Title: A Dance to Remember – Part 4
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com
Hey minna-chan!! For all those who e-mailed me, thanx SO much!! This chapter is for you since you all BEGGED me to have it finished this weekend!! I hope you enjoy! PLEASE keep writing to me!! Luv ya!

I HAVE to thank my great friends Athena and Edeet for their awesome comments, support, and everlasting friendship!!

Also, Shan-chan, Patti-chan, and Rebe-chan who gave me totally great ideas for this fic when I was feeling so uninspired. And Space 13aby who has to write THE nicest e-mails and is a GREAT friend!! Alright, enough AN’s. I hope ya like it!! Tell me whatcha think!!!


A Dance to Remember – Part 4: Apologies

Darien was standing only 10 feet in front of her, with Jessica. She watched as Jessica placed a hand on his chest and he… smiled?! Serena felt her mouth run dry and tears of bitter jealousy flood her eyes. And then Jessica reached up and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him passionately.
An unstoppable wail escaped her lips before she turned on her heels and fled from the gym, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
Darien pried Jessica away from him, easily pushing her off of him. It took her a minute to gather her senses, but then she smiled up at him. "Oh, Darien…"
"Stay away from me. You are nothing but an air-headed slut, Jessica. Now get this through your head. I came here with Serena and she means everything to me. YOU mean nothing to me. Don’t even try to pull another stunt like that!" He pushed through the gathering crowd, leaving a stunned girl behind him.
Finally, Jessica screamed after him, "Fine! Go get your little girlfriend! What would I want with you, anyway?! I can have ANY guy I want!"
She turned around to see every teen in the room snickering or shaking their heads. Clenching her fist, she quickly headed to the bathroom.

‘I heard her cry… oh Serena, I’m so sorry… How am I ever going to explain this to you?’ Darien had followed the direction of her cry to the nearest exit, and was now circling the courtyards. ‘Why do they put so many paths in these schools, anyway?’

