Hello everyone! It's time for another chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one… OH and just for the record- no Ken is not gay… hehe that made me laugh. He's just modeled to be very doughy and consequently rather funny. He's kinda like the comic relief in the story.

Thanks to: CharmedSerenity3, Pyro-Girl, Carby6, Rose Zen, moon-bunnie, Ishq, Priestess of Nottingham, Snick3rDooDl3, Alicia Blade, IluvSmallvilleDBZSailormoon (nop I haven't watched the Nanny in a few years, and no I wasn't raving about you. I agree with you), Serena and Darien7, Aria's star, princess-nav, kireisnowtenshi (sure you can call me that! Kinda reminds me of Counter Strike though hehe), Angel Des, Red-Rose18, keepoath, Crystal Moon, SailorSenshiForever, MegTao, SwimBunny123, MunChixD, cardcaptor eternity, Snow Mouse, Endy's Girl (I like seeing your name in here too!), CelloSolo2007, cassandrare2001, Miss Jessica Rabbit, JRS-Jennifer Rose Serenity, Illusion Glades, Luna Eesha, mew bunnyboo, tkdl, pencil gal, chatterbox-hikaru13, MidniteRoses, disilluzional88, Starlit Warrior, palikani, Rikou Kyohaku, wh00t, Lijen, Firesoulliz and Mermaid Gurl 95

Title: Ski Bunny Blues
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: T13
Chapter: 12- Mischievous Mayhem

"Here… I've got the tux coat for you. It should fit…" Andrew placed the coat down onto my bed. I glared up at him as I fixed up my collar and white bow tie. "I know I know… you owe me. That's ok. I'm sure you'll find a way to repay me SOME day." He gave his usual innocent smile and I rolled my eyes.

"You know… she's never going to approve of this." I adjusted my sleeves.

"But alas dear Darien, she is with the girls as we speak, getting dressed up for you." He sat on Serena's bed and watched as I put the suit jacket on and adjusted the cuffs.

"She's not getting dressed up for me. She's getting dressed up because she has to." I frowned, ironing out any creases with the palms of my hands.

"On the contrary, why would she be getting dressed up at all if she didn't like you? She could have simply denied to go with you and made one of the other girls go." Andrew calmly leaned back on the bed, resting his arms behind his head very casually.

"Will you stop talking like that?" I muttered and he chuckled.

"Relax Daz. I've never seen you this worked up before. Especially about a girl. You know- I was starting to think you were gay." We walked out of the room and waited near the front door.

"I'm not gay!" I threw my hands up in frustration and paced around the room. "And she's not just any-" My breath caught at the back of my throat as I saw her standing at the end of the hallway. "-girl." I whispered the rest of my sentence and picked my jaw up off the floor.

She looked absolutely stunning. Her long white satin dress clung onto her hips before falling loosely to the floor. I could see the shape of her long slender legs as she walked gracefully towards me. Her dress curved in where her waist was and I knew that that was where I wanted my arms to be. A matching white silky shawl wrapped around her neck and fell across her shoulders. Her long blonde locks were held on top of her head in a bun. Little ringlets of soft blonde hair framed her beautiful face. Her lips were curved in a seductive red pout. She gazed up at me with a sparkle in her eyes. I prayed she liked what she saw, but I knew I was getting the better end of the deal. My heart raced in my chest, so loud that I could not hear anything else. I was at a loss for words. A vision of divine perfection was walking towards me and all I could do was stare. I then began to panic. I don't know why but I did and reached out, tugging Andrew's sleeve. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Serena. He snapped out of his enchantment and fumbled with something to the right of me. I felt something in my hands as Serena stopped before me.

"These…" I looked down at the object in my hand and glared at Andrew who smiled sheepishly and shrugged. I smacked him across the head with the remote control in my hand before rushing over and picking up a bouquet of wild flowers from a nearby vase. I cleared my voice and tried again. "These are for you." I handed her the flowers and she giggled.

"Thank you." She accepted them, a light blush tinting her cheeks.

Serena's Point of View

I couldn't help but smile as I saw him. He looked incredibly handsome. Talk about a weakness for men in suits. Wow… He was clad in a traditional tuxedo with a white tie and white shirt. His black suit jacket made his shoulders seem broader, giving the impression that he was even stronger. A protector. My protector for tonight. My gaze fell upon his muscular arms and I knew I wanted them around me, to keep me safe and warm. As I approached him, I noticed that he still towered above me, even with my heels on. I felt so small in his presence and yet the gaze that was in his eyes made me feel… beautiful.

