Romancing the Enemy By Scutter Except for the ones I made up, these characters belong to whatever company/ companies own or made Sailor Moon. This is rated PG Thank you *so* much to all the people who e-mailed me about the last part. It's great to find out what you think of my stories :) The moral support inspired me to finish the story :P ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 3 Four weeks later . . . It was a Sunday morning - usually the time when Serena would stay in bed until 11:00. But not this morning. She was up at 7:15 sharp, almost bouncing out of bed. It had become a routine now - she would wake up early - even before her alarm, bounce out of bed, Luna would groan, Serena would say 'Oh, quit complaining. You always said you wanted me up earlier', and then the little hurricane would race out the door in characteristic fashion on her way to the hospital. Well, at least that's the way it *had* been. As she slipped on her jeans this morning, Serena couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Today was the last day she would be seeing Darien at the hospital. The last day she would sit by his bed and hold his hand. The last day they would laugh over cheap jokes and watch old movies on TV. Today, Darien was going home. Not that Serena wasn't thrilled for him. Nothing could make her happier than seeing her 'favourite invalid' up and about again, and she knew he was looking forward to it as well. But . . . she would miss their time together. "Hey, who am I trying to kid" she said to herself as she pulled on her shoes. "We'll probably still see each other at the arcade. We ran into each other often enough before . . . He'll go back to teasing me, and I'll yell at him, and he'll laugh at me just like before." She sighed. "Still," she added wistfully. "It was nice . . . for a while. It almost seemed like we were . . . friends." "Talking to yourself *again* Serena? Geez, you must be going completely bonkers. I guess 'Meatball Head' is more than just a nickname." Serena spun round, glaring at the young boy in her doorway. "Ooh, Sammy, when I get my hands on you I'll . . ." She scanned her room desperately for a weapon, then grabbed her hairbrush, and raced after her brother, holding the brush above her head. "Come back here, you little monster!" Halfway down the hall, a voice suddenly interrupted them, and Serena froze, hairbrush still held high. "Stop that infernal racket this instant! And both of you, come downstairs for breakfast," Serena's mother, Elaine, ordered. "Serena, stop threatening your brother. And Sammy, leave Serena alone." Sammy, too, had frozen, and he turned and scowled, sticking his tongue out at his sister before disappearing down the stairs. "You too, Serena," Elaine ordered. Serena sighed, and started for the stairs. But just as she reached the top, the clock on the wall caught her eye - and she realised what time it was. "But-Mom-I-have-to-get-down-to-the-hospital-Darien's-leaving-today- I-don't-want-to-miss-him-gotta-go-BYE!" she cried as she raced down the stairs. "SERENA!" Serena froze, her hand on the front door knob. That was *not* a tone she could ignore. Elaine followed her daughter down the stairs. "It seems to me, young lady, that you've been spending *far* too much time with this Darien boy. Now, you know what your father and I think about you having a boyfriend, and if you're going to keep seeing this boy, we're going to have to discuss this . . ." "MOM!" Serena screeched, turning bright red. "Darien is a total jerk! There's no way I would *ever* go out with him! That guy is *so* conceited! How could you even think that! Ew!" Elaine merely raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you should think about why a 'conceited jerk', as you put it, is getting so much of your attention, hmm?" "Mom!" Serena wailed. "There's *nothing* between me and Darien. Besides, he's going home today and . . . ooh! I'm gonna be *so* late! Bye Mom!" Elaine sighed as the door slammed, and shaking her head, went back to the kitchen. Outside, Serena panted down the road to the hospital, hoping she wouldn't miss seeing Darien. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien sat in his hospital bed, pushing his cold toast around the plastic tray. A few days ago he had sent Andrew shopping, to pick up the necessary groceries for him. His friend had also been to check on his apartment and make sure everything was in order, so Darien would have as little to worry about as possible. he thought with a sigh. Darien stared wistfully out the window, imagining what it would be like to run his fingers through Serena's hair, to breath in its warm scent, to feel it against his cheek . . . But a jarring note interrupted his pleasurable daydreams. Since his discovery of his Princess's identity four weeks ago - and despite the nagging feeling that he had to do so - he still hadn't told her how he felt. The thing was, while it was all very well for him to know how *he* felt, the Serena of this world was very different from the angelic figure of his dreams, leaving doubts to wander through his mind as to the authenticity of his Princess's feelings. In his dreams, his Princess had been confident, wise and self assured. His Serena was certainly not the same person, though she bore the soul of the Princess within her - so would she share the love that that dream-figure had expressed? Or would she just laugh at the whole crazy idea? Telling her how he felt would be, in the end, like jumping not just into the deep end of the pool, but more like jumping into the middle of the ocean. He didn't like the idea of drowning . . . His thoughts were interrupted suddenly as the door was pushed open, and a blond head appeared around it. "Morning!" Serena called as she bounced into the room, and as usual, Darien's heat skipped a beat. <...so beautiful...