Winning Love: Chapter Three
Alicia Blade

I know, I know, I know I'm supposed to credit someone for giving me the inspiration for the last part of this chapter... but I can't remember who it IS! It was a story that I read YEARS ago... and the title and author have dropped from my realm of memory. So sorry... Whoever you are, thank you much, and I enjoyed your fic.

And I hope all you readers will enjoy mine.

Winning Love
Chapter Three: The Ball... or The Dance... or Something Like That

I looked in the mirror—again. I still looked exceptional, of course, but my nerves were getting to me and a little voice in my head kept whispering that maybe I'd missed a piece of lettuce in my teeth or had lint on my lapel. I didn't, but eight checks in the mirror weren't enough to put my mind in ease. It all seemed eerily familiar: one day I'm dressing up for a talent show, and now a ball. And I don't know if Serena even noticed.

Perhaps the saddest part was that the facts of the evening hadn't sunk in yet. I was taking Meatball Head to a masquerade ball? Could that be real? Me and Serena? My imagination was continuously wandering off to fantasies of dancing, her lithe body held in my arms, all night long... or at least until curfew. It was going to be a wonderful night. I looked at the clock, 6:45, and reminded myself to breathe, before grabbing my keys and walking outside to my car.

I arrived at her house with my heart hammering and my palms sweating. I knocked on the door and only waited a painful moment before a lady with blue hair answered the door.

"Hello, you must be Darien."

"And are you Serena's sister?" Okay, fine, it was a little fake. But what harm could a little sucking up do?

She quirked an eyebrow mockingly, but then smiled. "I think I'm going to like you." She opened the door a little wider, ushering me into the living room. "Can I get you something to eat?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Serena is so happy you're taking her to the ball tonight. At first I was surprised that she would get over Josh so fast, but I think that you taking her to the dance is exactly what she needs."

The mere mention of Serena liking another boy send a wave of envy through my already-shot nerves, but I smashed it down and reminded myself that the jerk had made her cry and she would never waste another thought on him—at least, not if I had anything to say about it. He was an idiot to let her slip away in the first place.

"I'm glad I can take her."

"Hmm..."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh I was just thinking... you don't seem half as bad as Serena makes you out to be."

I flinched. Did that mean she even tells her mother how much she hates me? It stung to think how much of a jerk she truly perceived me as, but I tried to shrug away the feeling. The jerk that was Darien no longer existed. I can't afford to put any more space between me and that beautiful girl. Not if I want her to love me as much as I love her. Not if I want to shed off this loneliness, once and for all, and call the girl of my dreams mine.

My thoughts were cut short by... a goddess coming down the stairs. My breath caught in my throat, my jaw fell, I couldn't think. I couldn't talk. All I knew was that I loved her... desperately.

She wore a long white sleeveless dress accenting her waist and petite, yet slender, form. On each arm was a satin white glove stretching past her elbow. Her hair was in the usual style tied with two satin white ribbons that flowed loosely down to her knees as if they, too, were part of her hair. On her feet were a pair of matching toeless sandals with straps covered in pearls.

I struggled to drink in the extravagant beauty in front of me, without much success.

She giggled, snapping me to attention.

"Uh... I... you... um... wow."

She laughed again. "I'll take that as a compliment, Darien." I said nothing in response, but smiled at her lovingly, uncertain if she understood the full meaning of my gaze.

"You two have fun. I want Serena home by 10 o'clock."

"But Mom! It's so early! And this is Spring Break; I don't even have school tomorrow!"

Mrs. Tsukino glared at her daughter, before relenting. "Fine... eleven then."

"Oh, thanks mom!" Serena threw her arms around her mother.

"So, uh... Ready to go?" I choked.

"Absolutely!"

On the way to the ball we hardly talked, which might have made me nervous if I hadn't still been recovering from my previous shock. When we arrived at the party, I was sure to be on my best behavior for her, starting by opening the door for her and holding out my hand for her to take. She accepted it, and then laced her arm through mine. I could feel her warmth pressed against my side and couldn't keep the smile from my face. We reached the double doors and I gave my invitation to a man standing at the entrance.

Once inside, my skeptical eye noted that the place looked very nice, very nice indeed. Serena, on the other hand was slightly more enthusiastic.

"Oh! Look at the chandelier! And the draperies! Darien, look! Do you see that statue in the corner! How beautiful! Oh wow! They have a fountain over there! That is so gorgeous! Look!"

I smiled and nodded and agreed to everything she said, until her chattering suddenly halted, almost causing me to stumble at her abupt change of character. I looked to where her eyes had stopped and rolled my eyes. Of course. The buffet table.

