Love's Got A Hold On My Heart
Chapter 2
By: Jessica M. Moonflower
E-mail: salud731@earthlink.net
Rated: PG for cat fight
Timeline: Alternate Reality
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon as usual, unless Naoko is willing to 
give it to me for $20? No? Rats!
AN: Hi people!!!!!!! All of you must have been anxiously waiting for this 
chapter to come out. Sorry it took so long! Anyway, finals are over! YAY!
*Does little dance* More time to write. That should make all you people 
out there happy. ^ - ^ I'd just like to thank: Rose-chan, Silver Bunny-chan,
Nat-chan, Gracie-chan, Kurisutaru-chan, Crissy, Sailor Sherry, Liz,
Sophia, the people who post my stuff on their sites, and all the other
readers who e-mail me. Thanks! *Sniffs* One more thing. This chapter is
for Silver Bunny who keeps asking me to write a longer chapter. Here it
is girl! ^ - ~  Now on with the story! ^ - ^

"Love, a simple word, yet full of abstract meanings..."
                             -Anonymous

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"This is a great review, Lawson. You always come through," said Mr.
Erickson.
"Thank you, sir. I try my best to write the perfect review."
Serena was in her boss' office, Mr. Erickson, to hand in her review.
Mr. Erickson was a short, slightly plumped, fifty-year old man. 
As Serena was about to leave his office, Mr. Erickson called her back.
"Serena, wait a minute. I want to talk to you."
"What is it, sir?" Serena asked as she took a seat in front of his desk.
"I have a new assignment for you."
"Really? What is it?"
"A new restaurant will be opening up tomorrow in Fifth Avenue called 
The Rose Garden Cafe. I heard that it's a very classy place with excellent
food and service. I want you to do a review on it and hand in your review
by this Friday, alright?"
"Of course, Mr. Erickson. I'll have that review typed up by this Friday.
You can always count on me."
"Good. You may leave."
When Serena got out of her boss' office, she was met up with Raye 
Morrison outside of his office. 
"Hey there Raye!"
"Hey Serena! So what have you and Mr. Erickson been talking about? 
You've been in his office for quite a while."
"Mr. Erickson was just giving me my next assignment, which is to review
this new restaurant that's going to open up in Fifth Avenue called The 
Rose Garden Cafe."
"Really? I heard that place is really expensive. Everything is very high 
class."
"Well, I'm reviewing it tomorrow, so I'll tell you all about the place when 
I'm done."
"Can't wait!"
Raye Morrison is a long haired, raven beauty, with violet eyes, and has a
height of 5"8. Raye works for the advice column in The New York Times.
People would write in asking advice on love and relationships. Sometimes 
she does movie reviews, too. Raye and Serena were now heading for 
Serena's office.
"So Serena, how did your date with David go last night?"
"Why is everybody keep asking me that?! First Mina and Lita and now you. 
Why is everybody sticking their noses in my love life?! You know that any guy 
I date doesn't stay very long in my life, because I get tired of them easily."
"Geez Serena, calm down! I was just curious, that's all. I thought that 
maybe somebody has caught your interest for a change. Your attitude 
towards men and love needs to change. You drop each guy you date like flies.. 
So maybe Mina, Lita, and I get nosy sometimes, but we just want to know if 
you finally found a guy that actually makes you happy. We just want to see 
our friend in love and happy, that's all!"
"Well, this guy is definitely not my soul-mate if that's what you mean.."
"Why not?"
"This guy is so full of himself! He's practically in love with himself!"
"But he's cute!"
"That's the problem, Raye! He KNOWS he is! He thinks that he's a god or 
something. Raye, all this guy cares about is his car, hair, his face, and 
himself. A guy like that can make any girl snore, at least girls with enough 
sense to look past the looks and realize he's nothing but a pretty boy 
pinhead."
"Did he try to ask you out on another date?"
"Yeah, he did. Of course I said thanks but no thanks. Also, I let him know 
what I really thought of him."
