it either.  But she realized one thing that day; she needed

Darien that day, more than she had ever needed anyone in her life.  The

emptiness was filled that day, and though the emotions and feelings she

had been trying to avoid in herself had surfaced, she ignored them, and

found that the filling of that void was well worth the confusion.  But only

for that day.  It was strange now.  Serena Larynce depended on Darien, for

a day.  But it didn’t matter that it was a day.  It was the fact she had

depended on him…counted on him…TRUSTED him.  It was strange to

have that dependence on someone.  Serena never thought that it would be

possible to depend so much on one person.  But then again, after that

event, she never really NEEDED Darien to hold her again.  She was all

right afterwards.  But she was changed too.

            She liked talking to him every night, even if it WAS to argue over

something.  But it was hardly like that.  In fact, if they didn’t abhor each

other, they might have been friends.  But then again, Serena knew that

what they had was not dislike either.

            It was all in the middle in that cloudy gray area, she supposed. 

Darien was a nice guy to keep conversation with, and a good person to

calm her down when she was feeling distressed.  Other than that, well,

those feelings of melting were hardly what she called permanent

dependence or anything, nor were they anything to worry about, because

as for as her life was concerned, those problems did not even exist.

            But she liked being around him.  He made her feel beautiful with

his flirting and teasing.  It was the game, and the game, and she played the

game as well.  To the press, they were Camelot all over again.  Beautiful

princess and HOT TO DIE FOR prince.  She sometimes thought that it

was because she even WAS beautiful, or at least with him, and at times,

she believed that she even looked beautiful to him.  And even THAT

thrilled her.  The way that he’d look at her while they danced, even if it

WAS an act.  The way he’d hold her possessively, even if it WAS all a

joke.  It made her feel warm and gooey inside.

            No!  She was acting like a teenager?

            Was she falling in love with love again?

            Or was she falling in love with Darien?

            Either was bad, but the second was worse.

 

            She sat at a dining table, alone, looking into the crowd

absentmindedly.  She didn’t like going to these events alone.  She wished

he had come with her.

            As she put her silver fork down on her plate and sat back in her

chair, she DID wish that Darien was here.  They’d be playing the game

again, or whispering something about Candy Larynce’s low-cut see-

though getup.

            Serena sighed and played with a stray tendril that came across her

face.  She then reached her hand back and fixed in the curls in the

amethyst and silver barrette more securely.

            At that moment, Darien Dredsdale was standing at the doorway,

watching his fiancee in blank and obvious admiration.  Dressed in

lavender velvet, with a silver-embroidered bodice, low-cut and sleeveless,

and very form-fitting, her blond curls, which now reached past her

shoulders, and curled lightly with bright silver and sparkling amethyst

among the strands of gold.  The straps of the gown here an inch thick and

came down in an oval, and Serena had worn a gorgeous amethyst and

silver necklace.

            She was beautiful, and Darien knew everything about that beauty,

for he studied it time after time after time.  She never was too dull to

study, and everything about her appearance was fascinating, and perfect.

            But that wasn’t the only thing about Serena Larynce.  She had a

heart of gold.  She had frozen it before for protection, but he liked to see

that ice melt away, leaving nothing but a vulnerable girl, whom he was

falling in love with.

            He was accepting it now.  Serena Larynce was different in his eyes

from any other woman because he had special feeling for her.  It was

different to be with her than any other person in his life.  He was defensive

because he was vulnerable.  He had told her more about himself than he

had ever told anyone in his whole life.  That touched him, and frightened

him.  It was so soon, wasn’t it?

            He sighed and decided that he wanted to get SOME dances with

his fiancee this evening, and if he just stood there the rest of the evening,

he was getting nowhere.

            Serena sighed, thinking about him.  *He’s at some dinner with

some cousins, and I understand that, but if he were my true fiancee, and if

he loved me, he’d be with ME, or I’d be with him.  It wouldn’t matter. 

But then again, it’s only business arrangement.  It’s not like we’re going to

actually get married,* she thought, regretfully

            At that moment, she felt a light tap on her shoulder and she

immediately sensed the touch.  It was the touch of Darien.  Only his would

make her feel so frightened and pleased at the same time.

            She turned cautiously, hiding her small affection in the midst of

blue confusion.

            Darien took her into his arms, a gesture of an fiancee that came

with the contract, and whispered, “Thought you’d be bored.”

            “Without our bickering?  I have to admit, Dredsdale, it IS rather

dull without your annoying presence.”

            “How about we leave?  It’s only nine, and we can walk around a

little.”

            Serena felt her heart beat faster.  “How about we stay here?” 

*Where it’s safer for me to stay around you, where you can be that sweet

fiancee I want you to be.*

            Darien, inwardly disappointed decided to accept it, and instead

offered his hand, “Care to dance then?”

            “I’d love to.”

            As the walked out to the dance floor, Serena worried that she was

spending too much time getting to know this young man who was easily

taking away her life from her grasp.

 

            He held her hand, as they walked into the chapel, and sat in chairs,

smiling at Greg, who stood at the front, with his best man at his side.

            Serena gripped his hand even tighter as some of the Larynce

princesses approached them.

            He smiled, and put his hand protectively about her waist.

