What If...?
Chapter 4
By: Jessica M. Moonflower
Disclaimer: Bah humbug! I don't own Sailor Moon! *pouts*
ANs: E-mail me please! It's the best Christmas present I can get from anybody! ^_^ Feliz Navidad!
"Everyone says you only fall in love once, but that's not true. Every time I hear your voice, I fall in love all over again." *~Source Unknown*~
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Darien found himself standing in the middle of a warm and cozy living room in a familiar house. A Christmas tree stood off to the side, the tinsel glittering from the blazing fire in the fireplace.
He walked over to a nearby table to pick up a silver framed photograph. With one glance at the picture, he realized he was at home. Perplexed, he turned to Joyce.
"Why are we at my house?"
"We're back to the present. It's now approximately twelve midnight."
His eyes widened in shock at the explanation and checked his watch to figure out how it was possible that time could pass by so quickly.
"Has time really passed by that quickly?"
She simply shrugged and replied, "I brought you here to show you something."
"Show me what?"
Before she could answer, Serena clad in a white robe walked into the living room from the kitchen. Darien noticed how red and swollen her eyes looked as she passed by him to sit on the couch.
Numbly, he walked over to the couch and sat down beside her. He tried to reach for her in order to stop her crying and comfort her, but to his surprise his arms went right through her body. He paled completely at what just happened.
"I guess I forgot to specify as to what I meant when a person in the past or present can't see or hear us. It also means that you can't touch or talk to them," Joyce informed him, feeling horrible to see his pain strickened face.
"But she's crying right now! I need to comfort her after I..." He stopped mid-sentence as he had an astonishing revelation.
"After you...?" She tried to urge him to go on.
"After I made her cry. I told her that the company meant more to me than her and Juliette. How could I have said that to her?!" He banged his fist on the couch cushion, frustrated with himself that he could stoop so low as to hurt his wife for these past few years.
Joyce remained silent, quietly observing Darien and Serena on the couch.
"I can't believe he doesn't think we're important to him." She silently sobbed to herself, the light of the fire making her teardrops sparkle and glisten.
"But you are, Serena. I love you both with all my heart! If only you could hear me say it!"
Darien felt like crying himself. It was unbearable to see her like this.
"I don't know how much more I can take all this. The look on Juliette's face was enough to make my heart break in two. He promised to be here and read her a story. Now they're all empty promises."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Serena! I didn't realize how much I was hurting both of you, but I see it now. Forget the business! All that matters now is being with you and Juliette."
"If this keeps up, I'll have to do what's best for this family--get a divorce."
Serena's sobs began to grow more agonizing by the minute as she wet a lace covered pillow with her tears.
"A divorce?!" he exclaimed disbelievingly, shaking his head as he looked intensely at the woman who meant the world to him. "You can't mean that, Serena! No, please don't do this to us...to Juliette! I'll change I promise, Serena, but please don't break this family apart!"
Ignoring the fact that she can't hear him, he continued to reach out for her in a fruitless attempt to show her that he was here next to her on the couch right now.
"God, I love you so much, Sere. Don't throw away years of love that we shared together! Don't take away everything that means so much to me. Please don't leave me!" he cried brokenly as he continued to shout more things at her.
A hand on his shoulder stopped his desperate exclamations. He looked up to see Joyce with a sorrowful look on her face.
"You see what you have become?"
Tears ran down his face, nodding shakily at her inquiry.
"You have to send me back now, Joyce. I've got to convince her that she doesn't need to file for divorce... that our marriage can work if she just believes in me and our love."
Bending down in front of him so they were eye level with one another, Joyce softly said, "Not yet. There is one more thing you need to see...your possible future concerning your family."
"What are you talking about?" he carefully questioned her, his blue eyes probing her amethyst ones for answers.
"In order to be absolutely sure that a person wants to change his or her life now is for them to be taken to their future as of right now if they don't change their ways."
"I'm not going to like this next trip, am I?"
"Afraid so." She sighed dismally.
"Let's get it over with."
In a flash of light, they disappeared into the last phase of their journey.
To be continued...
