Boy this chapter might A) make you angry. B) Make your skin crawl. or C)Make you happy. I hope it does all three! I know the Helios/Rini thing might seem a little... different or immoral but just wait till you see how it plays out. ;)

Anyway's enjoy! Don't forget to REVIEW because I like it!

Bad Judgment and Passion

“Something bothering you? I’ve noticed that you’ve been acting distant today.” A tall woman with long green hair and violet eyes smiled as she slid into the chair next to Derrick at one of the cafeteria tables. “Care to talk about it?” Her eyes scanned him carefully then fell to her food. “Derrick?”

“I’m just… it’s been a tough couple of days that’s all. Peruru came to the house and was talking about all of his case studies… Rini loves him, Dad enjoys listening to all the things he says… then he was talking about Seriah… you know. Just hard to think that I’m the son in that family and he’s somehow… better than me.” The woman put a delicate hand on his shoulder and patted him in a comforting way. “I mean… I’d like to think I’m successful too.”

“You are Derrick… I’m sure your mom and dad adore you. You live with them though and they get to hear your stories all the time. When Peruru visits it’s special.” Derrick nodded then looked into her eyes with a thankful smile.

“Thanks Trista… you always know how to cheer me up.” He pulled her into a hug and sighed. “Peruru was talking about them releasing Seriah… I’m afraid…” He looked back at his tray of food. “I haven’t seen her in five years… I have no idea who she’s going to be… the girl I grew up with and love… or the girl who was drug to the mental facility. They’re different people and I don’t know… you know?” Trista bit her lip and nodded. He talked about Seriah often enough that it was obvious that he loved the girl. Of course she found it hard to listen to considering she loved him and he was talking about some other girl. “I’m sorry, I must be boring you with my petty whining. How are you today?”

“Oh… I’m okay.” She shrugged and looked around. “You’re going to be late for your shift if you stay around here with me you know?” She closed her eyes as he laughed and picked up his tray.

“You’re right… I’ll see you later!” He walked away from the beautiful woman and emptied his tray into the garbage. She watched him go and felt that familiar pull on her heart. The one that screamed at her to chase after him and just throw herself into his arms but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

In the corner, a set of icy eyes was watching the elegant intern eating her food slowly. Seriah gripped the table, her knuckles turning white as she dug her nails into the wooden surface. The two men flanking her were watching her with caution writ on their faces. “Let me out.” She growled, her eyes fixed on Trista.

“I wouldn’t call attention to yourself. If you make a scene Derrick won’t trust you.” Taiki pointed out calmly and sipped on the coffee he’d gotten from the machine. “They sure like it strong don’t they.”

“I’m going to see him.” She pushed Yaten out of the booth they were in and began to walk into the area Derrick had gone towards. She stepped up to the nurse and asked for a check-up saying she’d only allow Dr. Shields to administer it.

“Yes, we get plenty of ladies favoring him. I don’t blame them at all.” The nurse smiled and handed Seriah a clipboard. “Here’ fill this out and we’ll get you into a room for him to see you.” Seriah nodded and grabbed the clipboard away from the woman. She quickly filled it out and handed it back to the woman who looked it over and smiled before showing her into an examination area. The nurse then went back to the station and waited for Derrick to show up. “Hey! Derrick. You’ve got an admirer in there… she’s snippy, just a warning.” He nodded and grabbed the file she held out to him. Looking at the name he froze and looked towards the area she was in.

“What does she look like?” He turned to the nurse suddenly with wide eyes. She looked at him with an angry look making him sigh. “Fine I’ll go see myself.” He slowly walked over there and opened the curtain to see Seriah staring at him with a smile. “Seriah?” His eyes scanned her over. She looked more mature, her icy eyes were soft and her smile warming. Her long, wavy black hair was done in a way that reminded him of the way Serena’s hair used to be. Only Seriah wore four buns atop her head in pairs and the rest of her hair cascaded freely down her back. She was certainly the most beautiful woman he’d seen in a while.

“Yeah… It’s been so long I had to come and see you. They released me of course… I don’t know what I was thinking all those years ago.” She shook her head and sighed. “I was wrong and I apologize.” Derrick nodded and looked back down at the file in his hand. “Well doctor… do I get a check up or is it a conflict of interest?”

“Oh, it’s some kind of conflict.” He murmured and stepped towards her while pulling the curtain shut. “I’m so sorry for not coming to visit you but I couldn’t bear to see you like that.” He set the file down and removed the stethoscope from around his neck and placed the ear pieces into his ears. She watched him carefully, admiring the way he’d grown up. His brown eyes sparkled with kindness and regret. “Where are you staying?” He held the stethoscope head in his hand to warm it.

