Title: Only 16 Part: 5 AAAAAHHH! Who's excited??! YOU ARE! By: Azurite Email: azurite_moon@yahoo.com WWW: www.geocities.com/sailor_andromida (REVAMPED) AIM: Meriellen5 YIM: sailor_andromida/azurite_moon *************************************************** DC: (Does it stand for Darien Chiba... or mayhap... DISCLAIMER! MUAHAHA!) Sailormoon and Co. aren't mine. And Dr. Laura Cunningham is a name I made up. So'longs as you don't trash her, feel free to use her. I don't care. A/N: (Another Natsumi? Or... Author's Notes! I wonder...) It's Part 5! At first, I was planning to do a bunch of substories, but then that'd be boring, you know, wondering what happened after the whole hospital incident. Like, why repeat the same segment over and over, just from someone else's POV? It still doesn't clue you in on what happens NEXT! Okay, so every other part will be a substory. Amy's has already been done, and next will be... -Raye -Lita -Mina -Serena -Darien -*Andrew -*Dr. Laura Cunningham *= MAYBE I'm not sure yet. Oh yeah, I borrowed a line from Lilac Summers' "First Truths". RC: (Rei-chan? Raye's cool? Raye cried? Or how about (and you'll all love me for this) RECAP!!! MUAHAHHA *choke*) "You can stay with me. I won't let anything happen to you or the baby, Serena, you know that." The words flew out of his mouth before anything else could be said. Then silence reigned, and all was quiet. Serena turned to Darien, her eyes wide and sparkling with that old, familiar joy they had lost so long ago. "You'd really do that for me... for us?" "Serena..." Darien breathed, leaning in closer to her. His arms encircled her frail body and pulled her closer to him. "I'd do anything for you... and..." Darien blinked back tears, that had appeared unheeded, "Our child." Serena fought back the urge to laugh and cry at the same time, and hugged Darien back tightly. "Oh Darien!" Laura left the twosome alone in the room like that, and when Lita looked in later, after being too curious at to know what was going on, she found them sound asleep in each other's arms. ************************************************************************ "Are you sure you want to do this?" Darien asked her for the umpteenth time that day. Serena gave him an exasperated nod and pointed to another cardboard box. Darien took two simple strides over to the box, hoisted it up and placed it on a cart. He stood up again and looked at Serena. "What?" She asked, avoiding his intense gaze. He walked over to her slowly, and surveyed her body with his eyes. "Serena...god, I love you." Serena blinked and looked up, believing with her whole heart that this was a dream. She reached up for his face, cupping his smooth skin in her palms, and caressing it as only a mother-to-be could. She stared into theose bottomless pools of midnight blue, that shone with emotion as they never had before. His arms wrapped themselves around her swollen frame, and Serena rested her head on the crook of his neck. He breathed into her hair, softly, slowly, inhaling the sweet scent of passion fruit blossom shampoo. "Serena, I don't understand it... but you do things to me that no other girl has... I think... I think I've always been in love with you, since that first day when you lobbed me over the head with that test paper." 'Does... does he mean it?' "And... I don't understand why... or how... this..." Darien looked over her swollen belly with his eyes and Serena drew back. "You still don't believe this child is yours?" Serena asked, terrified. Darien didn't know how to answer; the doctor had said it was his... Serena had said it was his... why... WHY couldn't he believe it? 'Because you know if you had ever been with Serena, you wouldn't have forgotten that!' A nasty voice inside his head whispered. And it was true. Had he EVER made love to Serena, he wouldn't have forgotten... he never would have... forgotten such an act of love, of pure affection... so indescribable... Serena had pulled away from him and was staring at him with shimmering eyes, praying with all her might that for once, this might be a dream, a lie... Serena dropped the single shoebox of photos, which scattered about the carpeted floor of her apartment. "Leave." Serena stated monotonously. "Serena, I--" "LEAVE!" Serena repeated forcefully, yelling as the tears followed from her eyes unheeded. She walked two paces towards him and pushed him out the door, closing it behind him. He stood, just outside of her apartment, dumbfounded. He continued standing there, even after he heard Serena slump against the door and begin to cry. And he could do nothing about it whatsoever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Serena! Serena, please let me in!" Darien begged from the other side of the door. Five minutes after he had been kicked out, her crying had ceased, he had started to bang his hand on the door, begging to be let in. "NO!" Serena cried from the other side, hoarsely. "Please Serena!" Darien cried out, slumping forward on his head against the door. "Please..." He whispered, broken. 'Not until you apologize... and even then, I can't forgive you.' Serena thought. She rose from her slumped place, between the boxes in her living room, and collapsed tiredly on her bed in the only untouched room... the nursery. "Young man, is there something wrong?" Darien looked up miserably, knowing how horrid he must look... sweaty brow, matted hair, red, tear-streaked face... through his tears, he saw a short, kindly old woman, hunched over him with worry, just like the grandmother he never had. "I say, young man?" The woman repeated, kneeling over Darien and inspecting him. "I..." "Do you need to speak to Serena? She's a very nice girl, if you're polite, I believe she'll speak to you." "Serena... she *is* a very nice girl... but I don't think she'll let me in." Darien responded quietly. "Are you, by any chance, Darien?" Darien looked up in surprise and nodded slowly. "Hm. Serena has told me a bit about you, Darien. I'm Ms. Butterscotch, her