Author: Eclipse | E-Mail: sailor-eclipse@yahoo.com | Title: Slippery Deals | Part: 2 | Rating: PG 13 | ----------------------------------- Serena was a little late picking Darien up the next morning. But could she really help it that Luna had knocked her alarm clock off of her nightstand sometime during the night? She sighed. That cat was definately going to get her into trouble some day. Her tires screeched as she came to a hurried stop in front of Darien's apartment building. He stood from the steps and hurriedly walked around her car. He opened the door and slid into the passenger seat as she began to pull away. He hadn't even closed the door when she stopped at the stop sign down the block. "Sorry I'm so late... I had problems with my alarm clock," she explained. He shrugged. "It doesn't matter, as long as you explain it to Ms. Kino," he answered. She smiled. "Okay then," she replied. She sped through the streets of New York in a vain attempt to make it to the studio within the hour that they were supposed to have been there. She pulled in front of the studio and, quickly, into her parking space. They both jumped out of the car and raced into the building. The director and Ms. Kino both stood just inside the door, tapping a foot and glaring at their watch. Serena and Darien looked at the floor sheepishly and ran off to begin their jobs. @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- Serena and Darien walked out to her car together, both covered in food. At the end of filming, Serena playfully tossed some M&Ms at Darien who, in turn, tossed them back at her. It escalated into a full scale war of food involving everyone except Ms. Kino and the director. After about five minutes of total chaos, the director started shouting and everyone stopped. "Aw, come on Andrew," Serena whined, "You're no fun." She recieved the look of death and she immediately dropped the act. Ms. Kino instructed Darien to clean up the mess and Serena decided to help him. They both walked out happily discussing the fight when Serena stopped mid sentence. Darien followed her gaze to find a white envelope under a windshield wiper. Serena approached it cautiously as if it might jump up and bite her hand. She plucked it off of her car and brought it up to her eyes. Her face showed confusion as she read the front of the envelope. "I think it's for you," she said and handed the envelope to him. He made a face but quickly smiled as he recognized the handwriting. "It's from Raye," he answered, "I wonder how she knew that you take me home..." "Who's Raye?" Serena asked quickly. Darien shoved the unread letter into his pocket. "She's my girlfriend," he answered simply. Serena was stunned, but refused to let it show as she opened and unlocked the car. "Oh, really?" she said, "What's she like?" Darien slid into the car and looked up at Serena, who still stood outside the car waiting for an answer. "She's... well... she's beautiful. She is smart and she loves to have fun. She attends NYU and she studies ancient history," he explained, "She has long, black hair and dark eyes." Serena sighed, trying to get an image of the girl in her mind but failing to do so. She shook her head and sat behind the steering wheel. He looked over at her as she started driving. She was absolutely beautiful. Her eyes were the color of the most perfect sapphire. And her smile... He stopped the images from coming into his mind before they began. He stopped his body before it began to react with the images in his mind. "Would you like to share the reason you thought the letter was going to attack you?" he ventured. Serena's eyes shifted quickly from the road to Darien and then back to the road. A slight blush flushed her cheeks. "Oh... uh... well..." she stuttered. She scolded herself for stuttering. She had been trained in the best of schools in France and now when she was put under pressure by this stunning piece of man, she couldn't handle it. No other man had that effect on her. "Actually, it was because of a previous relationship. My parents paid a high price to keep it out of the news that they had let such a beast near me. He was controlling and abusive..." her voice trailed off as memories flashed into her mind. She took a deep breath and shook them off. "I thought he had found me," she confessed finally. He marvelled at how she was exactly like ever other human being he had come across, except she had never needed to endure any hardships other than that rat of a boyfriend she described. She slowed to a stop in front of Darien's apartment building. "Do you want me to wait, or to come back later?" she asked. He glanced down at his food covered clothing and smiled. "I think you should come back," he pointed to her blouse and dress which were also covered in food items, "We both need showers before we start smelling like rotten food." She laughed lightly at his remark. "Okay then," she glanced at the time displayed on her stereo. It read 6:30. "How does eight sound?" she finished. He nodded and opened the car door. He flashed a genuine smile as she sped off. He climbed the many flights of steps to his apartment and was barely out of breath by the time he had reached the top floor. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. His roommates were lounging around, reading various materials. One was reading the want ads in the newspaper. "So, Darien, does Raye know you're going out with the golden girl of Hollywood?" one of his roommates smirked. "Can it Jake. She's more of a boss than a girlfriend. She could have me fired with a wave of her hand," Daruen replied coldly. "Hey Darien, Raye left a message for you to call her back," one of the others called from the kitchen. "Thanks Kael!" Darien called back. He went into a room with two beds and a cot. He opened the top drawer of the dresser and pulled out another pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He changed quickly and tossed his other t-shirt and pants into a laundry basket near the door. He shared that room with two other of his roomates while the remaining slept in the livingroom. He jogged out of the room and out of the apartment. He hadn't spoken to Raye for weeks. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he heard her name. He took the steps two at a time on the way down, careful not to miss. Darien charged out of the building and down to the corner, which held the nearest pay phone. He started pumping change into the phone and hastily dialed her phone number. It rang four times before anyone answered. "Hello?" and unknown voice answered on the other end. "Hi. I'm looking for Raye Hino. Is she around?" he said, trying not to sound out of breath. "Um, yeah. Hold on a minute," the voice answered. He could hear Raye's name being called in the background and a few male voices laughing. "Hello?" finally a familiar voice from the other end. He sighed with relief. "Raye! Oh, it's so good to hear you again!" he exclaimed. She tried to smother a gasp which she let escape. "Oh! Darien... it's nice to hear you too..." her voice trailed off. His heart dropped. He had never heard her speak like that. Something was wrong. "I wanted to talk to you about us," she dropped the bombshell on him. He winced, he knew she could hear it in his voice, but she couldn't see it. "What about us? I thought 'we' were fine," he tried. "Darien, I don't think this long distance thing is going to work." He could practically feel his insides being shredded. He suddenly felt ill. "Why...what...I don't...." he stuttered, trying to force something to come out of his mouth. The voice from the other end of the line suddenly became angry. "Like you don't know, Darien! I read the paper and watch the news! Don't you think I'd find out that you were cheating on me with little miss perfect?!" he was shocked and speechless. "What are you talking about Raye?" he mumbled. He could hear paper moving in the background. "Front page of the New York Daily Paper, 'Princess Tsukino wrapped up in a new relationship'. That was the large headline staring me in the face this morning. You wanna hear the sub-headline?" she said, not really wanting an answer. "Not really," he mumbled. She ignored him. "Serena goes from an abusive fiancé to an unsuspecting caterer and you know what the icing on the cake was? The nice LARGE, COLOR image next to the article! It's proof Darien! Proof that you're no more faithful to me than a dog to a tree! You'll get your ring in the mail!" She hung up without waiting for a reaction. He sighed and meandered up to the apartment, not really wanting to hear it from his roommates, but having to get ready for dinner tonight. If he had Serena's phone number, he would have called the whole thing off. He didn't know what Raye saw in the newspaper, or why she thought he would do such a thing to her, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He winced as he opened the door to see some actual worry on his roommates' faces. "You okay?" Kael asked. He had a girlfriend who broke up with him for, seemingly, no reason. Kael had later found out that the girl had cheated on him with his best friend and didn't have the heart to tell him. "I'm terrific," he snapped, "I'm better than ever!" He walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Darien then took the longest cold shower of his life. @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- Serena walked happily into her apartment and tossed her keys on the table in her hallway. She skipped into the kitchen to see what was being made by her cook. She took a deep breath as she stepped into her spacious kitchen. "What smells so great?!" Serena smiled. The young woman standing in front of the stove laughed. "Well, it's called Chicken Cordon Bleu. I thought you might like it," she explained. Serena giggled and nodded. "If it tastes half as good as it smells, I'll love it!" she replied. Serena turned and walked back into the dining room area of her large apartment. She stared at the elegant oak table and sighed. She wanted this to be memorable so she might have a chance with Darien. Then she remembered the look in his eyes when he explained his girlfriend. Her shoulders fell. Serena sighed and started to pull her lace table cloth out of the bottom of the china cabinet. She flipped the cloth onto the table and adjusted it. Mrs. Winston, her cook, would set the table when the meal was ready. Serena surveyed the rest of her apartment. The maid had gone through and cleaned up her mess. She thanked the goddess that hired help was available. If it hadn't been, Serena would be spending this entire time rushing to clean her apartment and shower in the short amount of time left. Then she remembered that she needed to shower. She grabbed some clothes out of her bedroom and then took a long, hot shower. On her way out of the bathroom, she deposited her food covered clothing in a wash basket. She sighed and began brushing her long blonde hair. She decided a simple pony tail would suffice for this dinner. Normally she kept it in a neat bun on the top of her head, but this wasn't a normal occasion. She chose a nice little sundress for the dinner. She changed quickly and checked her appearance in the mirror. She gave a smile of approval then set out to drive across the city to pick up Darien. Serena hummed the entire way there