Sailor See, Sailor Die
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar
Original ANs: I got the inspiration for this lovely little story from an episode of The Monkees entitled Monkee See, Monkee Die (thus my title). And of course from the challenge ingredients: an empty swimming pool, 600 tennis balls, a sheep, one jar of honey, and, of course, Tuxedo Kamen. (I hope no one minds too much; I plan on using dub names for this – it's what I know best – so it'll have to be Tuxedo Mask)
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Sailor Moon, and I don't own The Monkees. So there. Thbbbt!
New ANs: This is an old, fun favorite I thought you all might enjoy. Yes, I understand some of the improbabilities that happen later on are... improbable, but you can blame that on my inspiration. Anyway, have fun with this one!
(fade out...)
(begin chapter...)
The Thursday afternoon sun shined brightly on the golden head of one Serena Tsukino as she traipsed her way to the Cherry Hill Temple where she would be meeting the rest of her best friends. The ponytails that streamed out behind her from the two buns atop her head fluttered in the breeze. Her cheeks were flushed, not only from the rush to the temple after her detention, but from the confrontation she had just had with one Darien Shields, her favorite tormentor.
"That conceited jerk!" she muttered angrily to herself as she sped along. "That incredibly handsome conceited jerk!"
Serena stopped in her tracks and sighed. As much as the high school student annoyed her, she couldn't deny that she had somewhere along the line fallen for him. To herself, that is. As far as anyone else was concerned, she hated the guy. And that went double for Darien. "I may love him, but I don't have to like it!" With that, she continued along her merry way.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
About five minutes later, Serena rushed into the room of the temple the girls usually used for their meetings. She flopped onto the couch next to a petite girl with short blue hair who had her nose in an advanced physics textbook. "Hey, Amy!" The blonde scrunched her nose when she saw what had her friend's attention. "Don't you get enough of that at school?"
Amy raised her head and let her dark blue eyes meet her friend's sapphire blue ones. "Not really, no. This subject is fascinating. You should try it some time."
"Uh, no thanks. What have I missed?" Serena asked, turning her attention to the others assembled in the room.
"Nothing," the long black-haired girl in priestess robes fumed. "We decided to actually wait for you, though I don't know why. It's not like you actually contribute anything to these meetings anyway," she finished through gritted teeth.
"Raye, that's not fair! I try! Why are you so mean?" Serena wailed.
"Because you keep slacking off! If you would take your duties seriously…"
"Knock it off, you two!" a tall brunette with her hair tied back in a ponytail standing behind the couch interrupted.
"Lita's right. Now that Serena's here we should just get started," another blonde seated in a chair to the sofa's left, hair and blue eyes paler than Serena's, said as she flipped her long locks over her shoulder, nearly knocking the red bow that held back part of the length askew.
"Like you should talk, Mina," the white cat in her lap muttered under his breath, the golden crescent moon on his forehead glittering slightly in the sun's rays filtering in through the half shaded windows. "You got here just before Serena." Mina ignored him.
"Well, I checked in with Central Control last night to see if they had any new information for us, and they said…" the black cat with a matching crescent moon began from her position on the floor with her back to the windows.
A light knock at the door caught everyone's attention. "Luna, shush. That's probably my grandpa," Raye whispered. "What is it?" she asked, raising her voice.
"Raye?" an older man's voice asked as the door opened slightly to reveal a short balding man with gray hair above his ears wearing priest's robes. "There's someone here to see you." He paused briefly, looking at the other girls. "Actually he's here to see all of you. I think it's a lawyer of some sort. Should I send him in?"
Raye sighed in annoyance. "Fine. We might as well get it over with. Send him in." Her grandfather left with a nod.
"I wonder what he wants," Serena said softly.
"I wonder how he knew to find all of us here," Mina said suspiciously.
Any further thoughts were put on hold as a short diminutive man with brown hair stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He wore a dark gray suit and carried a black briefcase, which he opened as he gazed from girl to girl. "My name is Hewett Doyle, attorney to the late Mr. John Cunningham. I have been instructed to give each of you an invitation to his estate for the weekend, where my former employer's will is to be read. As you are each mentioned as heirs, I highly encourage you to attend." He pulled out five white envelopes with writing on them and closed the briefcase. "These letters will explain everything to your parents, where applicable. If you are to attend, be at Dock 72 by the warehouse district by four o'clock tomorrow afternoon." He handed out the envelopes, unhesitatingly giving each to the correct girl as proclaimed by the name on the outside. Before any of them had a chance to speak, the man continued. "I will most likely see you tomorrow; my duty here is done. Ladies." He bowed and walked out of the room, leaving behind five flabbergasted girls and two astonished cats.