"Oh, Serena! You didn't use one of your critical lectures like, 'You're not my
type, it would never work out, because we're in two different worlds, your 
brain resembles something like a fruitcake, you're boring, or it's not you it's
me,' lectures did you?"
"Something like that."
Raye just stared at Serena.
"What? He deserved it, alright? Someone needs to stick a pin in his 
oversized ego. If his ego gets any bigger, his head will soon explode!"
"So what did David say when you gave him one of your ever-so-famous 
lectures, which would leave any guy running home crying?"
"Actually, after I said all that, he really did start bawling like a baby, 
literally. He begged and pleaded with me to give him another chance and 
that he would change. I still said no though."
"I have to admit, Serena, that it was really harsh of you to give him one
of your critical lectures. I bet, he barely has any pride left in him. You 
really lowered his self-esteem to the point that he doesn't have any at all.."
"Well, someone needs to let him know that he's not God's gift to the 
world. Hopefully, my lecture has knocked some sense into that teeny
little brain of his."
"That was way harsh, Sere. If I were a guy, I'd be afraid to ask you out
on a date. The way you treat guys, I'm sorry to say, really bites. Why are
you so cold-hearted to men? You're much sweeter to your friends than to
the guys you date. Why?"
"I don't know. All my life I've been dating the wrong guys, even now.
I'm sick and tired of meeting a guy and he turns out to be Mr. Wrong.
Since it's the same thing now, I figured, I might as well not get too
attached to a guy. It would only lead my heart into disappointment 
if I do."
"But Serena, what if you do find the right guy you've been looking
for all your life? What are you going to do then, huh? Are you just
going to do the same thing you have been doing since college up to
now? Just not get attached and move on? Without love, it would make
a person's life lonely and empty. Having someone to love and a person
returning your love is an amazing experience! I can't explain the feeling,
but I guarantee you, it's a wonderful feeling you can't live without."
"Raye, I doubt that there is someone out there for me."
"There's always someone out there for everybody. You just need to
find them, that's all. The right person just hasn't come to you yet. You
got to be patient."
"Look Raye, I'm not looking for anyone. I don't need a guy to take care
of me. I can take care of myself. Who says we have to be dependent on 
some guy?"
"I'm not saying that you have to be dependent on any guy, alright? I'm
just saying that it would be nice for you to have someone who makes you
feel special, that's all."
"Critical Lawson can't get a date?" mocked someone from the door.
"Why don't you go back to the rock you crawled out of, Valerie?" snarled
Serena.
"Ooh, that was harsh," Valerie sarcastically said as she strolled into 
Serena's office.
Valerie Moore is a shoulder length brunette, with hazel eyes, and a height 
of 5"7. She interviewed celebrities and wrote articles on the latest fashion
for The New York Times. She's a very slim and sexy woman who is a year
older than Serena and Raye. Valerie has been Serena's arch nemesis ever
since Serena started working for The New York Times a few years ago.
Valerie took a seat in a chair near Serena's desk.
"What are you doing here, Valerie? Nobody invited you in here," snapped
Raye.
"Cool it, drama queen. I just happened to be passing by Serena's office 
and heard you talking about Serena's pathetic little love life. And, don't 
you  have anybody else to annoy? Your fiery temper is going to get you in 
a lot of hot water, so watch it little girl!"
"LITTLE GIRL?! Why you witch! You want to see a temper?! I'll give you
a temper!" Raye screamed out as she lunged for Valerie's throat.
"Raye, come down. She isn't worth using up all your energy on," said 
Serena as she tried to hold back her seething friend and calm her down
at the same time.
"I'd be doing this world a favor by putting her out of her misery!" Raye
yelled out as she struggled to attack Valerie once more.
"I guess I should thank you, Serena for keeping that feisty friend of 
yours from laying a finger on me," sneered Valerie.
"I'm only doing it so Raye won't get in major trouble with Mr. Erickson," 
Serena said coldly.
"Whatever. Anyway, both your jobs on this paper is really pathetic. I'm 
the only one with the best job out of all you people in this paper combined..