landlord. I heard from her some time ago that she was moving in with you." "Was." Darien muttered, melancholy. "Hm. Seems you two had a fight." "Yes... I never meant to..." "Tsktsk. No one ever MEANS to, but they do anyways." Darien knew she was right. He knew what he was saying, why didn't he stop himself? "I only wish..." Darien whispered to the air. "That you hadn't made that mistake?" Ms. Butterscotch finished for Darien. He looked up sadly and tired, and nodded. "Come come. Serena is a very forgiving, kind young woman, and I'm sure if you two talked..." "She wouldn't want to talk to me, not after what I've said to her..." "Just what did you say, Darien?" Darien turned his face away in shame and felt lower than the smallest subatomic cell. "I..." "You can tell me Darien. I know you very well, from what Serena's told me, so profusely. And from your actions... and words in the past few minutes. My late husband said I had a way with people, seeing into their personalities and such." "You must have loved him very much." "Yes, but like every husband, he had his faults, and so did I... and we had our fights. Listen to me Darien, when I say NO ONE is perfect. She loves you for who you are, and you should love her for who she is, no matter WHOSE child she is carrying. Love... conquers all." Darien heard her deep, moving words, and saw how they meant something to him. He DID love Serena, long before he knew she was carrying a child, and even more when he thought it was his. And whose else would it be? How was it possible that Serena had given herself to another, when at every battle, she cried for HIM, that THEIR link to each other was still strong... 'In the end, it's all me, and it's all you...' Darien remembered her saying from long ago. And in the end, it truly was. "Go in, Darien." Ms. Butterscotch produced a key from her skirt pocket and opened the door to Serena's apartment quietly. Darien nodded solemnly and gave a smile of silent thanks to the elderly woman. She smiled back in return, as if Darien were one of her own kin. He slipped inside the apartment and closed the door silently. Outside, Ms. Butterscotch smiled brilliantly. She looked up to the flickering ceiling light outside Serena's apartment. "I know Harry. They have belonged together for longer than I can comprehend. I was just... helping them along." The light stopped flickering. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien searched the mess of boxes, looking for his beloved desperately. He hoped she was all right, and it wasn't too late to mend the horrible error he had made. Serena, however, was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in her bedroom, the kitchen, the living room or dining room... or Mina's room. Darien knew there was only one last place she could be. Stepping over piles of boxes and rows of bubble wrap, Darien made his way to Amy's old room... the nursery. He opened the door fully, as it had been slightly ajar when he reached it. Inside, on the untouched bed and other collection of both nursery and Amy-ish things, lay Serena, sound asleep. Darien took three quick strides to her, and kneeled beside her, stroking her porcelain face gently. He brushed his aching lips against the softness fof her cheek's skin, and saw her just barely stir, but not wake. "Serena, if words could express how *stupid* I am, I would never stop talking. I love you Serena, and I never meant... never EVER meant to hurt you." Darien closed his eyes as the emotions poured forth, and he noticed not when Serena, restless in his presence, awoke. Her barely opened eyes were slits, but she was all ears. "I was a fool to break up with you, over some stupid dream, a fool to believe that the child you carry is not mine... -ours. And it doesn't matter! I shouldn't -I don't- care. Because no matter what, I love you, and I love this child... and I will protect both of you, no matter what the cost. I just wish... I wish this wasn't so confusing, and I knew why... and I could make you happier. I always seem to bring tears to you, instead of smiles. Sere, I'm so sorry. I love you." "I love you too." Sereana whispered. Darien opened his eyes, and to both their astonishments, a trail of tears fell from his ocean-colored eyes. "S-Sere?" Sereana smiled and nodded, loving having him call her by her nickname once more. Tears fell from her eyes as well, and silence reigned. Darien found himself unable to respond to her presence, as ironic as it seemed at the moment. For minutes, they just stared at each other lovingly, tears in their eyes. A fierce, uncontrollable feeling rose in Darien and he embraced her tightly, caring not to let her go. And the world continued revolving around them, as they were together once more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I don't believe it." Darien groaned exasperatedly. "Daaarrriiieeen!!" Serena whined pitifully. She sauntered up to him, tugged gently at his collar as if begging for a kiss... and then stopped. Her pout broke out into the most beautiful smile Darien had even witenessed in his days, and he smiled upon her glowing figure appreciatively. "I still can't believe it." Darien said, looking away from her. Serena pouted again, and her eyes watered. "No, don't... don't do that. Sere, you know I hate it when you cry!" "You hate me?!" Serena sniffled behind cleverly disguised sobs. "No, no, that's not it at all!" Darien said, drawing her into his warm embrace once more. "So then what?" Serena asked innocently, brightening somewhat at his kind tone. "I just can't believe what a mess my clean place turned into." Darien groaned yet again, and looked down at her. Serena smiled, then flushed. "So, I have a lot of stuff... I mean, most of it's for the baby, anyways." "I know." Darien whispered softly. His face slowly neared hers, and the tiring day ended with a passionate kiss between the two lovers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of Part 5 So much for a cliffhanger. Maybe next time. Ja!