Playing Matchmaker Lady Starra Alternate Address Rating:G-PG

Chapter 3: Partners in Crime

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Hi out there! Thank you to everybody for your e-mails, you all are the best! Most of this chapter will be in Andrew's POV, and it's a little shorter than the last two chapters, but vital to the story. Chapter 4 will be longer, I promise! I am also working on two other stories, which I hope to get out soon. I hope you all enjoy chapter 4!

 Standard disclaimers apply.

~ ANDREW ~ 

Lita showed up faithfully the next day, and Raye and Amy were with her. We went and got a shake at the cafe. "All right, Andrew. Spill it. Tell us everything you know!" Lita said, practically commanding me to tell all.

"Okay. Not too long ago, I asked Darien why he was always so mean to Serena. He admitted that he never really means it, and was telling me how he always gets these weird feelings when he's around her."

"Uh-huh..."

"I began to think that maybe it's because he was falling for her but won't admit it to himself. Darien really has a tendency to push people away, and if he did feel something for her, I didn't think it was right of him to just throw those feelings to the wind. That was when I decided to try and get them together," I said.

"Get to the good part! What happened when they almost kissed?" Lita cried.

"I'm getting to that! But before that, you should have seen how Darien was off in his own little world when he first saw her in that bikini," I stated matter-of-factly.

"NO WAY!" the three of them exclaimed.

"They were in the pool when they almost kissed, during that splash fight they started," I told them.

"Where were we, anyway?" Lita asked Raye, scratching her head.

"You, as I recall, were flirting with a bunch of guys while that was happening," Raye smirked.

"I was not flirting with them!"

"Tell me about Serena, then. Does she ever say anything about Darien, other than the fact that he's a jerk?" I asked.

"Not really, although last night, she did tell us she thought he was good-looking," Raye answered.

"Well good, that's SOMETHING positive, anyway. Did she say anything about his guitar playing?"

"No, but actions speak a lot louder than words. She was gaping at him throughout the whole concert!" Lita said.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. But she didn't say anything, huh?" I said.

"No," Amy sighed. "I guess she got irritated with him. She was pretty quiet when we were walking home."

"Okay, Raye. Now it's your turn to dish it up. What do you know that we don't?" Lita drilled. I raised my eyebrow at Raye, curious.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I was meditating in front of the fire at the temple last night, and I got a very...interesting revelation, to say the least," Raye said, grinning.

"Well, come on! Tell us!" Lita urged. Raye cleared her throat.

"At first, I wasn't even sure what I was seeing. I saw an image of Serena, and there was this golden aura around her. Then, I saw Darien with a similar aura, and then their images began to merge together. The auras changed from gold to silver, and there was this bright flash of light, almost blinding. That was the last thing I saw," Raye told them.

"But, Raye...what does it mean?" I asked, confused.

She took a deep breath.

"Darien and Serena...are soul mates."

"SOUL MATES?!?" we all cried aloud. There was a brief silence after that.

"Raye...are you absolutely sure about this?" Amy asked.

"The fire has NEVER given me a false vision, and there's no mistaking what that bright light was. They're destined to be together, no question," Raye said.

I sat in total disbelief. Yes, I knew Darien and Serena felt some kind of attraction to each other, but soul mates? What would those two say if they knew THIS?

"Well, that settles it then. If they're meant for each other, then we'd better help fate along, because if we leave it up to them, they may never get together!" Lita said.

"What was your big idea, Lita? The one you didn't want to tell me about last night?" I asked.

"Eventually, we are gonna have to get them alone together. If they almost kissed once, I'm sure we can get them to finish what they started...provided we do our homework, of course," she began.

"I'm listening," I said.

"I'm thinking, maybe we should lead them somewhere and then ditch them, and that way they'll end up alone, together," she finished.

"Not a bad idea. What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well...that I haven't figured out yet," she sighed.

"We can come up with something," Raye said. "In the meantime, we should do something else, maybe like...drop hints or something, you know, to encourage them a little."

"Yeah, right. Serena won't listen to us. We've been teasing her about it all this time, she'd never take us seriously!" Lita said.

"Maybe...but I'll bet she would listen to me," I told them, smiling.

"Good thinking, Andrew! You work on Serena, and the rest of us will handle Darien," Raye said.

"I still don't know about this, guys. I mean, what if something goes wrong, or they find out what we're doing? They could get really mad at us," Amy warned.