“With two gay men.” She chuckled. “He left me a lot of money you know so… I found a place pretty fast. I’m only staying there temporarily until I find a place I like better.” He nodded and placed the stethoscope just below her right clavicle and asked her to inhale. She followed his directions then shivered as he slightly lifted her shirt to place the instrument on her back. She watched his eyes as he looked at a spot on the wall, it was clear that he was trying to avoid looking at her. “Ricky… I would prefer if you didn’t tell mom or Darien about my being released. I don’t imagine I’m on good terms with either of them. I don’t want to upset mom and I know your dad won’t give me another chance.”

Derrick pulled away from her and noticed how sincere she was. It broke his hear to see that she’d changed and she couldn’t come back home. “So… Perry told me I have a sister… is she cute?” Derrick nodded and reached into his pocket to produce a picture of the cutest little blonde-haired blue eyed girl she’d ever seen. The girl was sitting on a swing, her ankles crossed delicately and her petite hands holding onto the chains of the swing. She had a large and happy smile on her face and she was wearing a pink dress.

“That was last Easter.” Derrick smiled and took the picture back. “She’s adorable Riah. She’s got your mom’s laugh and spirit. She definitely has dad’s intellect though. She’s constantly asking questions and wanting to understand things.” He chuckled and tucked the picture back into his pocket. The two of them grew quiet before Derrick cleared his throat and grabbed the otoscope (that ear tool doctors use to look in your ears) on the wall and put a clean tip on it. “So, you didn’t get any medical exams in there?”

“Not unless there was a problem… I never had any. I was in solitary confinement you know so… I rarely saw anyone but the psychiatrists.” Derrick nodded and looked into her ear before moving to the other side. “So… are you dating?”

“No.” It was a simple answer and it was said so flatly, so emotionlessly she could tell he’d answered the question many times before. “Well, your ears look great, you’re not congested, your eyes look good. Anything bothering you that you’d like me to look at?” She blushed profusely as a witty remark popped into her head.

“No. Nothing.” She turned towards him and looked into his eyes. He was so very handsome. She could see the blatant resemblance between him and his father but in her opinion Derrick looked different. His brown eyes gave him a darker, sexier appeal than Darien. They stared at one another for a while before Derrick grabbed the file from where he’d put it and started to move towards the curtain.

“Well Miss. Kou… you’re healthy as far as I can tell.” He reached for the curtain and stopped when he felt her hands slip around his waist as she hugged his back. “Seriah…” He turned in her arms and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. She said nothing, her eyes were glued to his lips and as he lowered his face to hers he mentally scolded himself. The second their lips touched Seriah pulled him as close as possible and his arms closed around her. To his surprise she wasn’t being aggressive, not like so many years ago. It was a clear sign of the Seriah he knew and so he allowed himself to relax. He touched his tongue to her lower lip and she immediately parted them to allow him access to her.

His beeper suddenly went off, parting them as he grabbed it and looked at the screen. “I’ve got to go… Meet me at the park tomorrow at noon okay?” He then gave her a quick peck on the lips and pulled the curtains open with such force and precision she had to smile. He quickly rushed to the desk, tossing the file he had to the nurse then pausing and looking back at the woman Seriah had seen in the cafeteria earlier. When she reached him they both ran down a long corridor together.

“Must have gone well?” Yaten’s voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. His goofy grin was mirrored on Taiki’s face. “Well then… little lover boy is easily fooled.”

“Shut up.” Seriah snapped and looked towards the nurse who was looking at her curiously. “What are you looking at?” The nurse looked down and went about her business. “Well, now we know what my sister looks like.” She clapped her hands together. “She’s adorable and sweet, the two traits I know Darien appreciates.”

Rini skipped down the road while holding onto Derrick’s hand. She was always happy to go to the park, though she wished her Daddy had gone with them. He always pushed highest on the swings and all the other little girls were always jealous. “Icky… can I ride the caro… caro-round? Daddy doesn’t like the caro-round.”

“You mean the merry-go-round?” He laughed as she nodded enthusiastically; her blonde hair bobbing up and down as she did. “Sure, you can ride the merry-go-round. Just don’t fall off okay?” He watched her nod as they arrived at the park and she ran towards the spinning object that had quite a few children on it. She climbed on and the parents began to spin it again.

