Author's note: So... Is Darien dead? Is he alive? Did I listen to all your pleas and gave him a chance to live a long and happy life with Serena? The answer isn't too far... Read on my dear readers!

Chapter 17

Finally

"Clear!" the doctor shouted as he placed the electrodes on Darien's chest.

The heart monitor still showed the same straight green line.

"Raise it up to 400," the doctor continued. "Clear!"

No change.

"Clear!"

No change.

The doctor sighed. "Time of death: 11:13 AM. I'll go tell the girl."

--

Serena was now lying over a few chairs, her head in Mina's lap. The tears had stopped flowing. Terror had sunk in. What was taking so long? When were they coming to talk to her? Was Darien...? She couldn't bring herself to even think it.

Serena's eyes shifted up as she heard footsteps coming towards them. This was it. The moment of truth.

"Serena?" Mina said softly. "The doctor's here."

Andrew, Mina and Serena slowly got up. Serena's body felt stiff. She had been in that position for quite some time now, trying to shade away from the unbearable reality.

Serena tried analyzing the doctor's expression. Doctors were so neutral about these kinds of things. They had to be. She tried to see if she could find an answer, although deep down inside, she didn't really want to hear it.

"Since Darien's parents are unreachable at the moment, I'm guessing you three are as close to family as it gets," the doctor said. He looked at their awaiting faces. "Darien Shields did not make it. He died after we closed him up. His heartbeat was already faint when we started the operation but it was the only way we could stop the bleeding. I'm very sorry," the doctor finished, before walking away.

Andrew sat back down and put his head in his hands. He stared at the floor, trying to process the information. His best friend was dead. Dead.

"Mina..." Serena said gently. "Mina... I can't breathe," she said as she fell to the ground. "He can't be... He can't be..." Serena muttered over and over again. It couldn't be true.

"Shhh... Sere..." Mina said, trying to soothe her.

"No..." Serena stared helplessly in front of her. "I need to see him!" she cried, a new set of tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please! He's not dead!"

"Sere! Calm down!" Mina said, trying to restrain her. She couldn't bear to see the pain on her best friend's face.

"Let me go! He's not dead! Nooooo!"

--

"You look good, Serena," Lita said.

Serena nodded at her friend. "Thanks for being here, Lita. I really appreciate it."

Serena listened as friends and family gave her their condolences. Soon, they would have to bury him. Soon, he would be six feet under.

The viewing had gone by in a flash. Serena still hadn't realized what was happening. It was as if the world had accepted the fact that he was dead, that it was almost okay to see him go.

Now, Serena was alone with Andrew and Mina.

"Sere... It's time to go," Mina said softly.

"You guys go on ahead. I want to stay a bit longer..." Serena replied just as soft.

Serena approached the coffin, while her two friends gave her her space. She looked at his peaceful face, a face she would never forget. "Oh Darien..."

--

"Darien!" Serena screamed, sitting up straight in her bed.

It was a dream. An awful dream.

She wiped the sweat off of her forehead and let her rapid heartbeat slow down. She looked at the empty space beside her. She wished he was there.

It had been a three weeks since that day. Three weeks. Why was she being tortured with these nightmares?

She remembered everything that had happened. Seiya's outrage, the blood, the hospital... She remembered all the pain she felt, all the hurt, all the worry.

She had been having the same dream every night, ever since he left. Always his death. It was so vivid, so real. She didn't know how to make it go away.

Serena didn't want to go back to bed, in fear of having another nightmare. She got up and looked at the time. 3:04 AM. Great. Another wonderful day lied ahead of her. She would be a peach at the office today. Andrew would love her enthusiasm.

Ever since he was gone, Andrew had taken over Shields Inc. He had begged Serena to take her job back at the company, saying that she was some sort of good luck charm. In truth, they both needed each other's presence. Serena couldn't refuse him, she couldn't leave him alone. Together, they vowed to make the company thrive in his absence and they were doing a fine job at it.

She hurried into the shower to try to get the picture of his dead body out of her head.