"Your coat Milady." Darien draped a warm coat around my shoulders.

"Why thank you Jeeves." I smiled up at him. "I'll need it for tonight. I'm going to freeze to death out there." I pouted at Mina and the girls for making me dress in formal attire before walking out into THE SNOW. You know… I have a feeling I'm going to get frostbite tonight. I can just feel it.

"Now now… off you go. You don't want to be late for your reservations" Ami looked up eagerly. Even she was excited for me! I looked up at Darien who offered me his arm and I took it nervously. We walked outside and I could already feel my toes becoming numb. I looked up as we reached the bottom step of the porch and to my surprise I saw the lights of another vehicle coming towards us. I squinted as its headlights shone into my eyes. When I opened my eyes once again I was greeted by the sight of a white limousine in front of me. I turned around to see everyone grinning cheesily from ear to ear as they stood on the porch, watching our reactions. Clearly Darien was just as surprised as I was, putting his car keys away. The driver stepped out and opened the door for us. I don't know whether I shuddered from excitement or from the cold but I felt Darien's grip tighten on my arm. I took my seat in the surprisingly warm limousine and was soon accompanied by Darien's presence.

"Talk about a surprise huh?" Darien gazed over at me as we pulled out of the driveway and began out trip to town.

"Yeah…" I managed to sigh, pulling my jacket closer to me and feeling my toes regain a sense of feeling. The majority of the drive was spent in silence. I didn't know what to say. I felt sickly nervous in the pit of my stomach. Sure, it was only dinner with Darien but for some reason, it felt like much more. I remembered the tips that the girls had given me for tonight;

"Remember Serena, slow and graceful at ALL times." Amy steadily coated my nails in lacquer.

"And when it comes to dinner time. Don't freak out about what knives or forks to use. Work from the outside in." Lita reminded.

"And for goodness sakes don't bore the man. Think of smart topics to talk about. Don't whine either! And try not to have a klutz attack." Raye added as she brushed my hair through.

"Serena. Have a good time ok? Just relax and have fun. You look beautiful." Mina gave me a light hug as she smiled.

I inhaled a deep breath and shuddered once more. My hands were trembling from nervousness. I didn't want anything to go wrong.

'Slow and graceful' I reminded myself in my mind. 'Noooo klutz attacks. Cutlery outside in…' I reminded myself over and over again. My heart pounded relentlessly in my chest. I was sure Darien could hear it. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and I could tell he was staring at me. I closed my eyes in fear. 'Oh gawd… what's wrong now? Do I have something wrong with my face?' I silently prayed I didn't. I unintentionally shuddered once again and clenched my hand into a fist. It was then I felt his warm hand over mine. I looked up at him and our eyes met.

"Your hand's freezing. You've been shivering ever since we stepped outside. Are you really that cold?" He asked and my heart skipped a beat. He was holding my hand! What to say? I didn't know if I should lie to him and say I was freezing my toosh off or tell him I wasn't cold at all. But if I wasn't cold, then why was I shivering?

"It's really cold…" I nodded my head. He smiled and moved closer, taking both of my hands in his and keeping them warm.

Darien's Point of View

"Welcome to La Luna Mr. Chiba and Miss Tsukino can I take your coats?" A tall man offered as we stepped into the quiet restaurant. A waiter soon stepped in.

"Good evening Mr. Chiba, Miss Tsukino." The waiter bowed graciously. "My name is Charlie and I will be your waiter for this evening. Your table awaits, right this way." He took us to a quiet cozy corner of the restaurant, pulling out Serena's seat and sliding it in under her. "Can I get you something to drink? A bottle of our finest vintage red wine perhaps?"

I looked over at Serena, giving her a questionable gaze and she nodded in consent.

"That would be lovely." I turned back to the waiter and nodded.

"Excellent." Charlie smiled. "Your meals have been preordered with your reservation, is this fine with you both?" Serena and I exchanged curious glances before nodding in agreement. Charlie smiled and left.

"Darien… I don't drink." Serena leaned over gently and whispered. "I'm not allowed."

"You will tonight… just a little bit." I winked. "It'll be our little secret but I'll order you a juice if you like." She smiled back at me and shook her head.

"Your wine…" Charlie returned and poured red wine into our glasses. "And for your entrée I present to you, fresh bay oysters."

He placed a silver platter onto the table. Sitting on a bed of crushed ice were a dozen fresh oysters and 4 quarter cut lemons. I gazed up at Serena who had a rather intrigued look on her face.

"They're regarded as an aphrodisiac, you know?" Charlie smiled rather cheekily before stepping away.

