Title: Is She Really Going Out With Him?

Author: Alicia Harwood

Email: tamashiihime@yahoo.com

Rating:?

Story: Idea came from a song, "Is she really going out with him?", and is an alternate reality.  The girls are 20 (except Lizzy who is 17) and Darien and Andrew are 26.  At the moment there are no senshi and I assume there probably wont be in this fic…

Status: Completed.  Pending sequel.

Date Started: Jan 2001

Date Completed: Oct 2002

Chapters: 7

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{{{ Details }}}

Disclaimer: As I'm sure you all realise, Sailor Moon does not belong to me, as with all the characters of this amazing anime, all rights belong to Naoko Takueshi and associated companies such as DIC and all those other ones that I can't remember at the moment.  The song "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" does not belong to me either, it is sung by Joe Jackson, so I assume it belongs to him.

However… any and all other characters in this fic belong to me.  The ideas and the story line also belong to me. 

One day, while I was 'studying' for my exams and although I was concentrating COMPLETELY on my studies (nod nod… I was, I was… [insert anime style sweat drop] *sigh*), I happened to hear this song on the radio.  It is not a new song, in fact I think its reasonably old, but I heard it and thought it would make a good fan fic of my favorite couple Serena and Darien.  The fic is not based upon the song at all.  I simply liked the title, but I thought I'd put the song here in case anyone wanted to read it.  Though I realise it is nothing like my story.  Well enough rattling… here it is.

'…' denotes thought

"…" speech, and

[…] authors notes

Oh, and yes, I am using the Dub names… why… coz I felt like it this time… and I love the name Darien.

Oh, btw… review (or email me) [down on my knees begging], criticism, comments, anything (preferably the later *grin*)…

Enjoy!!

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*****

"Is She Really Going Out With Him" by Joe Jackson

Pretty women that walking with gorillas down my street,

from my window I'm staring while my coffee goes cold.

Look over there [where] there, there's a lady that I used to know,

she's married now, or engaged or something so I'm told.

Is she really going out with him?

Is she really going to take him home tonight?

Is she really going out with him?

Cause if my eyes don't deceive me, there's something going wrong around here.

Tonight's the night when I go to all the parties down my street,

I wash my hair and I kid myself I look real smooth.

Look over there [where] there, here comes Genie with her new boyfriend,

they say that looks don't count for much, or so, there goes your proof.

Is she really going out with him?

Is she really going to take him home tonight?

Is she really going out with him?

Cause if my eyes don't deceive me, there's something going wrong around here, around here.

But if looks could kill, there's a man there, who's more down than dead,

cause I've had my fill.  That's unless you take your hands from her hair,

I guess I'll be around this scene.

Hey, hey, hey

Is she really going out with him?

Is she really going to take him home tonight?

Is she really going out with him?

Cause if my eyes don't deceive me, there's something going wrong around here,

around here,

something going wrong around here,

something going wrong around here,

something going wrong around here,

something going wrong around.

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{{{ Chapter One }}}

Beep… beep… BEEP… BEEEEEEP… BANG… Beeeewewee… Silence

'By Kami-sama I hate Mondays …' thought the blond as she rolled back over and tried to go back to sleep.  After a few moments, and a few curses, she was up.  "Oh, cold floor" mumbled Serena as she stretched, readying herself for a new day.

"Meow"

"Morning Luna"

Quickly getting ready for work Serena just had enough time to rush through a quick breakfast before she had to leave.  Rushing out the door she almost ran into a young lady walking down the corridor.  "Sorry Ames… I'm running a little late" apologized Serena as she rushed down the stairs to the bottom floor of the apartment complex.

"You know if you got up a few minutes earlier, you wouldn't have to run all the way to work" called Amy after the blond streak.  Shaking her head, the blue haired girl smiled fondly.  "She never will learn will she?"

"No, I don't think so," answered a tall brunette who had silently walked up behind Amy.

"But you know what Lita, I don't think I want her to change, it just wouldn't be right.  I've been her friend for 10 years and in that time she has changed so much" laughing she added "in every other aspect that is."

"Yeah, you're right as always Amy"

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"Oh, so sorry.  Coming through.  Oops, excuse me," called Serena as she rushed down the streets towards her destination.

"You know she is really an expert at dodging through even the worst early morning pedestrian traffic."

"That she is, Raye" agreed Mina as the two stood at a window on the 8th floor of Rose Designs International watching the blond hurricane make her way down the street towards the building.

"But if the Meatball Head would just get up 10 minutes earlier she wouldn't be late everyday" muttered Raye, shaking her head, her long black hair swaying gently across her back.  "I don't get it".

"Even if she gets up earlier, I doubt she would be here earlier.  Its just one of those things she has to do, running to work is a part of her morning routine.  Besides, that's her exercise during the week" laughed Mina, blue eyes shining.