I'm surprised that you don't get fat from all the food you eat just to do a 
review. Personally, I'd think all food critics would become a major fatso
from eating all those fatty foods."
"Oh, really? Personally, I'd think with a figure as skinny as yours and 
a pale complexion that looks almost unhealthy, people would think you
barely eat anything at all. Better yet, people would think that your clothes 
would start hanging from your body from lack of nutrition," Serena sneered 
back, giving her an icy glare.
"I'M NOT ANOREXIC! How dare you! You're just jealous, because
you're not as gorgeous as I am!" said the steaming Valerie.
"Gorgeous? You look more sickly looking than those supermodels
on runways,"Serena laughed bitterly.
"I don't have to take this! Especially, from kids like you two!"
yelled Valerie as she got out of the office and slammed the door
behind her.
"Wow, Serena! You really showed her," Raye cheered her friend.
"Well, I wasn't about to take her crap. Anyway, she insulted us,"
Serena proudly said.
"At least you kept your temper in check. Me, I was ready to pound
Valerie's face into the ground."
"Well, I wasn't going to just sit here and watch you pound Valerie
into oblivion. You'd get in a heap of trouble with Mr. Erickson. Of 
course, I would have loved to have seen Valerie's oh-so-perfect face 
get a new makeover."
After that last comment, both Serena and Raye burst out laughing.
Finally, Raye left Serena's office and both went back to work.

It was 6:00 in the afternoon. At this time, Raye and Serena got off
from work. Together, they waited outside in front of the building until
Mina and Lita showed up.
"Do you know what restaurant we're going to?" asked Raye.
"I think we're eating at the Garden Rivera, at least, that's what
Lita told me," replied Serena.
"Doesn't that place have a huge garden at the back of the
restaurant?" 
"Well, not as huge as the garden in the restaurant I'm supposed
to review tomorrow. I heard they have an absolutely amazing rose
garden along with various other flowers. It's supposed to be very 
beautiful."
"How do you know about the garden? You haven't even been 
there yet."
"I have a friend who's friends with the restaurant's decorator.
He's been talking about the restaurant with her. She even went 
by the restaurant before to have a look around. She said the 
restaurant looks beautiful and expensive."
"A huge garden at the back of a restaurant. Sounds romantic!
It's perfect for a moonlit stroll around the gardens."
"She also said that around the garden there are tables set up
outside of the restaurant. So you can either eat outside or inside."
"Maybe Chad and I can eat there one of these days."
"Let me do my review on the place first. It may be beautiful
looking, but what if the food ends up tasting horrible."
"Come on, Serena. If the owner spent so much time getting the 
place all fancied up, I'm sure the food should taste good also."
"We'll see. Anyway, my friend met the owner. She said he's
very nice, a gentleman, and very handsome."
"Why Serena, are you actually interested in what the guy 
looks like?" teased Raye.
"How many times do we have to go through this? I'm not even 
interested in a guy long enough to get through the first date.
Besides, all the guys I date are very handsome, but end up being 
not my type. What the guy looks like doesn't matter anymore. 
Looks can be deceiving as they say."
"Whatever you say, Serena."
Finally, Mina's car pulled up in front of the building with Lita in
the car, and Serena and Raye got in. They all headed out for The
Garden Rivera where Amy would meet them there.
"It's been a while since I last saw you, Raye," said Lita with a 
smile.
"I know, but you've been busy planning to open your own chain
of restaurants. How's that going?"
"Fine so far, but a little bit stressing. I have to figure out where
the locations of my restaurant chain should be and sign a whole 
bunch of papers to confirm them. Then, I have to sign another 
batch of papers saying whether or not I want to expand my
restaurant chain abroad." (AN: I'm not sure how the whole 
process of opening a restaurant chain is like, so just bear with me.)
"Are you going to expand?" asked Serena.
"Yeah, I think so. I really want people from all over to try my food."
"It's a great opportunity, because people from all over would get a
chance to taste the food of Lita James, master chef extrodinaire,"
beamed Mina.
