Opposing Protectors
Disclaimer: La-dee-da-dee-da...oh, I'm sorry, were you expecting me to say something (to the tune of I don't own Sailor Moon)?
Chapter 16: No More Secrets
The small family awoke to a bright sunny morning. They had high hopes that today was going to be a fulfilling day. Today they were going to everything they could to help Serena get her memory back. They weren't expecting a miracle, but they did have powers, which they were hoping would help. So, with their minds set, they sat down to a pancake breakfast before heading out for the day.
Later that day.......
"Hey Andrew! What's up? Anything interesting happen lately?" Darien asked as the trio headed into the Arcade.
"Hey guys! Hey Rini!" he remembered Serena's 'cousin' from her previous visits. "Not much happening lately, nothing new. But what about you?" he asked mischievously. "What's new with you?"
"Not too much. Just enjoying the married life." Darien said, ignoring his mischievous and suggestive tone.
They were avoiding telling their friends about Serena's amnesia and were just going to help her play it by ear and cover for her, because there really was no good explanation for it that didn't lead back to who they were. She had no bumps, bruises or scratches, and the ones she had had before were gone due to the Senshis' abilities of fast healing. No, if Serena's friends learned about her amnesia, it would inevitably lead to them finding out the truth. They knew this probably wouldn't last forever, but they wanted to buy as much time as possible...hoping for a miracle that would return Serena's memories to her before their friends found out the truth.
"Uh-huh...yeah, sure, whatever. I'll bet you two haven't left your apartment since the party...until now that is."
"Knock it off Andrew! Serena and I haven't been acting any differently than we usually do. So get over it."
Taking a chance, Serena added: "Even if we HAD been up to something, what business would it be of yours?" Andrew grimaced and dropped the subject, he couldn't think of any good comebacks to that one.
"So, how's the house shopping coming along?"
"Actually, we haven't had too much time to look yet. We've been too busy bringing her stuff over to the apartment and working. Not to mention a family dinner the other night. Just stuff like that."
"I hear ya. Life can get really hectic sometimes."
He has no idea! Darien thought to himself. Out loud he said: "Oh yeah. You got that right."
"What about you Serena? You've been pretty quiet. How have you been enjoying the married life?"
Having been caught off guard, she blinked a few times (giving her a kind of confused look) and paused (so as to register what he had just asked her) before blurting out: "I think it's wonderful."
Serena knew by the look on Andrew's face that he knew something was off. Darien too noticed this look and they both just glanced at each other, a look of dread hidden beneath their well-practiced facades. Neither one of them wanted to deal with the barrage of questions they knew were coming. In a silent conversation, they decided that if he asked, they would have to tell him the truth...all of it. Before Andrew could say anything, Darien told him that they needed to talk, privately. They called Rini (who had run to play video games upon their arrival after saying 'hi') and then followed Andrew into the back.
As they headed to the back, Serena and Darien both realized that this would probably be the same with all of their friends. They had a quick (but quiet) discussion about it and agreed that they would spend the next few days visiting friends and talking with them...but only their very closest friends (of course). Just as they had made their decision, they reached the back room and the group once again told their story. And just as before, they transformed at the end to provide proof of its validity. Once they had detransformed, they looked expectantly to Andrew to see what his reaction was.
"So, the mysteries are solved and the questions are answered." he said with a look of surprise on his face.
"Look Andrew, I'm sorry I never told you but..." Darien started.
"Darien, stop. You don't have to explain. I get the whole secret identity thing. I've seen enough super-hero movies to know about that kind of thing. To tell you the truth, I think it's really cool! Two of my best friends are Tokyo's two lead saviours! And don't worry, before you even ask, I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"Wow. You're taking this a lot better than my parents did." Serena said.
"Well, hey...you have your reasons for not telling me and I'm not going to question that. You guys are my friends and nothing is going to change that. Besides, now I can help you guys cover at school and vouch for you at your work places and stuff like that. What I can't get over is that you two have a daughter!"
"Future daughter." they all corrected him.
"Right, sorry. But still...who would've ever guessed?"
"Yes, well..." Darien said and then cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject.
The group talked a while longer and they answered all of Andrew's questions. They then thanked him for his friendship and understanding before heading out and leaving Andrew to his work.
As they walked down the street, they discussed what to do next as well as who of their friends they should tell. Their walk led them to Serena and Darien's favourite park. They found a bench and all sat down while they continued their conversation.
