1 AN: Thanks again to all the people who gave me such encouraging reviews. This is the third chapter of my first fanfic ever. I'm really sorry it took so long to post this, I've been really caught up in school stuff and all the holiday stuff. Again please give me some slack for using the NA names and stuff like that. If you are wondering "is dialogue" and 'is a character's thoughts'. Email me at Xerexs2001@hotmail.com (I love email!). Thanx for taking the time to read this, I hope you like it! : P

Disclaimer: If you think I own Sailor Moon than you should get your meds refilled. (And I don't own Soup Opera Digest either)

2 Love Found in Snow

By Xerexs

2.1 Chapter 3- The Hiccups?

"Rise and shine Sweetheart." Ilene said while she gracefully walked across Serena's happy and well-kept room to the window near Serena's bed. She started to hum softly as she opened the curtains and let the bright sunshine reach Serena's bed.

"Mommy!" Serena whined as she tried to block the relentless sunlight from her sleepy eyes. Serena then glanced at her pink bedside clock and groaned as she turned away from the bright sunshine. "It's ten o'clock on a Saturday! I'm not supposed to be awake for at least another four hours! Why did you wake me up?"

"Don't you remember Dear? You made me promise you last night that I would wake you up at ten. You wanted at least two hours to get ready before you go out with that handsome young gentleman who dropped you off last night. What did you say his name was Darling? David? Devin? Damien?"

"DARIEN?!!!" Serena shrieked as she sat up in her cozy bed. She had been too sleepy to even realize that today she had plans with Darien. Once her groggy brain had made the connection she had shrieked the name of the one person who immediately filled her mind. Unfortunately Serena's poor mother thought that Serena was yelling his name at her because she had forgotten it.

"Well excuse me! I'm sorry I forgot his name but there's no need to yell! Here I am taking time out of my busy day to give you a pleasant wakeup call so you don't have to wake up to a blaring alarm clock and you yell at me! You yell at your mother, the woman who raised you and has the gray hairs to prove it!"

"I wasn't yelling at you Mom! And besides, you don't have gray hairs." Serena said when her mother finally stopped her tirade. "I was yelling because I completely forgot about my plans with Darien! I need to get ready! What am I going to wear?" Ilene smiled sweetly at her daughter sitting deep in concentration trying to remember every piece of clothing she owned.

"You might want to bundle up dear. The snow fell all night and everything is covered in a blanket of snow. I'd say there's at least a foot of it outside! I don't want my baby girl catching a cold."

"Really?" Serena jumps out of her bed to look out the window. Sure enough everything had been turned into a beautiful land of glittering snow. "Awesome! I have to get ready! Thanks for the wakeup call Mom!" Serena gave her mother a kiss on the cheek she ran out of the room thinking out loud, "What am I going to wear?!!!"

Serena then went through her normal getting-ready-rituals but because she wasn't in her normal late-for-school-rush she was able to actually take her time getting ready. First she took a nice refreshing shower and then dried her hair and put it in its normal "meatball" style. After much deliberation Serena finally decided on wearing a soft beige and brown turtleneck sweater that flattered her nicely and the coziest pair of jeans she owned. Serena kept her makeup simple as always and wore white shimmer powder lightly brushed on her eyelids and a shear pink gloss on her lips.

By 11:15 Serena had finished all of the rituals necessary for looking her perky-best. While Serena was looking in her full-length mirror doing a final inspection on her wardrobe choice her nose picked up the sweet aroma of chocolate chip pancakes. "I love my Mommy!" Serena gushed and ran down the stairs and into her kitchen before she had a second thought.

"Your pancakes are on the table Darling." Ilene said as she saw her daughter run towards her at top-speed.

"Goodie! Chocolate chip pancakes are my favorite! Along with chocolate chip waffles and chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip muffins. Or at least one particular Muffin!" Giggled Serena as she sat down to her rather generous helping of chocolate chip pancakes. Serena saw her mother give her a questioning look and quickly replied, "It's a long story!"

Because Serena had a lot of time on her hands and a lot of butterflies in her stomach she ate her breakfast more slowly than usual. Still faster than any normal person's eating speed but not quite up to Serena's normal "inhaling" speed.

"You must really like this young man if he's made you nervous enough that you slowdown your eating." She giggled as Serena blushed a shade of crimson Ilene had never seen on her daughter's face before.

"MOTHER!"