BING

"Hey look at that, I'm not late, record time," bubbled the blond as she stepped out of the elevator and onto the 8th floor.  "Good morning everyone"

"Morning Serena," came the reply from everyone in the section.

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIINA, when did you get back?" squealed the young 'lady' as she noticed the other blond across the room.  Running towards her, she enveloped the other woman in a bear hug while berating her, "you didn't call me.  How come you didn't call me?" she asked as her lip began to drop.

"Chill girl, chill.  I didn't call because my plane didn't come in until 10 last night".  Laughing she added, "so you miss me?"

"Of course I did, so…. How was Paris?  I soooooo want to go to Paris, I never get to go anywhere."

"Gee, I wonder why" muttered Raye, purple eyes flashing with a challenge.

Turning to look at her friend the young girl began to bristle with indignation.  "Are you trying to say that I'm not good enough to go to Paris?" Serena asked, voice cool and measured.

"Of course not," Raye replied.  Turing her back and walking off, she got in one last jab.  Preparing herself for the expected explosion, "You're good enough…"

"Why thanks R-" began Serena, a smile on her face.

"You're just not mature enough"

"WHHAAAAAAT?" came the reply as everyone in the room covered their ears and Raye walked calmly into her office after flashing her friend a quick gloating grin.  "Hey you come back here, right this minute Raye, you're not getting away with that," called Serena, enraged that Raye had the last say in their little morning argument.

"Ah Serena" mumbled Mina, jabbing her softly in the side, "Setsuna's coming."

"Waa…. Oops," turning around, the young blond did a classic emotional change, from an enraged screaming woman with eyes flashing dangerously, to a sweet calm and smiling young lady in a matter of seconds.  "Good Morning Setsuna-san, and how are you on this fine Monday morning?"

"Fine thank you Serena" answered Setsuna smiling slightly at the change she had just witnessed, or rather heard in her young employee.  Turning to Mina she asked, "So how was it?"

"Excellent"

"Good to hear.  I want a full report this morning, I'm going out now but I'll be back in a few hours.  I'd like it if you could come up and see me then."

"Of course Setsuna.  I'll get right on it, I just have to fix up a few small things" Mina answered before turning and heading in the same direction as Raye had gone, towards her own office.

"Now then, Serena, I'd like to borrow you for a couple of hours this morning, I need someone to accompany me to our offices on 12th avenue, there have been a few problems over there and Mr. Chiba is having some trouble keeping up."

Covering the slight scowl, which made itself to her face at the mention of the dreaded name, with a smile Serena answered "Of course, I'd love to."

"Good, I'll meet you down in the foyer in 20 minutes."

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"I have a question for you Serena.  You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, that's okay" Serena assured her boss in her usual cheerful way.

"Why don't you like Mr Chiba?" she asked and watched as Serena's smile fell from her face.

'Why don't I like him?  What sort of a question is that? I don't know what to say'.  Thinking carefully before answering, something she rarely did, Serena shot a quick look at Setsuna to see what was behind the question.  "Ummmm, why, what makes you think I don't like him?" she asked smiling innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me Serena, I know you better than that.  You're not stupid, so don't pretend to be."

"It works somethimes" mummbled Serena dejected that her plan hadn't suceeded, 'then again my plans rarely do work with Setsuna on the other end'.

Sighing slightly Setsuna replied with "Not with me it dosn't".  'Now why is she avoiding the question, I would think that they didn't know enough of each other to even form an opinion.  And most people who meet him briefly do seem to like him, he is afterall a very good looking young man.  Then again she dosn't normally judge people, so what is it about him that she doesn't like?  Maybe they… "You knew him before work didn't you.  I only pointed him out to you at that party a few weeks ago, and I dare say you havn't seen him since.  So your opinion must have been formed before then."  Stopping at a set of lights, she looked over at Serena to see what her reaction was. 'Ah ha, got you there didn't I."

'Oh my god, she knows too much.  She's going to kill me.  I hope we don't run into Darien while we're at the offices…'

"Serena," pausing to wait for her attention, She then continued, "so?"

"Well ummmm, you see it's kind of like this, ahhhh, ummmmmm welllll…", 'help me, somebody help me out of this… ohh look, thank you Kami-sama' taking a deep breath Serena changed the subject, "look we're here aren't we, that's it there right.  That's a really nice building, though I have to say I like the tower better, but thats just me, I like the height", pausing in her rambling for a moment to take a breath Serena was interupted.

"Yes that's it, lets go inside" Setseuna interupted.  'Nice change of subject, but I will get the answer out of you yet'.  "Excuse me miss, could you please tell me where Mr Chiba is at the moment, is he in his office?" she asked a receptionist at the main desk in the foyer.

"Of course, just a moment"answered the young receptionist.  "Yes, I do believe he's in his office. Its on the 12th floor."