> "You're up awfully early, today," Darien said, with a smile. "I'm surprised the nurses let you in." Serena grinned mischievously. "Well, they didn't actually let me in. Me and the girls have been sneaking past that ogre at the front desk every day for a month." She giggled. "She's tried to stop us every single time, but she hasn't managed it yet." Darien's grin deepened, and he shook his head. "You and your friends must be giving the nurses hell! They must be glad to get rid of me, so you'll leave them alone." Serena feigned a pout. "Hey, it's not my fault if *they* all want to be grumpy. Besides, *someone* has to make sure you're being looked after." Darien's eyes open wide at that remark, and a faint blush touched his cheeks, as he warmed to the idea. Serena didn't notice his surprise, however, as she continued her bubbly chatter, but suddenly Darien wasn't listening. He was much more absorbed by the inner battle that had suddenly begun to rage in his mind. Should he tell her how he felt? Could he? But try as he might, the words locked in his throat before he could get them out. He had fought this battle with himself hundreds of times over the weeks, losing every time to the same pathetic fear that gripped him now. And assuredly, he was cursing himself for it. Even if he did ever manage to talk to her, she would deserve so much more than him. Even after all this time, her generosity still amazed him. He had done nothing for her - *nothing* - and in return for his failings, she had given him life - she wasn't just the brightness in his days - it was thanks to her that his heart was still beating in his chest. he wondered. She had done so much for him and . . . he cringed . . . he hadn't even said thank you . . . "Oh, I brought you some roses." Serena startled him back to the present, holding up the bunch of red flowers. He looked surprised, and, privately, angry at having found yet another reason to hate himself - and love her - but Serena mistook his astonishment for displeasure. "I know you're going home today, so they're not much good to you here, but I thought you could take them with you, or whatever . . ." she trailed off, suddenly seeing him not as a friend, but back in the role of the disdainful collage student - someone above her, who didn't want to bother with a foolish, clumsy girl. She dropped her gaze to the floor in embarrassment, her eyes flitting across the room in nervous movements. Darien, surprised and slightly alarmed at her sudden change of mood, went into a silent panic. Desperately, he changed the subject, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "How's school been lately?" he thought as he cringed inwardly. Serena looked down, a faint blush tainting her cheeks. "We, er, we got our math test back on Friday. I, um . . . I kinda failed," she mumbled. "Mom cancelled my allowance for this week because of it." She blushed deeper. "Well, it's not the end of the world. You'll just have to study harder next time." Serena opened her mouth with prepared retaliation to the insult, but before she had uttered a word, she realised what he had actually said. She looked up sharply at Darien. But he had turned away, and was now facing the clock hanging on the wall. "Andrew should be here any minute," he commented to no one in particular, but it caused Serena to glance up at the clock as well. 8:50. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. "Oh no!!" She leapt out of her chair, startling Darien. "I'm really sorry, Darien, but I have to go. I forgot I have a sc . . ." She stopped. "I have to, er, meet some friends now. I'm gonna be *so* late!" Darien couldn't hide his grin as the blond girl dashed out of the room in a panic, calling "Bye Darien" over her shoulder. "Bye, Serena." He replied. "Don't run into anything!" Then, to his surprise, his door opened again, and Serena stood in the doorway, fidgeting slightly. Darien cursed himself. "Serena, I'm sor . . ." he started to say, but she beat him to it. "Darien, just before I go, could I ask you one question? I was gonna ask you before, but I forgot." He hesitated in surprise, then nodded. "Yeah, of course." "I was just wondering . . ." she mumbled nervously, her feet unable to stay quite still, "You haven't . . . you haven't called me Meatball Head once since the acc . . . I mean since you were . . . I was just wondering why not." She trailed off. he asked himself. But Darien was nothing if not an expert at evasion, and the answer came to him without too much trouble. "Serena, you've been a great help to me over the past few weeks." He replied. his inner voice muttered angrily, but he silenced it. "I thought it would be in bad taste to make fun of an angel," he finished, with a shrug, and a crooked smile. That smile hit Serena like a small explosion. She suddenly felt trapped, as she was forced to stare into those perfect blue eyes, and her knees weakened. Then she felt her cheeks redden, and looked hastily away from him. "I, er, I haven't done that much." she stuttered. "Just sit and play card games and . . ." "Believe me, Serena, you have done a lot." Darien's voice was soft and low, sending shivers through her spine. "You were there for me when I needed you." He trailed into silence then, suddenly too shy to continue - certainly too shy to say what he really meant. Steeling himself, he tried again. "I want . . . . . . I wanted to say . . . . . . to-say-thank-you-for-saving-my-life." He blurted out, then blushed faintly. "I know I haven't always been too nice to you, but I want you to know I really am very grateful." He looked at her anxiously, his eyes pleading for her to understand what he meant. Serena returned a tentative smile, utterly bewildered as to how to respond. To her inexperienced eyes, Darien suddenly looked very young, his stormy eyes clouded by uncertainty, and Serena was suddenly reminded of the first day she had come here, when she had sat by Darien's bed and thought how upside down the whole world had been when Darien wasn't in it. She bit her lips, but when she started to speak, the words that came out were not the ones she wanted to say. "I'm sorry Darien, but I *really* have to go now I'm glad you're feeling better I'll see you 'round, okay, say hi to Andrew for me," she finished in a rush, her feet taking her out the door even before she knew what was happening. As she raced down the corridor, she glanced at her watch. