----------------------------------------------------------------------
"To Hell With Dignity"
Recorded by Ziska Ames
----------------------------------------------------------------------

She turned to the door, determined to walk out on him and his
outrageously annoying accusations. Sadly, she didn't get a chance to
boost her dignity. With an enraged growl he grabbed her arms and
pushed her into the wall.

"You have to be the most aggravating girl I've ever met!"
Darien roared as he glared at Serena through narrowed eyes. Her breath
caught and her eyes widened as he towered over her slim form. He was
as close as he could be to her without touching and if she tried to
duck away she would be completely blocked. But that was only half the
reason for the sudden hitch in her breathing.

His mouth filled her vision. His lips moved but she didn't
hear the words coming from them. She suddenly wondered what it would
be like to kiss him. What if she were to suddenly wrap her arms around
his neck and pull his face across that tiny distance between them?

"You aren't even listening to me!" He cried as he pushed
himself away from the wall and turned away from her. She suddenly
found herself looking at his back.

His yelling stopped abruptly when he turned around. She looked
exactly like he thought. She was staring dreamily in his general
direction, but at nothing specific as far as he could tell. A tiny
clinking noise in the sudden silence turned both their heads toward
the door.

Andrew had just kindly locked them in.

Darien grumbled a choice word or two and fell back into the
couch. His head ended up in his hands. Slowly, Serena relaxed from
against the wall, still looking at the door. Her gaze settled on
Darien's head after a moment and her breathing calmed now that she
wasn't being forced to stare into his deep blue eyes.

"So... umm... what were we talking about?" she tried after a
moment of intense, uncomfortable silence. He looked up, half a smile
on his face.

"Forget it. I don't even remember why Andrew pushed us back
here in the first place."

"Because we were too loud." she supplied helpfully.

"Yeah... guess that was it." he chuckled after a moment.

Slowly Serena pushed herself away from the wall and sat in a
chair next to the couch. "How long do you think we'll be locked in
here?"

"No clue." He muttered, face back in hands. "God, Serena, why
do you always manage to bring out the worst in me?"

"What?" She asked surprised. But it was true. "Well, you bring
out my worst too, ya know." She said not to be outdone.

"Probably not something to be proud of, hm?"

"No... I suppose not..."

Silence descended again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mina pressed her ear to the wooden door. "Did they kill each
other? It's much too quite in there."

"Maybe they're enjoying a peaceful moment. A second long truce."

"I think they killed each other." Mina insisted after a moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know, if you called me 'Serena' instead of 'Meatball Head'
I might be a bit more receptive to you."

"Do you even know what 'receptive' means?"

"Oh shut up." she growled, leaning back into the seat.

"Want something to drink?" Darien asked as he opened the small
refrigerator.

"What? You have portable poison in your pocket?"

"I wouldn't poison you, Meatball Head." Darien said with a
chuckle.

"Why not?"

"Because there are much more fun ways to kill a person."

"Oh yippe." Serena drawled as she accepted a glass of water
from Darien. She sipped at it and then noticed what she was drinking.
She raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "You shouldn't have."

"Complain to Andrew. He needs to restock this thing." he
grumbled as he sat back on the couch with his own glass of water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure they're both alive?"

"Geez, Mina. Have a little faith!"

"In Meatball Head?"

There was no answer for that one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So..." Darien started at a loss for words. "How's school?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you." Serena snorted as she drank her
water.

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Take a guess." She said suddenly remembering what had started
today's argument. The usual failed test.

"Oh right. Well, ya know, if you st-"

"Studied harder I could do better." Serena cut in using her
most annoying teacher voice. She sighed, going back to her normal
voice. "Yeah, I know. In theory that works just fine."

Darien cleared his throat self-consciously. "Maybe you should
get a tu-"

"Tutor? Been there, tried that." She countered staring
intently at her hands.

"Geez, Meatball Head, I'm just trying to be helpful. You don't
have to cut off all my sentences." Darien grumbled.