"Who's John Cunningham?" the white cat asked after a short period of silence.
"I don't know, Artemis. What about you guys?" Mina asked as she stared at the envelope in her hand.
"The name doesn't ring a bell for me," Lita responded as she opened her letter.
"Oooo, what does it say?" Serena asked excitedly.
"You doofus!" Raye yelled. "You have one of your own! Look for yourself!"
"Oh, yeah," the blonde girl said sheepishly, and began opening her own letter.
"Would someone mind sharing with those of us unprivileged enough not to have received their own personal explanation?" Luna asked irritably.
"It seems this John Cunningham owns an estate on an island off the coast of Japan just outside of Tokyo Bay, and we've been invited to stay there for the weekend for the reading of the will," Amy explained after she finished reading her message. "If we want to receive our inheritance, we have to attend."
"Does it say what you'll be getting?" Artemis asked.
"No, it just says that everything will be revealed at the reading," Serena said, slightly confused. "I still don't know who this guy was."
"I don't think any of us do, Serena, and it looks like the only way to find out is to go," Lita responded.
"Well, I don't have anything better to do this weekend, and this has peaked my curiosity. I say we go," Raye said with an evil grin.
Mina giggled. "I'm with that."
"But what if it's a Negaverse trap?" Luna asked, desperate to head this line of thinking off.
"Then the best way to protect the innocent people who will be there is to go ourselves. I'm in," Serena answered, an eager smile lighting her features.
"And you never know, this guy could have been loaded, and is leaving it all to us. I think we could all find ways to use the money." Lita wore a smile at least as evil as Raye's.
"Amy?" Luna asked desperately, knowing the intelligent girl was her last hope at letting logic rule the day.
"I'm curious to find out why this gentleman found it necessary to include all of us in his will, when we obviously don't know him. I'd also like to know how his lawyer knew he could find all of us here at the temple instead of at each of our homes. And the only way to get those answers is to attend the will reading. I'm sorry, Luna."
The black cat sighed and dropped her head. "Don't be. Just be careful, girls, and keep your eyes open for any signs of the Negaverse. I guess that's all I can ask of you."
Serena smiled and knelt before her cat, petting her behind the ears. "We'll be careful, Luna. I promise. But you have to admit, this is kind of exciting!"
Luna laughed lightly as she raised her head and looked her charge in the eyes. "I suppose it is, Serena. And I also suppose I'm just as curious to find out what and why you girls are inheriting something from a complete stranger. Artemis and I will stay at Central Control most of the time in case you need us. Just use your communicators."
"Got it," the meatball headed blonde complied with a grin.
(fade out...)
(scene change...)
The next day shined as brightly as the one before. The five girls stood on the dock of the small island watching the ferry they had just stepped off of disappear on its way back to Tokyo before turning around to take in the view of the huge mansion that was the only major structure on the island. It was obviously old, with cylindrical spires and gray slate shingles. Gargoyles leered down at them from each corner of the main building. Cast iron trellises ran along the edges of the roofs, and jutting into the clear blue sky from atop the center spire was a cast iron weather vane in the shape of a mermaid with… were those fangs and claws?
"This place looks like it was taken directly from a horror flick," Lita said after taking everything in.
The others nodded then picked up their bags and headed for the huge wooden double doors that marked the entrance.
"Hey, Raye," Serena started as they walked, "what happened to that red outfit you were going to wear today?"
The raven-haired priestess shrugged. "For some reason I felt it was in my best interest not to wear red this weekend. I don't know why though."
"Oh."
"Is there someone standing in the doorway?" Mina asked, pointing to a tall figure casually leaning against the doorframe, an overnight bag at his feet.
The others glanced in the direction the taller blonde pointed while Serena blanched and slowed her steps. "No. That can't be. I have to spend a weekend with him? Is any inheritance worth this?" the petite blonde asked agitatedly, her breath becoming quick and shallow.
"What are you talking about, Serena?" Amy asked, suddenly concerned for her friend.
"Meatball Head! Fancy meeting you here!" Serena whimpered as a familiar tall, ebony-haired young man with midnight blue eyes stepped out from the doorway.