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little while later, Darien sat on the edge of his bed, with his right arm in a sling and his packed bags by his side. Outside his window, the trees were swaying in the wind, and he fidgeted impatiently. Oh, he couldn't wait to be outside, walking in the park, sitting under those trees with their leaves so green and alive and the scent of flowers in his head. He closed his eyes and sighed. Ah, he could almost smell the roses now . . . "Hey, you're looking mighty happy there." Darien looked round. "Andrew! Are you kidding? Of course I'm happy. I'm just waiting for Dr. Forres to come and sign my discharge papers, then we can get out of here." Andrew grinned "Excellent! Listen, I checked your apartment yesterday, and watered the plants again. Everything else is fine, 'cept for a bit of dust, but you'll probably have that cleaned in a matter of minutes. That place is so neat, it's unbelievable. Oh, and while I remember, did you hear what happened at the arcade the other day?" Darien shook his head. "Oh boy! Two of the guys decided they were going to fight over a girl and had a punch up in the middle of the arcade. You should have seen it! That was wild. They broke two of the games! I though I was gonna have to call the police for a minute, but . . ." He paused. Darien was staring musily out the window, a lopsided smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "But the pink bunnies decided they didn't want to have tea with the mad hatter after all." "Hmm, good." Darien replied, staring out the window. "Yo, Dare?" Darien looked round. "Hm? What was that?" "Ah, never mind." Andrew sat back again, waving a hand at Darien. "Let me know when you've got her out of your head." "Eh?" Darien sat up straight. "What do you mean?" Andrew grinned. "You were thinking about that girl again, weren't you?" He leant forward expectantly. "So, who is she." "Andrew!" Darien cried, exasperated. "Would you leave off all the 'you're thinking about a girl' stuff? You've been at it every second day for weeks now! It's driving me nuts!" Andrew grinned, and shrugged slyly. "Well, you *were* thinking about her." Darien scowled at him, and turned back to the window. "So?" he said quietly. Andrew's jaw dropped. "You mean you really were?!" Darien eyed him reproachfully. "I though we had already established that." Andrew's voice became lower. "Who is she?" Surprisingly, Darien laughed. It sounded almost bitter. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." "But who . . . do I know her? How long have you know her? Where did you meet her?" "Andrew, I'm not going to . . ." "Darien Chiba?" Darien turned to the door. "Dr. Forres." The doctor smiled. "I've got your papers right here, Mr. Chiba, so you can be on your way as soon as you like." Darien jumped up, taking the paperwork eagerly. "Great. Thanks a lot, Doctor. Andrew? Let's get out of here." Darien stared out the window of his best friend's station wagon, the streets going by in a blur of grey. Andrew watched his friend furtively, his eyes darting between him and the road, while he pondered the astonishing, if not impossible fact that Darien was in love. he thought in wonder. But somehow, he found it difficult to be happy for Darien. Instead, he was worried. To his knowledge, Darien had never been in love before, and if their conversation in the hospital was anything to go by, he was not adjusting well to the experience now. The entire drive was done in silence, and as Andrew pulled up by the curb, outside Darien's apartment block, he wondered what he could say to help. Grabbing the few bags from the trunk, he asked, "Do you want me to come up with you? If you need any help with anything. . ." But Darien shook his head. "No thanks. I'll be fine." Had it been anyone else, Andrew would have insisted on helping. But Darien was different. His independence was very important to him - probably due to his upbringing - and if Andrew tried to interfere, he would just get annoyed. He watched as Darien picked up the bags, all the time thinking he really should try to offer him some kind of advice. Darien had less idea about how to be in love than a fish did about how to fly. "Darien?" he said suddenly, as his friend was about to leave. Darien turned, raising an eyebrow quizzically. Andrew looked at him for a moment. "Look, I, er . . . I know it's probably not my place to interfere, but whoever this girl is . . ." Darien's eyes widened for an instant. "I think you should tell her how you feel. I've been with Rita long enough to know something about love - in fact, Rita taught me everything I know - and believe me, you'll regret it if you don't." Darien looked at his friend with something between sorrow and disdain. Then he shook his head. "Sorry, Andrew, but it's just not that simple." His friend shrugged. "It never is." Darien's eyes flashed with anger. "I don't think you can just pass this off as any other every-day romance. She's something special, and I . . ." "Darien, do you think you're the first person in the world to fall in love?" Andrew interrupted "Everyone - *everyone* - has to take that risk at some point in their lives. If love was simple, it wouldn't make your heart pound, or your head spin, or stop your feet touching the ground for weeks