            She smiled at him, and kissed him on the cheek, making her blush,

as she realized that they had an audience.  He chuckled, and guided her to

a seat.

            As they sat, watching the wedding take place, Serena felt her hand

being held affectionately.  As Amy walked down the aisle, her eyes

sparkling with mirth and excitement, Serena smiled at her cousin, and felt

the tears coming.

            He smiled at her, and touched her cheek, with his finger, collecting

her tears, making her smile.

            As the two at the altar said their vows, the two in their seats

watched with ardor and a seriousness that forced them to think about

this…

 

Chapter 21 - We Need To Talk

            “Hello Gram,” Serena said, grudgingly as she pecked Gail

Larynce’s old cheek with a small hint of coldness.

            “Rena, darling, what is wrong?”

            “I came here early because I need to talk to you.”

            The Fourth of July barbecue was two hours away, but Serena

wanted to have some time with her grandmother on her own.

            “What is wrong?”  Gail asked.

            “What’s wrong?  You decide to take my life, and throw it into

disarray and ask what’s wrong?”

            “Oh that.”

            “Oh that?”

            “I know you don’t usually wear such royal blue, but I thought

you’d look nice in it…”

            “No!”  Serena stamped her foot.  “The dress is fine.  I wanted to

talk to you about my fiancee.”

            “Oh, Darien Dredsdale is such a sweet boy.  I’m glad you’re going

to marry him.”

            Serena sighed, exasperated.  “YOU decided that, now, didn’t you? 

Neither Dredsdale nor I know what is going on, and I’m very frustrated

now.  You really screwed with my life!”

            “But now you’re happy with him, aren’t you?  Doesn’t Gram know

right?”

            Serena sighed, exasperated.  Confronting Gail Larynce was like

confronting a brick wall.

            “Sure Gram, I like him enough…”  *Enough to KILL him for all

the confusion he’s causing, and enough to kill HER for starting it.*  “I’ll

see you later, Gram.”

            “Yes, and don’t forget to wear the royal blue.  You’ll look

BEAUTIFUL.”

            “Sure, Gram.”

 

            Serena walked about the patio, smiling in the summer breeze at no

one in general.  Darien was on his way here, and she was being surrounded

by her littlest cousins, smiling and playing along with them.

            “You be the princess, Aunt Reeny!”

            She wasn’t really their aunt, but it was easier than saying “second

cousin whatever”, and they were in too much awe of her to call her just

cousin Serena.  However, they didn’t like saying Serena either, but Reeny

just worked perfectly.

            “What?  I don’t want to be the princess!” she smiled.

            “But you’re pretty!”

            “So are you!”

            “But you look like a princess.  Aunt Candy says you’re the Ice

Queen, and that you could freeze us, but I told her that you weren’t cold at

all, and you couldn’t’ freeze us ‘cuz you never did before, and that you

weren’t a Queen because you weren’t THAT old!”

            Serena smiled.

            “Aunt Candy also says that you’re very ugly, but I told her that you

were pretty, and you looked prettier than her.  She has too much make up.”

            Serena was laughing.  “Well, I still can’t be princess anyway,

because I still don’t have my prince!”

            “Uncle Darien’s coming, right?”

            *UNCLE DARIEN?!?!?!?!?!*  “Since when did you start calling

him Uncle Darien?  We’re not even married yet!”

            “But you’re going to, and when we saw him a month ago when he

visited Daddy, daddy told us he was Uncle Darien, and that he was going

to marry you!”

            Serena blushed.  *Kids just say the DARNDEST things!*

            As she stood, talking with her little cousin, she felt a hand rest on

her velvet-covered shoulder.  She turned carefully.  Only one person could

make her heart beat ten times faster like that.

            But when she turned around, she found that her heart had lied.

            But it wasn’t a huge disappointment.  With a little relief, and with

more joy than usual, she greeted Raye Larynce.

            “How ARE you?  I haven’t seen you in a LONG time!”

            Raye smiled, her white teeth, brilliant and her violet eyes

sparkling.  Serena always loved those eyes.  They were so unique and

beautiful.

            Though the two women had only met each other last year at Raye’s

wedding, they had gone on shopping expeditions, and gone to various

functions together.  Raye was a wonderful woman to stick around with,

because she was so open and honest.  Chad loved her very much, and

Serena liked Chad a lot, and liked his tastes in everything.

            And his taste in women was NOT bad.

            Raye was always very understanding.  Not only was that special

about her, but she had the advantage of knowing Darien when he was a

child, for she had gone to school with him.  Raye could always see the

whole story, and evidently, she saw the whole story in the engagement too,

for a few weeks after the engagement was announced, Raye had called her,

and Serena had confessed everything to her, and Raye simply understood. 

From that time, they had grown VERY close.

            But now, no one knew what was going on in Serena’s head.

            Raye drew her friend to a corner and they started to talk.  “So is he

coming?”

            “Yeah, of course.”

            “Something’s up, isn’t it?  You’re so nervous around him now.”

            “He gives no reason for me not to be nervous.”

            “Are you feeling something for him?”

            “I…I don’t know!”

            Raye nodded understandingly.  “I know I can’t tell you what to

feel, but I’ll tell you that in all my years of knowing Darien Dredsdale, I

don’t believe I’ve ever seen him as happy as he is with you.”

