I want to start out by saying that this is my first fic.  I wrote it last year for an english project.  So, I hope you go easy on me with your criticisms and comments. I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters, so please don't sue me.  I don't have any money!  Now, on to the story . . . The Accountant's Daughter: A Cinderella Story by: Redroseb email: redroseb@hotmail.com Once upon a time,  there lived an accountant, his wife, and their daughter Serena.  They lived in a two-story home, with a one car garage, and a backyard.  The backyard had a garden of roses which outlined the borders of it.  The roses were of many colors, red, pink, white, and peach, to name a few.  Whenever the sun rose, its rays fell upon the flowers, emitting a cheery glow that made you think you were in heaven.  The family was known for having this beautiful rose garden. The neighbors frequently visited their home to admire it.  The accountant's wife and daughter welcomed them with open arms each day. One day the sun rose as usual, but this time no glow could be seen.  The day seemed to become more and more gloomy.  Suddenly, the sun was engulfed by many, dark gray and black clouds.  There wasn't a stir anywhere in the house or the entire neighborhood.  The only sound heard was that of the wind howling and the rain falling like cats and dogs.  Everyone gathered in the home of the accountant, but none had the courage to say anything.  They had very sympathetic and sad faces. From this one could conclude that something bad had happened. What happened was worse than bad, if there is such a thing this would be it.  Serena's mother and father were victims of a hit and run. Being that she was an only child, she had no one to take care of her. Once again the silence was interrupted.  Not by the wind, nor the rain, but by constant loud bangs at the door.  Someone got up to open the large, white door with three red diamonds which appeared vertically in the center of the door.  The door opened to a woman with two little girls, who were probably not much older than Serena. The woman was clothed in a very posh outfit, consisting of a designer dress, hat, and dark glasses.  The woman had black hair, with silver streaks shining when the light shone on it.  She also had dark eyes with a very mean stare.  The girls were dressed similarly to the woman. Upon further investigation, we find out that she is Helena, Serena's aunt.  Helena is the accountant's older sister, and the two girls, Ann and Beryl, were his nieces.  Serena remembered her mother's warnings about Helena, but at this point she had no one else to care for her. Also, Helena claimed that according to her younger brother's will, Serena and the entire estate was under her care.  Being very trusting people, no one questioned her, but felt sorry for Serena, for all had a bad feeling about this mysterious woman. As Serena grew up, her cousins became more and more jealous of her.  Serena inherited her mother's beauty.  Both had hair that reached their ankles and was the color blonde.  Not just any blonde, but the kind of blonde that shimmers like gold in the sun.  She had the bluest eyes. To mask her beauty, Ann and Beryl dressed her in rags.  But, not even rags could hide the beauty that lied within her.  To further put her down, Sernea's aunt and cousins made her work constantly at home and at work at all hours of the day and night.  Along with cooking, doing the laundry, and cleaning the house, Serena had to do the bookkeeping and work with clients at her father's company.  She also wanted to preserve her mother's prized rose garden, although Helena wouldn't let anyone come over to admire it anymore.  Serena never had a real break or vacation or any sort of help. One day while Helena was reading Forbes magazine, she saw an article about an executive of a multi-million dollar corporation named Darien.  The article stated that the parents of this man were seeking a wife for him.  In order to find her, they were holding a costume ball at their home in the Hamptons.  Everyone eligible to marry were invited.  Helena was ecstatic when she realized that one of her daughters could be Darien's wife.  She began making preparations for her daughters to attend this ball.  She glanced at the clock which read half past six, and began to wonder where Serena was, because she needed Serena to help prepare her daughters. Meanwhile, Serena just got off the train from a long day of work.  She realized that her aunt and cousins would give her tons of work to do the moment she set foot in the house.  So, she decided to rest in a nearby park before going home.  Serena looked for a bench to sit at and noticed one available next to a man wearing a black shirt under a olive colored sports jacket (AN: if that's not Darien, I don't know who it could be).  He looked very handsome, having dark hair and dark eyes.  He was sitting all alone with his head stuck in the stock section of a newspaper.  She approached him with caution, not wanting to disturb him.  She asked him if she could sit down.  He didn't even look up when he said, "sure," without any passion.  Serena sat down and began admiring her surroundings.  She noticed the children playing on the swings or in the sandbox, and the birds chirping in the tall, green trees.  Finished with reading the paper, the man looked up at the woman sitting next to him, and was immediately taken by her beauty. He was mesmerized by her golden hair and blue eyes.  At that moment, he realized that she was his match, his destiny.  