"Are you hungry?"

She didn't bother to answer and was already dragging me through the crowd before the last syllable was out. I followed gladly, laughing all the way, and soon she was piling chocolate treats onto a plate. I joined in, with a bit more self-control.

"Serena?"

"Oh, hi Amy!" I nodded at Serena's friend as my date—let's say that again for dwelling purposes: my date—sat her plate down and began to talk over all the wonderful and beautiful things that were there. Amy smiled and nodded in much the same way that I had.

"Mr. Chiba!" I turned to see a large man heading my way.

"Oh hello, Dr. Samson. How are you?"

"I'm doing just great! Glad you could make it! Where's your date? A handsome man like you didn't come here alone, did you? That wouldn't be fair to all the rest of the guys! All the single ladies would want to dance with you!"

I laughed awkwardly. "Actually, I do have a date. She is right over..." I turned to where Serena and Amy had been standing a moment ago, but they had disappeared. "Well, she was there a second ago."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find her, but come over here a minute, there are some people I would like you to meet."

I was led to a bunch of older people, some I recognized from around the hospital. Others I knew only by name, many head doctors and surgeons in their field. I kindly shook each of their hands and made small talk while always keeping my eyes open for a girl with golden meatballs. I told myself she would be easy to spot, since she was in white and practically everyone else was in black, but I still couldn't find her. Soon, a minute turned to five, and then ten, and before I knew it a half hour had gone by without me seeing Serena. Finally, I told the lady I was talking to that I had some business that needed to be taken care of, and escaped the dull conversations. After circling the ballroom twice, I found... no, not Serena... but Amy dancing with a boy with dark brown hair. I hated to interrupt, but I was feeling more anxious with every passing moment. What if she thought I'd left her or was avoiding her?

"Hey, Amy."

"Oh, hi Darien. Have you met Greg?"

"Uh, no. It's a pleasure."

"Nice to meet you."

I continued, "Amy, have you seen Serena?"

"Last time I saw her was out on the balcony."

"Okay, I'll check there. Thanks."

I walked out to the balcony, which was scattered with couples. Leaning on the railing was a blonde girl in a white dress and pigtails and I felt my blood pressure immediately drop.

Sighing gratefully, I walked over and put my arm around her waist.

"Hey you."

"Shhh."

I looked in the direction she was staring at. In a tree that stood only a few feet from the balcony was a bird's nest and from where we stood we could see two small bluebirds nestled together. Instinctively, I pulled Serena closer to me. She didn't seem to notice, or perhaps—I hoped—she was enjoying the moment too much to mind. I glanced at her, then something bright in the distance caught my eye: the sliver of a crescent moon hanging low in the sky, kissing the silver-kissed treetops.

"Look!" I whispered, and delighted in her gasp when she noticed it.

"Oh, it's beautiful!"

My lips quirked and I resisted the urge to lie a kiss against her temple, but could not resist the complement burning to spoken. "It isn't the only beautiful thing out here." Her eyes widened and she turned back to me, but before she could voice the question evident in her eyes, I asked, "Would you like to dance with me, Serena?"

The confusion faded into a frown and she backed away out of my arm's grasp. "No, not really."

Instantly I felt a vice-like grip on my heart. "Wh-why?"

She was silent, her eyes looking at the ground. "I don't think you should have brought me. I don't even know why you did. But now that we're here, you don't have to dance with me just to make me happy. I'm fine, Darien. You should go dance with someone else. Someone you like."

I stared at her for a second, then reached out my hand and tilted her chin up so I could look into her eyes. They looked so sad. So rejected.

"Serena, I'm sorry I wasn't with you earlier. I just got roped into talking to those boring people and I... but that's no excuse. I should have stayed with you. I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave you. Can you forgive me?"

She stared at me silently. I smiled again and laced my fingers through hers, then brought her hand up to my lips. Gently kissing the back of her hand, I smiled gently. I watched a blush creep into her cheeks and stomped on the near-overwhelming desire to cup my hands over them and draw her gorgeous round face to mine. "I'd really love to dance with you. Will you have me as a partner?"

She looked down, and when her head turned up again, she was smiling and nodding excitedly. I exhaled the breath I'd been holding and led her back into the ballroom and amidst the other couples, turned to face her, and drew her tenderly into my arms, exactly how I'd been dreaming about all afternoon. Her free arm wrapped itself behind my neck, and I allowed my hand to linger on her waist. I found myself lost in her glowing blue eyes, feeling as though we were the only two people in the room, until she shly cast her gaze over my shoulder, her pretty pink-painted lips pressed together in a nervous grin.