"What?" Ilene asked innocently. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot, I not allowed to know anything about my daughter's life. You should be thankful to have a mother as understanding as me. What other mother do you know who would send their husband on pointless errands just so he wouldn't be able to interrogate his daughter's date when he came to pick her up?"

"You mean Daddy's not here?" Serena knew this was a very good thing. "Mommy have I told you recently how much I love you?" Serena got up and gave her mother another kiss on the cheek on her way to the sink to wash her dishes.

"That's what I thought." Ilene said as she went back to reading her most recent issue of Soup opera Digest.

Serena glanced at the clock and saw that it was 11:30. She still had a half-hour to kill before Darien was going to pick her up. Because of her anxiousness Serena was more than a bit restless. Trying to think of something that could occupy her time, Serena suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

"Hey Mommy, do we have any muffins?"

"Weren't those pancakes enough for you dear?!!!"

"I'm not going to eat any right now, I just want to bring one with me. It's kinda hard to explain but I've got a plan and it's imperative that I have a muffin in order for it to work. Preferably a yummy muffin, maybe blueberry or something"

"Okay, I'll take your word for it Dear. I think we've got one chocolate chip muffin left in the fridge somewhere."

"No way! That's perfect!!!" Serena then opened the refrigerator to rummage through the many food products [Xerexs: hehehe, food products Do ya get it?] in search of that one elusive chocolate chip muffin. It had been the one muffin to escape Serena's mind-boggling pig-outs because her mother had the sense to hide it behind the vegetables.

When Serena finally found it she took the perfect chocolate chip muffin out of the fridge and put it on the counter. She then spent the next twenty minutes trying, unsuccessfully, to wrap the muffin in plastic wrap. When Serena realized that her efforts were futile she sweetly asked her mother if she would do it for her.

"Darling, plastic wrap really isn't that difficult to figure out." Ilene said as she neatly wrapped the uncooperative muffin in plastic wrap in less than thirty seconds.

"It's difficult for me! Thanks Mommy." Serena kissed her mother on the cheek for the third time and grabbed a sticky-note off her refrigerator door and a pen and seated herself at the table. She then proceeded to write that she wouldn't let her mother see.

"Now what on earth are you doing?"

"It's all part of my plan Mom. If all goes accordingly I may come home the happiest girl in the world. Don't worry you'll be the first one to know all the gushy details but for right now you're not allowed to know what's going on."

"I understand, consider my nose completely out of your business as of now. But I expect your full report as soon as you get home." Ilene couldn't help being more than a little bit curious of what her daughter had planned. 'Teenagers today are so wacky when it comes to love!'

*Ding Dong*

"He must be as anxious as you are if he's five minutes early to pick you up. He does know who you are, right? Doesn't he know that early isn't in you vocabulary?"

"Ha ha. Very funny! Last-minute-check!" Serena was so excited she could barely contain herself but she had to make sure she looked her best for Darien. Consequently Serena performed the traditional predate-last-minute- check with her mother.

"Hair?" "Check"

"Clothes?" "Check"

"Makeup?" "Check"

"Anything in my teeth?" "Nope"

"Anything on my face?" "Oops, here you go dear"

Ilene then wiped the stray chocolate off of Serena's cheek. 'Wow, Serena only managed to get a little chocolate on her face today. I'm very impressed!'

"Thanks Mom! Do you think you could get the door while I grab my coat and stuff?" Serena sang as she grabbed the flawlessly wrapped muffin while smiling and bouncing her way down the hallway to the family closet.

Ilene smiled to herself as she went to get the door. 'I'm so relieved that now she's happy. I guess all she needed was a boy-toy of her own. Ahh, young love!'

Serena opened the door and went inside the huge family walk-in closet. She took her white marshmallow-like down coat off its hanger and put it on. Serena then grabbed her pink and white striped hat and somehow fit it over her meatballs without messing up her hairdo. She grabbed her matching mittens as Serena heard her mother open the front door.

"Hello Mrs. Tsukino."

Ilene smiled at the young man standing on in her doorway. She quietly admired his gentle deep voice and warm presence. 'Now I know why Serena is so smitten with him.'

"Hello Darien, please come in. Serena will only be a moment, she's just getting her coat and gloves."

Darien stepped into the Tsukino's entryway. He couldn't help but smile back at Serena's mother. She had the same happy personality as Serena. 'So that's where Serena gets it from.'

