Shocked to see me back again so soon, ne? I couldn't help it, I put off 
my homework until I got this finished. (Well, not all of it, but you get 
the point.) Three weeks and counting until I graduate, but I'm 
celebrating early! ^_^

Arigato to everyone who has pestered, anou... encouraged me to finish 
this story. What I thought would be finished just after Christmas turned 
out to last almost until Easter. *sweatdrop* Just goes to show that a 
procrastinator shouldn't bite off more than she can chew. ^^
Disclaimer: Apparently DiC has reclaimed some rights to SM after all... 
*sigh* but I won't admit it until I have to. (Cross your fingers that 
the dub of S won't be too butchered.) You know the rest, ne?

Strangers on a Train
Chapter 6
by Sailor Elysia [ely_chan@yahoo.com]
Rating: surprise! it's a G!


Dear Darien,

	Happy New Year! I got your letter yesterday. It was so good 
to hear from you, even if it's only on paper. If it wasn't long distance, I 
would call you and talk all night long. I miss having you here, but you 
knew that already. Mom misses you too, she told me to tell you so. 
	So how was the first few days back on the job? Did your co-
workers notice anything different about you? Any threats to take you 
into the doctor yet? I'm just kidding, you know. I just wanted to make 
you smile.
	Little Miriam started crawling last night! Well, it was more 
like scooting, actually. Michelle had her on the blanket in the living 
room, and she stepped out to get something from the kitchen. When she 
came back, Miriam was scooting over to the sofa. Tal and Michelle are 
such proud parents. I bet she'll be pulling herself up in no time.
	Sid and Ricky went home to their apartment two days ago, and 
we won't see them for a while. Michelle, Tal and Miriam will be 
leaving soon, and after I leave, the house will be empty again. I don't 
know how my mom and dad can stand it being so quiet. 
	I'm starting to repeat myself, but I miss you so much. The 
moment you stepped back onto that train, I felt like I lost something. I 
don't feel whole without you. Do you ever find it interesting that we 
were both strangers at the beginning, but now we can barely stand to be 
separated? That's how I feel about it, what about you?
	I have to finish packing to go back to school tomorrow, but I 
had to finish your letter so I could send it out before the mail came. 
Write back soon, I look forward to hearing from you!

Always,
Serena

P.S. Don't forget, you still have to tell me what you said at the station...

Dear Serena,
	Sorry for the delay. I'm not the best letter writer in the world, 
and I can only imagine how impatient you must get while be waiting to 
receive my letter.
	About the first days back at work. Yes, my co-workers, not to 
mention my secretary, were very surprised at my behavior. I've never 
been one to talk much, and so when I walked in that morning greeting 
everyone with a smile on my face, everyone in the office almost 
stopped. Come to think of it, that was fun. I'll have to do that more often.
	I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you. I miss walking in the 
snow with you, and your mom's cooking, but most of all, our late night 
talks out on your balcony. Those nights were special to me; it was there 
that I learned out about you and finally found myself. I will always be 
grateful to you for that. 
	You'll probably get this letter after you go back to school, so 
I'll wish you luck now. Don't get in too much over your head! Being in 
graduate school can be exhausting. 
	My personal life isn't nearly as exciting as yours. I have a few 
things to catch up on for work tomorrow, so I'll end this here. I'm 
always thinking of you. Sometimes you appear in my dreams, so I hope 
tonight will be one of those nights.

Good night, my darling Serena.
Darien

Dear Darien,
 	I think your laziness is starting to rub off on me. Well, maybe 
a little bit of my own as well. Three days back at school and I hardly 
have time to myself. Thank goodness I have an apartment of my own 
so I don't have to put up with noisy roommates. 
	It's 11:30 at night as I write this, so if it looks like I'm about to 
drop off to sleep, it's probably because I am. The days are so long, and 
there's so much work to be done, there's almost not enough time to do it 
all. I hope I can last through the rest of the semester.
	Tell me more about the people you work with. Like your 
secretary, for example. Is she pretty? Should I be jealous? I'm just 
kidding, I know I have nothing to worry about.
	Oh, there I go again, drifting off into la-la land. I'm sorry this 
isn't longer, but I've been so exhausted the last few days that it's 
beginning to catch up with me. I promise I'll write a longer letter next time.

Always, (and very exhausted)
Serena
P.S. You're avoiding my question. I won't give up until you tell me.