*~~*******~~*
(Written December 9, 2001)
Chapter 4
By: Jessica M. Moonflower
Disclaimer: Bah humbug! I don't own Sailor Moon! *pouts*
ANs: E-mail me please! It's the best Christmas present I can get from anybody! ^_^ Feliz Navidad!
"Everyone says you only fall in love once, but that's not true. Every time I hear your voice, I fall in love all over again." *~Source Unknown*~
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Darien found himself standing in the middle of a warm and cozy living room in a familiar house. A Christmas tree stood off to the side, the tinsel glittering from the blazing fire in the fireplace.
He walked over to a nearby table to pick up a silver framed photograph. With one glance at the picture, he realized he was at home. Perplexed, he turned to Joyce.
"Why are we at my house?"
"We're back to the present. It's now approximately twelve midnight."
His eyes widened in shock at the explanation and checked his watch to figure out how it was possible that time could pass by so quickly.
"Has time really passed by that quickly?"
She simply shrugged and replied, "I brought you here to show you something."
"Show me what?"
Before she could answer, Serena clad in a white robe walked into the living room from the kitchen. Darien noticed how red and swollen her eyes looked as she passed by him to sit on the couch.
Numbly, he walked over to the couch and sat down beside her. He tried to reach for her in order to stop her crying and comfort her, but to his surprise his arms went right through her body. He paled completely at what just happened.
"I guess I forgot to specify as to what I meant when a person in the past or present can't see or hear us. It also means that you can't touch or talk to them," Joyce informed him, feeling horrible to see his pain strickened face.
"But she's crying right now! I need to comfort her after I..." He stopped mid-sentence as he had an astonishing revelation.
"After you...?" She tried to urge him to go on.
"After I made her cry. I told her that the company meant more to me than her and Juliette. How could I have said that to her?!" He banged his fist on the couch cushion, frustrated with himself that he could stoop so low as to hurt his wife for these past few years.
Joyce remained silent, quietly observing Darien and Serena on the couch.
"I can't believe he doesn't think we're important to him." She silently sobbed to herself, the light of the fire making her teardrops sparkle and glisten.
"But you are, Serena. I love you both with all my heart! If only you could hear me say it!"
Darien felt like crying himself. It was unbearable to see her like this.
"I don't know how much more I can take all this. The look on Juliette's face was enough to make my heart break in two. He promised to be here and read her a story. Now they're all empty promises."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Serena! I didn't realize how much I was hurting both of you, but I see it now. Forget the business! All that matters now is being with you and Juliette."
"If this keeps up, I'll have to do what's best for this family--get a divorce."
Serena's sobs began to grow more agonizing by the minute as she wet a lace covered pillow with her tears.
"A divorce?!" he exclaimed disbelievingly, shaking his head as he looked intensely at the woman who meant the world to him. "You can't mean that, Serena! No, please don't do this to us...to Juliette! I'll change I promise, Serena, but please don't break this family apart!"
Ignoring the fact that she can't hear him, he continued to reach out for her in a fruitless attempt to show her that he was here next to her on the couch right now.
"God, I love you so much, Sere. Don't throw away years of love that we shared together! Don't take away everything that means so much to me. Please don't leave me!" he cried brokenly as he continued to shout more things at her.
A hand on his shoulder stopped his desperate exclamations. He looked up to see Joyce with a sorrowful look on her face.
"You see what you have become?"
Tears ran down his face, nodding shakily at her inquiry.
"You have to send me back now, Joyce. I've got to convince her that she doesn't need to file for divorce... that our marriage can work if she just believes in me and our love."
Bending down in front of him so they were eye level with one another, Joyce softly said, "Not yet. There is one more thing you need to see...your possible future concerning your family."
"What are you talking about?" he carefully questioned her, his blue eyes probing her amethyst ones for answers.
"In order to be absolutely sure that a person wants to change his or her life now is for them to be taken to their future as of right now if they don't change their ways."
"I'm not going to like this next trip, am I?"
"Afraid so." She sighed dismally.
"Let's get it over with."
In a flash of light, they disappeared into the last phase of their journey.
To be continued...
*~~*******~~*
(Written December 9, 2001)