"Darien… why?" she whispered to the silent air. She lay curled up on a stone bench, tears streaming down her face. Her head was buried in her arm, her shoulders shaking and body trembling with every breath. "I thought… I thought you… Darien…"
She heard footsteps from the path and wiped her eyes, attempting to force her body to melt into the stone. She hears the person stop not far away from her. ‘He followed me…’
"Go away, Darien, I don’t want to talk to you."
He approached her and kneeled in front of her, reaching out a hand to brush away some bangs. "Maybe you’d like to talk to me instead?"
Serena gasped and opened her eyes. They locked with pale blue eyes, slightly covered with tussled brown hair. "Josh…I…"
He placed two fingers to her lips. "Shh… it’s okay Serena. You don’t have to say anything…" He slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and lifted her to a sitting position. She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist almost as if they were a shield. Josh gently brushed away a stray tear from her face, his fingers lingering on her smooth skin.
Her eyes searched his, not knowing what to say or do. "Josh…" she whimpered.
"Shh… I know Serena. I saw everything."
She nodded slightly. After nibbling her lip for a moment, she finally gave in. With a loud sob, she threw herself into his arms, crying heavily into his black tuxedo. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her shaking body close to him.
"It’s okay Serena… It’s okay…" he whispered softly into her ear.
His cologne was nice. ‘Sweet…’ she thought. ‘But not as intoxicating as Darien’s. Or as natural. He holds me nice though. It feels good in his arms. But still… I don’t fit him like I do Darien. And he isn’t as warm or comforting or… he’s not Darien. He’s not Darien… Oh, Darien, I want you…’
He cradled her softly, rocking back and forth as you would a child until her crying had slowly subsided. Bending his neck, he carefully kissed a tear away, before nuzzling his head in her golden hair.
"It’s okay Serena. He doesn’t deserve you. He doesn’t deserve to even lay eyes on you. You don’t need him Serena. Forget about him… I promise I will never hurt you like that Serena…" he trailed off, continually whispering in her ear or kissing her forehead lightly.
"But you already did…" she whispered, her mind in a dreamy state. Not until after she had caught the words did she realize what she had said. ‘He did hurt me like that. He did…’
Josh bit his lip. ‘Oops, bad choice of words…’
He carefully backed away so that he could look into her eyes. ‘So beautiful…’ he thought somewhere in the back of his mind.
"Serena… I know that I hurt you earlier today, what with me saying I was taking Jessica instead… but… I… Serena, I wanted to go with you. I would have done just about anything to take that back. I never cared about Jessica… only you…"
"But… then… why did you take her instead?"
Josh sighed, looking away from her curious gaze. "Well… I know it’s not much of an excuse but… well… somebody dared me to go out with her. They said that I wouldn’t be able to last an evening with her… and I didn’t, I guess. But… the pay was 25 bucks. Actually, I was going to earn the money and then take you to a movie with it… I’m sorry, I guess I blew that one, huh?" He looked up at her. She was a little stunned, and a little angry, but eventually the anger melted away.
"Oh…"
"Serena… can you forgive me? For… being such an idiot?"
She looked into his pleading blue eyes and sighed. A small smile came across her lips. "Of course I forgive you, Josh."
He smiled. "Thank you." Slowly, he edged closer to her once again, closing the gap between their lips.
Serena gasped as she saw what was going on and panic raced through her. ‘What do I do? What do I…?’
She felt his lips on her, very soft and subtle. Nervously, she closed her eyes. ‘Wait… this doesn’t feel right… I mean, it doesn’t hurt or anything… but it doesn’t feel like Darien’s kiss at all. No electricity, no weakness… I’m not trembling…’
He pulled away, smiling down on her. ‘Pure heaven…’ he thought.
She opened her eyes to look up at him. They held no emotion. No anger. No embarrassment. No nervousness. No… love.
With a last peck on her lips, Josh slowly stood and pulled her back onto the bench, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
‘What do I do now? Oh Josh, why can’t you be more like Darien?’ With that thought, she fell against his chest, her eyes staring out across the dark track and field.
They each heard footsteps coming toward them from the direction of the dance. Serena looked up to see a tall form in a black tux standing before them. His blue eyes darted from Serena to Josh, not missing his arm casually draped across her shoulders. Serena sat up immediately.
"Darien…"
Darien took a deep breath and walked toward her, deciding to completely ignore Josh for the time being. However, he couldn’t miss how Josh’s arm tightened around her as he approached. At that moment, he would have given just about anything to pound him into the ground. When he stood in front of Serena, he kneeled down before her. With shaky hands, he took hers away from her body and held them carefully in his palms. Josh glared at the action and gritted his teeth, but said nothing.
‘Let Serena blow him off first. Then I’ll pour salt on the wound.’ He had to force himself not to smile at the thought.
Darien gulped and opened his mouth, but no words came. ‘What am I supposed to say to her? Goodness knows what that must have looked like back there…’
"Serena… I…"
She looked deeply into his eyes, seeing the pain and worry and apologizing behind them, and felt her heart melt. She mentally forced herself not to throw herself into his arms, no matter how much she wanted to. As she stared at him, a million different ideas seeped into her mind. What it would feel like to be in his arms… or feel his lips… or dance with him… She strained not to give in to temptation.
"I don’t know what to say," he finally admitted. She inhaled sharply.
‘Neither do I…’ she thought.
"I… I’m sorry Serena. I never… I mean… she doesn’t mean anything to me. I didn’t want to kiss her. I didn’t even want to be within 30 feet of her. But… I thought I could make her jealous and then… the next thing I knew… she was ki…kissing me. I never…"
She gulped as he trailed off. ‘I believe you Darien. I believe you…’ She wondered why she couldn’t say it out loud. Why she couldn’t fling herself into his inviting embrace. Wetting her lips, she tried to say something, anything… but couldn’t.
Josh glared at the man before them. Serena wasn’t saying anything. ‘I wonder why… is she hurt so bad she can’t even gather the strength to tell him so? Dear Serena… I’ll help you. I’ll make sure this jerk never hurts you again.’
"Like she believes that," he said coldly. Darien allowed his eyes to drift away from Serena and focus on the boy sitting net to her. "Look," he continued, "Serena doesn’t need you. She doesn’t want you."
Darien looked back at Serena, who had never stopped looking at him. ‘That’s not true!’ she thought, but the words caught in her throat.
‘That can’t be true!’ Darien tried to tell himself. But she wasn’t denying it. With a deep sigh, he raised a trembling hand to her cheek, running a finger down a trail of earlier tears.
"But I need Serena. I want Serena. I want you… I always wanted you…" he whispered.
She could feel tears of happiness flow into her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Josh cut her off.
"Tough. She’s with me now. And we don’t want to see you near us again." Standing, he pulled Serena to her feet with him, his arm still wrapped tightly around her. She gasped and felt Darien drop her hands. She let them fall limply to her side. She looked down at Darien who was still kneeling in front of her. He stood up slowly, his eyes searching hers, looking for any signs of denial for what Josh had stated quite clearly for her. "Let’s go inside, Serena," Josh said, leading her, stunned, back to the dance. She followed Darien with her eyes until he was out of sight, before turning attention down to the paved trail they walked on.

