Little Family Get Together

Chapter Two

Lady Nakosha

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Author's Note: Not much to say except that...YOU NEED TO REVIEW THIS STORY! Hehehe...I know...I'm already taking anger management classes...people not reviewing just makes me punch someone...lol just kidding, don't be alarmed by my behavior--I swear-chocolate these days--does some crazy things to you.

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ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY

(Duh! It's not like I can afford Sailormoon.)

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"So Darien, what do you do for a living?" Aunt Jenna...no Lynda...no Lynn asked.

Darien couldn't keep track of everyone's names, there was so many people clustered around him. The only person whose face was imprinted permanently in his mind was Serena.

He had to keep reminding himself that he was getting married to her sister and he was a good person who would never do anything unfaithful...

But there was something so damn provocative about her that drove Darien's senses crazy.

"I, uh, study at a medical university for my PhD." Darien answered distractedly.

Lynn nodded politely and spun around and marched over to one of the other woman and began furiously gossiping to her about Denise's "air headed and almost rude" fiancée.

Darien could care less.

He didn't really care about making a good impression on Denise's family anymore.

He just cared about getting to know that smart-ass, blond headed beauty.

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So this is Denise's fiancée..., Serena thought as she licked her lips and checked him out clearly, for all her gossipy, nosy relatives to see.

They knew she was a flirt, quick-with-her-mouth, and usually (more often that not) a bitch to anyone who pissed her off or just walked past her in a way that annoyed her.

They shouldn't be the least bit surprised that she was interested in Denise's new boy toy...

But somehow she knew this one was different from the rest. And that was the main factor that made him even more delicious and more desirable to have.

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Denise looked at her sister in horror. Already she could see the logic in her sister's twisted, demented mind.

He was her fiancé! He wasn't there for Serena to steal away or scare away just like she had done every other time she had brought home a boyfriend/fiancée to meet the family!

God, how much Denise despised these insignificant, pointless little get togethers. All they proved and accomplished was passing around any new news or gossip in the family.

Uh, hello? Denise thought angrily, it's called e-mail!

Denise strode over to Serena purposefully and wrenched her around to face her. No way was Serena stealing away her fiancée!

"Serena, you can't do this to me." Denise spoke in a dangerously low voice, she was well aware of the prying ears and eyes suddenly focused on them. "Please. I really love Darien...and I don't know *what* I would do if he left me!"

Serena patted her arm in partial understanding. Denise bristled quietly. "I didn't think that you'd be so compassionate and actually stay away from him. I know you, Serena. I know that you see Darien as yet another challenge to conquer, but I don't want you to conquer him. I want to grow old with him and--"

Serena pretended to make gagging sounds. "Please, stop before I begin barfing." She smiled brightly. "I only do this for you. If they really love you, then they won't kiss me. All I do is smile a bit and laugh some more then bam, suddenly I have a pair of lips on mine kissing--"

"Just stay away from him." Denise growled. She stalked over to Darien and pulled him outside. Unnoticed by Denise (lucky for him), he turned his head and he caught Serena's eye.

She smiled flirtaeously and Darien swore he felt his heart skipped a hundred beats.

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"Darien, we need to-DARIEN!" Denise yelped as he craned his neck to look inside AGAIN.

Darien looked at her uncomfortably and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Thought I saw..."

"You were looking for my sister."

"I was not!" Darien protested, although deep within the confines of his gut, he knew she was right.

Denise's lower lips trembled ever so slightly. "You like her, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Darien explained, hurriedly he added, "She's very nice and she's your sister! I have no reason *not* to like her."

Denise sighed and griped the railing tightly. Peeling flakes of aged paint bit the insides of her opened palm. "Darien, I know you. I know her."



Darien was a bit taken back by her remark. "I know you know me and...her. You're marrying me after all and she's your sister."

"Just promise me one thing, please." Denise begged him, her fathomless emerald depths looked up at him with plead, desperation, and a familiar look of wisdom beyond her shy age of twenty-three.

