Darien nodded and turned to face the direction of his apartment. He slowly began to walk away. It seemed that as each step was made, his feet grew heavier. He wanted nothing more than to just ran back and take her into his arms. He had waited to be with her for so long and now he was just walking away. It was strange, she had told him that she would be waiting for him when he went to sleep. Darien knew that his dream princess would be there, but, for some reason, his princess and the girl that he had danced with in the moonlight did not seem to be the same person. They were, but there was something different... something that Darien could not quite point out.



He cast one more look over his shoulder to see his angel watching his retreating form. Even at this distance, he could see the early morning rays glisten off of her fresh tears.



Serena watched him until she could no longer see him. She gave a heart wrenching cry as she sprinted home. She had tripped several times, thoroughly scrapping up her knees. Her tears, added to her characteristic klutziness, made her fall even more than usual. Finally, she climbed back into her window and collapsed on her bed. Only then did she allow the shimmering dress and glittering pearls to dissolve. The sleeping cat at the foot of her bed had never noticed a thing.







Darien lay on his back with his hands clasped firmly behind his head. 'remember me as I am now,' Darien remembered they she had kissed him and the way she clung to him as they danced. It was sweeter than it had ever been in his dreams...



'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do



He had sang this to her and he knew now more than ever that it was true. He had loved her when she had merely visited him in his dreams but he wanted more. He had experienced a little taste of heaven. She had questioned his love for her because she feared that he would dismiss her as soon as he discovered her faults. What she didn't know is that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted the girl that was insecure... the girl that needed him to kiss her tears away. He wanted a girl that was vulnerable... the girl that needed him to hold her. He just wanted her to need him. The perfect princess in his dreams provided light into his life. The vulnerable angel he had tonight showed him love. True, he did love his dream girl, but how can a dream love back?



'Why was she so insecure? She talked as if she and the dream princess were two separate women...'



This was the last thought that passed through Darien's mind before he drifted off to sleep and visited the palace ruins shrouded in mist and, for once, Darien was not looking forward to being succumbed by dreams.







The next day, Serena sat in the booth that was located in a secluded corner of the arcade. She positioned herself so that she could clearly see the sliding door. It was a Saturday afternoon and she knew that Darien would be coming in sometime. She just wanted to see him. Even though she would be better off to forget the events that had occurred the night before, she couldn't bring herself to say it was a mistake. She didn't want to forget. He had held her in a way that he never would've otherwise. To him she was just stupid and klutzy Meatball Head... but, for one night, he saw her as beautiful. No merciless teasing or cruel remarks, only sweet compliments... too bad the compliments weren't really directed toward her.



The sound of the automatic door sliding open brought Serena out of her contemplations. A flash of green material proved that it was Darien.



"Hey Drew," he greeted with a broad smile plastered on his face.



"Hi Darien. What put you in such a good mood?" Andrew asked showing his teasing nature when he added, "did you spend the night with a girl?"



Darien smirked at the way Andrew's lips had curled into a sly grin. "If you must know, yes..."



Andrew's eyes immediately grew wide as his jaw fell open. "You... and... a girl? Are you serious? But you never date? So, what is she like?"



"Perfect..."



Serena cringed when she heard Darien's reply. Perfect. All of her hopes immediately crumbled. She had thought, that maybe, he could love her instead of the "perfect" princess, but he just proved her wrong. Her eyes went downcast while she concentrated on guarding her tears. She had already allowed too many to fall.



Andrew motioned for Darien to come closer. "Since you seem to be in such a great mood, would you mind going over and cheering up Serena?"



Darien followed Drew's gaze to see a petite girl who was slumped down in the cushioned booth. "Why don't you do it? She doesn't even like me."



"That's the thing, I tried. She came in here early this morning and has been sitting there ever since. She got here shortly after I did and I opened this morning."



"You're kidding. Meatball Head? She got up early?"



"This isn't funny, Darien. Something's really wrong. I tried to talk to her but she just told me that I shouldn't waste my breathe and that nothing I said could possibly make things better. Then, I told her that I could still try..."



"What did she say after that?"



"I quote, 'unless you can turn me into a princess, there's nothing that can be done...'