Hey everybody! This is going to be my version of Under the Tuscan Sun with the Sailor Moon characters. I might have to change the gender of some characters of the movie because Sailor Moon is lacking in male characters. But, don't worry, its only if I have too. Well, here we go!
"Before I start signing these books, I need to thank somebody, when I had her at state....wait, that didn't sound right, I mean when I took her class at state I had the worst ideas in the world, it was like writers block had taken over me. I was just about to quit her class when she told me something that really made a difference. She said to take one of my terrible ideas and work on it- so I did. Serena Tsukino- who loves terrible ideas. May I please French kiss you now?" That was Melvin. He had finished the work on his book Trisha's Fields and was holding a book signing. Serena had taught a writers workshop and he had been one of her students.
"Married Melvin, sorry." replied Serena, holding up her hand to reveal a wedding ring. Melvin hopped off of the table he'd been standing on and ran down to Serena where he gave her a hug.
"Proud of me?" he asked.
"Ridiculously."
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Serena and Michelle were hanging out at the reception of the signing and her friend Jadeite was following her asking "What did you do to these brownies? They're fantastic."
"Chocolate is...timeless my friend. The rest is magic." She said magic with a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"Andrew is one lucky guy- a literary wife who makes brownies? I swear if you tell me you cook in the nude I'll kill myself."
"Never in the nude, always in a thong." Serena joked. A man carrying a plate of champagne glasses walked past them and Serena grabbed to glasses- one for her and one for Michelle.
"Actually, if you knew Serena better, you'd know that these brownies are a sign of avoidance." Said Michelle.
"Thanks." Serena said sarcastically.
"You're welcome."
"So how's your novel going?" asked Jadeite.
Serena sighed. "Not so well, but the procrastination is going along fabulously. And soon it will breed abject self loathing and then I'll just become a writing machine."
"It's her process." Quipped Michelle.
"What about Andrew?" asked a voice from behind. Serena whirled around to find herself face-to-face with someone she didn't actually know. "How's his book coming along?"
"Fine," replied Serena matter-of-factly. How dare he ask about her personal life? Her husband's book was not his concern. "He's home writing. Right now. This minute....you know Andrew?"
"I met him....recently, by coincidence. The other coincidence is that you reviewed a book of mine."
"I did? Did I like it?" At this point Michelle and Jadeite were simply listening.
"No, you didn't."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry. I'm sure there were tons of other critics who absolutely loved it. I really, really hope you didn't take it personally."
He snorted. "You called my lead character unrealistic."
Serena stamped her foot playfully. "I think that bad reviews should just be forgotten."
Michelle leaned over and whispered into her ear. "Give him a brownie." and stuck the treat into her hand.
"And," Serena started again "I would like to give you this brownie as a peace token."
The man ignored her offering started again with more of an ironic tone to his voice. "You just couldn't get interested in a book where the lead character was a middle-aged man who spent his life living his horny teenage fantasies. I just...I just find that ironic."
Serena was confused. Ironic? "Uh, Ironic? Why?"
He gave her a devious look. "Ask your husband."
He walked off only turning back to give her an evil satisfied grin then turned back to his destination. Serena looked after him with a shocked look to her face. She looked at Michelle who still stared after the man who hadn't even introduced himself. Michelle looked back at her. Serena felt a pain in her chest.
"What did he just say?" Both girls plus Jadeite quickly flicked they're eyes back at the stranger, but he was gone.
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"Serena? Serena?" Serena snapped her attention back to her lawyer who was glancing over some papers. "I have some bad news. Um, I just got of the, uh, phone with your, uh, husbands attorney and, uh, they're going to pursue alimony."
Serena looked dumbstruck. "Huh? Um, h-how can we be talking about alimony when I hardly make enough money to, uh-"
"But you supported him during the marriage."
"Yes, but when he was pretending to be writing and researching his book I- I worked while he pretended to be."
"Unfortunately, this is just about the math."
"Well, he was having an affair."
"Yes, but sadly, California is a no fault state." Serena only nodded. "His attorney indicated that he would prefer alimony. He, uh, said that since you and your husband were living rather modestly, I don't think the number should be too bad. They're probably talking about something like, uh, two hundred thousand dollars."
Serena gasped at the same time she gave a nervous laugh. "I don't ha- I don't have that kind of money."
"Unfortunately, you do." Serena gave him a confused look, but then quickly came to a realization.
"The house," she said.
"It's, uh, value went, uh, through the roof since you bought it."
"Oh....and renovated it with my mothers money."
"Now it's all, uh, it's all community property now."
Serena looked like she was about to cry. Why? Why was this happening to her? She looked at her attorney after sniffing for a few moments. "So I, lose the house. And alimony."
"Well, there's leeway in the numbers and we'll make most of the arrangements we can, but there IS a bargaining chip, he wants the house."
"He wants the house? He wants to keep living there?"
"Yes, and if you let him have it, you could, well you could end up with quite a bit of money in the bank. I understand he wants it pretty badly."
"Oh.......I'm sorry this is so surreal. How- how would he even be able to find the money to be able to buy my house away?" Her lawyer just fumbled with his glasses a bit. Serena became to a terrible realization. The woman he was having an affair with.... "Oh, wow."
"It turns out she really likes it. It's near all the right schools."
"Schools. She's-she's...." Serena let out a large breath. The woman was pregnant. Serena felt her world come crashing down.
"You're-you're going to get over this. You will. It just takes time. I promise that someday you're going to be happy again."
"Hmm. Hmm, right." She said not believing a word of it.
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The next day Serena had some movers come over and pack up what she wanted to take with her. She had her hands on her checks as they asked her what she wanted packed up.
"The desk?" said the head mover.
"Yes, the desk goes. No, no the desk can stay."