“Derrick? Hey!” He heard Trista’s familiar voice. He turned his head to see her walking to him with a large smile on her face. Trista was a beautiful woman, certainly, and there’d been many times he’d thought about asking her out but he couldn’t. His father had dated, and even married a woman he didn’t love and something about that seemed… unfair. He wouldn’t do that to Trista. “I don’t usually see you here…”

“Yeah… Dad had that look to him that I know is a precursor to him and mom going at it.” They laughed and Trista looked at all the kids on the playground. “I hope I’m like them when after I’ve been married for a while.”

“Yeah… I’ve always thought your parents were… amazing really. The way Darien loves Serena is… inspiring. It’s almost as if… to be apart… would kill them.” Trista smiled. “I mean… a darling little girl such as Rini could only be conceived if two people love each other so much… that… their each other’s world.” Derrick nodded and looked at the bark chip covered ground. Neither he or Seriah were created with such love, or any love at all for that matter. Did that mean that they could never be loved in a pure manner? He hopped not.

As they talked Rini jumped off the merry-go-round and skipped towards the swings when she saw Seriah. The princess from the book she’d read. She quickly ran to her and stood in front of Seriah with her hands clasp in front of her. “Pwincess!” Seriah jumped and looked at the small blonde. “Pwincess Nehewenia!”

“Hello Rini.” Seriah suppressed the urge to grab the little girl by the hair and drag her away. She couldn’t do that now. Not with so many people around. “You here with your brother?” She smiled as Rini nodded happily. “That’s nice… well, you go and play now okay?”

“Okay!” She ran off to the swings and asked one of the dads there to help her up. Seriah stood and calmly walked over to where Derrick was talking with that woman from the hospital.

“Hey.” She greeted warmly, which made Derrick stand up. She looked at Trista who stared up at her curiously. “Hello, my name’s Seriah.” She held out her hand for Trista who quickly took it and shook it.

“Seriah! I’ve heard so very much about you! I feel like I already know you. Well, then, I’m sure you two have plenty of catching up to do so I’m going to leave you two alone and I’ll go.” Derrick knitted his brow as Trista stumbled all over herself to get away from them. As her figure retreated his eyes fixed on Seriah who was staring after her.

“She likes you.” Seriah stated flatly. “Who is she?” Derrick sighed and sat back down and looked at the merry go round.

“Where’s Rini?” He jumped up again. “Rini!” He shouted then scanned the playground for the small girl. “Rini!” Seriah followed Derrick as he shouted for the small girl and looked for her. “Damn it! Look away for one second…” He spun in a circle and happened to catch a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Fixing his eyes on the spot he saw Rini standing in front of a kneeling man. He had white hair and looked almost albino. “Thank God. Peruru.” He breathed and turned back to Seriah who was eyeing the man as he spoke to Rini carefully.

“That’s not Perry.” Seriah stated cautiously which made Derrick spin back around. The man held his hands out in front of him and Rini placed her petite hands in them. She giggled a little at something he said and that was when Derrick began to walk towards them. Seriah followed behind, keeping her distance. She didn’t want to let Derrick know her operative name and if Rini announced it he would.

“Hey!” Derrick shouted as he approached Rini and the man now holding her hands tenderly. “Rini come here!” Rini looked at the man and waited for him to release her hands. “Who are you?” Derrick yelled at the man.

“You don’t recognize me? You’re not very observant… no wonder.” The man released Rini’s hands and stood, his height becoming apparent. “Though we’ve only met once I would expect you to recognize my face.” Seriah studied him and realized the man must be Helios. He looked almost exactly like Peruru save for the eyes. “Helios… Peruru’s brother. Remember?”

“Oh… why the hell are you holding my sister’s hands like that? Teens do that on dates.” Helios looked at Rini, then Derrick, and finally to Seriah. His sharp brown eyes lingered on her for a moment before snapping back to Rini and softening.

“I was telling Rini something very important and children often will not listen unless you’ve captured their hands. I apologize if it looked suspicious. There are people in this world who I am sure would love to hurt her. I am not one of them.” He stated with assertion. “There were two men watching her rather closely and I was telling her not to talk to strangers.”

“Yeah well… I’m here so she’s safe.” Derrick held onto Rini’s hand tightly and glared at Helios. “Sorry Riah… I’m going to take her home. Talk to you later.” Derrick stated without turning around. He then ushered Rini away from the playground and down the road.