Darien nodded mutely. He hoped she didn't want him to promise her something dangerous or crazy or completely and utterly--

"Promise me that you will stay away from my sister."

Darien's heart lodged it's self in his throat and seemed content in staying there. No, no, no, no...

"Promise me that you will NOT kiss or touch her at all."

Not touch her? Her skin was milky white and probably silkier than the softest silk. He had never seen such flawless skin before...

"And you HAVE to promise me that you will stay in love with me." Denise finished as she waited expectantly for his answer.

Darien flinched. Stay in love with her? Easy! Just as long as he stayed away from her angelic and mortal goddess sister, Serena, which should prove to be quite...



...Difficult.

"Okay." Darien croaked semi-convincingly, whilst his eyes, soft and warmed at the single thought of amused, and impossibly large cerulean eyes, could convince even a half-wit that Darien was lying to Denise and especially to himself.

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[AN: I almost stopped there, but I didn't have the heart hehehe.]

Denise breathed heavily through her barred teeth. Serena was beginning to get to her more than usual...

"Serena, give me that, RIGHT NOW!" She bellowed angrily.

Serena giggled mock-girlishly before she rolled her eyes and tossed the extremely fragile photo album to her.

"This isn't something you can just...just...THROW AROUND!" Denise reprimanded her sister as she pushed the glass-covered album with struggle into its proper place underneath the coffee table. "That belongs to mom and if it broke, she would be heartbroken!" Denise fumed, "Honestly! You're twenty-one-years old for heaven's sake. Can't you consider someone else's feelings for once?"

Serena exaggeratedly gave a dramatic sigh and hugged her sister vigorously, causing a chorus of released, pleased sighs, squeals and whispers of, "That Serena, I swear she loves her sister so much" "Maybe Denise should cut Serena some slack" "Sometimes Serena's words can be so loud and eye-opening, but when she's around her older sister, Serena's love is louder than anything I've ever seen!"

"Deni, could you please lower your blood pressure a bit?" Serena murmured into her sister's ear, her voice floated to Darien and unconsciously the edges of his lips lifted in a ghost of a smile, something that (Denise begrudgingly notices) had never been able to do without having to tirelessly crack jokes and one-liners over and over before finally getting Darien to smile for a split second before he sunk back into his isolated thoughts.

Denise detangled herself from her sister's death grip, so called hug. "I--I--would be able to if SOMEONE wouldn't give me a heart attack every time I turn around." She sputtered, flustered by her sister's sudden urge to touch her.

Denise felt her heart's furiously beating heart gradually slow down back to it's normal pace. "Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry, but I wanted to show Dare your baby pictures!" Serena pouted playfully.

Denise gave her a icy smile, causing the room's temperature to drop considerably. Her sister was on...on...nickname *terms* with her fiancée now? "Serena, I can show *Darien* my pictures on my own, thank you." She gazed at her sister unblinkingly. "Don't you think that I can handle something without you butting in and causing more mayhem than necessary?"

"I was just trying to help him become more comfortable and familiar with your past." Serena shrugged indifferently. "I was just trying to help!" She said brightly, well aware of the dark, deathly glare Denise was shooting her.

Denise glowered. "I do not need him to be more FAMILIAR with my past. I think that I will take care of telling him about things that you should not be discussing so casually and so openly. It's my business how and when I tell him these things."

Serena raised her arms in surrender. "Alright, you tell him. But can I-"

"No."

"I--"

"No." Denise said, the tone in her voice signaling that she was terminating any more conversation on the topic.

Serena frowned, but she caught site of a flash of blue and immediately made a beeline towards the figure, the faint call of, "Amy!" reached Denise's ears before she headed towards Darien.

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"Amy, I thought you weren't coming!" Serena squealed excitedly as she grabbed her long-time friend's arm and dragged her over to the nearest couch, the couple (practically) mauling each other moments before had vacated the seat, unwilling to have to deal with Hurricane Serena when she's denied something that she wants.

