Disclaimer: Any movie mentioned in this chapter is just used as a reference; I don't own them or Sailor Moon.

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! It's always a bit slow at the beginning, but hopefully when I get more chapters up, I'll get more insight on what you guys think. Enough useless babble! On with Chapter 2...

Chapter 2

What a day!

Serena drove and drove. It seemed like she would never get to New York. Her hopes rose as she saw tall buildings on the horizon. 'Almost there...' she thought excitedly to herself.

--

BEEP! BEEP!

"Hey lady! Can't you see the light's green?" yelled a man driving behind her. Serena stared at her rear-view mirror confused. There was absolutely no way she could move forward. The whole road was blocked by the traffic from the crossroad. "Hey lady! You deaf?! Move it!"

'What's this guy's problem? Can't he see there's absolutely NO space to even squeeze through?' Serena thought, frustration building inside her.

The light turned red which aggravated the other driver even more. "Hey! Thanks a lot lady!" 'I sure picked the perfect time to show up...' she thought.

The light turned green again. "Hey!!! Will you move it grandma?"

'Okay. That does it.' "Hey asshole! Could you SHUT UP for just a second?! Or do you have some sort of disorder that stops you from closing your mouth?!"

This pissed the driver off who just kept honking. 'You've gotta be kidding me...' Serena sped up and drove to the other side of the street so that the light would turn red on the other guy.

"Yes!" It worked. She looked back and noticed that the crazy driver was giving her the finger. Serena felt proud. She just had her first road rage in New York traffic.

--

Serena was driving towards the dorms which were around the next corner. She was pulling a right turn when suddenly, a motorcyclist squeezed in between her and the sideway. Serena braked and honked her little brains out. The man on the motorcycle just waved at her. She noticed that there was a girl holding his waist and took a mental note of the guy's plate number. 'Ugh... That little... They could've gotten killed!'

Serena calmed down and continued on her way to the parking lot of the dorms. She took the nearest parking spot and took out two suitcases to bring up to her room. She turned and noticed that a motorcycle was parked beside her. She checked the license plate. 'Huh... What are the odds? The guy goes to NYU.' She shifted her thoughts back to the task at hand: finding her room.

Serena took out her schedule and dorm room papers. She was to be in room 504 with a girl called Mina Woods. "Ugh... fifth floor," Serena groaned. She climbed up the stairs. 'I just had to take the heaviest suitcases, didn't I... I wonder what my roommate's like. I hope she's not some freaky goth who speaks cryptically... or some preppy cheerleader wannabe...' Serena shuddered. 'I guess I'll find out soon enough!' Serena looked at the numbers on every door and finally arrived to her destination. The door was wide open and a blond girl was sitting on one of the beds. By the looks of it, she had already unpacked and settled in. Serena walked in happily.

"Hi! You must be Mina Woods. I'll be your roommate for the next four years!"

Mina looked up and went to hug her. "Oh my God! It's so nice to finally meet you! I've been here for a week already and I was wondering when you'd show up!"

Serena smiled politely. "Traffic's crazy around here!"

"Yeah it is! I'm so glad I don't drive," Mina said. She was getting good vibes from this girl. She had been afraid of ending up with someone who'd have zero chemistry with her. "So, um... your name's Holly right?"

Serena looked at her with frowned eyebrows. "Um... no. My name's Serena."

It was Mina's turn to look confused. "But on the paper it says that you're Holly Blake."

"But I'm Serena Lawrence!" she cried out in panic. Did they get her name wrong? Was she in the wrong room?

"This is 504, right?"

"I'm pretty darn sure it is."

"Well if you're not Holly, then who is?"

At that second, a skinny black-haired girl walked into the room. "I don't go by that name anymore." She headed towards the empty bed and sat there. Serena and Mina stood still, following her movements with their eyes. She had pale skin and was only wearing black. It had to be 100 degrees out there and she was wearing long sleeves, not to mention knee high platform boots. "I'm known as Nebula now."

Serena and Mina exchanged puzzled looks. "Um... right. Nebula... what does it say on your dorm papers?" Mina asked, kind of scared of the answer. Nebula just stared at her with an expression of annoyance. Mina backed away. "It's just that we're kind of confused about the dorm room. Serena here thinks that this is her room-"

"But there are only two beds," Nebula said, staring at them both. "I don't see a Serena on my paper."

Serena looked at Mina. "They probably just got the number wrong or something. Maybe I should go check with the Student Housing office. It was nice meeting you guys," Serena said, walking out of the room. She was kind of sad; she wanted Mina to be her roommate. They seemed to have a connection going on there, before Holly, um, Nebula walked in.