“Helios is it? I’ve been itching to meet you.” Seriah stepped forward and held out her hand. Helios looked at it then back into her eyes. “Not very well versed in polite gestures are you?” His face remained stoic, completely blank as he observed her. “Well… aren’t you curious to know…”

“I know who you are. I know what you want. I even know who you’re working with and where you’re staying. I’ll say this once so listen to me closely.” He stepped into her, his chest practically against hers. “Stay away from that family.”

“What interest do you have in my family?” She asked with her head cocked to the side. Helios said nothing, his brown eyes only bore into hers. “Well? You can’t possibly have a close relationship with any of them because Derrick didn’t even recognize you.”

“I told you to stay away from them. It’s as simple as that.” Helios snapped. Seriah studied him closely then smirked. “It doesn’t matter why I’ve said it. Only that I have.”

“Sapphire can’t possibly be paying you that much… I will win this. Why would you want to be on the opposing team?” Seriah sighed and smiled. “Come on, Darien’s worthless and my mother’s a tramp. They bore a child out of wedlock and adultery, one that will probably grow up to be just as worthless.”

“That little girl is a precious innocent life. You are not going to use her against her parents. I won’t let you.” The anger that flashed in his eyes worried her for a moment then she realized what he was saying. She laughed and covered her mouth.

“Wow… you’re twenty one years old and you’re attracted to a five year old. They put me in the looney bin? I think you need a reality check… but… I’ll tell you what.” She leaned up so her lips were an inch from his ear. “Help me… and you can have her. No questions asked.” She then moved away from him and stepped back a bit. His eyes were slits now as he glared at her. The venom in his veins clearly evident.

“You’re sickening you know that? Trying to sell your sister like that.” He turned away from her and began to walk away.

“As long as it works… I’ll do it.” She called after him and smiled broadly.

Blue connected with blue as the two stared into each other’s eyes. “I love you more than you’ll ever know.” Darien whispered and propped himself up on his elbows to meet Serena’s lips. “I wish we were younger.” Serena giggled and clasp her hands around her husband’s neck while arching her and leaning back.

“Why? I feel like I’m still sixteen.” She cooed breathily and twisted her hips a little which caused Darien to grasp the crisp white sheets tightly. Taking the opportunity she pressed her lips to his demandingly.

“I’m glad one of us does.” Darien grinned and pulled her down with him as he lay back. “I’m so glad Derrick took Rini out today.” Serena nodded and pressed her hands against his ever muscular chest while arching her back and moving her hips forward. “Dear God Serena.” He closed his eyes and grasp her hips to try and still her movements. “I don’t think we have time for another round of fun.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? After all, I’m the one on top here.” Serena pressed her lips to his then began to trail small kisses up his jaw line to his ears then back down to his neck. The whole time she kissed him, she moved her hips to a soft rhythm. She knew it drove him insane but that’s why she was the pro.

As she moved they heard the front door open and the unmistakable sound of Rini’s hastened footsteps filled the house. “Momma momma! Daddy?” She finally ran through the double doors of the library and into her parent’s room. “I went on the merry-go-round daddy!” She jumped onto the bed and looked excitedly from one nude parent to the other. “What are you doing?”

“Daddy and I are… Derrick! Call your sister!” Serena called and leaned over her husband to try and cover her bare chest.

“Yeah mom?” Derrick stepped in and froze before blushing and quickly rushing over to grab Rini. “Sorry… hey Rini… wanna go for ice-cream?” Rini shook her head enthusiastically and ran out of the room happily. “Yeah… um… I’m just going to… yeah!” Derrick rushed out while closing the doors behind him.

“I worry about him sometimes.” Serena smiled and looked into Darien’s sober eyes. “Great.” She growled and began to remove herself from the very favorable position she was in. “Damn kids.”

“Hey! Get back here!” Darien pinned her to the bed, the smirk on his face overly apparent. “Now who’s on top?” He moved himself over her and lowered his lips to her neck. “You’re too gullible at times my dearest Serena.”

“Thank God for that.” She grinned and locked her legs around his waist and pulled him to her intimately. “I can’t imagine not having this.” She arched her back and ground her hips to him. “Darien….”

“You don’t have to say anything.” He pushed into her making her cry out his name. Serena dug her nails into His shoulders in an attempt to pull him closer to her. Every time he pulled out of a thrust she felt herself becoming desperate only to be thrown into euphoria again. “I love you Serena.”

“Good God… I love you too Dare… if you ever leave me… I’ll kill you.” They both chuckled to that. And continued to revel in the pleasure they brought to one another.