Dear Serena,
	We're both getting bad at answering our letters, aren't we? 
Perhaps we should try emailing instead, that way you wouldn't have to 
wait so long for my replies and I won't feel as bad when I don't reply as 
quickly. It's just a suggestion.
	Anyway, back to the work subject. I usually work on my own, 
but sometimes I team up with a group on a project or two. My 
secretary, Caroline, helps out too. You're right, you have nothing to 
worry about. She's been working for me for the past three years, and 
she's very dependable.
	It stopped raining here after five days nonstop. I'm happy to 
see the sun come out again. If you were here, I'd take you to a special 
place of mine in the park across the street from my office. It's this little 
wooden bench that faces a small pond. It's surrounded by a garden of 
roses that overwhelm you when they bloom. The sunsets there are glorious. 
	Since you keep bringing up the subject of what I said at the 
station the last time we were together, here's my answer. I'd rather talk 
about it in person, rather than on paper. I have a feeling that it wouldn't 
have quite the same effect.
	With that thought, I'll let you go now. I hope that you're not 
too exhausted with school yet. I know that some days it may seem 
unbearable, but just think, you've come too far to give up now.

Wishing you the best,
Darien

	Serena smiled tiredly as she read Darien's letter for the third 
time. It had been a little over two months since they had last seen each 
other, and she cherished every letter she got from him.
	Glancing over at her wall calendar, Serena noted happily that 
she finally had a four day weekend coming up, and she had it all to 
herself. No papers or exams to worry over. Such a big relief for her.
	Then a light went on in her head. Why not use her vacation to 
surprise Darien with a visit? She missed him terribly, and he was 
always begging her to come see him.
	She ran a hand through her tousled blonde curls, the grin 
impossible to wipe from her face. She couldn't wait to see the shocked 
look on his face when she surprised him next weekend.
	Darien walked into his office early Thursday morning, 
whistling a light tune he had heard while driving to work. As had 
become his custom, he cheerfully greeted his secretary, Caroline, as he 
picked up the morning's paper from her desk.
	Caroline looked on in awe at her boss. No one could honestly 
explain the sudden change of Mr. Wilkinson's behavior. Since he had 
returned from the Christmas holidays, he seemed to be a totally new 
person. Gone were the days of his perpetual grumpiness and somber 
moods. Everyone agreed they liked this Mr. Wilkinson compared to the old one.
	"Good morning, sir," Caroline said. "Is it a busy day today?"
	"No, not really," Darien replied, taking his glance from the 
front page of the paper. "Today is going to be slower than normal, but 
we could all use a rest after last week, right?" Caroline nodded in 
agreement. Last week had been so hectic, they had barely any time to think.
	"Will you order in lunch for me today? I can get other things 
done sooner if I don't take that hour off." He smiled. "Thanks 
Caroline." She shook her head in wonder as Darien walked down the 
hall to his office. Yes, she agreed silently, she definitely liked this new 
Mr. Wilkinson.	After a two hour bus ride, and nearly getting lost in the middle 
of the city in the back of a taxi, Serena walked into the reception area 
of the offices of Taylor & Benison Inc. She glanced around the large 
suite, and for a moment felt very out of place.
	"Can I help you ma'am?" A cheerful young secretary sitting at 
the main desk suddenly spoke up, the nameplate on the desk read 
'Caroline.' Momentarily overwhelmed, Serena almost forget why she 
had come in the first place. But now that she had made so much effort 
to surprise him, she couldn't leave just yet. "I'm--I'm looking for 
Darien Wilkinson. Is he in today by any chance?
	The young secretary smiled. "Mr. Wilkinson is always in--in 
fact, I doubt he ever leaves. Do you have an appointment with him?"
	"Ah, no, I came by to say hello. You could say I'm a good 
friend of his," Serena replied, blushing lightly.
	Somewhat puzzled, Caroline reached over and picked up the 
intercom phone. "All right, I'll let him know that you're here to see him."
	Serena's eyes widened. "Actually, he doesn't know I'm in 
town. I was hoping to surprise him. Would that be okay?" Caroline 
raised an eyebrow, but then looked down at the schedule book in front 
of her. "Well, you're in luck. He doesn't have anything scheduled until 
after lunch, so I suppose you could go in without an appointment. His 
office is down the hall, the third door on your right. How did you say 
you know Mr. Wilkinson again?"
	"We're friends. Good friends," Serena answered, blushing 
again as she walked down the hall. Caroline stared at the retreating 
blonde and shook her head. The things her boss did never ceased to surprise her.
	Even though the day wasn't nearly as busy as it had been last 
week, Darien still found himself surrounded by menial tasks that 
protesting to be done. He could easily dump them all on Caroline's desk 
and let her take care of it, but that wouldn't be very fair to her. 
Everyone had to carry their fair share around here.
	Waiting for his computer to boot up, Darien stood and looked 
out on the city through the large window. He liked having an office 
with windows, he decided. Definitely a step up from the broom closet 