            Serena nodded, touched by that comment.  A warm feeling of

smugness came over her, and she felt a satisfaction that was not known to

man or woman.

            “But if he hurts you, I will gladly kill him for you.”

            Serena laughed.

 

Chapter 22 - Another…er…Complication

            “…and that’s why the judge must…” she trailed off, as she looked

at the window of the classroom.  He was there, standing, wet, and he

looked like he needed her.

            An odd feeling…being needed.

            “Um…I think I’ll let class out today twenty minutes early, if you

don’t mind,” she said, as she checked her watch.  “You all look tired

anyway.  We’ve covered a lot of work today.  By next week, I want you to

read through the next two chapters, and we’ll discuss more.  Class

dismissed.”

            The students all sighed with relief, as they stood up, and packed up

their things.  She answered all last questions, and walked to Darien, who

now had come in.

            He stood there, hair rumple from travel, and a slight five o’ clock

shadow, but nevertheless there.  He immediately took her into his arms,

and he kissed her, thoroughly, at first hungrily, then gently.  She wound

her arms around him, taking him into her embrace, showing that she

sincerely missed him.

            He liked the feeling.  A lot.

            So did she.  A blush crept into her cheeks as she realized what she

had just done…but it was excusable, right?  What else did a fiancee do

when she saw her fiancee for the first time in two weeks?  Never mind the

fact that they weren’t really getting married.

            “Darien, what are you doing here?” she whispered against his

warm chest, as he held her, bound tightly in his arms.  She felt his heat

through the many layers of clothing she wore.

            It had taken a lot to get him there.  He had gone out of an operation

when the patient died anyway, and it hurt more than anything.  It

happened, and the chances for success were slim to none.  Standing in the

empty corridor, having nurses and surgical assistants tell him that it wasn’t

his fault, got to him.  He didn’t need them there.  He only needed Serena,

because Serena would know how to comfort him.  Serena knew

everything.  He needed her.  He loved her.

            “I needed to see you, I guess,” he said calmly.  She started to back

out of his embrace, looking at him carefully.  He didn’t want to scare her

away.  The look in her eyes was one of fright and bewilderment.  It stated

to come to him.  He didn’t want her like this.  Her wanted her to be

relaxed with him.

            “Come on, let’s go back to my place…” she said, as she got her

coat and umbrella.

            The walked through the rain in silence, but he found immense

comfort in holding her hand…immense warmth.  they arrived, and Serena

turned to him, and softly smiled, waveringly.

            Serena bit her lip.  “Why don’t you come in and sit down?” she

looked up at him.

            She was a vision.  The raindrops were playing like clear pearls in

her tendrils, and her eyes glittered with a small happiness and fondness. 

Her cheeks, which were lightly coated with a sheen of rain, glimmered

lightly.

            “Yeah, I’d like that,” he said, as he followed her in.

            She went inside, and grabbed a flannel blanket, and draped it

across his shoulders.  “You’re all wet.  You must be so cold!” she said,

softly.

            “Well, not anymore,” as he caught her arm, and twisted her into his

arms again, holding her warmly.

            She backed away, after sharing a few minutes of warmth, and

cleared her throat.  “What’s wrong, Darien?”

            “It was an operation…and the patient didn’t live.  He wasn’t

supposed to, but…”

            “Darien, you know those things aren’t your fault…” she said, as

she caressed his face lightly, looking softly into his eyes.  “You can’t play

God, and as much as you’d like to believe you can save everyone, there

are some…” she trailed off.  “We’ve had this conversation enough times

for you to know what I’ll say, so we’ll just sit here for a while, while you

gather your thoughts, all right?” she said, as she sat down next to him,

leaning her head on his shoulder.

            He looked at the golden head at his shoulder, and felt a warmth, a

care.  No one had ever been able to toss aside work just to sit next to him,

and tell him things off life, and no one ever knew when to ever talk with

him, and when to leave him alone.  He drew a breath.  It was only right. 

She had to know.

            “Look, I know things have been difficult, and we’ve been through

so much that it’s frightening.  We’ve essentially gone through the part of a

romantic couple.  Things are so different now.  I wasn’t counting on this,

but I’ll tell you one thing.  Serena, you know me more than anyone else

does, and now I see why you’ve always seemed…different to me.”

            “What do you mean?  We play games, if that’s what you mean by

different…”

            “Look, Serena, it isn’t a game anymore.  Don’t you see that?  This

is serious.  When we entered the engagement, maybe it was a game.  But

things have changed.  You have changed, and I have changed.  It’s

different because now we’ve gone though things together.  I know you,

and you know me, more than anyone else has ever known me in my entire

life.  I think about you every hour of the day, and if I don’t, I make up for

it when I feel my heart cry for you.  You are solely the most important

person in my life.  Wheatever you do, I feel it.  Whenever you smile, I feel

it.  When I stand in Washington, feeling a hollowness in my heart, I am

glad to know it will fill up again when I see you.  When I am cold or

depressed, I know that when I see you, the warmth of your smile will

evaporate all sadness or disappointment.  When I’m with you, I can

believe that stupid superstitions like the gold mistletoe work, even IF I

don’t know why.  When I’m with you, I can almost believe that everything

in the world is made of gold and pearl, simply because you love it.  When

I’m with you, I can almost believe that life is perfect.  Let’s face it, Serena,

I…care about you.  I think I’m…”