"I hope they'll like it," said Lita, a little unsure.
"Of course they will! You're a great cook! I bet, one taste of your food,
they'll be begging for seconds!" said Serena with certainty.
"Thanks guys. You really gave me so much confidence."
"No problem, Lita," Raye said with a smile.
"Has anybody spoken to Amy much lately?" asked Serena.
"I spoke to her a few weeks ago," replied Mina.
"So how is Amy and Greg doing?" asked Lita.
"She said they're doing fine."
"I can't wait to see Amy! It's been a while since I last saw her, too," 
said Raye excitedly.
"Me too. I haven't spoken to her or seen her. I miss her so much!"
"It gives us time to catch up," said Lita with a wink.
"We're here!" Mina cheerfully said as she looked for a place to park.
Once Mina found a spot for her car, all four girls got out of the car and 
went inside the restaurant. Inside, they searched for Amy. Finally, the girls
spotted her sitting at a nearby table.
"Hey Amy!" the four girls said in unison as they walked up to her table.
"Hi! It's so good to see all of you!" Amy Bennet said as she got up to
embrace each girl.
Amy Bennet has short blue hair, baby blue eyes, and a height of 5"6.
She's a doctor at St. Agnes Hospital. Amy is married to Greg Bennet who
is a heart surgeon at St. Agnes.
After the girls' emotional hellos, they each settled down at the table.
"So how have all of you been?" asked Amy as she took a sip of water.
"We've been better," replied Raye with a smile.
"I'm working on opening my own chain of restaurants in New York and
elsewhere," said Lita excitedly.
"That's great, Lita. I'm very happy for you. How's your job doing as a 
teacher doing, Mina?"
"Great! All my students respect me. They even said that they like me 
being a tad strict, because I push them to work harder, help them to
aim higher, and never to settle for anything less than what they 
deserve."
"Sounds like you're a very good teacher to your students. I'm glad 
they work hard in your classes. How about you guys? Raye, Serena?"
"I like giving advice and being a movie critic. My favorite part 
about my job is helping people out with their problems."
"I like being a food critic. Not only do I do reviews here in New York,
but my boss gives me road trip assignments so I can review 
restaurants elsewhere. I get to try different foods and see the world
at the same time."
"You're so lucky to travel around the world while you review all the
different types of food in the process."
"How about you, Amy? How have you been doing?" asked Mina.
"Being a doctor is very hard work, but I enjoy it immensely. I
like caring for people and working to keep them alive."
"How's Greg?" asked Serena.
"Greg is fine. I have something to tell you guys. I'm.....................
pregnant," Amy said shyly.
"Congratulations Amy! That's wonderful! You're going to be a 
mommy!" Mina said excitedly as she hugged Amy.
"Way to go, Ames!" Lita said slyly, causing her friend to blush a
tomato red.
"When did you find out?" asked Raye.
"Yesterday."
"Does Greg know?" asked Serena.
"Yes. He's very happy about becoming a father."
"That's great, Amy. We're all very happy for you,"Mina said as the
entire group of girls went over to hug Amy.
"I'm really excited about becoming a mother."
"I'm sure your parents are thrilled to be having a grandchild,"
said Serena with a smile.
"Yes. They're very happy."
"Well, this certainly calls for a celebration. Amy, we're going to
pay for this dinner. It's on us," said Lita.
"Oh, no really. You don't have to pay for my meal. I could pay 
for my own really-"
"But nothing! We're going to treat you to this dinner no matter
how much you argue," Mina stated firmly.
"Okay, if you insist. But I still say it's not really necessary."
"Come on, Ames. We want to treat you. We know we don't have 
to, but we're your friends and we want to," Serena said, smiling.
"Thanks guys. You really are the best friends a person can have."
"No problem, Ames!" all four girls said in unison.
"You ladies ready to order?" asked a waiter, who came up to their
table.
"Yes, I think we are," answered Lita for the rest of the group.