he used to be squished in only a year ago.
	His gaze swept over the city, full of life, so unaware that 
someone was looking down on them. Darien focused his attention on 
the small park across the street, his favorite place to go when he 
wanted to be alone. He had told Serena about it in one of his letters, 
and only wished that she was here to share it with him. 
	Running a hand through his thick hair, Darien found himself 
getting lost in his daydreams, imagining that Serena would be on the 
other side of his door one day with a huge grin on her face, and he 
would sweep her into a hug.
	Just then, there was a light knock on his office door. He was 
puzzled for a moment, usually Caroline would buzz him before anyone 
came into to see him. He wasn't expecting anyone, and all of his 
appointments for the days weren't scheduled until after lunch. With a 
shrug, he left his place by the window and strode towards the door, 
opening it slowly.	A blonde-haired pixie with a beaming smile on her face 
greeted him. Darien couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked once, then 
again to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. "Serena? Is it really 
you? What are you doing here?"
	Serena's smile fell a little. This wasn't quite the reaction she 
had expected. "Well, I had a four day weekend and no extra work to 
keep me at home, and I thought I'd surprise you. Your secretary said 
you weren't busy, so I just--"
	She was cut off as Darien wrapped her into a tight embrace, 
burying his face in her hair, just like he had done the last day they 
had been together. Finally, she relaxed and returned the gesture. It 
felt so good to be in his arms again.
	They separated a little, and Darien gazed at her fondly. "I was 
just wishing that you were here with me. Are you really for real?" 
Serena laughed merrily and traced a finger down the side of his face. 
"You tell me." Then she leaned up on her tiptoes and softly kissed him 
on the lips. 	He slipped his arms around her waist and drew her closer to 
him. "Mmm, now that's the kind of greeting I like the most." She 
started giggling again and finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "Do 
you know how cute you are when I have you wrapped around my 
finger?" He smiled sheepishly, grabbed her hands, and kissed each of 
her fingers, one by one. "Yes, but only around your fingers."
	Serena looked at him earnestly, searching his eyes for an 
answer. "Now will you tell me what you said at the station?" She stuck 
out her lower lip in a pout.
	Darien took one look at her and couldn't help smiling. "All 
right, all right, you got me. I kinda wish you had heard it the first time 
because it would mean so much more, but I'll repeat myself anyway. I 
said I don't know how anyone could help not loving you," he murmured 
softly, running a hand through her soft hair.
	A devilish smile flitted across her lips, then it quickly 
disappeared. "Darien . . . I have a confession to make. I did hear you 
the first time you said that at the station."
	His eyes widened. "What? You mean you knew all this time?"
	"Um-hmm. I just wanted to hear those words from you again."
	Darien's annoyance flew out the window after that. He 
gathered Serena into his arms, and buried his face into her sweet-
smelling hair. "I meant every word." Pulling away, they locked gazes, 
and it was impossible to avoid the inevitable. His lips closed over hers, 
and the cares of the world melted into the background as they held onto 
each other tenderly.	"That's what I call a warm welcome, sir." A new voice 
penetrated the silence in Darien's office.
	Darien and Serena pulled away awkwardly from each other to 
face Caroline, who had a very amused look on her face. "I apologize 
for barging in, but I did try the intercom first. When you didn't answer, 
I didn't know what to expect." The expressions on their faces 
resembled that of a little child getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
	"So, if I may ask, sir, when's the wedding?"
	Serena and Darien gaped at Caroline, then looked back each 
other. Then they burst into fits of laughter together.
	"I don't think I'll ever look at trains the same way again."
	"Relax. We only have a few more hours 'til we get there. It's 
not that bad. I think it's romantic."
	He smiled lovingly at her. "Of course you would. Isn't hard to 
believe that just a year ago, we were doing the same thing, hmm?"
	She poked him in the ribs. "Yes, but we had no idea it would 
turn out like this. Ready to spend another holiday with my family?"
	"Of course, since I'm officially part of the family now."
	Serena laughed. "True, it's been a wonderful six months. Now 
my brothers can really play around with you. Last time, you were there 
on approval."	Darien looked at her incredulously. "That was approval? I'd 
hate to see what their version of disapproval is."
	She laid her head on his shoulder, trying to make herself 
comfortable for the long ride. "I can't wait to see little Miriam again. 
Tal says she's running all over the place. I bet she's keeping Michelle 
in great shape."
	"And what about Sid and Ricky?" Darien had taken to calling 
his brother-in-law the same way his wife did.
	"Mom and Dad don't know yet, but Sid's already three 
months along. That's what I call a Christmas present." She sighed 
softly. "In all my wildest dreams, I never imagined my life would end 
up this way." She gazed into his eyes with a fondness that she reserved 
only for him. "Thank you."
	"For what?"
	"Everything."The End.