"Darien!" Serena squealed as she ran down the hallway. She obviously couldn't contain her excitement. She also couldn't prevent her clumsiness. As she quickly approached Darien she suddenly tripped over herself and was sent flying through the air.

Darien couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched Serena take a nosedive towards him. He had been caught in this situation more than once while simply walking down the sidewalk. Being well practiced in this field Darien smoothly took one step to the side and held his arm in the direction that Serena was soaring.

Expecting to hit the floor with a loud THUD like usual Serena squeezed her eyes shut. Right before her expected impact she suddenly felt herself being grasped around the waist.

Ilene stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of her. Her beautiful daughter was caught in the arms of the mysterious man who had stolen her heart. It was almost too much for her, Ilene was as known for being emotional as Serena, Ilene was almost unable to contain the tears of happiness she had for her daughter.

Still smiling at the bubbly blonde in his arms Darien slowly lifted her to a standing position. His hands lingered around her waist. Darien tried to convince himself that it was because he was waiting for her to regain her balance.

Serena was still a bit dazed when she realized that she was standing with Darien's arms around her waist. It took her another minute to realize that his grip on her wasn't loosening, not that she minded. She loved the strong feeling that had wrapped itself around her fragile frame. Though she was comfortable Serena wanted to understand this unexplained phenomenon.

Darien saw a blush creeping on Serena's face as she came out of her daze and turned to stare at him. When Darien finally gave in to Serena's stare and looked her in the eye he recognized the questioning look she was giving him. It was then that he realized that he still held his grip around Serena's feminine waist.

Serena almost whimpered as she felt Darien's secure grasp let go. It was then that Serena realized that she wasn't the only one that had been staring. She noticed that her mother's eyes had been fixed on the two of them during the entire ordeal. To Serena's surprise her mother wasn't giving her the glare of death that she had suspected. Instead, there was a pleasant smile on her face and a knowing look in her eyes.

"You kids better cut it out and get going before Mr. Tsukino comes home!" Ilene said this in a light-humored way even though Serena's father coming home too soon was a very serious prospect.

"Smart thinking Mom! Later!" Serena saw the seriousness of the situation and let out a nervous giggle. She didn't want to see her dad chase Darien through the woods with a shotgun.

Darien wasn't too eager about seeing Serena's father either. He knew that Mr. Tsukino would beat him with a shovel first and ask questions later. He'd rather not be around when Serena's over-protective father came home.

"Bye Mrs. Tsukino." Darien said as Serena dragged him out the front door and towards his sleek-little-red-sports-car.

"Whoa, slowdown Meatball Head!"

"Sorry, but you know my dad. I just don't want to see you skinned alive."

"Thanks I think."

"So what are we gonna do first on this money-free date. I mean. uhh. not a date per se. just as friends."

Seeing his opportunity Darien gently clasped Serena's arm in his.

"I'd be flattered if you considered this a date Sere. Especially after all my torturing!"

'Wait, he wants me to think of this as a date?!! Did he just call me Sere?!! Whoa! *BRAIN OVERLOAD*

2.1.1 HICCUP

"Aw sugar cookies! Now I've got the hiccups!"

"Sugar cookies? That's the first time I've heard that. Sere you are too cute!"

2.1.2 HICCUP

Darien continued leading Serena to his car as she continued to hiccup. He couldn't help but think that she was adorable. 'They sound more like squeaks than hiccups."

"Grrrrr. This is so embarrassing!"

"Why? Everyone gets the hiccups."

"Yeah, but not everyone squeaks like a mouse every time they get a teensy bit nervous." Serena immediately covered her mouth with her free hand. 'Dammit! I definitely wasn't suppose to say that!'

Darien's eyes immediately sparkled mischievously. He saw his chance and he couldn't help but tease her at least a little bit.

"Why on earth would you be nervous Sere?"

2.1.3 HICCUP

"When on earth did you start calling me Sere?"

"You should know by now that you can't answer a question with a question. Besides, Andrew and all your other close friends call you Sere. I just thought that now that I'm you 'friend' it would be okay for me to start calling you it too. I mean we are going on a date."

2.1.3.1 HICCUP!

***TO BE CONTINUED***

AN: Sorry I had to stop there. I was going to make it one huge chapter but it would have ended up being like 30 pages long!!! I'm begging you please REVIEW it! I need feedback! Hope you liked it! : P