Seconds later, Mina was in front of Serena stopping her dead in her tracks. "You can't leave me with her. She's... scary." She whispered the last part.

Serena chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's just nervous. She'll warm up to you in no time. You should go in there and talk to her. You're stuck with her for four years anyway."

"You're right. I'm being judgemental. Might as well make the best of it. Good luck with your dorm room!" Mina said, turning away.

"Thanks." Serena dragged her suitcases to the staircase. 'I can't believe I brought these up here for nothing,' she thought as she trudged down the stairs.

--

Serena made it to the first floor intact but her arms were killing her. 'What the heck did I put in these things?!' she thought mad at herself.

She walked in the halls trying to find the main office. When she finally did so, she regretted it the minute she set a foot in it. There was a tall dark-haired man at the counter and he was talking to the secretary.

"Yeah, I found myself an apartment so I won't need a dorm room anymore. Mmhm. That's right," Serena caught the man say. She guessed he was a student here. She also noticed that there was a black helmet on the counter beside him, a helmet that greatly resembled the helmet of the motorcyclist who cut her off. Then again most bikers wore black ones. Serena shrugged it off.

Serena looked closer at the man. He had broad shoulders and a great build. She could see the muscles of his back through the shirt he was wearing. His arms were nicely toned. Serena found her eyes moving lower down his back to land on his back pockets. "So, everything's done? Great. Thanks a lot."

The man turned and Serena's jaw dropped.

"Meatball Head?! I didn't expect to see you here!"

"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm not smart enough to go here?" Serena asked defiantly. Serena's face glowed red with embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had been admiring Darien's body that way. Luckily, Darien was oblivious to this fact.

"Calm down! I was just saying that it was a coincidence. I didn't know you got accepted here." There was silence and Darien took the time to look at Serena. She definitely looked tired and judging by her suitcases, she had probably just got there. She still looked the same since he last saw her. He still remembered it as if it was yesterday. She had looked stunning that day.

Serena also took a good look at Darien. He still had his perfect looks and perfect body; she had already deduced the latter though. She was still admiring him when a shrill voice came out of the blue.

"There you are Darien!" A girl immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, knocking the breath out of him. "I've been waiting outside forever! I was getting a sunburn." The girl turned around, noticing that someone else was there. "Who's your little friend?"

"This is Serena. She lived in my hometown. Serena this is Andrea, my girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you," Serena said, shaking the girl's hand. Serena noticed that she was very pretty: tall, green eyes, long toned legs, voluptuous in all the right places. She was what Serena always thought Darien's type would be: her complete opposite. What did it matter if she wasn't Darien's type anyway?

"How 'bout you wait for me outside, babe. We've got some catching up to do."

"Sure. I gotta go find Shelly anyways. It was nice meeting you Serena," said the girl, giving her the perfect model smile. "Don't take too long..." she said to Darien, before giving him a long lingering kiss. Serena tried to absentmindedly look around her. 'Oh, that's a nice plant...' Serena couldn't help but feel a tad jealous until the girl left. She wished she had someone to kiss that way.

"She's great isn't she?" Darien asked Serena.

"Um, sure, if that's what you like in a woman..."

"What do you mean?" Darien said, somewhat irritated by her tone.

Serena blushed. "Nothing, it doesn't matter what I think."

"No, please. Enlighten me." Darien crossed his arms and waited patiently for an answer.

Serena felt like she got caught doing something bad and no matter what she said, it wouldn't come out right. Darien watched as she fidgeted, rooted to her spot, her eyes shifting from side to side, desperate for a way out. He couldn't help but smile. She was just so entertaining.

Serena saw the change in his mood. "You just loooove torturing me don't you Darien?"

"No comment." Darien grinned. "I'd still love to know what you think about Andrea though."

"Like I'm gonna answer that now jerk!" Serena said, sulking.

"Jealous are we?"

"You wish!"

Darien laughed. He loved getting under her skin. "What are you here for anyway?"

"That's none of your business. Excuse me," Serena said lifting her head up high as she made her way to the counter. Darien chuckled.

Darien took this as his cue to leave when he overheard Serena and the lady at the counter talking.

"What do you mean I don't have a room?" Serena asked.

"I'm afraid you aren't registered in the system," the woman said calmly, typing something on her keyboard.

"But I know I registered for one before coming here! I drove four hours to live here!" Serena shouted.

"I'm sorry, normally we have a few rooms available by the time the semester starts, but we've had a huge demand this year and-"

"This can't be happening! Where am I gonna live? I'm starting in a week!" Serena said. She was on the brink of tears. She was looking forward to college, but everything revolving around it made her life hell. She was tired, angry and frustrated. Serena started sobbing on the high counter.