He noticed that she carried a folder with the name of an accounting firm his corporation were going to merge with.  Figuring she worked there, he tried to strike a conversation about the company.  He found out that she did indeed work there, but was upset about the merger.  When he asked why, she said that she didn't want to talk about it.  So, she changed the subject(AN: she didn't want to talk about it because the merger meant that her father's company name would be changed, and she didn't want that, would you). They talked for hours about anything and everything.  They didn't even notice that the park was becoming empty as people were leaving, and that the sun had already set.  During these conversations, Serena also falling for him, just as he did for her.  Then, a man approached them and called out, "Darien!  Darien!"  And both realized what time it was.  Serena knew she had to hurry home and think of an excuse.  She began to leave, but when he grabbed her wrist and asked her to come to a party being held at his home, she said that she would try. When she got home, her aunt and cousins were waiting with impatient and angry looks on their faces.  Somehow, they had seen her with Darien, and told her that she could go if she helped Ann and Beryl get ready for the ball, and do her daily household chores.  Serena did as she was told.  She ironed her cousins' clothes, and helped them with their hair and makeup.  Finally, everyone but Serena was ready.  When she began to get herself ready, she heard the car start and the doors close.  Serena ran out of house, only to see that her aunt and cousins left without her.  So upset that she would not be able to see her love, she ran into the rose garden and began to cry her eyes out. All of a sudden, a voice said, "Crying won't get you to the party."  Serena was caught off guard, and began looking for where the voice came from.  She looked everywhere, but couldn't find anyone.  T hen, the voice said, "I'm over here, behind this peach rose."  Serena couldn't believe her eyes when she saws that the voice was coming from an enchanted blue rose.  She had never in her life seen such a color rose, nor had she ever seen one which could speak.  The rose told her that it would grant her one wish.  Serena asked to go to the costume party as a princess.  So, the blue rose began to glow and directed other roses to surround Serena.  They encircled her, and when the transformation was over, Serena looked more gorgeous than ever. She wore a long off-white gown with gold work on it.  The rose also gave her a bracelet made of diamonds, rubies, and pearls.  It was quite unique.  The rose also provided her with a car and driver, but warned Serena that she had to come home before three.  If she didn't, the gown would change back into her normal everyday clothes.  Serena said that she would be back by then. At the party, Darien was being surrounded by many women, including Ann and Beryl.  Darien wasn't interested in any of them, he was looking for the girl from the park bench.  When he had gotten home that night, he told his parents all about her, and was upset at himself for not asking her what her name was.  So he just kept looking for her golden hair and spellbinding blue eyes.  The clock had already struck midnight, and there was still no sign of her.  Then, all of a sudden everyone stopped their conversations, the women surrounding Darien all stopped and looked at what was going on.  Serena entered the room and made everyone's head turn.  Darien approached her and asked her for a dance.  They danced for  hours.  Darien held her in his arms and didn't want to let go.  The young couple looked very cute together, everyone, including Darien's parents, knew that he had found his one true love. The couple's happiness was interrupted by the sound of the clock striking three.  Serena realized she had to leave immediately. She began to run to the door as Darien followed her.  She dropped her bracelet, but didn't have time to retrieve it because Darien was right behind her, and her gown was already changing back into rags.  Darien tried to call her to come back, but it was too late, she was gone. Distressed by what had happened, he began making his way back to the house, only to find the sparkling bracelet.  Then, he realized that she probably didn't live too far from the park, because she didn't seem to have any sort of transportation.  So, he decided to go house to house, until he found her. Darien had gone from house to house, searching for the owner of the bracelet.  It would not fit anyone's wrist.  The womens' wrists were either too big or too small.  But, he kept on looking for her. He reached Serena's house, and began trying the bracelet on Ann and Alexis.  It didn't fit them.  He asked if there was anyone else in the house.  Helena and her daughters said, "No."  Just then, Serena walked into the house from work.  Darien saw her and realized it was his love. He walked to her and placed the bracelet on her wrist, and of course, it fit.  Her aunt and cousins were all shocked.  Darien and Serena looked at each other and kissed.  They later married and lived happily ever after. I love getting mail, so tell me what you think (oh, and if it's not a problem, could you please title the email to something to the effect of your fanfic, or something like that, you see I am part of this list and get a lot of mail, so i delete a lot of stuff, and I don't want to delete your comments, thanks :)  Anyway, i should have my next story out soon, probably next week.  It will be much longer.  Till then, bye!