on end. That's what makes it so special." Darien didn't reply. He stared at the pavement, running a hand through his black hair - something he always did when he was upset. "Darien. I've known you for a long time. And I know that you fear being hurt more than anything in the world." Darien's eyes flashed an angry warning at his friend, but Andrew ignored it. "The truth is, Darien, that love *does* hurt. There's no two ways about it. But in the end, whether you win or lose, it *is* worth the risk." Darien shook his head stubbornly. "I don't know about that. Andrew," he said softly. "I know you love Rita, but you just can't understand what this woman means to me. I couldn't stand it if she said no. I would just die. So I figure, maybe it's better not knowing. Maybe I can live the rest of my life just hoping that she *might* love me, and then she'll never have the chance to say no. I think it might be better that way . . ." he trailed off. "No, Darien." Andrew insisted quietly. "For some people, just having hope can be enough. But not for you. I know I can't tell you what to do. That's something you'll have to decide yourself. But in the end, win or lose, Darien, you *are* in love. And there's *nothing* you can do to change that." Without waiting for a reply, Andrew got back into his car, and drove away, leaving a surprised, and very confused Darien staring after him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the slow days that followed, Darien found it was not as hard as he expected to get back into his old routine - go to collage, study, eat, sleep, worry about his job - his broken arm and aching leg slowed him down very little, except for whenever he tried to cook. That was a near disaster. In the end, he gave up, and bought a huge pile of instant microwave dinners. He had almost thrown the lot out when he tried the first one - disgusting things, they were, almost as bad as hospital food - but in the end he had admitted it was better than anything *he* could cook in his current condition, and so had persevered. And with catching up his collage work, he found he had quite enough to do to keep his mind occupied for the most part, to keep his quiet thoughts from drifting back to Serena, to her hair, to how much he missed her smile, the way her laugh used to light up the room, how she had klutzed out in that adorable way every five minutes . . . who was he trying to kid. She was always - *always* - on his mind. As he had promised himself, he had gone to the rose gardens when he got out of hospital, but it had been a waste of time in the end. The silk petals and sweet scent only reminded him of Serena, how beautiful she was, how wonderfully generous and light hearted - all the things that were currently beyond his reach, and assuredly, he was hitting himself for it. Now he was out of hospital, he wasn't seeing her very often, and his chances of telling her how he felt were more remote than ever. Was Andrew right, he wondered sadly? Was love worth the risk? Love had done nothing for him so far but cause him pain. What was the point of love if all it did was hurt people? Hurt him? And if it *was* worth it, what if he had left it too long, and already missed his chance at love? The thoughts jumbled in a mash of confusion. He simply didn't know the answers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena dragged her feet as she rounded the corner to the arcade. she thought. But she sadly dismissed the idea when she had scarcely thought it. He was never at the arcade these days. It was nearly a week since he had left the hospital, and she hadn't seen him once. She giggled despite herself. Still, it was hard not to wonder . . . The doors of the arcade slid open, and Serena slouched through, plopping down in front of a Sailor V game. But she didn't reach for a quarter to play the game. She just sat there, staring at the flickering screen in disappointment. >From behind the counter, Andrew looked up, and frowned in alarm as he saw Serena, staring numbly at the game. She had been quiet lately, but today she seemed particularly upset, and he thought it was about time he found out what was bothering her. "Hey, how's my favourite customer?" he asked cheerfully, hoping it would brighten her a little. Serena looked up and smiled when she saw Andrew, but the smile was short-lived. "Hi Andrew. I'm okay." she replied, then lapsed into silence, staring at the still inactive game. Andrew frowned again, changing his tack. He pulled up a stool next to the sullen girl, and perched on it. "Hey, girl. What's wrong. There isn't much that can get you down. It must be something big." Serena shrugged. "Oh, I was just thinking." She looked around suddenly. "This place looks kind of empty today. Is business down, or something?" Andrew looked around. There seemed the usual number of customers to him. Why would Serena think . . . Suddenly a light went of in Andrew's head. It *was* kind of empty . . . without Darien! "It has been a bit quiet," he answered slyly. "I haven't seen Darien here all week." Serena perked up immediately. "Really? I was just wondering how he is. Do you know if he's okay? I never see him around any more." Andrew smiled gently. "He's okay. He's just been really busy lately, catching up with collage, and things. I'm sure he'll be back in here before the end of the week." "Yeah?" A smile graced Serena's lips for the first time in days. "You think so?" Andrew nodded. "For sure. But you know," he continued, "he said to me earlier this week that he was having a hard time getting by at home. It's not easy with one arm in a sling, and I don't have time to help him much, what with running the arcade, and collage and all." He paused, but Serena didn't take the bait. He pressed on. "I bet he'd like it if you went over and gave him a hand," he finished, a hopeful look on his face. But