"Do you really think..." Serena paused. She suddenly felt this wave of familiarity wash over her as she rested with her head on Darien's shoulder and his arm around her. "We use to do this a lot, didn't we? You know, before I lost my memories. We would sit here all day or all night and just talk or enjoy the beautiful weather."
"Yes, we did. It was one of our favourite things to do." he answered her and smiled down at her, glad at the fact that she had at least recognized that much of their past. She too smiled at the fact. A short silence ensued before Serena returned them to their previous conversation.
"Anyways, as I was saying before, do you really think it's a good idea to tell the rest of our friends about us without them asking?"
"Under normal circumstances, I'd say no. But considering the situation as it is, with your amnesia and school starting in just under a week, I think it might be helpful for them to know. For both their sakes and yours."
"Alright. Then I'd suggest we get going. We have several stops to make and the day isn't getting any younger."
So the three of them left the park and headed for the Baker residence to tell Molly and her mother the truth. If Melvin happened to be there, all the better, as he was also on their list of people to tell. That would be their first stop. After that, they each had a few more friends from their respective schools and workplaces to go to. Saori, Coby and their bosses were among the ones to be told. They knew that they had a long day ahead of them, but this was something that they had to do. It would probably take a few days to get a hold of everyone, but they'd get it done. So, they set off to perform their tedious task.
Later that night, after they had gotten home and had dinner, Rini announced that she would be returning home to the future the following night. Although sad, Serena and Darien understood that she had to go and said that they'd have a special good-bye dinner for her with all of her friends and family. This seemed to please her and they all got ready for bed.
After spending the day hunting down and telling all their closest friends and family as well as their bosses the truth about who they were, they were exhausted. Mind you, they still had a few people to track down, but their families and bosses knew at the very least. Most of the people they had told so far had taken it rather well; others needed time to let it sink in. But all in all, it turned out well. They hadn't lost any friends because of it, nor did they lose their jobs because of it. They felt relieved by it, as though a large burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
So, they went to bed feeling good about the decision they had made...they had made the right choice. Now there would be no more lies, no more guilt, and no more secrets between them and their friends.
Disclaimer: La-dee-da-dee-da...oh, I'm sorry, were you expecting me to say something (to the tune of I don't own Sailor Moon)?
Chapter 16: No More Secrets
The small family awoke to a bright sunny morning. They had high hopes that today was going to be a fulfilling day. Today they were going to everything they could to help Serena get her memory back. They weren't expecting a miracle, but they did have powers, which they were hoping would help. So, with their minds set, they sat down to a pancake breakfast before heading out for the day.
Later that day.......
"Hey Andrew! What's up? Anything interesting happen lately?" Darien asked as the trio headed into the Arcade.
"Hey guys! Hey Rini!" he remembered Serena's 'cousin' from her previous visits. "Not much happening lately, nothing new. But what about you?" he asked mischievously. "What's new with you?"
"Not too much. Just enjoying the married life." Darien said, ignoring his mischievous and suggestive tone.
They were avoiding telling their friends about Serena's amnesia and were just going to help her play it by ear and cover for her, because there really was no good explanation for it that didn't lead back to who they were. She had no bumps, bruises or scratches, and the ones she had had before were gone due to the Senshis' abilities of fast healing. No, if Serena's friends learned about her amnesia, it would inevitably lead to them finding out the truth. They knew this probably wouldn't last forever, but they wanted to buy as much time as possible...hoping for a miracle that would return Serena's memories to her before their friends found out the truth.
"Uh-huh...yeah, sure, whatever. I'll bet you two haven't left your apartment since the party...until now that is."
"Knock it off Andrew! Serena and I haven't been acting any differently than we usually do. So get over it."
Taking a chance, Serena added: "Even if we HAD been up to something, what business would it be of yours?" Andrew grimaced and dropped the subject, he couldn't think of any good comebacks to that one.
"So, how's the house shopping coming along?"
"Actually, we haven't had too much time to look yet. We've been too busy bringing her stuff over to the apartment and working. Not to mention a family dinner the other night. Just stuff like that."
"I hear ya. Life can get really hectic sometimes."
He has no idea! Darien thought to himself. Out loud he said: "Oh yeah. You got that right."
"What about you Serena? You've been pretty quiet. How have you been enjoying the married life?"