"I told you not to call me that!" Serena cried standing up
abruptly. She walked to the door and began to pound on it with her
right fist while her left clutched hard around her cup of water. "Hey!
Andrew this isn't funny!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mina jumped away from the door. "Well, at least she isn't dead."
Mina muttered as she shook her head to get rid of the ringing in her
ears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darien stood up as well coming up behind Serena. "There's no
point in doing that. Andrew won't let us out till he's good and ready."
He reached out a hand and put it on Serena's shoulder.

She whirled around, throwing the water in her cup into his
face. "Don't touch me!" She yelped.

He stumbled backwards into the wall shaking his head. "Jeez,
Meatball Head!" he yelled as he wiped water off his face. "Calm down."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed as she grabbed some paper
towels and pressed them to his shirt, trying to stop the spreading
stain. Abruptly she looked up and her eyes caught his as they found
themselves in a reverse position from before, this time with Serena
pressing Darien into the wall with the slightest contact.

They froze, Darien with arms raised as he wiped his face dry,
Serena with her hands lightly pressed into his now wet shirt. Again
her vision was suddenly filled only with his lips and her mind only
with thoughts of how it would feel to kiss him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered at a complete loss for words.

"It's okay," he whispered back as his arms slowly lowered,
hovering above her shoulders, but not touching.

"I... I've ruined your shirt," she said, lowering her gaze to
stare at the stain. His eyes were wide and he was looking at her with
such intensity it scared her.

"It's only water," he answered quietly, lowering his hands till
they rested ever so gently on her shoulders. She shivered at the light
contact. Her hands clenched and unclenched, the paper towel falling to
the floor. His shirt was instead gathered into her small hands.

With a deep breath she tore her gaze completely off of him and
closed her eyes. She took a step back, forcing herself to let go and
allow her arms to fall to her sides. Darien refused to let go and his
arms stretched out to full length as she backed slowly away.

As she continued he was forced to follow her. She could feel
his hands lightly gripping her shoulders. She continued to back away,
hoping he would let go and they could escape this situation. Abruptly
she backed into the chair and was forced to stop. But he didn't. He
walked closer and closer till again he was the one holding her
prisoner.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself looking
directly into his face, the same view she'd had when she closed her
eyes against temptation.

She took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry in advance," she
whispered.

"Why?" he asked softly, trying to keep eye contact. She looked
away from his searching gaze and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, her arms snaked up his chest, wrapped themselves
around his neck and pulled his unresisting face the last couple inches
to her's.

Wonderful didn't even begin to describe the feeling.

Seconds after she kissed him, Darien responded. His arms
wrapped firmly around her waist and he picked her up off the floor,
almost slamming her into the wall. Her legs wrapped automatically
around his waist as the kiss intensified. Serena was the one to take
it beyond chastity, gently opening her mouth and running her tongue
across his lips.

Instantly, Darien's own tongue responded and they danced
together. His hands slid down her body, holding her up by her legs,
using the wall to support most of her weight. She moaned when he
pulled away and began to kiss down her chin to her neck.

"Darien," she whispered when he gently kissed the hollow of
her throat.

He pulled away slightly, but she could feel his hot, uneven
breath on her neck as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. "Serena,"
he murmured in response.

Her head was pressed back against the wall as she gasped for
breath. Never had she dreamed a kiss could be so powerful. She thought
abruptly of how she had been prepared to walk right out of the room,
saving as much dignity as she could. She smiled. "To hell with dignity,"
she muttered as she kissed Darien's earlobe.

"What?" he asked as he raised his head. His breathing was
returning to normal, but his eyes still looked bewildered. Serena
loved that look.

"Nothing," she whispered as she pressed his lips back to her's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I swear he's killed her. Didn't you hear something slam into
a wall?" Mina asked.

"For the last time, Mina, they are both alive! Here, I'll
prove it to you." Andrew said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her
over to the counter. He flicked on a t.v. and flipped through some
channels before coming to what was obviously a security camera set up.
After a couple more flips he stopped abruptly, then smiled. "I told
you they were both alive."

"Damn. Talk about unfair." Mina muttered.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a little ditty I threw together. Hope you enjoyed it.

[email protected]