--

Serena poured another cup of coffee before heading down to the car.

Daniel had felt so bad about not seeing Seiya coming. He was always being extra nice to Serena even though she told him many times she didn't need him to be.

Serena waited patiently for her car and took the opportunity to open up the morning paper. The headline read 'Seiya de Marco: still behind bars and awaiting trial'. A smaller headline read 'How is Blake Corp. coping?'. Serena felt bad for him, but what he did was inexcusable. And now, the whole world knew it.

The valet signalled that the car had arrived and Serena was thankful for the interruption. Seeing Seiya in the papers brought back images of last night's dream and the face she couldn't think about.

Serena walked out into the sunlight. The occasional photographer would snap her picture, but it wasn't worth much since the buzz around him had died out. He wasn't important anymore.

--

Serena arrived at work early. Andrew was already in his office, making calls. Since she had resumed her position as a public relations officer, she always had to check in with Andrew to see what her itinerary was for the day. Sure, she had someone to tell her all this, but it provided her with an excuse to see how Andrew was doing.

Ever since he was gone, Serena would always try to busy herself with anything and everything, filling up empty spots in her schedule. She had to keep her mind off of him or she wouldn't be able to get through the day.

Andrew nodded at her to acknowledge her presence. She waited patiently, drinking her coffee. Her mind started drifting towards him again. His voice, his touch, his eyes... How she missed him.

Serena's head snapped up at the sound of rummaging in his office. Odd... She put her coffee down and walked slowly towards the noise.

As she got closer and closer, she heard a voice. A voice she would recognize anywhere.

She hurried into the office, catching the person off guard.

"I'll call you back," he said, looking at Serena.

There he was. The man she loved. The one who couldn't leave her thoughts. Midnight black hair and deep blue eyes. Yes, it was him.

"Darien?"

"Serena, you're here early," he said, coming towards her to envelop her in a big hug.

"I could tell you the same," Serena told him, quickly running towards him and jumping into his arms to close the space between them. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist and her arms flung around his neck as she bent down to place her lips onto his in a kiss she had so longed to give him. Darien revelled in her lips. It was pure ecstasy to be able to touch her again. They had had so little time together before he left.

"Well... I should go on business trips more often..." Darien said slyly, after a few seconds.

"Don't tease. I'm just really glad to see you," Serena said. "I've been having these... nightmares ever since you left for Japan. I couldn't help but think the worst," Serena said, smiling glad that all her worrying was for nothing.

"Nightmares, huh? About what?" Darien asked concerned, putting her down.

Serena looked from side to side. She didn't really want to tell him. She didn't want to bring that day up. Ever. She didn't like thinking about Darien's almost death. Even the doctor had lost hope. He had declared him dead, but he had miraculously woken up.

"Serena, you can tell me..."

Serena shrugged and gave in. "About how things could've gone wrong... the day you were at hospital..."

Darien immediately understood and wrapped her in his arms. "You won't lose me anytime soon..."

"I know, Darien. I know. It just felt so real... I just thought that maybe something happened. I was so worried ever since you left."

"I'm here now aren't I?" Darien said, pulling back to smile at her.

"Mmhm," Serena said, feeling better. She was glad she had been worrying for nothing. "Why are you back so early anyway? I thought you'd only be back around dinner time," Serena said, changing the subject.

"They let me take an earlier flight and I needed... uh... something from my office. Besides, I couldn't leave Drew to man the ship for too long. God knows what mayhem he'd cause," he said, caressing her cheek.

"I heard that!" Andrew said, walking into the office. "Glad to see you're back in one piece. Serena and I were working our asses off. How was Japan?"

"Excellent. Shields Inc. 1, Black Corp. 0," Darien answered.

"Alright! Good job, Mr. Shields!" Andrew exclaimed happily, tapping his friend on the back. "I'm sure you two lovebirds want some alone time. I'm going to tell Mina the good news," he said, walking back to his office.

