Sweet Surrender
Part 2/?
By Elisabeth James
liz221@ameritech.net

Hello all and welcome back to my special EMSiT Day
fic. It's been awhile huh? I'm trying to make this my most
romantic fic yet and it should be an epic one at that. I have big
plans for this fic so please stay tuned and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon

Once again I apologize for using U.S. version names, try
to look past it if possible :)

~* Chapter two- First Encounters *~

"Then who's that?!" she pointed a neatly manicured nail
in Serena's direction at the other end of the court. Darien's eyes
widened at the sight of the angel from the garden standing only
twenty feet away.

Serena felt all the blood rush to her face, she had been
caught watching their argument. He was staring at her now,
those brilliant blue eyes huge with amazement. She pulled her
hands from the fence, knowing that this would be the best time
to leave but something held her there. She took a step back, still
transfixed with his eyes. Finally it was the brunette in his arms
that knocked them both back to earth.
"It's true, isn't it? Here I was, gullible enough to believe
you and here's your- your whore standing on the side waiting for
me to leave!" she struggled out of Darien's strong embrace. He
slowly turned his eyes to her, afraid that if he looked away the
blond angel would disappear.
"Rachael, it's not what it looks like, I swear!" she shot
him a look of pure contempt and marched from the tennis court
leaving him to watch her retreating back. The gate slammed shut
behind her, the sound echoed throughout the vast yard, breaking
Serena from her trace.

At the sound of Rachael's footfalls across the tennis
courts, Serena realized somewhere in the back of her mind that
the other girl was leaving. She watched in horror as the woman
(she was probably the handsome man's girlfriend) ran into the
darkness leaving her feeling utterly alone. She snapped her
attention back to the blue- eyed stranger who was now calmly
approaching her. The expression his face was unreadable, and
she wasn't willing to take any chances.
"Who are you?" she barely heard his words over the roar
of the blood rushing past her ears. She stepped back and broke
into a run, trying to get back to her car and out of the situation as
quickly as possible. She could hear the other gate open, the one
she had been standing next to, and knew he was rushing after
her.
Her white tennis shoes slid across the grass under her feet
as she fought to regain traction on the slippery surface. She
threw a glance quickly over her shoulder, and saw him quickly
closing in on her. The look on his face was determined, his lips
set in a firm line. Her already racing heart sped up to triple time
as she felt his cool gaze on her back. She felt her balance start to
go, her arms flailed involuntarily to try and save her. In those
few precious seconds, he had caught up with her
His large hands wrapped around her arm, pulling her
backwards in an almost violent action. Her feet flew out from
underneath her as his arm wrapped around her stomach to try and
steady her. She felt the world tilt crazily around her as the both
of them crashed to the ground.
Serena felt the air leave her lungs as she made impact,
her head slammed into the earth, causing a sharp pain to echo
through her brain. Her eyes slid shut as she fought to force air in
and out of her lungs, it felt as if there was a 200 pound person
standing on her chest.
"Are you all right?" the voice cut through the throbbing
in her head and she slowly opened her eyes to find a familiar
looking man lying on top of her. His blue eyes were gazing into
hers with a fierceness that made her shudder. She opened her
mouth to speak, her mind finally clicking together the pieces that
she had been given. This was Darien Harrison, the oldest of the
Harrisons' three children, heir to the corporate throne of the
Harrison empire. She had only seen him a couple of times at a
few functions she had attended with her mother. He had been
tall, well-built and undeniably handsome. He had also been
extremely cold and withdrawn.
He slid off of her, a slight blush gracing his features, at
least one of them had the nerve to be embarrassed. He stood up,
and was looking down at her, studying her face, "I- I'm fine." he
offered her a hand to help her stand up and she accepted it
gratefully and he hoisted her effortlessly to her feet. Her
thoughts were swimming, and she couldn't fight off the feeling
of dizziness that circled around her. He placed a hand on her
shoulder to help steady her and she shot him a warm smile.
"Thank you."
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"
The smile abruptly left her face, "My mother sent me to pick up
a box she had forgotten earlier. I saw you outside so I thought I
might ask you if you had seen it." she lied, unsure if he would
believe her but he only nodded. He glanced quickly at his watch,
and then met her eyes once more, "Why don't you come inside
so I can take a look at your head, you hit it pretty hard in the fall.
Plus the sprinklers should start going off-" without warning the
sprinkler system kicked on, soaking them both in seconds, "any
minute now..."
Serena couldn't help but laugh at their predicament as a
cold artificial rain cascaded down upon them. Darien smiled at
her boyishly as he lead her into the inviting house before them.