Darien was still standing behind her. "You can stay with me if you like."

Serena's head lifted up. "What?" she sniffled.

"You can stay with me... until you find somewhere else to stay of course. I have an apartment and it has an extra bedroom."

"You can't be serious. We'd kill each other! We're supposed to hate each other!" Serena said, wiping her tears.

"I don't hate you Serena. I never did. I understand if you hate me, but I never hated you." Darien looked deep into her baby blues. Why did he ask her to live with her? Was it pity? Did he feel sorry for her? Or maybe... 'Nah...' he thought.

Serena looked into his eyes. They were sincere. She quickly went over her options in her head. Option 1: live with Darien for a while risking her insanity. Option 2: live in her car. The latter seemed more appealing, yet something was drawing her to Darien. Why was he being nice to her? "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch. All you have to do is pay half the rent and groceries and we're all set." Serena's eyes narrowed. "Oh c'mon, Meatball Head. I can be nice sometimes you know."

"Actually, I didn't know. You're not exactly Mary Poppins," Serena replied, eyes still narrowed.

Darien found himself smiling at her suspicions. They were actually having a semi-decent conversation. It was different than what he was used to. It felt nice. "Take it or leave it," Darien said walking away.

Serena bit her lip, thinking quickly. "Okay! I'll live with you!"

Darien smiled and stopped walking. He felt relieved that she accepted, but he was mostly happy because she didn't reject him. Why would that have bothered him so much though? "I don't have all day Meatball Head."

Serena quickly thanked the lady at the counter and apologized for her outburst. She grabbed her suitcases and headed out the door, passing Darien.

He noticed that Serena was struggling to carry her luggage. "Need some help?"

Serena turned around. Why was he being so nice? Did she walk into The Twilight Zone? She didn't have time to answer his question because Darien was already taking her two suitcases away from her.

"Geez, Meatball Head! What'd you bring? Bricks?" Darien asked, incredulous.

Serena frowned at his back. "Yeah, to throw at your head! And, I told you not to call me that again!..."

Darien chuckled silently to himself. Here we go again...

--

"So did your parents come drop you off?" Darien asked, walking out the building.

Serena raised an eyebrow. "I'm not 10 years old anymore. I can drive you know."

"I didn't know you could even look over the dashboard with how short you are!" Darien laughed.

Serena's hands turned into fists at her side. She stomped towards her car. "This is what I drive."

"My statement still stands," Darien said, taking in the size of the vehicle.

"Argh! You're so infuriating Darien!" she shouted as she opened her car doors. Darien quickly lugged her suitcases back into the car before heading the other way. "Aren't you coming?" Serena asked with a raised eyebrow.

Darien smirked. "No. I'm not carrying this helmet around for nothing you know."

It was at that moment that Serena established the link. Darien was the dangerous motorcyclist parked beside her! She frowned and marched towards him. "I almost killed you!" Serena said, jabbing a finger into his chest.

Darien looked at her baffled. "What?"

"You were that motorcyclist back there! Pulling the swift right turn? You can't possibly be that thick in the head!"

Darien's mind wandered back to not too long ago and vaguely remembered a shiny silver Murano going to slow for his liking. "So you're the little grandma who took her time taking the turn." Darien smiled.

Serena blushed furiously. "I'm not a grandma! What is it and people calling me that today?" Serena asked herself loudly. Darien raised an eyebrow. "Never mind... You could've gotten you or your girlfriend killed or something!" Serena said.

Darien looked into her eyes. They were full of concern and care. She had been worried about him, not angry. His heart suddenly softened at the thought of Serena actually caring about him.

"Helloooo? Earth to Darien!" Serena said jumping up and down in his face.

Darien snapped out of it. "Huh? Yeah... You're right, Serena. I shouldn't have pulled that turn so quickly." He moved towards his bike. "I'll lead and you follow. I promise I won't pull any extravagant moves on the road anymore," he said before slipping on his helmet.

Serena stood there for a second thinking about how compliant he suddenly became. She hurriedly jumped into her car. 'Did he just call me Serena?'

--

Serena watched as Darien pulled onto the side. She followed closely as she took the parking spot behind him. It had taken forever to get to his place because of traffic. This part of the city didn't look like a dump and she hoped the apartment was just as nice.

They walked to the front doors silently. They didn't know what to say to each other. It became even more awkward as they went up the stairs. Serena preferred fighting with him than this. But what was she supposed to say?

They arrived on the second floor, the last floor. Serena was about to ask him about the neighbourhood, but an old lady called for Darien from the bottom of the stairs.