"Why are you here, Darien?" the girl in question spit out through gritted teeth.
"Probably the same reason you are. It seems a John Cunningham saw fit to leave me something in his will. I thought I'd find out what it was."
"Do you know who this guy was?" Lita asked in an attempt to curtail the imminent bickering-fest that was sure to be brewing.
The young man's brows furrowed. "Actually, no, I don't. I don't remember this man at all." A pained look flashed across his features. "That doesn't mean I didn't know him though," he finished quietly, looking down at the ground.
Serena found her heart going out to him, somehow knowing that thought opened an old wound, one that had never really healed. She wished then that she could be sure that their game was just that. Without that assurance she couldn't find the courage to share her true feelings with him, and she wasn't about to give him any real ammunition to use against her.
Darien raised his head and met Serena's sapphire blue gaze. He saw gentle sympathy and a desire to help before she turned her head shyly away. "Well," he said, shifting his attention to all the girls standing in front of him, "the only way to find out what's going on is to go inside and let that lawyer tell us." He opened one of the doors and bowed shortly. "After you, ladies, Meatball Head."
"Will you stop calling me that?" Serena snapped as she passed him on her way inside.
"And take away my entertainment for the weekend? I don't think so," he responded as her followed her in and closed the door.
The six of them looked around in awe at the huge foyer with its high vaulted ceiling and large carpeted marble staircase at the far end. The dark gray and burgundy color scheme lent a gloomy atmosphere to their surroundings. They found themselves unconsciously huddling closer together just inside the door.
"You know, a lighter color scheme would do wonders in here," Mina commented as she appraised the space.
Serena bit her lower lip. "Fine. You redecorate. I'm leaving." She reached down to pick up her bags. When she brought her head back up, she found herself face to face with a strange older-looking gentleman wearing a dark formal suit. She jumped back with an "eep" of fright, causing each of the others to follow suit one at a time.
"Geez, Meatball Head. Would you control yourself?" Darien spit out, his right hand covering his heart.
The new man cleared his throat. "My name is Ralph. I am the late John Cunningham's butler. Let me escort you to the drawing room where the will is to be read this evening before dinner is served." The gray-haired man stepped toward a set of double doors on the left side of the foyer. "Leave your bags. They shall be taken to your designated rooms while you are otherwise occupied."
"Excuse me," Lita said as the butler's hands rested on the knobs of the doors, "but I don't think any of us knew the late Mr. Cunningham." She paused and fidgeted one of her rose earrings. "Even when he was early," she finished with a weak laugh. The others groaned.
Ralph smiled mysteriously. "Don't worry; all will be explained." The man threw open the doors to reveal a large antique-furnished drawing room with a similar dark color scheme. An ancient black walnut desk and matching chair sat in front of a giant picture window along the outer wall that was flanked on either side by bookshelves that took up the remainder of the wall space on the that side of the room. Rich velvet forest green drapes were drawn to each side of the window, allowing the light of the setting sun to illuminate the interior. An East Lake sofa, with scrolled black walnut trim, carved legs, and overstuffed green velvet cushions with matching throw pillows sat in the center of the room with its back to the teenagers gathered in the doorway. Two matching chairs sat on either side of a modestly carved waist-high table, again in black walnut, sporting a beautiful stained glass lamp. The final piece of the set was a love seat that faced the window and desk.
An old style roll top desk had been placed against the opposite wall's ornately carved walnut paneling. A green velvet cushioned high back chair sat in front of it. Two ancient paintings, presumably of the original Cunninghams, decorated the wall on either side. Another small stained glass lamp was on top.
Bookshelves made of the same black walnut wood that seemed to be the theme in this room took up the wall space on either side of the door that was just off center in the right hand wall. A few bronze busts resembling various historical figures took up space on the shelves every now and again.
Along the wall to the right of the door was a hip high table with an antique lace doily and a black and white marble chess set. Amy was almost visibly drooling at the sight of it.
The last thing that caught the group's attention was the huge crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Rainbows played along the room's surfaces, reflected from the massive light fixture. They couldn't wait to see it lit.