"Here, you can use this to dry off. I'm going to go
change into some dry clothes." Darien tossed her a towel and
then disappeared down the hallway leading away from the
kitchen.
She dried her face, arms and legs off and wrung her hair
out in the sink. The kitchen was a warm sunny place decorated
in bright yellow and white. It was such a contradiction from the
dark tiny kitchen in her apartment that she walked around
touching everything and taking it all in.
"What it must be like to live here..." she whispered out
loud. A voice interrupted her thoughts, "It's terribly lonely
actually, and everything is so fragile, I'm afraid to go near half of
it." she spun around to find Darien standing in the doorway
watching her. He was clad a simple gray T-shirt and a pair of
boxers and he had a pile of clothes in his hands. He handed
them to her, "They're my sister's, she's about your size so they
should fit." she nodded silently and accepted them, "The
bathroom is right over there." she padded down the hallway and
closed the bathroom door behind her.
Darien walked over to the kitchen table and pulled out a
chair and sat down. The consequences of his actions tonight had
just started to set in. Rachael had broken up with him because
someone had told her he was seeing someone else behind her
back. There was no one else in his life but her. The voice in the
back of his head argued with him almost immediately, reminding
him of the girl changing down the hallway. But that was just an
infatuation, she was too young for him, nothing would ever come
of their relationship, if it could even be called that...

Serena studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror, her
damp hair hung limply around her shoulders all the way to her
knees since she had taken down her buns. Her face was free of
makeup, her ivory skin still glowing from her dash across the
yard. The clothes she now had on were a little too big, she didn't
fill out the tanktop like his sister must have because it was baggy
on her slim frame and the jean shorts rode low on her hips.
"Why do I have to be so darn skinny?" she asked herself,
"I'm flat as a brick wall..."
She ran a brush through her hair before opening the door
and stepping out into the hallway. The butterflies in her stomach
were fluttering like mad, making a sick feeling wash over her.
She was a complete stranger to him, and she wanted so badly to
make a good impression when she walked out there. All she had
done so far was embarrass herself terribly in his presence.
He was sitting at the kitchen table when she walked into
the room, his head cradled in his hands, his eyes closed in deep
thought. She pulled the pile of wet clothes closer to her, unsure
of what to do or say.
"Well... I guess I'll be going now. Thanks for the dry
clothes, I'll have my mother bring them with her on Monday
when she comes in." His head jerked up at the sound of her voice
and he turned to look at her.
"Are you sure your head is okay?" he rose from his chair
and took a step toward her, she countered with a step back. "I'm
fine Darien." she said his name without thinking and she walked
quickly toward the exit. He stepped in front of her, blocking her
escape.
"I'll walk you out to your car-" he paused, realizing that
he still didn't know her name. "I'm sorry I don't know your
name."
Serena smiled, taken back by his warmth and openness, it
was a complete opposite of what she thought he was like, "It's
Serena, my mother is your gardener."
He grinned and opened the door for her, "I figured, I have
been wondering who you were for ages. I saw you helping her
earlier today." The crickets had begun their nightly chirping, and
the sound rung through the air. The sprinkler had already shut
off, leaving the grass dewy and sparkling under the moonlight.
"She begged me to come along, I personally can't stand
gardening. I have a somewhat regretful effect on plants." she
smiled slightly, completely relaxed in his presence.
"What would that be?" he paused a few feet from the
station wagon, wanting to prolong the conversation.
"I kill them." Serena tried to keep a straight face as the
broad shouldered man beside her let out a deep chuckle. And air
of seriousness settled in over them, making her shiver, "That girl
I saw in the tennis court... She was your girlfriend, wasn't she."
Darien nodded, "It looks like she's my ex-girlfriend now,
she was broke up with me tonight. Someone was telling her that
I was fooling around with another girl behind her back."
The pieces clicked together in Serena's mind, "And she
saw me and assumed I was the girl." when Darien didn't reply,
guilt blossomed in her chest. "I'm sorry Darien."
"It's not your fault, I have a feeling it would have ended
soon anyways. It's hard to have a relationship without trust." she
nodded and started walking toward her car again. She spotted
the box her mother had sent her to fetch by the garage. She
walked over to it and picked it up with ease.
"Well this is what I came here for, I guess I can be on my
way now." Darien opened her trunk for her, noticing that there
wasn't a lot of space left. "Oh shoot, I completely forgot I have
my paintings back here." She glanced at her watch, "And it's too
late to take them to the college to drop them off."
"We can just put it in the back seat." he opened the door
on the driver side and she set the box inside on the seat. "Do you
paint?"
She grinned, "All the time, my mother says it will amount
to nothing, but I love it. I'm entered in the local art show next
weekend, I was supposed to go and set up tonight. I guess I'll
have to wait until tomorrow." she closed the car door and opened
the one in front of it, ready to get in.
"Do you need some help, some of those paintings look
pretty heavy for a girl to be carrying around." he placed his arm
across the top of the door, his form casting a shadow over her
face. A look of surprise flashed across her delicate features
before a breathtaking smile took it's place, "Umm... sure, help
would be wonderful."
"Okay, can I get your phone number, I'll call you
tomorrow morning for directions. Is that all right with you?" She
told him the number and watched him write it on a slip of paper
he pulled out of his T-shirt pocket. She slid completely into the
car and he shut the door gently behind her.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." she started the engine up
and put the car in reverse and started to back down the long
driveway. He waved briefly, watching the headlights fade into
the darkness before walking back into the house.