"You've changed, Darien," she whispered.

"How's that?"

"You're... nice."

I smiled, delighting in the comment that was so close and yet so far away from I like you.

"I think... I think I like you like this, though." The joy bubbled up in me so quickly I almost laughed, but refrained when she looked up at me, sternness in her eyes. "So don't screw it up"

Then I did laugh and she giggled along, not fighting me as I tightened my arm's grip around her delicate waist. With an almost-indistinguishable sigh, she rested her head against my chest and we turned slowly around the floor.

Two songs past and I'd almost forgotten where we were, when someone bumped into Serena, causing her to move into my embrace even farther.

"Oh, excuse me."

I didn't mind, and was about to keep dancing, when Serena stopped dead in her tracks.

"Josh?"

The boy who had knocked into her turned and I recognized the boy from the arcade. In his arms was a tall blonde with hair down to her waist. She was pretty, but nothing compared to my dancing partner. The boy's eyes became wide.

"Oh... uh... Serena... I, uh, thought..."

Serena's eyes became furious. "You said you were going out of town! I thought you couldn't take me because... you... you...Ugh!"

Losing her temper, Serena slapped him hard across the face. All of the surrounding couples turned to stare, but Serena quickly ran off, pushing her way past the dancers. Josh's hand came up to touch his now red face. For a split second I pondered knocking him a good one on the chin, but soon chose my priorities and ran after Serena, shoving people carelessly out of my way. Once out the nearest door, I found myself in the back rose gardens. There were a few pairs of people holding each other and kissing, completely oblivious to me. Choosing which direction to take, and praying it was right, I began running down a brick pathway.

I soon came to a large, round water fountain, and a wave of relief rolled over me to see my angel sitting on the edge, her head buried in her hands. That wave of relief was almost instantly replaced with a great surge of hatred for this Josh character, who would surely pay for hurting her like this. After all, this was the second time he had made her cry! I let the anger sizzle off as I approached the shaking girl. Sitting down next to her, I placed my arm around her shoulders. She leaned in closer to me and buried her face into my shoulder. Wrapping my other arm around her as well, I gently stroked her back. Finally, her sobs subsided and she leaned away from me, but not completely out of my arms. I waited for her to say something. I was at a loss for words.

Soon, she gulped and harshly rubbed at the tears filling her eyes. "He... he said that... he was going to... to... his grandma's. And... that's why he couldn't... take... me..." I pulled her close again, and she willingly leaned against my shoulder. "I guess... I was a fool... Of course he would want to go with... with her. She's beautiful... and I... I'm just... Who would want to go with me anyways?" Tears again began streaking down her cheeks.

"Hey, Serena, don't talk like that. You are the most beautiful woman in that room. I'm sure any guy would want to be with you. That guy doesn't know what he's missing. You... you're sweet and kind and fun and caring and... and gorgeous."

She looked up at me, her huge blue eyes shimmering through the fresh tears. Her small face was flushed and her hair messed from rubbing against my jacket, and she was more beautiful than I had ever seen her. Before I knew what was happening, I could feel myself moving closer, slowly eliminating the space between our lips. I wasn't sure, but I thought I could feel her moving as well, reaching for the kiss as her eyes began to close.

Funny, but I didn't even feel nervous about the kiss I had dreamt about for weeks. I closed my eyes and sensed her warm breath against my lips. I lightly brushed against her, touching, but not really kissing, and pressed the palms of my hands into her back, aching to hold her closer, ever closer. It was the most delicious sensation, part excitement, but mostly just serenity, and the perfection of her scent, her taste, her.

"Serena?"

We both snapped out of our trance and turned to see Amy running toward us. That's when the nervousness kicked in and I felt a blush rising to my cheeks, and I'm pretty sure there was one on Serena's as well. I released Serena and stood, offering my hand. She took it and stood next to me.

"Yeah Ames?"

"Oh, I've been looking everywhere for you. I saw that scene with Josh. Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! Who needs that self-absorbed jerk anyway? Come on, let's go raid the buffet some more!"

She grabbed Amy's arm and headed off to the ballroom, leaving me completely dazed.

If Amy hadn't shown up... I know what would have happened. I would have kissed her, and she would have kissed me back. And then... I have no idea what would have happened then. Taking a deep breath, I headed back to the party.