"Darien? Is that you?" said the old lady in a sing-song voice.

"Yes, Mrs. Palowski," Darien replied robotically, rolling his eyes. Serena gave him a questioning look. "She's the owner of the building," Darien said in a whisper. Serena nodded once.

"Would you come down here for a second, dear?"

"I can't, Mrs. Palowski, I have company."

"Come down here and let me have a look at you!" she said more urgently.

Serena giggled silently. Darien dragged his feet to the bottom of the stairs to meet Mrs. Palowski. "My you look very handsome today!" Serena heard the woman say. Serena walked to the edge of the stairs to peer down. She saw that Mrs. Palowski was a really old and small lady. "Would you like some cookies, dear? Fresh out of the oven. They're for my grandchildren but I wouldn't mind giving you one or two," she said, pinching Darien's cheek with one hand. Serena covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing too loudly. This was priceless! She finally had something that she could tease Darien about!

"I can't. I really have to go. It was nice seeing you though," Darien said politely.

"It's always nice to see you," Mrs. Palowski smiled.

"Have a nice evening," Darien said as he hurried back up the stairs. He waited for Mrs. Palowski's door to close. He sighed in relief.

"I think she has a crush on you Darien!" Serena said giggling.

"I'm sure she does. Everyone has a crush on me," Darien said, slipping his key into the keyhole of his apartment door.

"Ha! Don't flatter yourself. I don't have a crush on you."

"You will soon enough, whether you like it or not." Darien walked into his apartment and threw his keys on the nearby high table.

"Ha! Yeah right..." Serena mumbled. Her mind pictured herself with Darien, holding hands, kissing... She quickly shrugged the thoughts away. 'Ugh... that would never happen.' She walked in. His apartment was very... clean. His furniture was very plain, either black or white. The room had no color, no life. "Geez Darien, it's called an apartment not a morgue you know."

Darien turned around. "It's called modern and classic. Not that you would know anything about that."

Serena looked at herself in the long mirror on a wall in the small hallway. She was dressed simply. White shorts and a loose pink tank top. Well, it wasn't modern OR classic, but it was her. Was there something wrong with the way she dressed? 'Maybe that's why I'm still single.'

Darien was watching her from his kitchen which was directly on the right of the entrance, after the closet. He wondered why she was looking SO intensely at herself that he found himself staring at her.

"Like what you see?" Serena said, surprising him in the act.

Darien ducked behind refrigerator door, hitting his head while he bent over to get juice. "Ow!" 'Shit...' He heard Serena laughing. He groaned. "Do you want anything to drink? Water? Juice?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered. She was closer now.

Darien got up with the pitcher of juice. "Holy shit!" he shouted as he dropped the pitcher. Serena was behind the refrigerator door. He didn't know she was that close. "Could you have been a little more quieter Meatball Head? What were you doing sneaking up on me?"

"I wasn't sneaking up on you! You were just too absorbed with yourself."

"Ugh... Just help me clean this up," Darien said. "There's a towel right there."

Serena grabbed the nearest one and crouched down, cleaning up the mess first. Darien had turned around to get other towels from the lower cabinets. When he turned around, his mind shifted to impure thoughts. There was Serena, crouching down before him where he had a perfect view of her cleavage. It had been a hot day in the city and her body was glistening with a thin layer of sweat which made her seem more alluring somehow. 'Cut it out, Darien! You have a girlfriend!' he reprimanded himself. But he couldn't help it; they were so perfect and inviting. Her lips parted open as she reached out to clean further away from her. He wanted to take her right there and then. When did Serena get so much sex appeal? He just wanted to pull her up and take her right there on the kitchen counter. He was getting more and more aroused. He didn't know how much more he could take.

"What are you doing just standing there? Are you going to help me clean or not?" Serena asked frustrated.

Darien's dirty thoughts vanished and he was immensely thankful. He rapidly recomposed himself, banning himself mentally from having any more dirty thoughts of Serena.

After the mess was cleaned, Darien gave Serena a short tour of his apartment. Short because it wasn't that big of an apartment. Her bedroom was small, but beggars can't be choosers.

"How much is rent?"

"Everything included it's 650. So that means you have to cover 325 a month."

"I was expecting it to be more expensive."

"Mrs. Palowski's given me a slight discount," Darien said sheepishly.

"I told you she has a crush on you! When's the wedding day?" Serena asked laughing.

"I have a girlfriend, remember? Or are you getting Alzheimer's already?" Darien asked.

Serena stopped laughing. She had fun with Darien today. She forgot he had a girlfriend. She might as well have Alzheimer's, she'd feel happier. Why did she feel unhappy? She changed the subject. "I'm gonna get my luggage now. Wanna help?"