Again Ralph cleared his throat. "May I introduce the others mentioned in Mr. Cunningham's will." He gestured to the man standing behind the desk by the window. "I believe you've already met Mr. Hewett Doyle, Mr. Cunningham's attorney. By the roll top desk is Mr. Barrett Ward, an old friend." A white-haired man wearing a black suit and tie with a red dress shirt nodded in greeting. "Standing by the library desk is Dr. Nathaniel Blake, Mr. Cunningham's long time physician." The gray haired man dressed casually in a red turtleneck and black vest mock saluted. "In the chair to the left side of the table is Mr. Harris Kingsly, Mr. Cunningham's traveling companion."
A bulky man with brown hair peppered with gray wearing a tan suit, white shirt and brown tie with a mustache and monocle sprung from his seat and rushed over to Mina who had taken a couple steps into the room. "Perhaps you've read some of my books. Twelve Walking Tours Through the Sahara?" he asked forcefully with a British accent.
Mina shook her head politely. "No, I'm afraid I…"
He took a step closer. "Beverly Hills On Five Shillings a Day?"
"No, I don't…"
He moved even closer, making Mina lean back. "Who's Whom On Ellis Island?"
"Uh, no…" Nervousness made her voice shake, and she shot looks back at her friends who were all trying to hide huge smiles. "Some friends you guys are," she muttered under her breath.
"Kingsly," the attorney reprimanded, exasperated. The other man returned to his seat, and Mina breathed a sigh of relief.
Ralph continued with his introductions as though nothing had happened. "In the chair to the right of the table is Madame Roselle, Mr. Cunningham's," he coughed and smirked slightly, "personal spiritualist." Raye's eyebrow lifted as an older lady with graying black hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck and wearing a purple-themed floral print dress with a high lace collar nodded regally after her less than respectful introduction.
"And lastly, the young gentleman by the bookcase is Eli Cunningham, Mr. John Cunningham's grandnephew." The young man with short dark green hair and matching eyes wearing a white peasant-style shirt and khaki pants smiled somewhat shyly at the new group.
Lita's reaction was immediate. Her emerald green eyes glazed over and a soft smile appeared on her face. She sighed. "He looks just like my old boyfriend." Raye and Serena, standing on either side of the tall brunette, began waving their hands in front of her face and calling her name.
"Lita. Lita!" Raye called as the dazed girl obliviously brushed by her and moved toward the new boy.
Serena sighed. "She's in love."
Raye crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, for the very first time today."
The small blonde turned to the raven-haired priestess and giggled. Raye returned the look and wiggled her eyebrows. Both girls then laughed and moved to take seats on the sofa. Amy covered her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles and Darien smiled amusedly as the two followed.
Ralph cleared his throat once more. "And for those of you who were waiting, I shall introduce our newest arrivals. Standing next to the library desk is Mina Aino." The blonde girl adjusted her knee-length orange dress with its yellow heart design and flashed a thousand watt smile as she also flashed a "V for victory" with her right hand.
"Near the bookcase is Lita Kino." The brunette picked a few specks of lint from her dark green pin striped suit jacket and slacks and adjusted the pink scarf around her neck then spared a glance and small smile for the other occupants of the room before returning all her attention to Eli Cunningham with a sigh. The other girls groaned.
"Starting on my right with the blue-haired young lady on the davenport is Amy Mizuno." She smiled shyly as she fidgeted with the hem of the short white lace jacket she wore over her mid-calf length navy blue dress.
"Next to her is Darien Shields." He nodded briefly, slightly loosening the black tie he wore with a midnight blue silk dress shirt and black dress pants.
"To his left is Serena Tsukino." The blonde brought her head up from her task of picking the pills off her white sweater and smoothing a few small creases in her pink pleated skirt, smiled brightly, and gave a little wave, shooting a glare at Darien when he chuckled lightly.
"And last but not least is Raye Hino." The raven-haired girl nodded solemnly before flipping her tresses over her shoulder and straightening the purple scarf she wore around her waist over a sleeveless mock turtleneck dress that fell just shy of her knees.
"Since everyone seems to be here, I suggest we begin the reading of the will and then retire to the dining room for dinner." Hewett Doyle placed his briefcase on the desk and opened it.
Serena's eyes lit up at the mention of dinner. "You better hurry, Mr. Doyle. Meatball Head here is starting to drool, and an impatient, hungry Meatball Head is not a pretty sight."
"Stop calling me that!" Serena fumed as she smacked Darien on the arm. He smirked.