            “Don’t say something you’ll regret, Dredsdale.” Serena

interrupted.  She stood up from her chair, feeling her knees shake.  No, this

couldn’t happen to her now.  It was too soon, and too fast, and this

shouldn’t have happened.  She was Larynce, and he was Dredsdale, and

there was nothing that would ever make them both of the same world, the

same name.  She DIDN’T care for his theatricals.  “You’re only saying

this because you’ve had lack of sleep, now, you can go into my guest

room and rest.  I know you’ve had a lot of things going around in your life

in the last few days, and that’s why you think that what we have is special,

why you think we…but Dredsdale, you’re lying to yourself.  You just

need rest.”

            “Don’t you see that I love you?  I NEED YOU!!!!!”

            Serena looked up, startled.  A moment of silence passed between

them, and Serena could not remove her eyes form his face.  Finally, she

stammered out some words, carefully.  “Rest…you need rest.  I think I

need to go out for a walk,” she said, as she got up, and grabbed her

umbrella.

 

Chapter 23 - A Revelation

            She cried every night before she fell asleep.  *What’s going on

with me?*

            It was pain.  He never called her anymore, and when she called, he

never answered the phone.  She wanted to talk to him, but he wouldn’t. 

The past two months were torturous.  She’d go to various society things

without him, and come up with excuses for the people who were

concerned.

            She’d come up with excuses for herself.

            Finally, she just got sick of everyone and everything, and decided

to back away and hide out.  She stopped calling her friends and talking

with them a week ago, because she got sick of all the pity and comforting. 

SHE WOULD NOT BE COMFORTED FOR BEING IN A

RELATIONSHIP THAT NEVER EXISTED!!!!

            So now she was alone, because that was the only way for her to go

on now.  She didn’t want to deal with her problems, and she didn’t want to

think about HIM.  Her friends would only want to talk about her feelings,

which she had yet to understand herself.

            She missed him…his companionship.  He was…everything.  He

could comfort her, make her feel drunk with happiness, he could make her

feel strangely mad and pleased with him at the same time, and he could

kiss her with something that she had never felt before, no matter how

many times they had kissed.  He could make her love him.  What they had

was special, and he ruined it all by telling her that he needed her.

            It was what she needed to hear.

            But it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

            It was true that she loved him, and it was true that she needed to

hear that he loved her, but she didn’t want to fall in love, ever, in her life. 

She liked her life the way it was.  But lord, she needed him, no matter how

much she was telling herself that she didn’t.  Every minute of this was

torture, killing away her heart, leaving nothing but pain and sorrow and

tears.

            *Life’s so complicated now.  It was perfect before he entered the

picture.*  She was ready to kill her grandmother the next time they met,

which was only two months away, at the Christmas dinner.

            *God, the Christmas dinner.*  That was when she and Darien had

chosen to break it off.  Who knew what was going to happen now.  They

hadn’t broken it off officially yet.   But they were going to, undoubtedly

soon.

            She loved him, that was true.  But she didn’t want to believe it. 

Admitting that she loved him was admitting that she had a weakness, that

no matter how hard she was, and how remote she was, and how strong and

smart she was, that she was still as weak as anyone else, that she could be

crushed in a second by one gesture of his hand.  She didn’t want that.  But

even though she didn’t want to admit it, that pain was in her now.

            She had spent her life building that reputation of hers, and she

spent even longer than that telling herself that she didn’t need anyone or

anything.

            But it all changed when she was engaged.

            Getting engaged had to be biggest mistake of her life.  She thought

that it would only be a long game, but now, it had been a path of

discovery, and she found that every engagement, no matter how false,

influenced life.

            Just the concept of being bound to someone else, to feel what he

felt, and to go though his troubles, was enough to make her learn life.  But

when love played a role, then the whole engagement changed.

            As she sat in her room, she looked to the window, up to the moon,

as the radio announcer introed the latest from “savagegarden”.

 

“She’s taking time, making up the reasons

To justify all the hurt inside

Guess she knows from the smiles and the look in their eyes

Everyone’s got a theory about the bitter one

They’re saying ‘Mamma never loved her much’

And, ‘Daddy never keeps in touch

That’s why she shies away from human affection’

But somewhere in a private place

She packs her bags for outer space

And now she’s walking for the right kind of pilot to come.

And she’ll say to him

 

I would fly you to the moon and back if you’ll be…

If you’ll be my baby

Got a ticket for a world where we belong

So would be you my baby?

 

She can’t remember a time when she felt needed

If love was red then she was colorblind

All her friends they’ve been tried for treason

And crimes that were never defined

She’s saying, ‘Love is like a barren place,

And reaching out for human faith

Is like a journey I just don’t have a map for’

So baby’s gonna take a dive and

Push the shift to overdrive

Send a signal that she’s hanging all her hopes on the stars

What a pleasant dream

 

I would fly you to the moon and back if you’ll be…

If you’ll be my baby

Got a ticket for a world where we belong,

So would be my baby?”

