A.N: Thanks for the reviews! I was actually surprised at how many comments I received on the last chapter:

Enjoy this chapter! Or not... lol

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Chapter 48: Dates

There was a mall located twenty minutes away from the Tsukino home. It was uniquely large and overly crowded with people. Since Christmas was only two days away, there were procrastinators scouring every store and grabbing hold of whatever they could to bring home to their loved ones. Malls in New York around this time of year, was violent to say the least.

As Darien, Serena, and Sam all walked into the mall, they were overwhelmed at the chaos going on around them. People were savagely grasping anything in their reach, shoving and pushing one another to get 'the perfect' present.

Sam looked a bit antsy as they walked around the mall, watching as people yelled at each other. "How am I supposed to find anything when people are acting like this?" he asked, looking appalled.

"You do what they do," Serena insinuated. "You push and shove and claw, until you get the right present."

Darien reached down and took hold of Serena's hand gingerly, giving it a loving squeeze. "She wouldn't know how to shop at all if it weren't for me," Darien winked at Serena.

Serena scrunched her nose at him teasingly.

Sam ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, looking beat. "I don't even know what to get Remy," he declared. "I've never bought anything for a girl before! Well… accept for you and mom of course."

"Well what does she like?" Darien asked, looking over towards Sam.

"I don't know," Sam wailed, throwing his hands up.

Serena smiled at her brother in amusement. She'd never seen him act like this before. He was, unquestionably, nervous about this whole Remy situation.

They stopped by a little boutique store that had random objects and gifts in there. Sam walked about, his face set in concentration as he looked around. Serena and Darien stood off to the side, hand-in-hand, watching him. As Sam picked up a little Angel figurine, a teenage girl with blonde hair looked at him and said"hey," in a provocative tone.

Sam turned his head to look at her, and smiled politely and replied 'hi' in return before turning back to set back down the figurine.

Serena's mouth opened as she watched what had just happened. "Did you see that?" she whispered to Darien.

"What?"

"That girl was totally checking my little brother out! She was gawking at him," Serena said protectively.

Darien laughed at Serena's facial expression. "That's what happens when you're good-looking, Serena," he said just as the blonde headed girl walked past them, now giving Darien an eye.

"What are you staring at little girl? Go away," Serena said defensively as the girl walked away quickly from Serena, her face looking intimidated.

Darien couldn't help but grin at Serena. "You're jealous," he teased, bumping her hip playfully.

"Puh-lease," she rolled her eyes," The girl is like sixteen, Darien."

As Darien chuckled, Sam walked back towards them, his hands in his pockets.

"Nothing?" Serena asked.

Sam shook his head in response and gave a shrug of the shoulders.

"Does she like any animals?" Darien asked, trying to help Sam out.

Sam frowned as he thought about it for a minute before saying," Yeah she does! She likes pandas," he said with a smile.

Darien smiled, nodding his head," Well then! Let's go get her a Panda teddy bear. We could go make one at Build-a-Bear."

"Good idea," Serena said as they started to head out for the Build-A-Bear shop. As they walked, a girl stopped Sam.

"Hey Sam!" she said enthusiastically, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Sam spun around and froze. "H-hey, Remy," he replied, suddenly feeling a wave of nervousness overcome him.

Serena and Darien stopped as they watched the two. Sam was right, she was very pretty for her age. She dressed in the 'punky' style. She had on band t-shirt with a long-sleeved shirt underneath that, and she wore blue jeans with black converses. Her eyes were just as Sam described them; Hazel, with a yellow outline around it.

"Whatcha doing here?" she asked, tilting her head.

Sam swallowed and shuffled his feet around. "Uh.. I'm trying to find a present," he answered honestly. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm with my mom. She's real bad with finding presents, so she brought me along to help her," she answered, rolling her eyes.

Serena cleared her throat, giving Sam a hint to introduce them.

Sam jumped a bit, momentarily forgetting Serena and Darien were behind him. "Oh! I forgot… Remy, this is my sister Serena and her boyfriend Darien. Serena and Darien, my friend Remy," he introduced politely.

Serena grinned as she stuck out her hand for Remy. "Nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you," Serena said, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Hi," Darien waved quickly.

Remy beamed at them and nodded sweetly. "Well… it was nice to meet you all," she started as she began backing away. "But I have to go find my mom now. Who knows what kind of trouble she's gotten herself into."

Sam smiled and waved a hand to her. As she smiled and turned around to walk away, Darien pushed Sam gently.

"Go ask her to do something on Christmas Eve," he said quietly.