Serena didn't have the reaction he'd expected. "Oh no, I couldn't do that. I'd probably just get in his way. He's probably really busy. I couldn't help him that much anyway. I'd probably just end up making a mess. I don't want to bother him." Andrew was dumbfounded. This was the last thing he had expected. "Serena? Don't . . . don't you want to see him? I just thought, after all the time you spent with him in hospital you would . . ." "Oh that." Serena laughed somewhat dryly. "Well yeah, when he was in hospital it was fine, but now he's home, and after all, he's in collage, he can take care of himself. I'm just a kid still, and he doesn't need *my* help any more." Serena stopped rambling finally, and stared at the floor, her cheeks flushed red. Andrew gaped at her. What could he say? He hated seeing her this down. Quickly, he slid over to the counter, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling something down. Returning to Serena, he handed her the paper. She looked down. An address was written on it - one she didn't recognise - and she looked up at Andrew, confused. "It's only a couple of block away," he said slyly. "And Darien's always home right about now." Serena looked up at him shyly, biting her lip. "You really think he'd want to see me?" Andrew grinned. "I know he would." She stared thoughtfully at the scrap of paper. Then a slow smile spread across her lips. "Okay. See ya later, Andrew." she called back, as she literally bounced out the arcade doors. "And thanks!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien sat on a bench in the park, humming tunelessly to himself. Dozens of multicoloured roses stared back at him from the flower beds, their sweet scent tickling his senses. The sun glittered brightly on the delicate petals, a golden caress on scented silk. But Darien stared blindly past his favourite flowers; they meant little to him at the moment. The sun beat warmly on the rose petals, on the gravel path, and on his hunched shoulders, but he still felt cold. He had pushed her away so many times now, so many stupid times he had backed away, afraid of being hurt. But now he realised that he had been wrong, that it wouldn't have hurt any more than the dull, constant ache within him now. It was worse, this way, because he knew this pain wouldn't go away. It would keep pressing on him all the time, until it either drove him insane, or forced him to admit his feelings for her, his feelings for the golden Princess that destiny said was already his. He bit his lip. And if he exposed his soul for her to see, she would stare at him with those crystalline eyes and . . . and . . . and do what? Laugh? Cry? Throw herself joyfully into his arms? Hardly likely. He closed his weary eyes and sighed. Like they had that first day out of the hospital, when he had come to see their long anticipated perfection, the roses mocked him. Serena's face, her hair, her eyes, all winked at him from among the glistening stems, chiding the confused man into an ever deepening loneliness. Though he had never laid a finger on it, he was convinced that her hair would smell like roses, were he to bury his face in its warmth. But he was equally convinced that, were he to ever try such an intimate act, he would bear the brunt of her cold rejection as she laughed at his unchecked emotions. And yet as each opportunity slipped by, he fell harder into his love for her, his fear tying knots in his own version of destiny. He closed his eyes, leaning back on the wooden bench. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena rapped loudly on the apartment door, hoping, for the second time, for the answer that wasn't going to come. He wasn't home. Strangely, that dull fact was laced with implicit meanings - he wasn't home because he didn't want to see her - he didn't want her to throw herself at him so he'd be forced to push her away. Or perhaps he was simply too busy to bother with her. Serena felt very foolish. For a moment, she had actually believed Andrew when he said Darien needed her, needed her help. Darien was strong and smart and independent. Not like her . . . Serena tensed like a trapped rabbit, suddenly afraid that the door *would* open, and Darien would stand there and tell her to leave, that she was only going to get in his way. She started to back away from the door. Maybe . . . maybe if she just left now, he would never know she was there, and she would never have to see him laugh at her foolishness, and they could just see each other at the arcade one day, and he would tease her, and she could yell at him, just like they always had. Yes, like it had always been. So close, yet so far away. Just like always. With hot tears in her eyes, Serena turned and ran desperately back down the corridor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several days later, Serena was leaning lazily against the counter at the arcade, chewing idly on the straw in her chocolate shake. A little way away from her, Andrew was wiping the counter, sending curious looks in the girl's direction every now and then. She had been sitting in the exact same place for half an hour now, just staring into space. As he watched, a dark frown creased her brow, then suddenly, it was gone, replaced by a faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Then, just as quickly, the frown was back again. She slowly sucked on the straw, hardly noticing that its now mangled end didn't let her drink much, and idly went back to chewing it instead. "Hey, Serena! How's my angel today?" The young girl looked up in surprise. "Darien! I didn't expect to see you here." "Serena, what sort of greeting is that?" Andrew asked teasingly, coming to join them. "Hey, Darien." Serena blushed, suddenly feeling very foolish. "Sorry, Darien. I just didn't think ywds shws tsd. . ." The rest of the sentence was mumbled