 

            At that moment, she realized something.

 

Chapter 24 - Letting Her Go…

            He sat in at his office, taking in the morning around him.  He was

depressed.  He blew it.  She wasn’t ready.  *But I AM!!!!*

            She was perfect, everything he wanted in life, captured in one

smile, one person.  Pure and beautiful.  He loved her so much.

            He had never felt such a bond and such an understanding as he had

when he was with her.  She was so special…a delicate moon beam, right

in his hands, which so quickly vanished.

            It wasn’t going to be the same anymore.  Whenever he stood with

her, or danced with her, he’d know, that deep inside, she didn’t love him,

and the pain of having her in his arms, but not having her in his heart, was

too much to bear.

            He was going to let her go.  She had to realize it too.  And this was

the only way.

            Besides, it was best for them right now anyway, because he

couldn’t stand to look into her eyes again without those feelings he wanted

in there.

 

            “Darien Dresdale announced earlier today outside the White House

that he and Serena Larynce will not marry, and that the engagement just

isn’t working out.  Larynce is in hiding in her Cambridge home, she

refuses to give a press release.”

            Serena stared at the radio as she heard it.

            He had broken it off.

            It was not possible.  It couldn’t be.

            He had broken it off.

            It was three in the morning, and she had just settled down at her

bed after furiously cleaning her Cambridge home.  She had thought all day

after that revelation, and decided that she needed to stay busy, because the

revelation scared her.

            She WANTED to marry him.  She loved him.  She wanted to be

loved by him.  It was a risk, but not worth it, definitely.  She was willing

to take the risk, and yet, the risk wasn’t there because she knew he already

loved her. Loving him was one of the best things she had ever done,

because loving him made her feel whole.

            Love wasn’t the weakness.  It was the strength.

            She shivered as she thought of her revelation again, the words

echoing in her mind.  She wanted him to love her.

            The song was important.  The song knew.  And now, she knew.

            She loved him.  He loved her.  They could get married.  And she

could live happily ever after.  It was all so perfect it was scary.

            As she sat back in bed, she had turned on the all news radio station,

and had just heard that her fiancee had called it off.

            It was then she realized that he might not love her anymore.

            Of course she was angry.

            She immediately picked up the phone and got Dredsdale’s

apartment in Washington.  Of course, an answering machine picked up.

            “Dredsdale here, but busy.  Leave a message.”

            “DREDSDALE!!!  WHAT DO YOU MEAN IN BREAKING OFF

OUR ENGAGEMENT?  WE HAD AN ARRANGEMENT!”  Not really

realizing why she had called, she hung up, shocked at herself.

            As she breathed heavily, looking at the phone, she started to cry

even harder.

            The engagement was off, and the chapter was closed.

            He didn’t love her anymore.

 

Chapter 25 - We’re Here For You

            As she sat in her office, mindlessly working on a case study by the

Supreme Court, she looked up as Lucy entered.

            “There are some ladies here to see you.  They said that you invited

them for lunch.  It wasn’t on your schedule, but the first lady was in the

group, so I…”

            “Don’t worry, Lucy.  Show them in.”

            The minute Mina, Lita, Raye and Amy entered the room, Serena

smiled and went to the and they embraced.

            “Welcome back into the human world, Rena,” Mina smiled softly. 

“We were worried for a while.”

            “It was nothing,” Serena smiled, pathetically.

            “So what’s been going on?”

            “Well, why don’t we go to a restaurant first and I’ll tell you

everything you wanted to know.”

 

            “…and now, here I am, in love, and he’s broken off the

engagement, and I can’t really blame him.”

            They were speechless.  Serena picked more at the salad.

            “So you two never really fought?”

            “No.”

            “But he still loves you, right?” Mina asked, gently.

            “No, he doesn’t.  That’s why he broke it off, don’t you see?  In the

White House, we’re fine.  I just do my work, and he does his, and we don’t

usually cross paths now, because I’m reviewing some Supreme Court

decisions, and he’s doing something or another.  So now, we’re back to

where we began, only worse than that.”

            “I don’t think he broke it off because he didn’t love you, Rena,”

Raye said softly.  “I think he broke it off because he loves you still.  He

wants the best for you.  I know him.”

            “I don’t think he knows what’s best for me.  If he did, we’d still be

engaged, calling each other at insane hours, and deliriously happy

together.”

            “But given the circumstances…”

            “I love him.  That isn’t a circumstance.  That is pure pain and

torture.  I can’t say I regret loving him, because it makes me feel special

when I think he did love me.  And I can’t deny that loving him has made

me a better person.  I love him, and he doesn’t love me.  I’d accept the

situation if I were less determined, but I’m not.  I want to fight for him, but

I can’t if he won’t let me.  It’s horrid!  And I don’t even regret this pain! 

You know, this is the reason why I always thought love was a weakness,

but even now, I won’t admit that.”

 

Chapter 26 - Someone Else?

            She caught his eye from across the room at the gala.  He was there,

but he brought an escort.  Candy Larynce.

            Serena had a deadly flame in her eye at the moment.  He had the

nerve to bring Candy Larynce to a White House function.

            She was ready to kill him.