"Don’t go…" he whispered, though he knew she couldn’t hear him. "I love you…" With that thought, he collapsed to the bench, and with a groan, buried his head in his palms.

"Don’t go…" Serena stopped in her tracks.
‘I thought I heard…’
"Serena? What is it?" Josh asked her, concerned.
"I love you…" She breathed deeply.
‘That was Darien… Oh Darien… do you really…?’ She turned around to face where the voice had come from, the direction they had just left, but the trail was deserted.
"Serena? Are you okay?"
‘I love you too…’ she thought, her pale blue eyes filling with tears.
"This isn’t right," she said seriously.
Josh scrunched his brow. "What isn’t right?"
She turned to him. Placing a hand on either arm, she looked deeply into his eyes. "Josh… you’re a great guy and all, and I do like you… but… I choose Darien."
"Huh?"
"I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll find someone else who can really appreciate you! But… I’m not that girl. You see… I love Darien."
"Huh?" he repeated.
Serena smiled up at him. Leaning forward, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for understanding!" And with that, she took off running toward where they had left Darien.

He wiped away a tear before it could fall from beneath his eyelid. Taking a breath of defeat, he looked up to see the sliver of a moon hanging in the distant sky.
‘What I wouldn’t give to be back at the park with her. Dancing with her… holding her… kissing her…’ He leaned forward with his elbows propped on his knees. Glancing around, he noticed something shimmer on the bench next to him. With curiosity, he picked it up, holding it to the light. He recognized the golden chain and pink heart charm Serena had worn on her neck. ‘It must have fallen off…’
He heard footsteps come jogging closer. Looking up from the necklace, he saw Serena standing about 10 feet in front of him, breathing heavily. She was looking at him with a question in her eyes. He didn’t know exactly what the question was… but the answer was obvious. With hope shining in his eyes and a small smile playing on his lips, he stood up and walked over to her until they were less than a foot apart. Taking the necklace in either hand, he reached behind her, easily hooking it at the nape of her neck. His fingers traced along the chain, toying with the heart piece for a moment. She trembled at his touch and he saw goose bumps on her neck and chest.
Without speaking a word, his right hand cupped over her neck and ear while his other rested softly on her bare shoulder. Leaning down, he kissed her lips tenderly but completely. Only once.
She kept her eyes closed and cuddled his hand slightly before opening them to look into his sapphire gaze. Her glossy eyes watched him hopefully. Finally, she whispered, "I choose you."
Darien smiled widely. He had already guessed… but the sweet words were the most wonderful he had ever heard. With a chuckle, he reached his hands around her waist, pulling her close to him, before lifting her into the air and twirling her around. She squealed and clutched her arms behind his neck. She could feel her dress twirl out away from her and her long hair soar around them. He stopped and let her feet touch the ground, his face only inches from hers. He kissed her cheeks softly, before burying his face in her golden bangs.
"I thought I’d lost you…" he whispered.
She smiled, pulling herself further into his embrace. "All the time I was with Josh, I was wishing it was you…"
Darien traced his thumb along her lower lip, smiling down at her peaceful smile as she cuddled in his shirt. "You don’t have to wish anymore…" he whispered, before bending his neck down and kissing her lightly on the lips. She smiled as he drew away, opening her eyes to look up at him. With surprisingly calm movements, she reached a hand behind his neck, letting it play in his ebony hair, before standing on her tiptoes and bringing their lips together again. Darien immediately followed her lead, wrapping both arms tightly around her and kissing her longingly, but carefully, pouring his desire and love into her through a thousand kisses.