"An aphrodisiac… I should've known… That Mina…" Serena blushed slightly as she stared at the tray.

"Have you ever had oysters before?" I asked Serena, squeezing a little lemon onto a couple oysters. She shook her head but took one nevertheless.

"No but I'm willing to try anything once." She smiled triumphantly.

"Brave girl." I grinned. "Well I propose a toast. To us and our newfound… friendship." I raised my oyster shell.

"To us." She raised hers before we both downed their contents. I watched in amusement as she scrunched up her face. "Ohh… that tasted funky." She reached for her wineglass and took a cautious sip.

"You're not supposed to chew. It's supposed to go down whole." I watched her gorgeous face as she stuck her tongue out once again.

"Where's the fun in that?" She tilted her head to the side and pouted. "Thanks for telling me earlier!" She picked up another shell from the platter. "Ok… lets try again…"

Charlie the waiter kept us rather entertained throughout the night by informing us the various aphrodisiac ingredients that were in our meals and the history behind these ingredients.

"Would you care to join me in a dance?" I held out my hand, motioning over to the dance floor. Serena looked up at me, and the dance floor, cautiously.

"I… I don't dance…" She stumbled. "I don't know how."

"I'll teach you." I rose out of my seat and took her hand. She followed me to the dance floor. "Down, left, up, right…" She followed my lead, struggling at first but soon finding her way. "Now try not to look down." I lifted her chin up and she gazed into my eyes once more, biting her lip nervously.

"You're doing great." I smiled and reassured her, bringing her body closer to mine. I felt her begin to relax as she rested her head up against mine. I took a deep breath, taking in as much of her scent as I could. Vanilla and moonflower. I could feel her shallow breaths tickling my neck as we danced in the middle of the quiet dance floor. The song ended much too soon for my liking and she pulled away slowly. We returned to our table and I slid Serena's chair in under her. Charlie soon walked up and presented us with another two silver platters.

"For dessert, I present to you… Chocolate heart cake with a side of honey coated vanilla ice cream on a banana and licorice base surrounded by chocolate-coated strawberries.

"Let me guess… all aphrodisiacs?" I queried, looking up at Charlie.

"Ahh the gentleman learns fast!" Charlie beamed. "Chocolate, vanilla, licorice, honey, bananas and strawberries are all aphrodisiacs. Bananas have been considered as an aphrodisiac ever since the early days because of its rather… promiscuous shape and as for strawberries, well! They've been known to be called natures nipples." He informed freely as he served dessert. I watched Serena shyly sink into her chair and chuckled at her innocence. "Enjoy your desserts." Charlie winked as he left once more.

"You know, I don't think it was such a good idea to let him take away the wine if you know what I mean." I motioned a drinking hand gesture. Serena giggled as she gently picked up a chocolate-coated strawberry and lifted it up to her lips. I began to wonder if the aphrodisiac affected those who ate the fruit or those who watched. I shook any devious thoughts out of my head and began consuming my dessert.

After a rather bizarre dinner, Serena and I walked out to the front of the restaurant. The limousine wasn't there yet so we decided to walk around for a little longer. Condensation escaped our lips as we spoke.

"Well… that was fun!" Serena giggled. She swayed as she walked.

"Sure was." I watched the blonde as she attempted to skip. "Sere are you alright?" She continued to skip ahead before stopping and looking up into the sky. A light flutter of snowflakes were beginning to fall.

"I'm flyyying!" She giggled and lost balance, slowly falling backwards.

"Holy cheese!" I ran towards her and caught her in my arms just in time. "Okay missy, one too many drops of wine for you… Come on… lets go home." I held her shoulders to steady her as we walked back to the front of the restaurant where the limousine was waiting. We hopped in and made our way home. I watched Serena from the corner of my eyes and felt her shivering beside me. I extended an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, bringing her closer to me. She leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder before looking up to stare at me.

"You know… you have such pretty eyes…" Serena gazed into my eyes dreamily.

"Andrew's not going to be very happy when he finds out I let you drink." I smiled down at the blonde girl in my arms.

"Andy?" She looked up in thought. "He'll be happy to know you made my night complete" She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. I felt the blood rush to my head and I began to blush profusely. She rested her head back onto my shoulder and soon fell asleep, snuggled up close, hugging my chest and warming her hands up inside my jacket. I wrapped my arms around her protectively and held her close, kissing her forehead gently. She looked like an angel, and once again, she had fallen asleep in my arms.

Voila! Alright there's the end of yet again another chapter. I've been working on another story so stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for that one. Once again- please review! Thank you all so much!

Crystal Saturn