along with the music being blared by her stereo system. She pulled out front of his building and glanced down at the clock. For, probably, the first time in her life, she was a little early. She sat patiently in the car singing along to the music until she realized that he was fifteen minutes late. She turned off the ignition and got out of her car. She stood looking up at the building for a moment then decided to try and figure out what floor he was on. Then she recognized one of Darien's friends who had been sitting outside when she had first dropped him off. "Excuse me?" she started quietly, "Could you tell me where I can find Darien Chiba?" He looked at her as if she had ten heads. "Oh, you must be Miss Tsukino. It's a pleasure to meet you," he mocked. Serena fought the urge to slug him in the face. "Yes, that would be me. Could you please tell me where I can find him?" she repeated, a hint of impatience in her voice. "Top floor, last door on the right. Apartment 609," he answered finally. She smiled. "Thank you," she mumbled and began the long haul up the six flights of steps. She arrived at the top, huffing and puffing. It was the most strenuous workout she had recieved since she took those dance classes in that damned finishing school. She paused a moment to regain her breath and then continued down the hallway. She looked at the number on the door. 609. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She waited for a moment then the door was opened. He was tall and had light colored hair. His eyes were dark brown and he smiled when he saw her. "Oh. You must be Serena. Please do come in. Darien... is... having a personal problem but he should be ready in a short while," he explained, "My name is Kael. If you need anything, feel free to ask." Serena nodded and stepped into the small apartment. "Thank you," she said meakly. She looked around and realized that her large apartment would be a shock for Darien. She felt bad for him. Darien's roommates had cleared a space for her on the sofa. She heard soft crying from a closed off room. She recognized one of the voices as Kael's and then the other, the one that sounded so sad and wounded, as Darien's. Her heart dropped and she wished she could take all the pain from his world. She stood from the sofa, her face showing the pain he was feeling. She gently knocked on the door seperating her from Darien. She opened it without waiting until it was answered. She saw Darien sitting on a bed, pictures of a raven haired woman were spread in a semi circle around him. He held one of himself and the girl close to him. "Why Kael? Why would she do this? Why would she think this?" Darien mumbled. Kael looked over at Serena when she entered. "Darien?" Serena started, "Are you sure you want to have dinner with me tonight?" Darien looked up at her, some tears still sitting on his cheeks. He shook his head to let her know he wasn't up to it. Serena carefully walked toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder when she was close enough. She leaned down until her face was close to his. "I'll leave my phone number. Relax this weekend. If you need to talk, please don't hesitate to call me. This number will send the call to my cell phone if I'm not home," she whispered. He nodded. "Thanks Serena. It means a lot," he whispered in return. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Darien didn't even seem to notice. Serena stood and Kael walked her out to her car. Serena quickly jotted down her number on the back of her card and handed it to Kael. "If he needs to, here's my number. I don't think he will, but just in case he won't need a ride to the studio on Monday," she explained as she unlocked her car. Kael held the door open for her as she slid into the leather seat. She smiled up at him, who graciously returned the smile. "Please take care of him, he's a really good guy," she said and pulled her door shut. Kael waved as she sped off toward her apartment. @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- Darien looked up as Kael walked back into the room and began to collect his pictures. "What's wrong with me Kael?" Darien asked. Kael paused as if he didn't understand the question. "What do you mean?" he replied. "I mean, I think I'm falling for Serena... but I really care for Raye," he explained, "I'm so confused. It doesn't make any sense. That kiss she gave me, it was filled with fire... But all I can think of is Raye." Kael nodded. "Don't do anything until you sort out what you feel toward whom," he offered. Darien nodded and put all of his pictures into a cardboard shoebox. He then went to bed. @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- ---<---<--@ @-->--->--- Mrs. Winston had left by the time Serena had arrived back at her apartment. Serena tossed her keys against the wall and slammed the door shut behind her. She leaned against the door and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She buried her face in her arms, tears sliding down her face. "What have I done?" she cried to herself until she fell asleep against the door. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- =^_^= =^_^= =^_^= =^_^= =^_^= =^_^= =^_^= =^_^= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- @-->--->--- @-->--->--- @-->--->--- @-->--->--- @-->--->--- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Part 2 -- To be continued... So what do you think so far? Please take a moment to e-mail me. I'd love some feedback. Please do read Ashely's, MarshAngel's and Miki's works. They are well worth the time! I promise to keep working on this fic until I get it finished. Arigato minna for reading! sailor-eclipse@yahoo.com