Mina gulped down the rest of her punch, never taking her eyes away from the entrance. ‘They left 10 minutes ago! How long can it take for Darien to say he’s sorry? Ooh, I hope she didn’t choose Josh. I know he ran after her too, but… if he causes any more friction between them I’m gonna jump down his throat! I don’t care how cute or popular he is!’
"Mina, you have been standing here since Serena ran out! Don’t you think we should go try to comfort her or something?" Lita asked from behind her.
"No, that’s Darien’s job!" she snapped.
Lita raised an eyebrow. Coming to stand next to her, she saw a great seriousness in her eyes. "Um… Mina, in case you forgot… half the times we have had to comfort Serena it was because of something Darien DID. Remember?"
Mina rolled her eyes. "Of course I remember. But that was before they were an item! I mean, didn’t you ever wonder why someone who was always so mean to her could affect her like that? You would think that she would have hated him and wouldn’t have cared less what he said to her, but that wasn’t the case. Why? Because she was always head over heels for him, and now he is the only one who can truly make this right! I just hope he doesn’t screw it up!"
Lita looked at her a bit stunned. "Wow… that actually make sense…"
"Of course it make sense! I’m the senshi of love, remember?"
Lita just smiled and shook her head a little. "No modesty here."
Ami came up behind them, stealing a cookie off the snack table. "Hello, any word on Serena?" she asked.
"Nope. Serena, Josh, and Darien are all still out there!" Lita answered.
"I wonder what’s going on right now…"
"Yeah…"
"Hey, Lita, have you tried these? They’re very tasty." Lita took a bite of one of the cookies. "I could have done better," she said with a mouthful of crumbs.
"I’m sure you could have."
"YAY!!" Mina screamed, practically jumping a foot off the ground.
Ami and Lita turned to her. "What?"
She pointed to the entrance. "It’s Josh!! He’s alone! And sad!"
"Mina, it’s not very nice to take joy off of other’s misfortunes," Ami disapproved.
Mina rolled her eyes. "Don’t you guys get it? That means that Darien and Serena are still out there… with EACH OTHER!"
Ami and Lita looked at each other, shrugging. Lita raised a tired arm in the air. "Woohoo…"
Mina rolled her eyes. "Where is your sense of romance?"
Lita’s eyes lit up. "Hey, can we go spy on them?" she asked enthusiastically.
"NO!" Mina yelled. "Now I’m going to go comfort Josh."
"What? Why?"
Mina looked at the sympathetically. "Guys, HE didn’t know they were soul mates, and he was very sprung over Serena. Even people who try to come between true love deserve a little attention if their intentions were good." She smiled at them and walked away.
Lita looked at Ami. "Soul mates?"
"True love?" Ami replied. They shrugged as Ami devoured another cookie.