"Thank you" Setsuna said, smiling.  "Come on Serena, wipe the look of absoulte horour of your face, we have work to do." Walking towards the elevator Setsuna called back, "You were hoping that we wouldn't run into him wern't you.  Well bad luck, we came here to see him."

'I'm going to die, she is going to kill me… wait a second, what am I worried about, I have done nothing wrong.  That jerk is getting to me again.  He is not worth it.  He is not worth it.  Don't let him get to you Serena, smile, act cool and calm.  No, change that, act COLD and calm.'  Taking a nice calming breath, and plastering on a smile, she followed Setsuna to the evelvator.  [AN: nice to see Serena getting to do the 'cold' look instead of Darien, slight change of roles there… *grin* call it artistic license.]

'Oh no, I've seen that look before, she is not happy, what on earth did he do to her.  If he hurt her, I swear I'll kill him.'  "Serena, please tell me whats wrong, something has obviously happened."

"What's wrong, nothing's wrong" answered Serena with a big smile.

"And that would be why you're smiling right… and why your eyes are cold.  When you smile it makes it to your eyes, you're not smiling Serena," Setsuna responded with a sigh.

"I'm fine thanks Setsuna.  As you said we came here to work, and work is what we'll do.  As much as Raye might like to dissagree, I can be mature when I need to be.  I wont let you down", she answered, a true smile making its way to her face, for a moment, until the elevator stopped.

BING

Sighing Setsuna thought, 'I intend to find out what is wrong here.  I wonder what Darien's reaction will be when he see's her, that might tell me something.'

"Well no use in delaying the inevitable" murmured Serena.

"Good Morning Lizzy, we're here to see your boss, the receptionist said he was in" said Setsuna to the personal assistent.

"LIZZY" gasped Serena, "oh-my-god, I havn't seen you in ages, how have you been?"

"Serena?  Wow, how are you, I'm good, good.  It's so good to see you," laughed Lizzy getting up to give her old friend a hug.  "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, I work for Setsuna, what about you?"

At that question, Lizzy's face fell and she replied quietly, "Well umm, I'm sorry Serena, I…"  Rushing quickly through the rest of her answser at a mile a minute, she continued, "I work for Darien.   I, well I needed a job and Darien and Andrew are such good friends.  One day Andrew mentioned it to Darien and he said he was just looking for a PA and he gave me the job.  Now I feel like I've betrayed you.  Wait a second, if you're here to see Darien, are you talking to him?  You two are friends again are you?  No, he would have definatley said something."

"Calm down Lizzy, you're as bad as me," laughed Serena, "I'm glad you have a good job.  And no, I havn't talked to Darien for a long time, but these things happen hey, I'm over all that.  You know we should go out to lunch one day, here's my number at work, call me and we'll get together."

"Sure Serena, sure.  I'm so glad you don't mind, that was the only thing I didn't like about this job, I mean you were always such a good friend," answered Lizzy smiling.

"Lizzy, has Mr Jones brought down those reports yet?" asked a deep masculin voice over the intercom on Lizzy's desk.

Setsuna who had been standing back and quietly watching the interaction between Serena and young Lizzy looked quickly up to Serena's face as the voice came through the intercom.  With startling speed, Lizzy's expression changed from a huge smile to an attentive, worried look in Serena's direction.  'So Lizzy is worried about Serena's reaction as well, curiouser and curiouser as good old Alice said.'

Serena meanwhile had achieved another great expression change.  Her expression the poler opposite of what it was in a matter of a millisecond.  There were only two people who ever did this to her, one of her best friends Raye, and the young, hansome man who's voice just came across the intercom.  'Darien' thought Serena darkly, 'just had to ruin our short moment of joy didn't you. Not that I would expect anything else from you.  You always did manage to have very good timing, or bad, depending on your point of view'.

"Lizzy? Are you there?" asked Darien again, a little confused, 'she was there a second ago' he thought.

"Oh, ah yes sir, I'm here," answered Lizzy with a worried look still on her face.

"Are you okay Lizzy?" questioned her boss, genually worried about her well being.

"Sorry sir, sorry.  Yes I'm fine thanks.  No those reports aren't here yet."

"Ahhhh" he groaned, "I need them, well thanks anyway Liz".

"Oh, Mr. Chiba"

"I've said this before Lizzy, we've know each other for long enough for you to call me Darien.  You know that I don't like the Mr. Chiba thing".

"Mr nice guy" huffed Serena.

Shooting a glance at Serena, Lizzy continued, "Sir, you have some visitors, Miss Setsuna is here."

"Here, oh good, send her straight in." pausing for a second, Darien the continued, "Did you say visitors?  Who else is here?"

