Gosh, it sure feels good to be back! Greeting for all of you ^_^  Upon 
the completion of my previous story "Once in a Dream" I’d like to 
introduce to you my next series --- "A Vision of You and Me" I won’t go 
into much detail about the story, you guys have to find out on your own.  
If you are a visitor to my site, you can find the preview of this story with 
chapter 1 published, but it’s not included here.  First of all, I’d like 
to thank you guys for giving me over 50 electronic greeting cards for 
my birthday, over 30 Valentine’s card and 16 dozens of rose for the day 
to celebrate love.  I want to thank all of you, who gave me endless 
encouragement, compliment, and good advice in the past. Special thanks to my 
online sister MG for writing a great short story dedicate to my birthday, 
thanks sis! And to my dear editor Missy-chan, who spent her time editing 
my story for me, thanks Missy-chan.  Also I like to thank my online 
brother Johan, who’s always a source of constant support and encouragement, 
if I am down, he’s the one who always cheered me up.  There is a million 
of thanks I want to pour out on you guys.  I sure hope you will enjoy this 
story as time progresses in the future, I enjoyed a lot writing it, so I 
hope you will enjoy reading it as well.  This is a story about a destined 
couple, who has the same bitter past and lonely present, both from so far 
away in two totally different lives, being united by fate.  Finding things 
to love and cherish for, while life is worth and living. This is also a 
quite long story, it way take a long time for me to write as well, please 
bear with me, I hope we have a pleasant "relationship" in the year of 1999.  
I took in the advice and demands of so many, I am writing longer part for 
every chapter now indeed.  But the updating time still fall into once 
every two weeks, because I have another life off-line to live on. (don’t 
you wish that you can live online?^_^) I guess I should quit my long 
lecture now, for the time being, enjoy your story, this is a fanfic 
dedicate to all of you out there.  If you wish, take time and drop by my 
web page at:  http://neoqueen.cjb.net any commentgoes to 
serenausako@hotmail.com



A Vision of You and Me  
Chapter1 --- An Ordinary Day
By: Neo-Queen Serenity
Editor: Missy Perez aka Twilight




	Darien lifted his dark head slowly when his alarm clock finished 
with its last, loud warning.  Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he looked around 
his small apartment. 1 bedroom plus 1 living room, as plain and usual as 
any that could be found in the city.  Everything was still the same as it 
was last night, so silent and dry.  The morning’s sunlight broke through his 
window, reflecting it’s brightness hue against the thin layer of dust on his 
desk. A few dust particles danced excitedly in the air, waving and floating 
in intricate patterns.  Darien sat up straight on his chair and yawned 
tiredly while stretching his sore arms.  He slept on his working desk the 
whole night from 10:00 p.m. As usual, he was up late doing his designs 
for the next month, and as always, fell asleep on his desk instead of going 
to bed.  The little bedroom around him was stuffed, stuffed with books, 
papers, clothes, rulers, pencils, and of course, few models.  The desk was 
still there, the balcony existed as ever, the plastic model’s 
hand still lay on top of her bare head, a book about fashion designing was 
slapped down on the top of his ruler.  Everything was still the same the 
last time he had set his eyes on them.  Darien got up from his chair, 
groggily walking towards the balcony as he pushed the huge glass door aside. 
Stepping out on to the balcony that was also a part of his apartment unit, 
Darien leaned his head on his elbow that was now resting on the balcony’s 
frigid iron railing. The cool and fresh morning air of late spring caressed 
and helped awaken his cloudy mind. Smooth wind brushed his black bangs 
causing them to float slightly into the air.  Darien was  in his mid 20’s, 
a restless and exciting age.  Most of all, he had good looks and was very
 handsome.  With  jet black hair that resembled the same color of the night 
sky without a moon, deep ocean blue eyes that looked as unexplainable and 
dashing as ever, a sharp nose stood proudly in the middle of his masculine 
face. A few dark strands of black brushed against his blue eyes, and a 
pair of curved lips formed into a slight smile, which could make 
any woman’s heart melt.  His whole feature stood tall, proud and confident.  
Darien looked down below him from the balcony that was located on the 17th 
floor. Few people had already started their usual morning jogging around 
the little park; hurrying business population rushed down the busy streets 
of downtown Paris; not very far away from his apartment building. Affair 
could barely be seen with a little trickling  river that was the favorite 
of many living near by,  passed right in front of his little apartment 
building.  Far away, cars raced on the distant and endless highways.  
Darien loved looking over the whole city, a grand city especially.  From 
such height, he could capture all scenes of Paris’s awesome beauty.  From 
numerous flashing neon signs of its skyline at night, to the fresh and open 
scenery of its new start in the morning.  Paris, capital of France, a 
city famous of both fashion and perfume in the world.  Darien loved Paris, 
he loved to design, it had been his dream ever since childhood to follow 
the road of fashion.  Now he fulfilled his dream,  by becoming a designer 
as of  now, but...