Mina strolled up to Josh, who was leaning against a wall, glaring at all the happy couples before him.
"You okay?" she asked with real concern.
He directed one glance at her before turning his attention back to nothing. "No, not really," was his honest reply.
Mina bit her lip and walked a bit closer. "I guess that… Serena chose Darien then…"
"Go away," he snapped.
Mina furrowed her brow. Sighing, she put a calm hand on his shoulder, but jerked back as a warm electricity flowed into her. ‘Wow…’ she thought. ‘What was that feeling?’
Josh looked at her strangely. "Did you feel…?"
"It was nothing, just the static in the air…"
He nodded agreement before turning back to watch the dance. A silence fell over the two, and surprisingly, Josh was the one who broke it.
"I don’t see what he has that I don’t."
Mina looked at him curiously. "Oh?"
"Well, I mean, I’m handsome, I may not be as old as him, but I can still drive and I have a car and all that. I’m not a major jerk or anything… am I?"
Mina looked at him sympathetically. "Josh… you don’t understand Serena at all, do you? She couldn’t care less about looks or age or cars. And no, you’re not a jerk. Actually, for being so popular, you’re far from being a snob like others. Your original date for example." Mina’s voice grew a bit colder with that remark.
Josh rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. Why is Jessica so popular, anyway? I mean, she’s stuck up, self-centered, egotistical, and on top of everything, just plain ugly!"
Mina looked at him curiously. "Wait a minute… if you feel that way about her… why on Earth did you ask her to the dance?! Serena was heart broken!!"
Josh looked away ashamed. "Look, it wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done, okay? But… I had a bet going with another guy that if I could go the whole night with her… I’d get 25 bucks."
"You’re right… it wasn’t the smartest thing to do!" Josh looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Well, I’ve learned my lesson. Not only did I have to actually DANCE with her earlier," he cringed at the thought and Mina almost burst out laughing, "but I lost Serena… for good."
Mina looked sadly at his sorrowful face and felt something quite similar to jealousy wash over her. She shook her head at the thought. ‘Don’t be silly, Mina. You and the most popular 10th grader at Juuban? I don’t think so. Besides… you don’t even like him… do you?’
She reached a shaky hand out to his shoulder again and was relieved that no strange energy shot through her. "Josh… look… Serena… I mean… Darien and Serena… aren’t your everyday couple."
He looked at her strangely. "You’re not helping," he mumbled. She laughed slightly and Josh felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips.
"Just listen. When they met each other… they couldn’t STAND each other. I mean, they were everyday enemies, ya know?"
Josh raised an eyebrow and turned more fully towards her, his attention increasing.
"But then today after you called your date off, he was the first one to comfort her. And he showed that he really does care about her… not to mention she was always crazy about him. They were constantly attracted to each other, but neither would admit it. But if you would just look into their eyes when they’re talking about the other… or see just how happy Serena was when Darien held her… then you would understand that they DO belong together. In fact… they love each other. Darien loves Serena… and Josh… Serena loves Darien, too."
She looked at him critically, trying to see what his reaction would be. ‘I hope he’s not too hurt… He really is pretty nice, I guess…’
Josh looked down at the floor. ‘Serena said that she loved Darien… she told me so herself… but I didn’t believe it. Does she really LOVE that guy? Mina was always good about stuff like that. I’ve heard rumors that whenever she plays matchmaker… the couples never break up. Well… at least not for a very long time… But then that means that… Serena never felt that strongly towards me."
"Mina… do you mean that even before Serena and… Darien… would admit their… love… Serena loved him…?"
Mina nodded slightly.
"And so then… she never cared that much for me…?"
Mina sighed. "Josh… she did care about you. Serena is NOT the type to use someone for their popularity or anything… but she wasn’t in love with you, if that’s what you’re asking."
Josh looked down in defeat. "Oh…"
Mina carefully wrapped her arm around him further. "But Josh… honestly, were you ever in love with Serena?"
Josh opened his mouth immediately to claim his love… but froze. ‘Was I ever in love with her? I was attracted to her… but so is every guy in this school. Love though? Was I ever actually in love with Serena?"
"No… I… guess not…"
Mina smiled, mentally exhaling a deep sigh. She smiled over at him. He seemed to be analyzing the floor with peaked curiosity. "See, Josh? Someday you’ll find your true love too. And then… you can live happily ever after! But for now… honestly, you do have to leave Darien and Serena alone. They belong together now."
Josh looked up to see the honestly and care in her eyes. Finally, he smiled. She smiled back at him, eventually letting her arm drop from it’s comforting place on his shoulder.
Josh almost seemed saddened at the loss. He looked her up and down from the corner of his eye. ‘She is pretty… how old is she? A ninth grader… like Serena, right? Wow… she’s almost as beautiful as Serena… no, prettier even. How come I never noticed her before… Oh no, I can’t even remember her name now. Let me think… Lita? No, that’s the brunette… Um… Mi… Mi… Mina? Mina! That’s right… Mina…’
Mina felt eyes on her and lifted hers to see him staring at her with a small smile. She smiled back, but turned away when she found a blush cover her cheeks. Josh smiled.
"So… where’s YOUR date?" he asked, attempting to sound casual. ‘Geez, I was never this nervous talking to a girl… not even Serena.’
Mina looked up startled. "Oh…uh… I don’t have a date…"
Josh felt a smile creep into his eyes and across his lips. ‘You’ve gotta be kidding! An angel like you? Single?’
Mina bit her lip. ‘What is going on?! I come over here to get this guy over Serena so he won’t bother her and I find myself falling for him?! No! I am not falling for him!’
"Oh… so, then… ya wanna dance?" he asked uncertainly. ‘What am I doing? It’s obvious she not interested in you! Heck, she’s one of Serena’s friends! I’m sure she hated my guts after what I did to her…’
"Sure!" she chirped happily. ‘Did I just say…’
‘Did she just say…’
"Great then! Come on!" He carefully took her hand and began to lead her amongst the dancing couples, just as a slow song began.
‘Oh, what perfect timing!’ Mina thought sarcastically. However, somewhere deep inside her jumped for joy that they would be slow dancing.
Josh cleared his throat a bit nervously. He then bowed, attempting to lighten the mood. It worked. Mina laughed excitedly.
"May I have this dance, mi’ lady?"
She smiled and nodded her head vigorously. It was all she could do. ‘Why is my stomach turning like this?!’ Gingerly placing her hands around his neck, he let his hands rest on her waist.
‘This should be interesting…’ they both thought.