"I've thought about that, Amy. I really have, but I've made up my mind. I am tired of Darien having to live such a lonely life. Sure, I'll always be there for him and so will the band, but he needs more than that. If what Raye says is true, that Serena is the one true love of his life, then he had better realize that before he pushes her away even further, when it may be too late. It's a risk that I'm willing to take," I stated boldly.

"Me too," Lita and Raye agreed.

"Well...I suppose you're right. Still, I don't want Serena to be mad at us..."

"Things will work out fine, Amy. You'll see. Even if she does get mad, it won't be for that long. When she realizes that she's in love with Darien, she'll thank us a million times over," Lita said confidently.

"I hope you're right," Amy said

"All right, what do we do now, Andrew?" Lita asked.

"Last night, I told Darien that I really thought he should come to the play tonight. I told him that he should lay off on reminding Serena of all her faults, because she probably gets enough of it from everyone else," I said.

"Yeah, Raye," Lita muttered.

"Shut up!" Raye said, nudging Lita on her side.

"I was hoping that I had made him feel guilty, and I told him that this play seemed really important to her. I suggested that he should just take a chance and come, and that he should sleep on it. He hasn't let me know if he's going to be there yet," I said.

"Uh, Andrew," Lita spoke up, "Here's your chance to find out...he's headed this way now."

~ DARIEN ~

 I walked into the arcade, and I still felt exhausted from the previous night. All night, I thought about what Andrew said about Serena having enough people getting on her case, not needing it from me. It was like he had scolded me in a subtle way, but what he'd said hit me straight in the chest. I realized he was right. I suddenly felt terrible. After all, what right did I have to be speaking into her life, anyway? I remembered him telling me that this play meant a great deal to Serena, and I felt horrible for teasing her about it and laughing in her face. Finally, I decided I would go to the play. I had nothing better to do that night, and I suppose it WOULD be interesting to see Serena of all people gracing the stage. I only hoped that I wouldn't start feeling those strange emotions again, the ones that caused my heart to pitter-patter and my brain to get clouded.

When I walked into the arcade, I didn't see Andrew at first. I was told it was his lunch hour, and that he was in the cafe. I walked in to see him sitting with Lita, Amy and Raye, but surprised that Serena wasn't with them. 'That's weird,' I thought as I walked towards them.

"Hey, Dar! What's up?" Andrew greeted.

"Hey, Andrew. Ladies," I said.

"Hi," they all chimed.

"Did you think about it, Darien?" he asked immediately.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I guess maybe you're right, Andrew. I didn't really have plans tonight, anyway."

"Then...you'll come?" he asked.

"Yeah. I guess I will," I said, shrugging.

"Cool! You're all heart, Darien!" he said.

"I try," I grinned.

"So, ya wanna join us, dude?" he asked me.

"Can't. I've gotta head to the library to work on my anatomy report. What time does it start again?" I asked.

"Seven, at the Little Theater, but I was gonna be there by six-thirty to get seats."

"Right. I'll meet you there."

"Okay, Dar. See you tonight."

~ ANDREW ~

 "Got him," I said quietly as he left the cafe.

The girls and I shared high-fives as we chuckled among ourselves.

"Well, he's gonna be there. So what now?" Raye asked.

"All depends on what happens tonight. Hopefully Serena will give a grand performance, one that will impress him," I said.

"Oh, he'll be impressed, especially when he hears her sing," Amy smiled.

"Huh?" the rest of us said, confused.

"What? You've never heard her?" Amy asked.

"NO!" Lita and Raye cried.

"Serena can sing? And GOOD?" I asked, totally surprised.

"Oh, yes. All of the Tsukinos do. You guys didn't know? Her mom sings and plays the piano, and her dad and little brother play the saxophone, if I'm not mistaken," Amy said.

"Really? I had no idea," I said, totally shocked.

"Well, I guess it makes sense. Meatball Head DOES have a pretty good set of lungs on her," Raye joked, and we laughed.

"This is going to be intriguing. I cannot wait until tonight now," I chuckled.

"We still haven't figured out how we're going to get those two alone," Lita said.

"We'll think of something. First, let's hold our breaths and see what tonight brings. If we're lucky, we might not even have to go that far," I winked.

My lunch hour was half way over, and I still hadn't eaten anything, so I treated the girls to a pizza, my personal thanks for having them meet with me. Before I had to get back to work, we said our goodbyes.

"See you tonight, Andrew. We were planning on going there earlier than six-thirty to find seats. We'll save a couple for you and Darien, okay?" Lita offered.