Mehgan had been watching the entire outdoor exchange
from one of the windows in the kitchen. A sly smile played
across her lips as her big brother made his way back into the
house. She jumped into the doorway as soon as he had pushed it
open.
"Soooooooooooo, what's her name?" Darien jumped a
little, not expecting the young girl to leap out at him.
"Mehg, you don't waste any time do you?" Darien
grumbled as he gently pushed past her to get into the kitchen. He
put the piece of paper on the kitchen table where he wouldn't
lose it and started toward the stairs to go to bed. Mehgan
grabbed onto his arm and pulled him backwards to face her.
"Nope, I'm an opportunist, so spill. What's her name,
how old is she, what was she doing here so late at night?" Darien
let out a soft chuckle at his sister's antics.
"First off, it's not that late, it's only nine o'clock. Second
of all, her mother forgot something here earlier so she came to
pick it up. And last but not least, her name's Serena and I don't
know how old she is." Mehgan was quiet for a moment as she
processed the information.
"So you could be a cradle robber and not even know it."
Darien shot his younger sister a warning look telling her not to
go down that path right now. "What! You are twenty years old,
she doesn't look that old to me."
"Mehg, please, it's been a long night. Between Rachael
breaking up with me-" she cut him off midsentence, "Rachael
broke up with you?" he nodded grimly.
"Sucks to be you. But now you're free for Serena." she
chirped happily. Darien had long since given up trying to reason
with his sister, she lived with her head in the clouds and was a
hopeless romantic. It was best in most cases to just let the issue
drop and let her think whatever she wanted. He started toward
the stairs to go upstairs to his room, "Goodnight Mehg."
"I can just picture your wedding now, she'll make a
beautiful bride. They'll be roses everywhere and doves, you
can't have a wedding without doves." she was ticking things off
on her fingers as she mentioned them.
"Goodnight Mehg." he repeated and she made a shooing
motion to him before turning to the refrigerator humming the
wedding march. She watched her brother's broad back retreat up
the stairs and finally heard his door click shut. She pounced on
the slip of paper and reached for the portable phone. She dialed
up Serena's number quickly and was giddy with relief when a
young girl picked up the phone. "Is this Serena? Oh good, this
is Mehgan, Darien's younger sister. I was wondering if maybe
you wanted to have a sleepover tonight..."

~To be continued...~

Okay this was kinda short, but what did everyone think?
My plot is kinda kicking in now, wait until it gets into full swing
:) Please send feedback and let me know what you think of the
fic thus far!

My thanks goes out to: Mehg (who is the one who keeps
begging for this dratted thing) Mere for her editting efforts and
Clare who, even though she isn't into SM anymore, still reads
my stuff :)

Liz-chan