"And what about the time Andrew asked if we wanted to get ice cream and you made this sick face and asked if I had to come?" he poked her gently in the ribs, making her blush harder than she already was.
"Well… it’s not like I didn’t want you to come… I just thought I would spill chocolate on me or something and I didn’t want you to see it…" She pouted a little and Darien chuckled, kissing her cheek lightly.
They were sitting on the stone bench, Serena sideways on Darien’s lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her and her head rested on his chest. Neither could have thought of any other place they’d rather have been.
"Okay… well how about the first time we met, then? You were so mean to me!"
Darien groaned a bit at the memory. "Serena… I’m sorry about that… but, you can’t honestly expect me to be able to keep my head on straight when I’m around you! When we met on the street and you hit me with that paper… I was so stunned just by looking at you I couldn’t think. It was like… there was this absolutely gorgeous girl in front of me… and all I could do was stand there and gawk at her. Then the next thing I knew, I was teasing her… and she was walking away from me…"
"You hurt my feelings," she whined.
Darien kissed her cheek again. "I’m sorry…"
She immediately brightened up, surprising him incredibly. "I forgive you!" she exclaimed happily. Darien smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"Fine then, make me feel all guilty… but how about… when you hit me in the head with your shoe! That kinda hurt, ya know!"
Serena blushed again, much to Darien’s enjoyment.
"Oh that… well, it was an accident. I was just skipping down the street and then… WHACK! My shoe was gone and you… were just… in the way…"
Darien chuckled. "I wasn’t talking about actually getting hit with the shoe… but what you said…"
Serena looked up at him confused. "What did I say? I don’t even remember anymore."
"You told me that a wonderful guy was in love with you… and I basically figured out it wasn’t me."
Serena looked at him surprised. "I told you that!? Oh… heh heh… oops?"
Darien raised an eyebrow. "Well… are ya gonna tell me about Mr. Wonderful?"
Serena put on her most adorable, innocent face. "Oh Darien, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m with you…"
Darien smiled down at her and gently kissed her on the lips. "I still wanna know," he said after leaving her a little dazed.
She looked up at him, squaring her shoulders. "Oh fine. It was… Arew…" she mumbled.
Darien looked at her amused. "It was… who, love? I couldn’t quite catch that…"
Serena rolled her eyes. "Andrew! Okay? I had a crush on Andrew!" She pouted her lower lip adorably and Darien felt he had to laugh. She looked up at him. "What’s so funny?!"
He stopped chuckling and looked down at her. "Well, duh!" he answered. She stared confused. He cocked his head to the side. "Serena… I have known you had a crush on Andrew for months!"
Her eyes went wide. "You did?!"
He nodded. "Yeah… that’s why I was a little jealous of him I guess… And when you hit me on the head with the shoe, of course the first person I thought of was him, and so it didn’t matter ‘cause he was with Rita and all… but it still hurt so much when you said that you loved him. What I wouldn’t have given to be in his shoes at that moment," he whispered. Serena felt the anger melt off.
"Like I said, Darien, I’m with you."
He smiled down at her. "I like it this way better." She nodded.
"Me too… But it’s my turn again!" she smiled brightly, bringing both of them back to reality. "Um… when I told you I was trying out to be a model for that photographer and you laughed at me and said I was clumsy and lazy and never on time to anything…" she whimpered. Darien felt like smacking himself for being so mean to her.
‘Was I THAT bad? Wow… I really hurt her… Oh Meatball Head…’
"I’m sorry… I know that doing that modeling job meant a lot to you… but Serena, I’ve had experience with that kinda stuff, and truthfully, I didn’t want you to get caught up in it. I knew that you would have done anything to become a model at that time… and part of me was afraid you would try to change… I didn’t want you to change at all… But… I never meant anything I said. You are sweet and caring and beautiful… I’m sorry I hurt you…"
Serena smiled up at him wearily. "You know… you are really good at apologies!"
He smiled. "I wanna make everything up to you," he shrugged.
Serena smiled before closing her eyes and resting her head on his chest again. "You already have…"
He kissed her forehead gently. "Alright, Meatball Head… could you explain the time at Peggy’s when you refused to sit next to me? I believe the exact words were ‘Ew! I have to sit net to THAT?!’"
