I will get back to Life as Adults, but this came to me in a dream and I had to put it on paper.

Chapter 1

The year was 1913. It was a beautiful spring in Mayfield. The enormous, white Victorian home came alive with fresh rose blooms and wild flowers. Serenity watched out her bay window from the second floor as Mrs. James stood outside in her new white dress ordering around the new gardener. Mr. James sneaked up on his beautiful wife to place a kiss her on the cheek causing her a quick fright and reacting with a playful hit on his rump. A loving goodbye for his wife of over twenty years, they were a very affectionate couple. Always bickering back and forth but they loved each other none the less.

"Molly, will you please some here and help me with this button hook. I cannot get it around this last button on my boot."

"Yes, Miss. Serenity, but you need to hurry with your hair. Dr. Shields will be here at nine and you of course are running behind." She laughed aloud. Yes, she was always late, but fashionably late.

Dr. Darien Shields was Serenity James fiancé. A ridiculously handsome man with a strong chin tanned skin, ebony hair, and deep midnight blue eyes. He grew up in Mayfield with Serenity her whole life. All of the girls in town had chased him to only hope one day they would be his bride. It was a sad day when he moved to San Francisco to become a doctor. Becoming very famous he had just started his own practice at the mere age of 26.

She was very surprised the day that he showed back up in town. It was all the news. She was even more so surprised that the only reason he came back was to ask Mr. James for Serenity's hand in marriage. For he was an extremely reserved, intelligent and very quiet man. He had always kept to himself when he was growing up. His mysterious ways only brought him more attention by the ladies of Mayfield, but he only ever turned them down in the most polite ways.

For everything that Darien Shields kept inside, Serenity James was quite the opposite. She was full of life and beauty. An angel in the town of all things beautiful. She had all of the up brining of a princess and conducted herself as so, but she was quick as a whip, and most people could not tell if she had insulted them or had given them a compliment. Many men in town had tried to court Serenity, but she was not allowed to until she was eighteen.

Of course, she was said yes to Dr. Shields when he asked for her hand. Something about the look in his eyes. Also, she didn't have much of a choice. She would have shamed her family if she would have turned down the proposal. The Shields and the James were Mayfield royalty. Their ancestors had traveled together from Europe in the early 1800's together and established the town. The James lived on the south end of the town while the Shield's lived on the north.

Darien was coming over to discuss moving arrangements with his future bride. He knew how much she loved and adored Mayfield but it was her wifely obligation to accompany her husband in the city of San Francisco. It was a refusal that she had no say in. He hated to take her away, but she would soon be his and that was all he had ever wanted.

He rang the bell and Edward their butler answered the door.

"Good Morning Dr. Shields. Please follow me in to the parlor, I will send someone to get Miss. James." Edward said as he collected Dr. Shield's hat and jacket.

"Thank you, Edward." Darien was dreading this conversation with his future wife, but business was business and he was too late for her to back out of the arrangement.

Serenity James stepped in to the sun-filled parlor. Darien's breath caught as it always did whenever he saw his angel. He desperately wanted to just hold her and ravish her with a kisses, but he was always in control of his emotions. He had been taken by her beauty when she was only a child. He promised himself at the young age of ten that he would marry her one day, and his promise would be reality within a week.

"Good morning Dr. Shields." Serenity curtsied for him.

"Good morning Miss. Serenity. You are looking very beautiful this morning. I was hoping that we could discuss some business this morning after breakfast?"

Serenity always hated how he was so formal and business like. She was going to be his wife, the least he could be was a little endearing.

"Of course Dr. Shields. Breakfast is now ready if you will follow me in to the dining room." She said and turned out of the room.

It was a wonderful breakfast with her and his future- in- laws. Her father and Darien talked nothing other than how wonderful San Francisco was and how well Darien's practice was going.

"Darien, would you mind strolling with me in the garden? We can discuss your business there." Serenity asked as she stood up from the table.

"Of course, Miss James." She held out her hand to him to lead him in to the garden but he just stood up from the table and opened the door for her dismissing her hand entirely. As they strolled though the garden he stood mesmerized as how her face lit up in the sun.