Having been caught off guard, she blinked a few times (giving her a kind of confused look) and paused (so as to register what he had just asked her) before blurting out: "I think it's wonderful."
Serena knew by the look on Andrew's face that he knew something was off. Darien too noticed this look and they both just glanced at each other, a look of dread hidden beneath their well-practiced facades. Neither one of them wanted to deal with the barrage of questions they knew were coming. In a silent conversation, they decided that if he asked, they would have to tell him the truth...all of it. Before Andrew could say anything, Darien told him that they needed to talk, privately. They called Rini (who had run to play video games upon their arrival after saying 'hi') and then followed Andrew into the back.
As they headed to the back, Serena and Darien both realized that this would probably be the same with all of their friends. They had a quick (but quiet) discussion about it and agreed that they would spend the next few days visiting friends and talking with them...but only their very closest friends (of course). Just as they had made their decision, they reached the back room and the group once again told their story. And just as before, they transformed at the end to provide proof of its validity. Once they had detransformed, they looked expectantly to Andrew to see what his reaction was.
"So, the mysteries are solved and the questions are answered." he said with a look of surprise on his face.
"Look Andrew, I'm sorry I never told you but..." Darien started.
"Darien, stop. You don't have to explain. I get the whole secret identity thing. I've seen enough super-hero movies to know about that kind of thing. To tell you the truth, I think it's really cool! Two of my best friends are Tokyo's two lead saviours! And don't worry, before you even ask, I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"Wow. You're taking this a lot better than my parents did." Serena said.
"Well, hey...you have your reasons for not telling me and I'm not going to question that. You guys are my friends and nothing is going to change that. Besides, now I can help you guys cover at school and vouch for you at your work places and stuff like that. What I can't get over is that you two have a daughter!"
"Future daughter." they all corrected him.
"Right, sorry. But still...who would've ever guessed?"
"Yes, well..." Darien said and then cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject.
The group talked a while longer and they answered all of Andrew's questions. They then thanked him for his friendship and understanding before heading out and leaving Andrew to his work.
As they walked down the street, they discussed what to do next as well as who of their friends they should tell. Their walk led them to Serena and Darien's favourite park. They found a bench and all sat down while they continued their conversation.
"Do you really think..." Serena paused. She suddenly felt this wave of familiarity wash over her as she rested with her head on Darien's shoulder and his arm around her. "We use to do this a lot, didn't we? You know, before I lost my memories. We would sit here all day or all night and just talk or enjoy the beautiful weather."
"Yes, we did. It was one of our favourite things to do." he answered her and smiled down at her, glad at the fact that she had at least recognized that much of their past. She too smiled at the fact. A short silence ensued before Serena returned them to their previous conversation.
"Anyways, as I was saying before, do you really think it's a good idea to tell the rest of our friends about us without them asking?"
"Under normal circumstances, I'd say no. But considering the situation as it is, with your amnesia and school starting in just under a week, I think it might be helpful for them to know. For both their sakes and yours."
"Alright. Then I'd suggest we get going. We have several stops to make and the day isn't getting any younger."
So the three of them left the park and headed for the Baker residence to tell Molly and her mother the truth. If Melvin happened to be there, all the better, as he was also on their list of people to tell. That would be their first stop. After that, they each had a few more friends from their respective schools and workplaces to go to. Saori, Coby and their bosses were among the ones to be told. They knew that they had a long day ahead of them, but this was something that they had to do. It would probably take a few days to get a hold of everyone, but they'd get it done. So, they set off to perform their tedious task.
Later that night, after they had gotten home and had dinner, Rini announced that she would be returning home to the future the following night. Although sad, Serena and Darien understood that she had to go and said that they'd have a special good-bye dinner for her with all of her friends and family. This seemed to please her and they all got ready for bed.
After spending the day hunting down and telling all their closest friends and family as well as their bosses the truth about who they were, they were exhausted. Mind you, they still had a few people to track down, but their families and bosses knew at the very least. Most of the people they had told so far had taken it rather well; others needed time to let it sink in. But all in all, it turned out well. They hadn't lost any friends because of it, nor did they lose their jobs because of it. They felt relieved by it, as though a large burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
So, they went to bed feeling good about the decision they had made...they had made the right choice. Now there would be no more lies, no more guilt, and no more secrets between them and their friends.