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Once inside, I saw Serena and Amy at the buffet table, Serena giggling wildly and Amy shaking her head. Josh was sitting alone in a corner and the blonde he had been with was now dancing with someone else. I smiled. Deciding not to interrupt Serena and Amy's gossip fest, or whatever it was, I began walking around the room. A few girls came up to me and asked for a dance, but I politely brushed them off, knowing that there was only one girl in the room I wished to hold in my arms.

I found a group of doctors I was familiar with and joined the conversation, keeping an eye on Serena as much as possible. One time I looked around, and couldn't see her. Just as a feeling of worry draped itself over me, there was a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I could see Amy looking up at me.

"Yeah, Amy?"

"Darien, I think you should come here... quick!" I followed her to the opposite side of the room where I saw a group of guys huddled around something. Amy motioned for me to take a look, so I did, and there was Serena, flirting with every guy there.

"Serena?"

"Darien! So glad you could join us. We were just talking about .hiccup. oh, well, I forget what we were talking about. Must not be important!" She stood from the chair she was sitting on and almost immediately lost her balance, falling into the arms of a man nearby. "Well, hello there. You wanna dance?" she asked seductively.

"No, he doesn't." I broke in, taking her from his arms. "Alright, the show's over. Get out of here!"

"Oh, come on, Darien, we were only having some fun. Don't be such a .hiccup. party-pooper."

The crowd of guys agreed with her and began patting me on the back. "Yeah, let's have a little fun."

I flashed them my "don't argue with me" look, and they soon backed away and scattered, grumbling to themselves. After they were gone, I sat Serena back down on the chair. Amy came up to stand behind me. "Serena, what did you drink?"

"Nothing. Only some of that... uh... uh..." she snapped her fingers and scrunched her brow in thought. "Uh... punch!" she lightly knocked me in the arm with a balled up fist and began a fit of giggles. "Punch, get it? Hee-hee-hee. Punch..."

"Punch? Serena! That 'punch' is full of alcohol! It's practically half vodka!"

"Vodka? What's .hiccup. vodka?"

I sighed and shook my head sympathetically, biting down a chuckle. "Oh, Meatball Head... What am I going to do with you? I can't bring you home like this."

"I'd bring you to my house," spoke Amy, "and let you spend the night, except my mom doesn't let me have people over on weeknights, even though it is Spring Vacation."

Suddenly, I got an idea. "Amy, why don't you call her parents and say that she's going to stay at your house tonight, and then I'll bring her to my apartment and she can camp out there."

"Are you sure that's a good idea Darien? Maybe she'd be better at home in her own bed."

"Probably, except I'm afraid her dad would kill me for bringing her home drunk."

"I'm not drunk."

"Not to mention they'd never let her go to one of these again!"

"I... suppose that's probably true."

"Thanks, Amy. I appreciate it. And I'm sure if she were in her right mind, she'd appreciate it too."

"Yeah, I guess. I'll go make that call."

"Great."

Amy went away while I tended to Serena, grabbing a bottle of water from a nearby table and forcing her to drink it until she refused to drink anymore. Soon, Amy returned, and Serena whined, "Aaaammyyyyy, he's trying to drroooooown me."

For the first time, Amy cracked a bit of a smile at her friend's predicament. "They want her home tomorrow by noon."

"Thanks again, Amy." I took a look at the girl, whose eyelids were looking awfully droopy, and scooped her into my arms. Her head fell against my chest and her ponytails dangled down to the floor. She was so perfectly adorable.

We drove to my apartment without incident and I carried her upstairs. She'd fallen into a deep slumber during the carride and I loathed to wake her, and loathed even more to have to set her down. Having her in my arms felt strangely familiar, a if I'd carried her like that before. But, no, I knew that was silly. I would have remembered.

Once we reached the door to my apartment, she began to stir and groggily looked up into my eyes. A small, tired smile crept it's way across her features as she took both arms and wrapped them around my neck, then she lay her head down on my chest once more. I wasn't sure if she were sleeping or not, but the light breathing made it seem that she was awake... and enjoying me holding her? Remember Darien... she's drunk. She doesn't know what she's doing.

Inside, I lay her down on my bed, preparing myself for a cozy night on the living room couch, but the hold she had on my neck didn't loosen, and I toppled onto the bed beside her. She opened her eyes, only a few inches from my face and smiled, loosening her hold just a little.

"Darien," she said as she began twirling some fingers in my hair. "Did I ever tell you how handsome I think you are?"

My mouth fell open and I managed to stutter. "Well... I don't... those exact words never... um..."

"Well, I do," she stated, very seriously, before tying her hands behind my neck and pulling my lips to hers.