"Sounds good. See you there, then." As the girls left and I resumed my duties, a sudden smile broke out on my face. 'Soul mates,' I thought. 'Well, I guess maybe that explains Darien's so-called strange feelings. Just you wait, Darien. You'll find happiness a lot sooner than you think.'

~ DARIEN ~

 I went to the library to work on my report but it was all in vain. I couldn't concentrate to save my life. I was too nervous about going to this play. What would Serena think once she saw me there? All I knew, was that I had to keep my brain in check at ALL times, and to be careful and not slip into that strange void of emotions again. The whole situation left me totally perplexed. Why did I feel this way? How could I have permitted something like this take over my thoughts so fully and so completely? I didn't understand any of it, and wasn't really sure I wanted to. For the rest of the day, I tried not to dwell on it. I practiced my music and went for a jog, and I was completely exhausted by the time I was done. I showered and ate, and I noticed it was nearing five o'clock.

'Still got two hours until the play. Guess I could take an hour nap...'

I dozed off, hoping to forget about Serena for a while with little success. I only ended up dreaming of her again. I was in my tuxedo, and Serena and I were dancing in a crowded ballroom. She was absolutely gorgeous, wearing a flowing, slender white gown, her eyes sparkling as they looked up at me. Her cheeks were a rosy hue, her hair shining like platinum. She danced like a dream, so beautifully and gracefully it was almost like all traces of klutziness had vanished. Our surroundings began to change, and we were now dancing beneath the stars of the glorious evening. Under the light of the full moon, we stopped dancing, and just like the last dream, we kissed, only this time, the kiss was longer, more passionate. That was where the dream ended, and I woke up with a jolt.

'Why did that dream seem so familiar?' I thought. It felt almost as if something like that had happened between us before... "This is getting WAY out of hand," I sighed to myself. I turned and looked over at my clock.

"6:45! OH, MAN I'M LATE!!!"

I hurriedly sprang out of bed. I had fifteen minutes to dress, comb my hair and get to the theater before the play started! Oversleeping AND running late? Good grief, were Serena's habits starting to rub off on me, too?

~ ANDREW ~

 "It's ten minutes till six! Where IS he?!" Lita cried impatiently.

"Relax, I'm sure he'll be here," Raye said.

"He'd BETTER show up after all the trouble I went through to convince him to come," I stated.

People were beginning to flood in, and still there was no sign of Darien. Where could he be? Finally, right at seven o'clock, he came bursting in.

"There he is," Amy said.

Quickly, he came to our row, really close to the stage, and sat next to me.

"Well, it's about time!" I said.

"Sorry, dude. I kinda overslept," he replied, out of breath.

Well, at least he made it. It seemed that the presentation was being held up, and didn't QUITE start on time, luckily for Darien. We chatted amongst ourselves for a few moments before the lights in the theater suddenly went dim...

~ SERENA ~

 I was getting nervous. I could hear the chatter of all the people sitting out there, knowing it was a huge crowd. I'd rehearsed for what felt aeons for this play, and I was afraid I was going to do something stupid and trip. The funny thing was, I never once had anything like that happen when I was at rehearsal. I got into my character so much, that it was almost like I had become her, even if it was just for a little while. I didn't want to peer out at the audience for fear of getting even more nervous, but I decided to anyway. I searched for my friends through the sea of faces, and found them sitting in a row close to the stage. They were all here...Amy, Raye, Lita, Andrew, Darien... DARIEN!?! What was HE doing here? I stared out at him, and he sat next to Andrew and they were talking, waiting for the play to start.

'Why did he come here? I'm sure he didn't take time out of his precious college-life schedule just to come and watch ME...'

Then, it hit me. He WAS here to watch me. He was probably here because he wanted to see me klutz out, in front of my friends and my family, and in front of the whole audience. He wanted to have something else he could tease me about, something else to remind me that I was clumsy and useless. That thought hurt so much, I felt like I was going to break down right there. I felt tears stinging my eyes, but I fought them back with anger, replaced by a boldness inside me.

'Not this time, Darien Chiba,' I thought. 'I am not going to let you torment me like this anymore. I AM better than you think I am, and I'll prove it to you.'

"Everyone, we're about to start!" one of my other cast members said suddenly.

I saw the lights go down, and I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. This was my one chance to prove to Darien...and everyone else, for that matter...that I wasn't always a klutzy crybaby.

'I'll show you, Darien. This will be a night you will NEVER forget!'

Sincerely,

Lady S

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