Serena giggled looking up at him through her eyelashes. Darien felt his heart skip a beat at that moment. "Well, if I’m not mistaken, I believe you replied, ‘My thoughts exactly.’" she shot back.
Darien laughed. "Maybe… but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you."
"I would glance at you whenever I could, too," she admitted.
Darien smiled. "And how about the time I saved your cat from getting run over and all the thanks I got was being accused of hurting her?" He tried to pout, but realized Serena was a lot better at it than him. Serena blushed bright red.
"Well… I didn’t know. Oh, I’m sorry Darien! I should have been more understanding then! I was such a major airhead!! And you made such a great hero…"
Darien kissed her softly on the lips. "At least you talked to me. It was worth it," he whispered. Serena smiled drowsily up at him, before a thought crossed her mind.
"Hey, wasn’t that the day you went out with Raye?"
Darien groaned and buried his head in her hair. "Oh that…" he mumbled. Serena giggled, running her fingers down the collar of his tuxedo.
"Yes, that, Darien. Could you kindly explain WHY you went out with Raye if you were so sprung over ME at the time?"
Darien glared at her out of the corner of his eye. Running a hand through his hair, he started, "Well… I… I mean… um…"
Serena giggled. This was fun. This was VERY fun. "Oh, Darien, it made me so jealous at the time! I thought for sure you were crazy over Raye! And it hurt so much, Darien!"
Darien groaned again. ‘She HAD to bring this up, didn’t she?’
"Serena… if it makes any difference… the whole time I was with her, I was wishing it was you. And everywhere we went, I was hoping we would run into you there…"
Serena sniffled for effect. "Oh, sure, Darien. Like you’re going to find me in a boat in the middle of the lake!" She buried her head in his tuxedo.
‘Wait… how did she know…’
"Serena… how did you know we went out on a boat?"
Serena gasped slightly. "Oh…uh… Raye told me later…"
He held back a chuckle. "Now that I think about it… wasn’t that the day you went out with that kid… what was his name… Melvin?" he laughed at her stunned expression.
Quickly sitting up straight, she said, "I did NOT go out with Melvin! Yuck!"
He smiled wider. "No… no… I was right. It’s all coming back now. Something about you sharing a nice prune shake? And…uh… taking a walk in the park together? Yup, that was what he said alright."
Serena looked like she was going to be sick. She reminded Darien of a deer caught in headlights. Finally, her shoulders sagged and she sank back to his shoulder. "Fine! I was spying on you…" she mumbled.
Darien smiled. "And why were you spying on us?" he prodded.
Serena sighed agitatedly. "I told myself because I wanted to make sure you were good enough for Raye…"
"But…?"
She sighed. "But I was really jealous. I wanted to be there in case something… happened…"
Darien smiled. "Something? You mean… something… like… this…?" He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. When he pulled back a little while later, Serena smiled dazedly.
"Exactly like that…" she whispered.
Darien smiled and brushed his lips against her cheek, then kissed her earlobe so gently…
"Well if it makes you feel any better… I was a little jealous of you sharing a shake with that Melvin kid, too."
She smiled and giggled a little. "It was an awful shake!" They both laughed, Serena settling comfortable back into the crook of his shoulder and neck.
After awhile, he whispered, "You know what, Serena?"
"Hm?"
"We should have done this a long time ago."
She smiled. "Yeah… we should have…"
He kissed her forehead again, before closing his eyes and resting his head on hers. She let her body relax to the sound of his heartbeat.
‘Better late than never…’ she thought dreamily.

"Okay, group, are we ready for Plan A?" Lita asked, turning back to Ami and Mina who were both hiding in the bathroom stalls.
"Yes, yes, we’re ready! Now can we get on with this? I wanna go back to Josh!!" Mina whined.
Lita and Ami rolled their eyes. "I still can’t believe you hooked up with him!" said Lita.
"Hey! At least I don’t go after guys ‘cause they look like my old boyfriend!"
"I don’t either! Besides, Ken is NOTHING like ANY of my old boyfriend!" She stuck her tongue at Mina, who couldn’t see it because of the closed door.
"Whatever! Let’s just hurry up, okay?"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Ami.
"YES!"
She was silent after that.
Lita checked her watch. "According to my observations, she comes in here every 15 minutes to fix her hair and every 10 minutes to reapply her make-up… which means… Plan A will commence in… 45 seconds."
"Good luck, Green Leader!" Mina whispered, pulling her feet onto the seat and waiting in silence…


Hope ya liked it!! E-mail me!!! Kammi22@sprintmail.com
See ya!
<3 Alicia

God bless and keep all of you!