"Okay, what about the couch." He pointed his pen at the black and white couch. Serena thought for a moment.
"Yes please."
The head mover said some things the others in what sounded like Spanish. Each one grabbed bubble wrap and started to wrap it up. Serena watched them for a moment before changing her mind.
"Wait a minute, uh, no. The couch can stay too."
He called them off. "What about the chairs?" she shook her head.
"I think I'll have everything stay except those boxes off books by the stairs. That is, uh, if you don't mind." He asked her if she was sure and all she replied with was a nod.
"Then, we are done?" he asked.
"Yup, we're done. We're done." She replied before taking one last look at the room. "We're done."
Before leaving the house completely she grabbed a small blue glass vase and, after pouring all the water on the floor, stuck it in her pocket and left the house for good.
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The landlord of her new short term apartment was a short man was a slight five o' clock shadow who wore a pair of Coke-bottle glasses that hid his face.
"So," he said "are you getting a divorce?"
Serena snorted. "It shows? Perfect."
The man pushed away some dividers to reveal a small kitchen and cooking area. "Well, with short term apartments that's all we get, honestly. Now, uh, your neighbor in 4B is an attorney and his divorce has been dragging on for several years. He's a nice guy though. He'll give free legal advice to the other tenants." A mans loud crying burst through the room. The landlord rolled his eyes. "If his crying ever gets on your nerves just bang on the wall and he'll almost automatically stop." He slammed his fist on the wall and an apology was heard followed by silence. "And, uh, the guy in the apartment above you is a doctor. He gives out the sleeping pills at night to whoever wants 'em. Now, uh, what do you do?"
"I'm a writer." Serena replied.
"So you can... help the others with they're suicide notes." He chuckled.
Serena snorted again. "Oh, you're one of those funny landlords."
The stout man shook his head. "No, not really. Well, good luck." And with that he dropped a pair of keys on the table, wished her a good stay, and left her in the small room. Serena slowly looked around the dreary apartment, sighed, and collapsed on the floor. She gave the room a final look before falling asleep. "Home."
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Later that week, after she had settled down she had received a call from Michelle who asked her to have dinner with her and her girlfriend Amara. Serena considered the fact she needed to get away from the four walls of her apartment and agreed. When she entered the door Michelle greeted her and told her to cover her eyes. After she had found her seat Michelle instructed her to uncover her eyes only to reveal a delicious chocolate cake with the word Freedom written in white on the brown icing.
"Ta-da!" exclaimed Michelle. "If you start a marriage with champagne and cake you should finish it that way too. The beginning and the end should be fun fun fun."
Serena smiled. "Yeah, too bad about those pesky years in the middle."
"Sorry I'm late." Said Amara as she walked up to them. "Things got kinda crazy at the hospital." she turned to Michelle. "Hi."
"Hey," said Michelle. The two gave each other a quick kiss. "You made it in time for the toast. I thought you weren't going to be here." She held up her glass. "To freedom."
"To freedom."
"To freedom."
The glasses clinked and Amara and Serena both took a swig where Michelle however set her glass down and waited for Serena to notice.
Serena noticed. "You're not drinking. You're not drinking."
"Fifth time was a charm!" grinned Amara.
"Oh my God! Michelle! When are you due?" cried Serena.
"May." smiled Michelle.
Serena stood up and raised her glass. "I'm going to be an auntie! I, am going to be, an auntie." Miscellaneous people applauded while Amara and Michelle blushed.
"That changes our plans a little bit," said Michelle after Serena had sat back down. "We were going to take a ten day tour of romantic Tuscany, but Amara doesn't want me flying during the first trimester."
"Small sacrifice," stated Serena.
"So," continued Michelle "we decided to change our coach tickets into an upgraded ticket for you."
"Oh....this is amazing, really generous, but no."
"How can you say no to Tuscany?" asked Amara.
"No: like that."
Michelle rolled her eyes. "That's you depression talking."
"Well, it doesn't speak Italian, it speaks a little high school French.... Besides I'm not ready to meet anyone yet."
"Oh, you won't." said Amara. Serena looked confused.
"It's a gay tour of romantic Tuscany. So, it would be very relaxing for you. Mostly couples, no one to hit on you, or check you out. You could just relax and focus on your novel," explained Michelle.
"I can't I have all those books to review!"
"Instead of working on your own book." said Michelle.
"Wow. Are you trying to be mean or just hormonal?"
At that moment Amara's beeper went off. "Okay, that's the hospital. Don't kill each other until I get back." Amara said as she left the table.
"Can we just talk about the baby?" asked Serena.
"I think you're in danger," said Michelle.
"Of what?"
"Of never recovering. You know when you come across one of those empty shell people? Ad you're like what the hack happened to you? Well there came a time in each one of those lives where they were standing a crossroads."
"Crossroads. Ugh, that is so Oprah."
"Someplace where they had to decide whether to turn left or right. This is no time to be a chicken Serena!"
"I'm not being a chicken Michelle! I'm not."
"Okay, okay. Just... promise me you'll think about it."
"Fine, I'll think about it. I will. I'll think about it."
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Serena sat at her desk staring down a piece of paper trying to work on her story. She heard the lawyer start his crying again. "He-e-e-y!" she cried.
"Sorry!" he said through the wall.
"S'okay!"
"You want to come over?"
"No!" the crying started again. "Maybe later!" Moments later she realized what she had said. She buried her hands in her face. "Ugh, maybe later?" She rose out of her chair and grabbed the phone. Serena dialed Michelle's number and, after a few moments, heard her pick up. "Michelle? When do I leave?"
So ends the first chapter of Under the Tuscan Sun. In the original Japanese version of the anime and the manga Amara and Michelle are gay, just so you know. R&R Please!