too much for him to hear, as Serena went back to chewing her straw, slouching down against the counter. "So Darien. How's the arm?" Andrew asked, breaking the awkward silence that had descended on them. That got a smile. "Great! I get the cast off tomorrow. It's been itching like crazy." Andrew grinned. "I bet you're looking forward to that! Oh, excuse me, guys," he added, as another customer waited at the counter. Darien turned to Serena, expecting her usual cheerfulness, or at least a smile. But she simply stared at the wall behind the counter, the mangled straw hanging from her lips. "Hey, Serena. Are you okay? You seem a little down." She turned to him, a smile instantly glowing on her face. "Nope. I'm great. Nothing's wrong at all. How are you? Getting around okay? If you ever have any problems with your arm or anything, just ask, okay? I'd be happy to help." Darien returned her smile easily. This was the Serena he knew. But his smile faded slightly, as he saw that hers didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks Serena, but like I said, I'm getting the cast off tomorrow. Thanks anyway." Serena shrugged. "No big deal." Darien stared at his hands for a moment, wondering what to say next. In all the weeks at the hospital, they had never had an awkward silence. It was strange that they should now. Darien wondered if he had done something to upset her. "Serena, I've been wanting to tell you something. I think you're the most . . ." Serena turned to look at him, her bright blue eyes paralysing his mind, and thus the words on his lips, as his throat tightened and he suddenly found it hard to breath. "What was that, Darien?" she asked, unconsciously mesmerising the suddenly flustered young man, as he stared at her full, pink lips, and lost control of his imagination. "I just wanted to say ... well, I know I've said this before, but thank you for saving my life. I owe you more than you realise. Thank you." He barely knew what he was saying, the words flowing almost on their own as he tried to gather his scattered thoughts together. "So, Darien, can I get you something?" Andrew asked, surprised to find a very relieved-looking Darien staring back at him. "Uh, yeah. Um, coffee, thanks, Andrew," he managed to stutter, grateful for once that Serena didn't seem inclined to talk to him any more. She had turned back to her drink, and was in the midst of a frustrated battle with her straw. "So, how's Rita been?" Darien inquired. Andrew was still head over heals for Rita - he would talk about her all day if you asked him to - and as predicted, he didn't notice the sudden change of subject. "Oh, she's great. She just finished her latest project. She feels she did really well on this one. It's just in time too. It's our two year anniversary next week, so we can celebrate both things at once," Andrew beamed. "Two years! Really?" Darien was genuinely impressed. "You got her something special, right?" Andrew grinned. "Yes, of course. Here, I'll show you." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small blue box, opening it to reveal an exquisite ring, small rubies arranged in a heart shape on a gold band. Darien raised one eyebrow. "*Very* nice! Expensive, isn't it?" Andrew shrugged. "She's worth it." Serena had perked up by this time. "Ooh, wow! Can I see, Andrew?" "Sure." Andrew handed the box to her over the counter, but as she reached for it, her sleave caught the edge of her glass, and before she could even make a grab for it, chocolate milk went sloshing across the counter, thankfully missing Serena or Darien, but making one big mess. As she watched in horror, it began dripping down the side of the counter, pooling on the floor. "Oh no, I'm *so* sorry, Andrew, I didn't mean to do that, I'll help you clean it up, okay? I'm really sorry," she babbled, automatically going into 'apology mode'. Grabbing a cloth from Andrew, she started wiping furiously, trying to contain the spreading puddle. Darien barely managed to contain his grin as he also grabbed a cloth, successfully stopping the dribble onto the floor. As he did, he stole a glance at Serena. The embarrassed flush on her cheeks made her look *so* cute. It had been a while since she had klutzed out like this. he thought in bliss. Serena cringed when she saw the smile on his face, and wiped harder at the pool of milk. She blushed deeper, refusing to meet the gaze she knew he was directing at her. "Hey, don't worry, Serena. I'll buy you another one." Darien smiled, amused at her embarrassment. She was just so adorable! But Serena didn't smile, or even look up at him. She just stared at the wet counter. "What? Oh, no, that's all right. I'm just a klutz, that's all. I have to get going now anyway." she muttered to the floor, still avoiding his gaze. Darien's smile faded. "Hey, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't help spilling it. Come on, I'll buy you one, no problem." His concerned eyes remained fixed on her, waiting for a reply. Serena bit her lip, her jaw set and her eyes tearful. "Yeah, I couldn't help it, could I?" she muttered, her voice cold. "I can't help being a klutz, can I?" "Darien, you are such a jerk!" She yelled suddenly. "Just leave me alone!" Grabbing her bag, she raced for the door, barely missing a customer on his way in. She tripped over her own feet in the process, but managed to regain her balance before falling, and ran out the door. Darien watched her run away, his jaw hanging open in shock. He looked up, and saw that Andrew was likewise affected. "What the ...?" Andrew just shook his head. Outside, Serena fought back tears as she hurried down the street. The tears spilled over, and she broke into a run. "So, er ... how's ... how's things?" Andrew asked. Awkward silences had always seemed especially awkward to him. Darien looked fuzzily around the room. "Uh, yeah, okay." He