"Ahem. May I continue?" Both verbal combatants managed to look contrite. "Thank you." The lawyer pulled a stack of papers and a phonograph record out of his briefcase then shut it as Mina and Lita found places to sit on the love seat and Ralph shut the doors to the room. "Now then, Mr. Cunningham recorded some last words and requested they be played to his potential heirs in the event of his death." The small brown-haired man disappeared behind the desk.
Mina leaned over to the girl beside her. "It'll never be a hit."
Lita leaned back. "What about the flipside?"
Mina shot her a weird look as Doyle reappeared with a phonograph player and placed it next to his briefcase. He placed the record on top and began to crank it. "This should provide some answers to your questions." Once it was ready, Doyle put the needle in the correct position and let it play.
"Hello, everyone," a scratchy old man's voice began, "I thought I would explain in my own words and my own way why I have asked all of you here for this weekend of morbid fun. First and foremost, I need to explain that I am a crotchety old fart – a rich crotchety old fart as at least half of you know – and I make no apologies for it. I found that my abrasive attitude separated the wheat from the chaff, the people who were truly good compared to those who only wished to please me in hopes for some sort of gain. I want you to know that I have found very few truly good people during my lifetime. The ones that are still alive are sitting in this room – and I most certainly am not referring to all of you." There was a slightly amount of grumbling from various parts of the room. The voice continued.
"There, that's enough of that. Now for the explanations. Ralph, my butler. You were always there for me, even when you probably shouldn't have been. You knew when to put me in my place, and I appreciate that. You're a good man – not truly good, but good all the same." The aforementioned man smiled a small tightlipped grin and straightened his jacket.
"Hewett Doyle, my attorney. You went above and beyond the call of duty, making this whole tedious process a lot easier than it would have been otherwise. I thank you." A flash of irritation crossed the lawyer's face before his calm mask snapped back into place.
"Barrett Ward, my friend. You met me in school and put up with me until the day I died. You can't ask for much more than that. And remember, if you're listening to this, I won the bet." The white-haired man chuckled and shook his head.
"Nathaniel Blake, my doctor. No matter how many times I called you a quack, you kept coming back for more, and there's no one else I would have trusted to be there at the end." The gray-haired man tugged on his vest then gave a short mock salute to the phonograph player beside him.
"Harris Kingsly, my traveling companion. You definitely made things interesting, no matter how bad your books were. Just remember, I always said it to your face." The middle-aged man's jaw dropped and his monocle fell to the end of its chain. Quickly regaining his composure, he put his eyepiece back in place and harrumphed in insult.
"Madame Roselle, my spiritualist. Another one who added spice to my life. And we enjoyed it, didn't we, sweetcheeks? Oh, and there will be an envelope for you when you leave Sunday night. Wait until you're off the ferry to read the contents. Just a suggestion." There was a slight blush on the older lady's cheeks as she dropped her gaze to her lap.
"Eli Cunningham, my grandnephew. You are the last chance to carry on the Cunningham name. I kept track of you as you've grown, and I have to say I'm proud of you, as much as I wasn't expecting to be. Thank you for throwing me that curve ball; you are one of those truly good people. To refuse my money when you needed it to prove to yourself you could do it on your own… This is hard for me to say, but you made me love you. Be proud." The old man's voice cracked at the end of that speech and there was a moment of silence on the recording, during which Eli wiped away some tears of his own. Lita sighed as she looked on.
"Raye Hino. I stopped by your grandfather's temple to see if I could find anyone who truly believed in anything anymore and I found you. I could see you had plenty of chores to do and yet you sacrificed your afternoon to explain to me your beliefs and argue points of philosophy. I found what I was looking for, and the arguments pushed it over the edge. Another truly good person. Oh, and there's an envelope for you too." Raye's face held an expression of shock that melted away to confusion at the mention of the envelope. Serena giggled softly at her friend.
"Mina Aino. You tracked me down to my hotel room and refused to take no for an answer when I tried to send you away. You returned a wallet with six hundred dollars in it. It showed a good, honest heart," Mina smiled at this, "and I appreciated the way you let my attitude roll right off you and turned down my offer for a reward, not even asking my name. Yet another truly good person." Mina's smile grew wider. "But the part I liked best was the fact that… it wasn't my wallet." Mina's face fell, while everyone else strove to control his or her laughter. "Never fear, I returned it to the appropriate person, minus a one hundred dollar finder's fee." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And I'll split it with you." His voice returned to normal. "There's also an envelope for you." Mina got a questioning look on her face and glanced at Raye, who shrugged.