	Darien looked around, not far below him, few birds chirped happily 
over the arrival of a new spring day while splashing wildly in small puddles 
of water.  Spring time for France was quite warm, maybe cool would be more 
exact.  Few chances of snow would cover the brown soil once in a while.  
The rest were a bright and sunny day.  Darien turned around and sighed 
warily.  Shutting the balcony door tightly behind him, he entered his 
apartment once again.



	He walked directly to his little kitchen that was located to the 
left of his living room.  Taking out a can of coffee powder in hand, he 
made himself a cup of black steaming coffee with some newly boiled water. 
(well, I am not so sure if this is the way you make coffee, but I absolutely 
hate anything that taste like coffee! ^_^) He worked his way down the 
process of fixing himself a quick breakfast while humming a little song 
which he couldn’t remember the lyrics that matched the rhythm. Seeing 
everything was finished, Darien threw open his fridge and picked out all 
the things he would be needing for breakfast: whole wheat bread, milk, 
butter, jam, cheese, bacon, and of course some orange juice.  He set all 
the cans and bags on the little table that was right in front of his narrow 
sofa, a place he always enjoyed his breakfast.  While sipping his coffee 
slowly, Darien grabbed the TV control and turned to the news channel for 
some early news of the day.  Enjoying that bitter and heavy taste upon his 
lips and tongue, Darien’s blue eyes focused intensively on the phosphorus 
screen.  International news followed by numerous national events.  One 
after one, Darien was rather bored and decided to turn off the TV. Suddenly 
something else on the screen captured his attention.  A young woman no 
older than 23 appeared on the stage.  A model, a model with confidence 
and unusual grace.  Yet she was not a normal model, Darien knew her...  
How could anyone not know her? She’s the most famous fashion figure in 
Paris --- Serena Murphy.  On the screen, a girl in her early 20s walked on 
the flashing stage, a dress of pale lavender hugged her graceful feature, 
shinning beads of white pearl tipped here and there. As the camera lights 
flashed they brightened up the background quite a bit and made her smile 
look even sweeter.  She posed, turned and smiled... Flowers, cheers and 
claps echoed inside Darien’s mind.  He knew the girl too well, yet it was 
so ironic that he’s not acquainted to her personally.  Serena Murphy, the 
hottest model in France, many fashion designers paid dearly to have 
her model their designs, the effect would be well worth it.  It would make 
them rich and famous.  Everything suited Serena nicely, every fiber of her 
being has that special talent which everyone else lacks. Her smiles seem 
to make the world lose their beauty when compared to her, she was too 
beautiful.  Darien had known Serena Murphy ever since the time when he 
decided to take fashion designing as his life time occupation.  Newspapers, 
magazines and press articles were filled with Serena’s shinning pictures 
and her everyday life events.  Darien worshipped her dearly, but who 
wouldn’t?  He admired her beauty, her elegance and her ability in modeling, 
may be everything about her made him obsess.  Yet from all those thousands 
of newspaper articles about Serena Murphy, Darien couldn’t help but comes 
to a conclusion that she’s a proud, arrogant and selfish woman.  "All she 
cared about was money, wealth."  That was what they said about her, and 
that’s what he believed. Darien sighed again as the news switched toward 
some international festivals on the screen. Setting his coffee cup on the 
table, Darien turned off the TV with a slight click of this thumb on the 
control.  He leaned his head on his elbow and started to flip through his 
own memories for all the past years of his life.  



	Darien was born to a very plain and normal family in Paris.  The 
Calts, a plain and not famous family just like every others in the city.  
Of course, Darien went to public school and received his education along 
with other kids of his class and age.  Darien’s father died early when he 
was no older than a grade three school boy.  He was too young at that time, 
he didn’t even understand what it would mean to lose a father in the world.  
All occurred to Darien was that one day when he came back from school, his 
dear mother had her faced in hands, braking down into heart breaking sobs.  
Darien didn’t know why she was crying, nor did he found his father’s usual 
teasing smile beside his crying mother. When she told him that the other 
person who he considered the most important being in the world to him in 
his life is gone now, erased from the world silently, away from his now 
widowed wife and childish son, who loved and needed him the most.  Darien 
was stunned, he could still remember himself flinging his school bag onto 
the floor, and hear  it land hard, with a heavy and loud sound on their 
carpeted floor.  Crying into his mother’s warm embrace, tears fell out of 
the 9 years old boy’s blue eyes, mixing and screaming its pain and 
bitterness.