tried to gather his thoughts and say something intelligent. "So, er, nice ring. I'm sure Rita will love it." he said in a flat voice. Andrew smiled in relief. "Yeah? Really? I wasn't sure if it was her type of thing, you know? But if you think she'll like it ..." Darien tried to answer Andrew as he chatted on, but his mind was screaming. He felt a dull coldness inside himself. He saw Andrew was chuckling over something, and tried to smile, but he felt like going and crawling into a hole somewhere. He had no idea what he had done wrong, but it had made his Princess cry ... Andrew paused in his monologue, as he realised that Darien wasn't listening. He had been spacing out more and more often lately, especially since he had gotten out of hospital. Andrew sighed. he thought wryly. He knew without asking that Darien was thinking about this mysterious love of his again. Nothing else could get him down that much. Andrew thought it was very unhealthy. He seemed to spend all his time obsessing over this woman, and had almost no interest in anything else. For goodness sake, he didn't even tease Serena any more. Suddenly, Andrew stopped, a bizarre combination of thoughts fusing in his mind. Darien didn't tease Serena any more. Serena had stayed by his side almost all the time he was in hospital. Serena had saved his life. Darien was in love with a mystery woman. In a blinding flash, it all came together, and Andrew had to laugh at the absolute madness of it all. Darien was in love with Serena! A look of amazed incredulity was plastered to Andrew's face for a moment. Sure, a lot of weird things happened where Darien was concerned, but this? Two people as different as those two, falling in love? It was just too bizarre. Yet, in a strange and twisted way, it made a heck of a lot of sense. And after Serena's little display a few minutes ago, he would bet anything that she felt the same way. Determined to get his friend out of that blind daze, Andrew sidled up to him, a quirky expression on his face. "Hey Darien?" Darien looked up - and froze at the look on Andrew's face. It was a look full of mischief and cunning. Not a good thing. "What?" he asked cautiously. "I just figured it out," Andrew stated triumphantly. Darien stared at him in confusion. "Figured *what* out, dare I ask?" Andrew grinned. "You're in love with Serena." Andrew had never seen anyone turn so utterly white so quickly. "For goodness sake, Andrew, don't tell her." He raised his eyebrows. "Woah, Darien, don't go having a fit. I was just teasing." Darien looked around frantically, hoping, praying no one had heard what he had said. "Please, Andrew. You can't tell her." Andrew held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I won't. I promise." He looked at his friend critically. "You're really hung up on her, aren't you?" Darien looked at him without answering for a moment, then looked down. He nodded slightly. "Why don't you tell her? She's a great girl, Darien. I'm sure she'd . . ." "Yeah right, Andrew." Darien scowled at him. "You can't just walk up to a girl, hand her a bunch of roses and say 'Hi, remember me? We used to hate each other. Will you go out with me?'" Andrew frowned at him. "Has it ever occurred to you that she might actually care about you? I mean, she spent a lot of time with you while you were in hospital. Don't you think that means anything?" he asked seriously. Darien scowled, a look that was on his face so often these days. "There's a big difference between visiting someone in hospital, and falling love with them. Besides, what would she see in a guy like me? I've done nothing for her. She has no reason to look twice at me." Andrew shook his head. "Darien, you are so stubborn!" How was he supposed to get through to him? Then suddenly . . . "You know what I think?" he asked, his tone suddenly changing. Darien looked like he was at the end of his patience. "What?!?" "I think you two need to be set up." Darien literally leapt out of his seat. "No! Andrew, no way! It is *not* happening." "Well how else are you going to get together? I mean, *you're* hardly going to say anything, are you? And you do such a good job of intimidating Serena, she's never going to ask you out. Something has to be done." "Andrew, no!" Darien was getting desperate. "You can't interfere. Please!" Andrew held up his hands defensively. "Hey, Dare, I'm only trying to do what's best for you. I can see this is driving you nuts," he went on, quite calmly, while Darien quietly threw a fit. "Andrew, stay out of it!" The blond man shrugged. "*Someone* has to talk to her . . ." "Okay, *I'll* talk to her." Darien interrupted. "Just stay out of it, all right? I'll talk to her." Andrew looked at him sideways. "You will? Promise?" Darien was too worked up to even notice he was being set up. "Yeah, I will. Promise." "All right." Andrew didn't sound convinced. "But if you don't I'm gonna have to do something about it." "Don't worry, Andrew. I'll talk to her." Hang on a minute. He would? Yeah, Darien suddenly realised. He would. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien leaned against the railing around the lake, staring into its cool blue water intently. It had been three days since his conversation with Andrew, and he was running out of time to talk to Serena before Andrew started getting in the way. The trouble was, he just couldn't find an opportunity to talk to her. Every time he saw her, she was always with her friends, or talking to Andrew, even when he went out of his way to find her. Which he did quite often. Andrew had tried to give them some space at the arcade, but it was kind of difficult to have a serious conversation with a girl who kept yelling 'Jump! Gotcha that time, you creep!' into a Sailor V game. So here he was now, hoping to 'bump into' Serena on her way home from school. She had a habit of taking a detour through the park on sunny days, and - trust his luck - the last three days had been raining, or at least very overcast. Darien thought to himself for the twenty fourth time in three days. 