After the waiter took their orders and left, the girls started talking
about other things as they waited for their food to arrive.
"You won't believe what happened at work today," said Raye.
"What?" asked all the girls.
"Remember that brat, Valerie? You know, the one me and Raye 
have been telling you guys about?" asked Serena.
"Yeah, what about her?" asked Lita curiously.
"Well, Serena and I were talking in her office when nosy Valerie
waltzed right in."
"She started talking trash about Raye when Raye was trying to 
defend me from something she said."
"She got me so mad! I was seeing red!"
"Raye almost was going to choke Valerie to death if I hadn't stopped
her."
"Well, she deserved it!"
"Wow! You guys told us that Valerie person is a real pain in the butt,
but I didn't think she would be this bad," said Mina in amazement.
"Worse. Just because she's a year older than us, she thinks she can
boss us around."
"She's such a prima donna. She thinks everybody worships the 
ground she walks on."
"But Serena took care of Valerie."
"What did you do, Serena?" Lita asked, very interested.
"Well, she started to turn her criticism at me. So naturally I turned it
against her."
"She said how Valerie looked more like a twig than a drop dead
gorgeous woman to be worshipped or looked at," Raye said triumphantly.
"That was really mean.................way to go, Serena! You go girl!" Lita
said as she high fived her friend.
"That'll show her to never mess with you guys. Still, it'd be nice to 
hear  Raye giving that Valerie chick a black eye," Mina said mischievously.
"I can't believe you did that!" was all Amy could say.
"Come on, Ames! That Valerie slut needed it," Lita said, trying to 
convince her friend.
"Still, whether she deserved it or not, it's still wrong."
"Whatever you say, Ames," Mina said.
"Did you guys hear about that new cafe that's opening on Fifth 
Avenue tomorrow?" asked Lita, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, we heard. Actually, Serena is doing a review on it tomorrow. 
Our boss assigned her to it today."
"I heard that place is really expensive," said Amy.
"Well, I heard that the owner is really cute," Mina said with a glint in 
her eye.
"Mina, you already have Andrew. Remember, blond hair, light brown 
eyes, and your HUSBAND!!!!!!!" said Serena.
"I know that! I'm just wondering if it's true. I love Andrew with all my 
heart and soul. My heart belongs to him and his mine. Nobody can 
replace MY Andrew."
"I'm wondering a bit myself, too, to tell you the truth," admitted Lita.
"I heard that the restaurant has a romantic atmosphere with good 
food," said Raye.
"Well, we'll see about that. The whole point of being a food critic is 
to see how good their food tastes and their services. The look of the
restaurant is the last thing we look at."
"So Serena, what happens if the guy is cute? Are you going to date
him?" asked Raye teasingly.
"No! Raye, I told you and the rest of you that no matter how cute
the guy is, I'm not going to agree on a date with him immediately if
the guy asks me, period. You know what? I'm through with guys.
Yeah, from now on, any guy who asks me out on a date, I'm rejecting
them flat out. I'm not going to bother anymore."
"We're not going to argue with you, Serena," said Mina.
"Yeah, we're tired of trying to convince you otherwise. You do what 
you want to do," said Lita tiredly.
"Good."
Finally, all the girls' food arrived and they started eating and talking
about their high school and college memories together. When they
were finished eating, all the girls paid for their meal, except Amy,
who still protested against them paying for her. Once outside,
they hugged and said their good-byes and went into their own cars 
and drove home.


Well, that's all folks! I know there's not much action in this chapter, but
I promise you there will be in the next chapter. The next chapter, the 
Serena and Darien encounter! I bet all of you have been waiting for that!
So just wait a little while longer and I'll have it out. I almost have the 
second chapter of The Beauty Within Her out so look for that to come.
One more thing before I go. E-MAIL ME E-MAIL ME!!!! I want to know 
what you think. You can be the same person who has e-mailed me 
before and I wouldn't care. Heck, you can e-mail me a million times
and I wouldn't mind! ^ - ^ BYE FOR NOW!!!!! ^ - ~