            But she calmly told herself in her mind that this chapter was over,

and that Darien would always be in her heart, no matter HOW dumb he

was acting.

            Though this came close to pushing him out of her heart.

            She couldn’t believe it.  She still would love him after he did

THIS?

            She felt tears in her heart, but wouldn’t let them come to her eyes. 

It would be humiliating.  Not that it wasn’t humiliating enough.

            Candy Larynce.

            *Love is strength, yeah right.*

            She wanted to just give up and become herself again, the late

Larynce that wandered around , distinct from everyone else.  She wanted

to be alone and the Ice Queen again.  But Darien just wouldn’t let that

happen, not would he?

            She felt her heart, and life, falling out of her grasp and to the floor. 

She didn’t want to see this.

            Everything was in tailspin now, all because of one man, and he had

to be the one man she’d spent her life building her heart and mind against.

            She knew that he would eventually find someone else, but why did

it have to be soon, and why did it have to be Candy?  She wanted to leave. 

She couldn’t breathe, and she wanted to think by herself.

            “Would you like to dance?”

            “Yes, sir, I’d love to,” she said to the perfect stranger.

 

            It was killing him inside.  He only brought Candy to make her feel

jealous, and only Serena knew if he and succeeded.  Now she was dancing

with her fifteenth partner that evening, and he desperately wanted to go

and rip that man from his princess.

            He hated this waiting.  He had to do something.

 

            Serena sprawled out on her bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to

sleep, but her eyes were reluctant.  Her pillow was wet, for countless tears,

as she tried, once more, not to think of him…

            She sat up, and, depressed, she turned on the light, and tried to read

a romance to novel to cheer her up.  However, the story was too

depressing for her…it told of two childhood enemies, who met later, at a

masquerade, and fell in love, and so on, and they lived happily ever

after…happily ever afters never existed.

            She turned on the radio as she started to cry again, and she looked,

from her place on the bed, out the window, to stare, once again, at the

moon.

 

I am thinking of you

In my sleepless solitude tonight

If it’s wrong to love you

Then my heart just won’t let me be right

‘Cause I’ve drowned in you

And I won’t pull through without you by my side

 

I’d give my all to have

Just one more night with you

I’d risk my life to feel

Your body next to mine

‘Cause I can’t go on

Living in the memory of our song

I’d give my all for your love tonight

 

Baby can you feel me

Imagining I’m looking in your eyes

I can see you clearly

Vividly emblazoned in my mind

And yet you’re so far

Like a distant star

I’m wishing on tonight

 

I’d give my all to have

Just one more night with you

I’d risk my life to feel

Your body next to mine

‘Cause I can’t go on

Living in the memory of our song

I’d give my all for your love tonight

 

Chapter 27 - Deja vu

            She ran up the steps at 5:47.

            *Never cut it THIS close.*

            “Miss Serena!  Your mother’s been worried sick!”

            Serena smiled.  *Nothing’s changed HERE, at least.*

            It was difficult, but Serena had finally closed the chapter of being

engaged.  She was all right now.  She smiled as she thought of the past

year.

            She HAD changed.  A year ago, she was not even aware that she

was going to be engaged, that she was going to fall in love.  She now

wondered if she was better off then, not loving, and not hurting inside

every time she heard the name Darien Dredsdale.  She loved him.  It was

the experience.  She had to go through it.  She was happier now, because

she had left that behind her, and let that experience improve her.

            Or at least that’s what she told herself.

            But did she believe it?

            “Rena!”  Mina came running forward for a hug.

            Lita smiled as she approached her friend as well, and Amy walked

slowly, with Raye, both with slightly swollen tummies.

            “Your mother’s going to ground you!”

            “Nothing new, now is it?”

            They laughed.

            Raye hugged Serena meaningfully.  Only she knew how much

Serena was thinking of not coming.  She whispered into her ear, “He’s

here alone, Rena.  Didn’t bring a date.  I think he’s hiding in his room

right now.”

            Serena looked, startled, at her cousin.

            “So what are you naming the kid?”

            “Don’t know if it’ll be a boy or girl yet.”

            “Serena Rebecca Larynce, you are now grounded for a year!”

            Serena smiled at Ilene Larynce.

            “I was worried about you,” Ilene sighed.  “But I’m glad you

came.”

            Ilene had figured that Dredsdale’s presence in the house must have

contributed to her daughter’s already tardy nature.  She wished she could

understand what her daughter was feeling, but Serena didn’t talk much

about her relationship with the Dredsdale prince, and Ilene decided that it

was her daughter’s choice whether she heard it or not.

            “Mother, I’m glad to see you,” Serena said.  “I think that I’d like to

talk to you and dad; we haven’t talked in a while.”

            Ilene smiled, and realized what her daughter meant.

            “Our door’s always open,” she said, meaningfully.

            “And there is my favorite granddaughter!” Gail Larynce smiled

carefully, approaching Serena.  She had not talked to Serena since the

break off of the engagement, and was feeling slightly guilty.

            “Gram.  I missed you.” Serena smiled, hugging the old woman,

showing her that she forgave easily.

            “Where’s daddy?”

            “Right here, Bunny.”

 

            Dinner was long and difficult.  Serena didn’t really want to eat

anything.  Not when he was in the room, sitting with his great aunt.