'Just go to her house and talk to her', a little voice inside his head said. But he couldn't. What if she said no? It would just be too embarrassing. "If you don't blink soon, you'll turn into a frog." A female voice interrupted his silent self-chiding. He turned in surprise. "Serena! Er . . .hi." "What were you staring at?" Darien looked back at the lake, then back at Serena, then back at the lake. "Um, nothing." Serena's look darkened for an instant as she saw Darien's characteristic frown return. For a second, when she arrived, he had looked . . . well, happy. she thought sadly. At that thought, a wicked gleam entered her eyes. The mischievous sprite in her mind started working overtime, and a millisecond later, Serena had her idea. All she needed was a prop. Then she spied it - a small piece of paper, poking out of Darien's back pocket. "What's this?" she asked innocently, taking the paper. Darien looked round, and realised, to his horror, what she had. A single line of poetry was written on the page, something he had come across the last time he was at the library. A line which expressed his feelings for her. Private feelings. Something he could *not* let her read. He made a grab for it. But Serena was ready, and pulled it out of his reach. She didn't even bother to unfold the paper - just teased him with it "What is it?" she asked again. She turned away from him, so he had to reach around her to get the paper, but she only twisted away again. "Give it back! Serena, this isn't funny." He tried to reach the paper again, but she pulled away, so he put both his arms around her at once, hoping to restrain her, but she merely ducked under them. Next time, though, he was quicker. Catching her in his arms, he laughed as she struggled against him. Her writhing body against him felt like electric torture! Oh, what random twist of fate had led him to this? "Serena, stop it!" he cried at the squirming girl, and for an instant, she ceased her struggle. He grabbed the opportunity, and snatched the paper out of her hands. Tucking it safely away, he looked down at her in bemusement. "What was that for?" Serena giggled softly, and shrugged. "I just wanted to get a smile out of you. You always look so serious." Darien looked down, and blushed deeply. Serena smiled gently. Then she, too, felt her cheeks turning red. He was still holding her in a loose hug . . . Darien gazed down at the angel . . . no, the Princess in his arms, in wonder. Darien took a deep breath, realising this was the best opportunity he was likely to get. "Serena, could I . . . tell you something? Something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time." Serena raised her eyebrows, then opened her mouth to protest. He was just going to thank her again, and tell her she had saved his life. Serena thought too much praise would only give her a big head. "Darien, you don't have to keep . . ." "Just listen, will you!?" Darien's nerve almost cracked. Serena stared at him, then nodded mutely. "Since you . . . you've helped me so much, and you've been there for me in a way that no one else has ever been. And lately I . . . I've realised . . ." The words caught in his throat. He shook his head. He tried again. "I've realised how much you mean to me. I know we've had our differences in the past, but how would you feel if . . . if we could be . . . more than friends?" he finished breathlessly. Serena's jaw dropped in astonishment! Her head was spinning. Suddenly, it felt so right, held in his arms, his warmth next to her . . . but this was *Darien*! The guy who teased her and laughed at her. The guy who mocked all her efforts to do *anything*. The guy who constantly went out of his way to embarrass her. The guy who . . . who hadn't done *any* of these things since the accident. Serena stared up at him in awe. At him, the guy she couldn't stand, who - she suddenly realised with amazement - who she was in love with. Her love, who was staring at her now, with his eyes and soul so open and vulnerable it almost hurt to see him. "Darien, I . . ." Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms around his neck, his stormy eyes reaching right into her trembling heart. She must have mumbled something, though she had no idea what the words had been, and though she wasn't aware of it, Darien wasn't listening either. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He moved his hand from around her waist to behind her neck, and pulled her close. He bent down slowly, resting his face next to hers, the scent of her hair tingling in his nostrils . . . Then, slowly, their lips met. Serena simply melted. His body felt so warm, pressed hard against hers, his bangs lightly tickling her forehead, his hands gentle and his lips . . . his lips doing things she didn't dare think about. It made no sense - the Darien she knew had always been cold and aloof. She had never dreamed he could be so tender, so sensitive . . . and so passionate. Closing her eyes, she leaned willingly into the kiss, her own lips unconsciously doing wicked things to his sanity. Darien felt Serena respond to his kiss, and felt a heart rending joy. Here, in the arms of his Princess, for the first time in his life, he wasn't alone. How ironic, he thought dimly as he kissed her, that he had only found this joy when he had finally embraced his greatest enemy. The enemy called love. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh, isn't that sweet! I love a happy ending! Hurrah! I'm finally finished! Please write to me and tell me what you thought!!! I need to know! Scutter gets lonely without mail . . . :( As always, you can reach me at d-boy@intercoast.com.au