"You're on your own. Those things weigh a ton! You didn't have to pack everything in your house you know."

"Argh! I'll just get them myself," Serena said stomping off.

"Kidding, Meatball Head. I'll come with you."

They headed downstairs, quietly. Darien didn't want to stir Mrs. Palowski. Serena hurried out and headed to where Darien's bike was. Another car was parked behind it and it wasn't hers. Serena's heart began to race. "Darien, where's my car?"

Darien quickly walked to Serena's side. He didn't know what to say.

"Please don't tell me that it got stolen." Serena's face was contracted in terror. "I can't believe it! One day in New York and so much shit has happened! I can't believe this! First the crazy driver, then my dorm room, now THIS!!! Please tell me this is a dream, Darien..." Serena said hyperventilating, tears building up in her eyes.

"Come on, let's go inside. We'll call the cops."

"How am I going to tell my parents? It was my birthday present! The most expensive birthday present I've ever got! Everything was in it! My clothes! Everything!" Serena was now crying frantically.

Darien didn't know what to do. He suddenly found himself wrapping his arms around Serena's fragile body. He felt her sob onto his chest. "Shhh... let's go inside. The sooner we call the cops, the earlier they'll find your car."

Serena nodded and headed back inside with Darien.

--

"Yes, that's right. A silver Nissan Murano. Thanks," Darien said before hanging up.

Serena was curled onto one side of the couch, hugging her knees. "What'd they say?" Serena looked up at him hopeful.

"They said that they'd call as soon as they find it."

"If they find it."

"I'm sure it won't be long. Look on the bright side. We barely spent an hour in my flat. How far could they be?"

"That's easy for you to say Mr. Perfect. You have the perfect apartment, perfect looks, perfect smile, perfect girlfriend... Perfect everything!"

"Where's this coming from?" Darien asked confused.

"Like you don't know!" Serena shouted.

"I don't! Look, I know you're scared and angry and that you're looking for someone to blame, but that's no reason to take it out on me," Darien said sternly.

Darien was right. She was frustrated as hell. Someone took all her belongings not knowing that they meant something to someone. She felt helpless just staying here on the couch, not able to do anything. She just needed to vent out and Darien was the only victim available. "You're right Darien... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." She looked up to see his expression.

Darien's expression softened. "It's okay. I know what it's like to feel helpless." Darien recalled waking up at the hospital all alone. "But the police are doing what they can to fix this." He sat on the couch beside her. Serena stared blankly at the floor. "So you think I have perfect looks huh?" Darien asked, trying to change the mood. "Told ya you'd get a crush on me Meatball Head," he said smugly.

"I have no such thing!" Serena blushed. "Not even if you were the last man on earth!"

Darien smiled. She was back to normal in a matter of seconds. He hated to see her so... vulnerable and sad. His mind flashed back to when he had held her in his arms. She had moulded perfectly against his chest. It felt almost right to have her there. 'You have a girlfriend who loves you damnit. Besides, Serena's just a freshman.' "How 'bout we order some pizza? I'm not much of a cook..."

"Sure. I want all-dressed with some fries. I want a hot dog too," she said categorically.

"Glad to see the Big Apple hasn't changed your appetite," Darien said teasingly.

Serena glared at him. Darien picked up the phone and ordered.

--

Nothing good was playing on TV so Serena was stuck watching 'The Fast and the Furious' with Darien. What else could she expect from a guy's DVD collection? The movie was mostly spent eating in silence, but unlike before, it was a pleasant silence.

Darien turned and saw that Serena was passing out beside him. She was swaying from side to side, from time to time, her eyes trying to stay open. She had put up a good fight before her head landed on his shoulder. Darien smiled. He turned and caught the smell of her hair. It smelled fruity, just like she always did.

Darien decided to call it a night. He slowly got up and gently picked Serena up from the couch. He quietly walked to the guest room, which was now hers, and gently laid her under the covers. She stirred in her sleep. "Darien?"

"Shh... I'm sorry I woke you. I was just-"

"Thank you..." she moaned softly, before drifting off once again.

Darien's eyes softened. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. 'So different than when she's screaming her lungs out at me...' he chuckled. He tucked her in and turned off the lights. He closed the door behind him, but not before taking one last long look at the sleeping beauty.

--

Author's note: Hope you liked this chapter guys! I'm really excited about this story. I have lots of ideas and I've already started the next one! I can't promise it to be out as quickly as this one, but hopefully I won't be too swarmed with school work (it's my last semester of uni and the teachers haven't softened up). Tell me what you think! Keep reviewing! Until next time =).