"I wasn't, but someone else covered my shift for me." Amy said, she had barely any time to hang her jacket up and catch her breath before Serena had barreled into her and begun talking a million miles an hour.

"Oh?" Serena said, she saw the faint blush that had suddenly graced Ami's cheeks. "And who was so gra-ci-ous to cover your shift?" Serena asked, singsong wise.

Ami's cheeks darkened to a crimson red color. Ami hated the way her cheeks would betray her and give away her feelings. "I--he...Serena, I highly doubt that this is appropriate to...this is a family reunion!"

"I'm well aware of what this is." Serena deadpanned. "Now tell me, what is the name of this boy--oops, man that has caught my dear friend and for the first time I've seen--made her blush!"

"I am not blushing!" Ami objected indigently. "I'm cold from this atrocious weather!" She complained, but Serena saw the way Ami's eyes sparkled as her mind conjured a picture of the man that caused her pulse to begin racing at a unnatural speed and her heart to feel lighter than a feather and happier than she had felt in such a long time...

"What's his name?" Serena asked again, her voice lower and brimming with happiness.

"His name is Jake, if you must know."

[AN: You didn't think I'd forget some of my favorite characters, the GENERALS, did you? Tsk, tsk, tsk...shame on you for thinking that they wouldn't be included in this...hehehe...]

"Oh my." Serena laughed. "His name sounds so...intellectual and handsome. Someone absolutely perfect for you."

Amy giggled. "Thank you. He just transferred to our district and he's so amazing with the patients and he's so smart and I love when we debate over something...worthwhile." She glanced around her and leaned towards Serena. "I was getting so sick of having pointless arguments with Henry about which restaurant has the best sandwiches. It was fun the first hundred times we did it."

Serena waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I think he just argued with you because he likes you. And I bet he'd always let you win to show how much he likes you."

Amy rolled her eyes. "He must like me a lot since every time I would win." She gave Serena a mock-serious look. "And all this time I thought that my knowledge about McDonald's quarter-pound hamburgers was better than his."

Amy noticed the odd look in her friend's eye. The way her cerulean eyes would glitter in that mad, challenging way...

Amy groaned when the realization finally dawned on her. "Serena, Denise brought her fiancée, didn't she?"

"Uh-huh and he is quite a looker, if I say so myself." Serena said as her eyes finally located the impossibly dark, ebony head of hair. "That man is avoiding me, I think." She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth thoughtfully. "Deni must have talked to him and told him about how much of a bad person I am and how he is to stay away from me."

"You don't know that."

"Oh, but I do." Serena said as she flicked a stray piece of lint off her flirty, pale pink skirt that barely reached her knees and failed to hide her long, smooth legs. "She's only warned every other boyfriend she's brought to visit about me."

"She wouldn't warn them about you, she just worries that--"

"Amy, Amy, darling." Serena said, "You're giving my sister too much credit. She doesn't trust her boyfriends-no-she doesn't trust ME around her little boy toys. She's afraid that I'm going to take them away from her and in the process steal away the last precious rays of happiness that's left for her."

Ami visibly flinched. "Well, she has been hurt in the past."

"But it wasn't me who did it, so I don't understand why she keeps acting and blaming everything on me!" Serena angrily stated.

Ami unsuccessfully understood her friend's words. But didn't she... "But I thought that you were the one who..."

Serena rubbed her temples and abruptly stood up. "It wasn't me." She smiled slightly. "I'm glad you came, Ames. Now, if you would excuse me..."

Serena hurriedly rushed off towards Darien and tugged him towards the back door that would bring them to the trail that led them to the lake that she and Serena had gone to countless times before.

Amy noticed how Denise's jaw dropped and how she began to follow them, but a newest guest arrived and she was forced to greet them and have her thoughts haunted on what ungodly things her sister was doing with her fiancée.

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Finished with this chapter! Review, please! :)

~LN