@TENDERLY@
Author: Hikari.
E-mail: 
Rated: PG-13
Part: Chapter 5



Chapter 5:

	The loud buzzing sound of the alarm clock awakened Darien 
from his peaceful tiered sleep with a start.  Blinking his eyes 
and shaking his head, he tried to search for the annoying machine 
with the hope of stopping the infernal noise.  'Ah, yes...' He 
often wondered why the off button was a small, hard little nub 
to push!

	Finally succeeding in his task, he looked around searching 
for the one person he always longed to see next to him in the 
mornings.  But her smiling face wasn't there!  He sat up and 
brushed his bangs back from his eyes in exasperation.  He could 
recall this scene happening before... a long time ago.

	Actually, it was exactly like the first time they had 
been intimate with each other.  After he had confessed his love 
for her and had shown her how much she meant to him.  She had 
told him that she 'loved' him and had taken off in the morning 
without even telling him of where she'd be.

	He now questioned her definition of 'Love.'  Such a word, 
he sadly doubted, she knew.  She used it so freely that it was as 
if saying 'I love you' had the same meaning as saying 'Hello.'  
He thought she would change with him.  He thought he could change 
her!

	"Stupid me."  He said, as he realized that you can *never* 
change someone that doesn't want to *be* changed.  "But I refuse 
to give up on her!"


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	"Come on Serena," David coerced as he flashed her a 
sparkling angelic smile.  "I just want to talk for a while.  
Maybe have some coffee together."

	Gut reaction was screaming for Serena not to trust him.  
To turn around and run away as far from him as she could get.  
She new very well the reasons why.  Yet, call it naivety... 
stupidity... or just plain masochism, but Serena still felt as 
though David really had never mean to hurt her.

	And when she looked into his eyes and saw his sweet smile, 
she took the chance to trust him.  "Alright, I'll go with you."  
Standing up and smiling at him, she knew everything was going to 
be all right.  His smile told her so...  but all the way to his 
house, she couldn't shake that feeling of impending doom.


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	Darien glanced at his watch for the hundredth time.  It 
had been five hours since he had woken up and still no sign of 
Serena.  No phone call, no letter, no anything!

	He had gotten her message a while ago from the security 
guard downstairs.  The note said not to worry, that she was only 
going out for a short walk and would be back soon.  And that when 
she did, she would know how to answer any question he might be 
wondering.

	But it was now one p.m.  She should have been back by 
now.  'Could she have gone home?'  Darien quickly searched through 
his address book and looked for the main phone line in Serena's 
household.  He dialed, and waited.

	A gruff male voice answered the phone.  "Hello, who do 
you want?"

	"Huh?"  The question had taken Darien aback.  "I- I was 
wondering if Serena was there?"

	"No.  She's not."  The man's voice was sounding impatient.  
"Is that all you need?"

	"Well, I-" Darien started but was cut off but the now 
highly irritated man.

	"Listen, do you mind calling later?  I'm in the middle of 
watching a football game.  Alright?"

	"Sir I just-"

	"Hey Sandra!"  Darien heard the man yell on the other side 
of the line.  "Do you mind answering the phone?!"

	"But John..." answered a woman.  "I'm making you lunch."

	"Don't argue woman!  Just take the *D^MNED* PHONE!"
	
	Darien waited patiently for the woman to grab the line.  
'What type of family had Serena been living with all these years?'  
He thought.  He could almost bet that what he had heard hadn't 
even been the worst that man could dish out.

	"He- Hello?"

	Darien quickly snapped out of his trance.  "Hi, I was 
wondering if you knew where Serena was?"

	Sandra thought for a moment.  "Actually, I don't think 
I've heard from her for about... um, two week now."

	Darien could only stare at the phone.  'Two weeks?  That 
was impossible.'  She had been with him for two week and had told 
him that she had called home so that they wouldn't worry about 
her.  'She was right about one thing...' he thought.  'They 
weren't worried, that's for sure!'

	"Thank you anyways."  Darien said as he hung up the phone.


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	It was close to nightfall and still no Serena... 
*anywhere*!  It was as if she had disappeared into thin air.  
He had asked people on the street if they'd seen her. He had 
called all her friends, relatives.  He had even called *him* up.

	But not even David knew where Serena was.  According to 
him, he hadn't even seen her for two weeks.  'Urgh!'  How badly 
every bone in Darien's body wanted to beat the sh*t out of that 
guy.  But he couldn't.  Because if Serena ever find out, she 
would probably go running back to David to comfort him and he 
could loose her forever.

	This had gone far enough!!  He might be going to extremes 
but she had forced him into them.  He would file a missing person 
report at the police station and have them help look for her.


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	Least to say, it was a sleepless night for Darien.  And 
oddly enough, he couldn't stop but think of the most seemingly 
insignificant details that deprived him from rest.  Like how cold 
the room felt without her, or how big his bed was if she wasn't 
there with him.  Her scent... her sighs... even her quiet snore.  
He missed every little thing about her that would pass as "un-
important."  But it *was* to him!

	Groggily, Darien tossed and turned in bed wondering where 
she could be spending her night.  Was she near, far?  Alright?  
Cold?  Alive?  That thought awoke Darien like flashing thunder.  
'Was she alive?!'

	Darien looked around his room.  It was morning already!  
With all the will power he had, he dragged himself out of bed 
and headed towards the bathroom.  He opened the 'cold' water 
faucet and splashed some water on his face.  Toweling it dry, 
he came out at the same time his phone began to ring.

	Throwing the towel on the floor, and running towards the 
phone, he answered the receiver with the hope of hearing Serena's 
voice...  It was the police instead.

	"Mr. Shields, it seems that an unidentified girl with a 
similar description as the one for..." the police man stopped.  
"Miss Serena Moyers, has been found at the Grand Central General 
Hospital.  We believe she was brought there yesterday around six 
p.m."



TO BE CONTINUED...

	*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*

Are you liking the story so far?  E-mail me and tell me!!  And 
*please* don't forget that I live for mail...  It really is a 
mayor ego boost.

Also *blushes* one of my stories has been chosen as one of the Top 5 
for July at the Angelic Scouts Web site!!  *blushes a deeper shade*

	"Thank you Princess Little Serenity!!"

Jya NE! -> Hikari-chan.

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