"Now Miss. Serenity" he began slowly as he watched her gracefully put a full rose bloom in her hands and took in the sweet scent of the new bud. "After we marry next Saturday we will leave that Monday for San Francisco."

"You mean the following Monday Doctor." She replied softly not fully taking in his words and getting lost in the spring sun.

"No Serenity. We will leave that Monday. I have to get back to my practice. I have already been away too long."

"You can't be serious! We will be just wed! You can't really mean to deny us a honeymoon. It's tradition. It can't be money for we have enough between the both of us." She was devastated. How could he be like this?

He flinched at her sudden but expected outburst. He knew that she would not take it well, but he could see the tears coming to her eyes. But, there were lives he had to save and people he had to see. He was a doctor. Didn't she understand this?

"Serenity, you must understand. I cannot be away from my practice any longer than I am now. I already took off this week for our wedding. What more can you want?"

"I don't know Dr. Shields! How about some feeling from you!" Her eyes desperately held back the tears that treated to fall down her alabaster face.

He wanted to hold and comfort her but as always he held back. He was too scared to touch her. She was the most beautiful creature. Soft alabaster skin, silvery blond hair, and big cerulean blue eyes. She was almost his forever.

Serenity straightened her body and stood and tall as possible. She sucked back her tears and coldly replied "Well then Doctor. Is there anymore business you would like to discuss with me or are we done here? I apparently have a move and a wedding to plan."

"Yes, there is. I have purchased a very nice home in the city. Victorian in style, it is your house to decorate as you please. The houses are much closer together in the city but I made sure that the yard in the back was big enough for a garden for you. There is also a park across the street. Malcolm and Mina Parks live in the house next door."

A house! Oh, this was wonderful new. Her face lit up at the prospect of decorating her own house. Of course it could not be as nice and large as her parents estate, but oh, her own house! She was so afraid that he was going to rent them an apartment in the city. And her cousin Mina would be right next door!

He watched as her eyes changed from the cold look she just gave him to her normal glowing state. He loved to watch as her face wrinkled as she thought it was so beautiful. Then her eyes began to change again and a scowl came to her lips. The phase your house rang in her ears.

"My house to decorate Dr. Shields? Then where do you purpose to live."

He sighed. He was just not saying anything right today. "I will live with you, Serenity, in our house. I meant to say our house."

"Well, I am surprised, as surprised as the day when you asked me to marry you. Seeing to if you had never asked me, I would have always thought he despised being in my presence. Tell me Dr. Shields. Did you even want to marry me? Or did you only ask out of family obligation?" Sarcasm dripped off her words as her eyes opened big when asking the question.

She thought he hated her. That he couldn't even stand being in the same room as her How could she even think that he only asked her because his parents thought it would make a good match? Why couldn't he just act with his heart? Why couldn't he just take her in his arms and kiss her so passionate those thoughts would never come in her head again? He needed to show her how much he truly wanted to marry her. How much he needed her. He just stood there in thought not reacting at all.

"Your silence is enough Doctor Shields. I will leave you now. You can see yourself out. By the way, I only said yes out of family duty. Good day." And she disappeared in to the house and he just stood in on the porch taking in what she just said as a deathly blow to the heart.

She ran though the conservatory and up the stairs in to her room. The tears freely poured down her face. Why did she have to love a man ho had the emotion of a rock? His barley ever said two words to her unless it was family or work related. All of her life she dreamed of marrying for love. She wished on many a starry nights to bring her someone that would love her will all of the passion that she showed on a daily basis. She tried to give her hand to him so that he could hold it as they walked though the garden, but he had dismissed it as if were clearly labeled poison. He hadn't even taken her hands in his when he asked her to marry him under the tree in the back yard. She wanted to say no, but his eyes had signs of love in them as he asked. She needed to break whatever was in him that made him not reach out to her. His eyes held love, but his body didn't and she didn't know if she could only live with that the rest of her life. "Darien… please love me." And she placed her head in to her pillow and sobbed.