"Lita Kino. I came across you at the grocery store while I was desperately looking for the right ingredients for a special dinner I was having with my grandnephew, not that you knew that. Not only did you give me a better menu and top-notch vegetables, you didn't take any of my crap. All for my own good you said." The man snickered. "You were right, of course. Now that I'm dead I can admit that. And all because you saw someone who looked like they needed help at the store. Truly good." He chuckled again. "And there's an envelope for you."
"Amy Mizuno. I found myself injured and at Tokyo General Hospital at one point, and your mother was my doctor. She had recently left my room – it seems the staff was being overworked – when a small girl with short blue hair crept in the door. She offered to get me anything I might need – an extra blanket, something to drink, a doctor or nurse if I thought I needed it – and waited through one of my professional tantrums to get my real answer, although I noticed her flinch a lot. I was so surprised to see the girl who had so meekly entered my room stick out one of my tirades I just blinked when I was done and told her I'd like a glass of orange juice. She was quick about it too, and completely polite, even though I didn't deserve it. A truly good saint! A letter will be waiting for you as well." Amy had sunk as far into the overstuffed cushions as she could, her face beet red with embarrassment. Darien just looked at her funny while the girls laughed at her predicament.
"Last but not least would be Serena Tsukino and Darien Shields. I'm putting you two together because I met you together. I had fallen down the concrete stairs in one of the parks and it turns out I had broken my hip. Right, Amy?" Snickers filled the listeners' ears. "Anyway, I was scraped up and bleeding, and as I laid there in pain the first sound I heard other than animals chattering away in the trees was two people arguing as they walked on a path headed in my direction. Now I've come up with some creative insults in my time, and I've had a lot of that, but these two were champions!" Both parties blushed furiously, looking away from each other. "The next thing I knew the two of them burst on the scene, not that they realized anything other than their little game, I'm sure." More laughter, including those not immediately involved sitting in the drawing room, caused the pair to blush even further. Serena went so far as to bury her face in her hands. At least she did until Raye poked her unmercifully in the ribs.
"The little blonde with the weird hair caught her foot on my prone form, fortunately only kicking my shin and not any higher. The black-haired young man caught her before she could cause any more damage, and the two of them gasped at the sight. I almost started snapping at them to quit their gawking and get me some help when they came back to the real world and went to work. Darien silently handed her a cloth handkerchief then pulled out a cell phone and called for assistance. Serena dashed off to a nearby water fountain and dampened the cloth, bringing it back to gently clean out a few cuts on my face. Meanwhile, Darien moved to my injured side and checked my side almost professionally. There was a nasty cut along the calf closest to him, and he looked up to the girl now working on my arm, telling her about what he suspected the injury to my hip was and the cut. She merely nodded and tore off the brooch she wore in the middle of her school uniform's chest bow and threw it into her school bag. She then dashed off again." Everyone stared at the blushing pair in surprise; they were too busy looking at the green patterned Persian rug beneath their feet.
"Darien had his uniform's jacket folded and under my head by the time Serena came back with a now clean handkerchief and damp bow ribbon. She handed the latter to her companion and returned to her work on my arm. He was just as quick to clean out my leg. Soon after, the EMTs arrived and hauled me off to Tokyo General." Serena shot a startled look at Amy, who blushed, but didn't turn away.
"The thing that struck me the most was that even though the two of them had been fighting like cats and dogs, the moment a crisis came up, they managed to toss their differences aside and work together like they scripted it. Had I only been an observer instead of the victim, I probably would have thought it was scripted. And their performance in the park wasn't all. They found me in the hospital and visited. Two complete strangers that had done all duty required took it a step further and visited. You both have a lonely old man's gratitude for being the purely good people that you are." A smile joined Serena's blush, while Darien merely looked bewildered. "There are envelopes for the both of you as well." Two sets of blue eyes widened.
"I believe that takes care of my reasoning for inviting you all here. Have fun! And now I'll let you go for the last time so your curiosities can be completely sated with the reading of my will. Farewell, and may those of you that deserve it find your future bright and happy." The only sound that filled the air was a soft scratching as the needle reached the end of the record.
Doyle reached out and drew back the arm. "Thus were the last words of Mr. John Cunningham." There was a brief moment of silence. "And now we shall move on to the reading of the will."