	Darien found out later that his father was not dead. He belonged to 
a place which there was no violence and no greed.  Only peace and happiness 
was held for that kind of human race, but why did he have to go away, away 
from them...  Darien had grown up a lot.  His little body carried a heavy 
soul, a soul which hardened and pained by the tragic death of his father.  
Darien knew his mother needed him the most at that moment.  The 
death of her husband hit her hard, she needed support more than anyone else 
in this world, way more...  Darien studied very hard in school, and dreamed 
to have his mother proud of him.  He was determined not to let her down 
again, she stayed at the bottom too long.  He also helped her with anything 
he could, saving unnecessary spending.  When other kids of his same age 
are licking contentedly on a sweet ice cream cone in a humiliated 
summer day, little Darien was at home doing his homework; when others 
chased on the soccer field, he was home comforting his crying mother. 
Mrs. Calt was very proud of her only son, a satisfied smile would crept 
up on her pale cheeks whenever Darien brought home a certificate or award.  
She was happy that she did not fail her dead husband, at least her son is 
very understanding.  She wanted to see Darien loved, cared for, respected 
and accomplished.  Darien’s heart stung when he found out that his mother 
actually had silver strands mixed with her once dark and perfect hair.  
She’s aging.  Darien was the best in his school all year round, harsh 
winter and hot summer never delayed his pursue for success.  He had his 
dreams to one day become a fashion designer, to have his dream being weaved 
with materials of silk, velvet, satin and colorful ribbons.


	But nothing in life is perfect, not even his own dream.  Darien 
chose fashion design as his career in university, he studied very hard to 
accomplish his goal, hoping someday he will taste success and honor his 
mother.  Now here he is, still infamous and plain.  Well, he’s happy though,
he was now working for his best friend Andrew Johnson’s Johnson’s Fashion.  
Andrew was his best friend in college.  After the old Mr. Johnson’s death, 
Andrew spent all of his fortune and established his own company. He invited 
his friend Darien to work for him, knowing how talented his friend is at 
designing. Darien wasn’t as fortunate as Andrew, he had to work to the top 
with his own effort.  But Andrew pays him a great deal and mostly respect 
and friendship.  Darien was content of how his life is going right now.  
A perfect job, a little cozy apartment, the dream half fulfilled and seeing 
his mother every Sunday and holiday occasions.  Yet something is missing 
out in his life, why was he always quiet and lonely?  Darien knew there was 
a figure missing beside himself in the picture.  His mother also realized 
this as well, but who?  He was now 25, an age when all young man should 
seek the hand of the woman he loves for marriage.  But who?  The world is 
grand, so much grander than a single human being.  Who is going to be the 
right one?  Darien had a couple of girlfriends in college, but they didn’t  
love him, they only seeked for a relationship with him, because of his 
charming appearance; and he didn’t love them, there is no way he would let 
himself live under the same roof with a woman who he does not love.  He was 
still trying to find her, hoping someday she will come to him quietly, 
following the path of destiny set before them, like in his last life 
written with an ancient legend, like a promise long ago...



	Darien sighed as he thought of Serena Murphy.  He dreamed to one 
day meet her, the most famous super model in the country.  Of course, 
that’s just an unrealistic daydream, he was plain, and couldn’t afford to 
have her model he’s designs.  Besides, why would a money loving woman want 
to meet with a infamous man whom she could meet with everyday?  In his 
opinion, that ignorant and proud woman loved nothing but money. But still, 
he wanted to meet her, all fashion designers wanted to meet her; he loved 
her; every man on earth loved her... Yet Darien knew, he is  nothing 
compared to that proud beauty, he’s not her match, he has nothing to offer 
her in life, nothing...



	Darien got up tiredly, his eyes absentmindedly glanced over his 
back to his leather banded watch. It read 8:30 a.m. .  *Oops, got to be 
late again. Have to make sure that the next time I eat breakfast, I won’t 
take that much time on my fast wondering, just hope I’m not THAT late to 
have Andrew scolding me* Darien rushed to his closet and grabbed a hold of 
his black leather jacket.  Looking over his little dark apartment once more, 
he locked his door with a gentle click.


	Walking towards the parking lot outside, Darien tugged his hands 
into the pockets of his jacket.  Pulling his collar against the chill spring 
day, his eyes wondered towards the blue sky.  The cool breeze of spring 
brushed smoothly against his jet black hair, caressing and touching it in 
this wondrous day of the year.  The blueness of the bright sky reflected 
his same colored gaze, a few black silky bangs brushed against his 
mysterious and dashing looking eyes.  Darien sighed, the beginning of 
another ordinary day...



To be continued....


Any comments are welcome, for the meantime, Ja ne.