Darien rolled his eyes at his best friend. Andrew hadn't shown it, but Darien knew that the hospital fiasco had shaken him to the core. Darien couldn't ask for a better friend.

"Did you get a chance to talk to your father?" Serena asked, pulling Darien out of his thoughts.

A week ago, Lucas Shields had finally confessed to the murder. Seeing his son at the hospital hit something deep inside him, made him realize something no one could quite understand. Everything about it had been revealed: his wife's death, the people who killed her, the organization they worked for... Michelle was a witness and had been called out to testify. So was Darien. They had judged that Darien had been too young and had been simply defending himself. However, they weren't as kind to his father, judging the action of covering it all up as worse than the act of murder itself. But, as usual, money spoke louder than words and he was let off the hook with minor penalties. Darien had seen to that. Even though he hated his father for making him keep everything a secret for all those years, the man was still the father he loved dearly and Darien couldn't bear to see him waste away in a cell.

"Dad's fine. He's incredibly worried about you surprisingly. He's wondering how you're coping with me being at the office all the time," Darien said, his brows creasing. His father had grown to enjoy Serena's company over the phone. They had gotten to know each other while Darien had been recuperating at the hospital.

"Well... I do hate that you're working so hard," Serena scowled.

"You realize I've only just started. A week in Japan and already you're complaining."

Serena frowned at him. A week without Darien had meant recurring dreams. He didn't realize what hell he put her through ever since he left for Japan. She hated sleeping without him. She hated not being with him period. "With the company expanding and all, I don't think I'll be able to survive all these impromptu business trips and lonely nights!" Serena said looking up uneasily at his handsome face.

Darien smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Sere... I don't plan on leaving the continent anytime soon."

"The continent, huh? That still leaves Canada and Mexi-"

Serena's eyes widened in surprise as her hand moved up to place itself over her mouth. Darien had gone down on one knee. "Darien? Wha-" Serena's mind couldn't properly register what was happening. She could barely form a sentence.

Darien chuckled, seeing her shocked expression. "I was gonna wait 'til dinner tonight to surprise you... But I realized that I left the most important part at the office so I had to come home earlier, find it before Drew, 'cause Lord knows he can't keep a secret... and well... seeing you here, I just couldn't wait until tonight. Besides, what more of an appropriate place could this be? Shields Inc. is what brought us closer together." Darien took a moment to breathe in.

Serena's eyes became watery as he took her hand in his. He looked into her clear blue eyes and knew that this was right. "Serena, words can't express what an amazing and beautiful person you are. Ever since I met you, my life has been so different and I can't thank you enough for making me the man I am today. I can't imagine my life without you... It's happened once and it was one time too many. I love you so much Serena... Will you spend the rest of your life with me?" he asked, pulling out a small velvety box to reveal its contents.

Serena gasped as she saw how the intricately cut diamond glistened in the light. She had known the answer to his question for a long time. "Yes. Of course I'll spend the rest of my life with you..."

Darien's smile grew wider as he got up and slipped the ring on her fourth finger. Serena looked at the jewel on her finger before lifting herself up on her toes to kiss the man she loved.

"I love you, Darien Shields," Serena said, looking into his eyes.

"I love you too, Serena Lawrence," Darien replied before taking her into another passionate kiss. Except, this kiss was sweeter than all the rest. It signified a new beginning. It signified that through all the ups and the downs, and through all the obstacles, they had finally found each other.

The End

--

Author's notes: There you have it folks the perfect little ending, no? Did you guys think Darien was dead? lol.

I know it was a little short, but there's only so much you can say to end a story. I can't believe it's over. It's actually over! *cries* Trust me, I tried dragging it along. Well, at least I'll get to work on my other fic right? Anyways, review please! I'd love to hear what you guys think about this ending. Should I have ended it in a different way? Would you guys have preferred him dead lol? Maybe a sequel about their married life? Tell me what you think! Tell me, tell me, tell me!!! I'm so glad you stuck with me until the end! Really I am! I'll see you all in the other fic I hope. Tootles!