            It was like putting salt on an open wound.  It stung.  She wanted to

cry, but she didn’t.  She told herself that she was a better person, and that

though she loved him, she didn’t need him.

            She finally gave up and went up to her room, saying she had a

headache, which was true.  All this forcing herself to go on was getting to

her, and her heart was starting to weigh a thousand tons.

            As she got some mail from her mailbox, she noticed a small

package at the foot of her door.  It was in gold paper, and tied with a

cream ribbon.

            She picked it up, and went into her room.

            Curious, she opened it up first.

            There was no note, there was no card, and nothing to identify who

the giver was, but Serena knew.

            The gift was a gold chain, with gold snowflake with a diamond

embedded in the center.

            Serena smiled, as tears came to her eyes, and as she suddenly

thought that she had a lot of things to do for the masquerade tomorrow.

 

            She entered the room, golden hair, golden glitter sparkling in the

golden folds of her hair, and among it, a gold hair clip.  She had rosy

cheeks and a smile, both with gold glitter on.  She wore a dress of gold

satin with a large skirt, sparkling, and belling with gold lace and gold

embroidery.  Her bodice was gold with gold sequins and gold thread

embroidery, and she wore a gold satin sleeveless and low-cut top, with a

gold necklace on.  It was a gold snowflake.  She wore a gold crown, and a

gold mask…HIS mask, as he noted form the far corner of the room.  The

gold eyes underneath glittered sadly with tears about to form.  Wouldn’t

he have loved to see her now?  She flaunted the diamond engagement ring

on her ring finger, as she walked about the room on her gold high heels,

secretly searching for him.

            And she saw him.  At the far corner of the room, there stood a man

with white satin, and silver embroidery robes.  His hair was black, but

streaked lightly with silver frost.  He wore a silver mask…her mask.

            She walked up to him, feeling a burst of courage as she

remembered the necklace around her throat.  She offered him her hand,

and he took it, wordlessly, noting in his mind, however, that she was

wearing their engagement ring.

            As they danced, she realized how much she had missed him, and

how much she still loved him, even though she had known that before.  It

was a reality check.  She had not seen him in a so long, and she wanted to

hold on to him forever.  The chapter might have been closed, but she

couldn’t help but go back to it again and again.

            Her courage was quickly dissolving, as she felt her heart dissolve

into tears once more.  But she wouldn’t let it take her over.

            As the evening drew to a close, the fairy tale started to drift away,

as Serena realized that he wasn’t going to ask her again, that this night was

the last night for them, and she whispered to him.  “Darien…I, I…”

            “Okay, it’s midnight!”  Gail Larynce said into the microphone. 

“It’s time to unmask!”

            Darien softly took of her mask, and looked away.  He wasn’t going

to look into those eyes expecting to find that the emotion he wanted wasn’t

there.  He didn’t want to know what her response was.  He already felt bad

enough.

            He felt the mask being lifted off his eyes, and he looked down at

her, as her eyes were averted and she looked at the mask in her beautiful,

metallic gold-colored nails.  He didn’t want her to look up at him.

            “And let’s see who’s under the mistletoe this year!”  Gail was

saying.  “Serena and Darien again!  I think it’s trying to tell you

something.”

            Serena, surprised, looked up to find the gold mistletoe indeed

above their heads, and a sudden tide of courage overtook her.  She smiled

quietly, as tears brimmed over her cheeks.  It WAS meant to be.  She

turned to him, and said bravely, teasingly.

            “So, my Ice Prince, what say you?  Should we just give it up and

accept fate?”

            He smiled back, said silently, “What do you mean, my Sun

Princess?”

            “I think you are crazy about me,” she teased.

            “I think you are insane about me,” he smiled back.

            “What if I said you were true?”

            “And what if I say that YOU were true?”

            “Then I’d tell you I love you.”

            “You would?” he was startled.

            “Yes, I would.”

            “And what if I said that I loved you?”

            Serena was silent.  The chapter wasn’t over.  It just begun.

            Darien kneeled down before her, and took her hand.  “What if I

told you that every time I’m without you, I want to scream injustice, and

curse love?  What if I told you that every time you smiled, I wanted to keel

over with happiness, even if you weren’t smiling at me?  And what if I

told you that every time you talk to another young man I want to pull him

away and keep you to myself?  What if I asked you to marry me?”

            Serena gaped.  He was asking her again.  She started to cry all over

again, and looked into his eyes, and saw a world in there, and all of it was

reflecting her.  “What if I answered yes?”

 

Chapter 28 - I Love You

            She sighed, dancing in his arms, in the empty ball room.  Her arms

were wrapped tightly against his neck, and his tightly against her back. 

They danced to the haunting echoes of a distant melody, in the next room.

            The grander ballroom was a setting for new love stories, and a new

year, but for the two in here, their story was becoming even sweeter.

            She leaned her cheek to his shoulder, as he kissed her softly on the

ear, and traveled the kiss down from the curl of the ear to her neck, throat,

and then her mouth.

            It was warm, passionate, true, and everything that was good in the

world.  She clung to the warmth, knowing it’d always be there.

            “I love you!” she said, for the hundredth time this vacation, kissing

him with a passion that had continued throughout the week.