A quick secretive grin from Setsuna and a shake from her head encourage Lizzy to join in on the little game.  'Truth be told, I want to see his reaction as well' she thought to herself.  With a quick affirmative smile to Setsuna, Lizzy answered her boss's question, "Ah, one of her associates sir, I'll send them right in."

"Thankyou Lizzy," said Setsuna with a smile.

Serena, scowling was too immersed in her own feelings to notice the silent commmunication between the other two females.

"Have fun, I mean work hard.  Hey Serena", pausing Lizzy waited for Serena's attention before continuing, "we will do that lunch some time soon."

"Sure Liz, sure," replied Serena slightly absently.  As she began down the short corridor to what was obviuolsy Mr Chiba's office.

Whispering quickly to the younger girl Setsuna said, "I want to have a talk with you later, okay."  Without waiting for a reply she quiclkly made her way to the office and opened the door with Serena behind her.

"Setsuna, I'm so glad you're here.  I could really do with a hand down here, actually truth be told I could do with about fifty hands.  But what are you doing down this way, I didn't expect to see you here", said Darien with a thankful smile.

'He seems happy, I'll see if I change that.'  "Actually we came down to see what we could do about lightening your load, I was considering sending an employee down here for a little bit, in fact I brought her with me today.  Lizzy knows her supprisingly, they seem to be quite good friends, I wonder if you know her?"

"Lizzy's friend you say, I most probabaly  do know her then.  Where is she?" he asked while running a list of Lizzy's friends that he knew through his head.

Serena who had been standing in the hallway with a blank look on her face was awoken from her slight trance when Setsuna stepped back into the hallway and lightly touched her arm.  "Huh?" she asked.

"Come inside," said Setsuna with a smile before turing back into the office.  "Mr. Chiba, meet one of my favorite and most trusted employees…" pausing, Setsuna waited to see if she would need to complete her introduction.

With a deep calming breath, Serena steeled herself for one of her biggest ordeals in a long time.  'Calm, be calm.  Cool, be cool.  Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he still gets to you.  No stuff that, that jerk deserves everything that's coming to him.  He means nothing to me, and I intend to treat him coldly, like the jerk deserves.'  With a straight face, she steped up to the doorway and into Mr. Chiba's office.

'What is the girl doing out there, she's certainitly taking her time to come in' thought Darien, 'I hope she's not a shy little thing that won't be able to get work done with me.'

The young lady took two steps into his office. 'My god, it couldn't be… no… not Serena,' he thought.  Slowly she lifted her head from where it had been focusing on the carpet. 'It is.'  "Serena?" he asked with true joy in his voice for but a second.

'Well well well, he does recognise her and what's more, he's happy.  Very happy, in fact I don't remember the last time I heard him that joyas, or his eyes so bright,' thought Setsuna to herself before she took her eyes of Darien to look at Serena who was just lifting her eyes from the floor.

'Be brave.  He sounds like he's happy to see me.  HAPPY.  Does he not remember what happened, he thinks that with a little time I'll forget about what he did to me.  I don't think so, keep wishing Darien, keep dreaming'.  With these thoughts, her face hardened a little more and her eyes turned even colder.  Eyes shooting ice, she looked up the rest of the way and focussed on Darien.  "Darien."  Was all she said.  Her voice, cold enough to freeze hell over, quickly wiped the look of joy from his face.

'Oh Serena, what is so wrong.  Never have I seen a look that cold on anyones face in my entire life time, espacially not sweet little Serena.  Whatever happened, she is not likely to forget it, and he just made it worse.  I think he momentarily forgot and now…' thought Setsuna unhapppliy as the tension in the room rose, and the temperature droped a noticible few degrees.

'She's angry, and upset.  In all the years I've know her, never have a seen a look that cold,' thought Darien momentarially.  'My little Serena, so cold?  My?  I guess I have no right to call you that anymore.  What have I done to you?  How could I have hurt you so much?  I guess this means I am in no way forgiven…' menatlly sighing, Darien resolved himself.  'Well then, if she wants impersonal, I can give her impersonal, if that's easier for her.  I'm not called the Ice Man for no reason, they say I can be cold to even the best looking girls.  Well Serena is certainately that, and believe me, I CAN be COLD'.  Building up the walls that only Serena had managed to break down, all thoses years ago, did not take long.  A few seconds later it was the cold, hard, indifferent face of the Ice Man again, the alone but not visibly lonely boy from the orphanage.

'Oh, no… if I can read his eyes in even the slightest, I do believe that young Darien is not happy.  Walls, by Kami-sama, he just put up walls.  Only once have a seen his face that indifferent, at that was with that Bitch Beryl.  It seems that young Darien has the same ability to 'expression change' as Serena.  I wonder who taught it to who,' thought Setsuna with a little sigh.

"Well then let's get down to work" said Darien in a flat, cold, unfriendly, and yet not rude voice.  He would not be rude to Setsuna just because he was upset with a certain little blond.

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