            He kissed her, and held her tightly, and smiled, “You are so…”

            “So what?” her head came back to look at him.

            It still happened.

            When they looked into each other’s eyes, there was overbrimming

joy, and undulled love, and dark passion.  Always.  The meeting of the

eyes was a meeting of loves and feelings, and Serena’s heart always felt

touched after such a gaze.

            “So beautiful, intelligent, perfect…perfect…”  he said, kissing her

nose, then forehead.

            She loved his kisses.  They made her feel dizzy.  Tears came to her

eyes, as she kissed him softly on the lips.  “The minute I saw you, that first

night, I felt something in me, and when I found out you were Darien

Dredsdale…” she laughed lightly, as he met her forehead with his, softly.

            “When I found out you were Serena Larynce, I laughed…”

            Serena frowned.  “At what?”

            “Me, not being smart enough to see a princess when she walks up

to your face.”

            Serena smiled shyly.

            “I love how you smile like that…”

            “You love everything about me…” Serena teased.  “In the last

twenty-four hours, you have told me you love my laugh, my tears, my…”

            “I love you…everything about you, Serena.  When I look at you, I

wonder how you and I ever got to be…”

            “Join the club!” she teased.

            “Incompatible from the start…”

            “Probably argue ourselves to death…”

            “At least life will be interesting…”

            “Yeah…interesting.”

 

Chapter 29 - Married Life…Now and Always

            Dancing in his arms in white satin and lace, she smiled at the

handsome man and said, “I love you…”

            Jealous, her husband cut in.

      Serena blushed.

            “Sorry, DAD,” Darien tried out the new name on his father in law. 

“Even former presidents can’t take my beautiful wife from me for long…”

            Serena smiled, and went into her husband’s arms, as he held her

closely.

            “Hmm…Serena Rebecca Larynce Dredsdale…long name, but it

feels so wonderful to hear!” she craned her head back to look up at the

ceiling of the tent, as if looking to heaven.

            Darien kissed her neck, and then cheek as she looked to him again. 

“It’s a beautiful name…I love it…”

            Serena giggled against his cheek.  “Not as much as I love knowing

that I am your wife!”

            “That sounds even better…”

            “How about I love you?”

            “That’s music…Honey, if you keep this up, I probably will never

let you go…”

            “Can I get that in writing?” she laughed in his arms.

 

            She looked peaceful, her face turned to the window of the train, the

sunlight filtering down on her face, catching in her golden hair, pooling at

that arch of her neck, and glittering on her soft eyelashes.  She looked

peaceful, and he caressed her hand, and brought it to his lips.

            She fell into his chest cozily and leaned on him as he placed his

chin over her golden mass of hair, kissing her temple, her ear, and tracing

a line all the way down her neck, and nuzzling at the crook of her neck,

feeling rather lazy himself.

            “Tickets?”

            The attendant looked him questioningly.

            Darien took both from his pocket and the attendant punched holes

in them.

            Serena smiled in his hold, as the attendant smiled to them, “I hope

you and your wife enjoy Washington…”

            “We already are…” Darien whispered into Serena’s ear, as he saw

her a sliver of smile pass through her lips.

 

            It was 5:30 pm.  She was home early today.  Now that she took

only taught two days of classes at Harvard, things were better for her. 

Most of her meetings were done via computer and phone now, and Serena,

though not spending as much time AT Cambridge, still spent as much time

working with the people there. 

            Today wasn’t a work day, though.  She had to go up to rearrange a

few courses though, and that was a meeting early this morning.

            The minute she closed the door, she fell back on it, closing her

eyes and smiling.  It was over.  Two days away, even though it was only

two days, was still torture.

            But now, she was home, and she’d be with her husband, and

perhaps they’d go out to eat tonight at a beautiful restaurant.  Then perhaps

they’d go to a movie, or walk around a while and then warm up at a cafe.

            She wrenched off the beige pumps, and tugged at her beige suit

jacket buttons, and went up the stairs in the penthouse apartment.

            She found her husband already asleep on the bed.  She pulled off

the blazer, and pulled off the annoying pantyhose, and decided that there

was nothing more romantic than just spending the night in your husband’s

arms.

            She promptly slipped into bed in her blouse and skirt, and hugged

her husband.  She felt the sensation of being moved closer to him, as he

put his arms around her, kissed her forehead, and whispered, “Welcome

home…”

                       

            They walked up the steps to the Castle at 5:30, arguing.

            “We wouldn’t have been this late if you had done your Christmas

shopping earlier.”

            “Give me a break!”

            “I would, but I give you too many already.”

            “It’s not my fault I’m pregnant.”

            “Back to the point, why did you suddenly decide you absolutely

HAD to go out and buy a present this morning at eleven o’ clock?”

            “Mrs. Dredsdale, your mother…” the maid who opened the door

began.

            “…Is very worried about you,” they both completed, rolling their

eyes.

            As they entered the house, Darien took her hand, and held it

possessively.  “We’ll probably be grounded.”

            “We needed a vacation anyway,” she smiled, leaning into him, and

kissing him sweetly on the lips.

            “I love you, Serena.”

            “I love you, too.”

 

The End

 

Copyright 1998 by Crystal Heart