Sam looked frightened at first at the thought of it, but he sprinted towards Remy, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hey, Remy…" he started, looking down at his feet," I was wondering if you'd like to go do something on Christmas Eve. If….if you aren't busy that is."

Remy's lips curved into a smile as she nodded. "I'd love too," she answered, clasping her hands together.

Sam looked up at her, suddenly feeling happy and jittery. "Really?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Yeah," Remy giggled. "Call me tomorrow and we'll go do something."

"Okay… cool," Sam blurted, out of breath.

Remy smiled up at Sam. She swiftly took a step closer to Sam, went up on her tip toes, and kissed him on the cheek quickly before walking away, blushing profusely.

Sam watched her as she walked away, his hands coming up to his cheek where she just pecked him. He smiled as he felt his stomach do a number of flips.

Serena and Darien walked up to him, smiling knowingly.

"Now that that's settled," Darien said," Let's go make that Panda bear!"

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Back at UCLA

Ami and Raye were getting ready to go on their dates with Brett and Andrew. Everyone had to be heading home by tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with their families, so they decided to have an early Christmas with each other, as a couple.

Ami primped her short hair as she applied a dash of lip gloss on her lips. She was excited about her date with Brett tonight, but was also sad that they wouldn't be able to see each other for another two weeks or so. She had on a lovely purple long-sleeved shirt with a low cut v-neck.

Raye was standing next to Ami in the bathroom, curling her dark hair. She had on a knitted red sweater that fit her every curve. Andrew had told her that he'd take her out on a date, but he couldn't specify where it is they were going. Just thinking about the date made her nervous.

There was a knock on the door, and Ami rushed out to answer it since she was practically finished. When Ami finally opened the door, it was Brett Stanley that awaited her.

He smiled pleasantly and stepped inside. He was dressed handsomely in a brown sweater, which accentuated his hazel eyes. "Are you ready?"

Ami smiled in return and nodded. "I am! I'll go grab my jacket and purse and we'll head out," she said quickly. She ran to go get her things and told Raye that she was leaving, reminding her to lock up the dorm.

"Bye! You guys have fun," Raye said with a wave, one hand still holding the curling iron. Raye had come over to Ami's because it was closer for Andrew, and she wanted company as well as Ami.

Before she knew it, there was a knock on the door, this time it was for her.

When she opened it, Andrew was grinning broadly, holding a dozen white roses in his hand. He was dressed in a gray hoodie, and threw on a black blazer over it, looking very chic. He didn't put any product in his hair so it looked very soft and natural.

"You look beautiful," he said after a moment's silence. He stared at her. Her hair was down as usual, but it curled in an elegant way that only emphasized her beauty. She put on a little makeup, but not much since she was naturally gorgeous without it. Red was definitely her color, as Andrew noticed the red knitted sweater she had on with blue jeans and boots.

Raye blushed and looked down, feeling very subconscious. "Thank you," she answered in response.

Andrew just smiled goofily at her, not moving, until he realized he still had the roses in his hands. "Oh! I almost forgot," he said," These are for you," and handed her the delicate flowers.

She took them happily, smiling up at him while thanking him. She took in the flowers unique scent. "I'll go put them in a vase and I'll come back to get them," she told him as she rushed inside.

Andrew stepped in while she rummaged around for a container for the roses. He was feeling especially apprehensive about the date he had planned--specifically about the part where he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend. As these thoughts filled his head, Raye came back out, throwing a jacket over her.

"Okay," she said," I'm ready."

Andrew came out of his reverie and smiled at her again. "Then we shall go," he said as he held out his hand for her to take.

She grinned, her eyes twinkling as she took his hand.

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"So where are we going?" Ami asked as Brett drove to unfamiliar territory.

He glanced at her with a charming smirk. "It's a surprise," he said secretively. "But don't worry, you'll like it," he reassured.

Ami smiled," I like everything you do."

Brett glanced at her while he was driving, grinning at her comment. He had never had feelings for any girl the way he did for Ami. She was the absolute opposite of all the girls he used to date. As he drove with his left hand, he took his right hand and entwined it with Ami's. She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes twinkling in the glow of the moon.

They drove for a good thirty minutes until he finally parked outside of a large building.

Ami gasped as she looked at it. "An art's museum?" she questioned, her eyes brightening as she unbuckled herself.

Brett nodded," Yes. I knew you liked art, so I figure we could start our night here… and have dinner."

Ami turned her head to Brett. "We're going to have dinner in there?" she said breathlessly.

Brett laughed as he opened the door and rounded over to her side to open it for her. "I have connections," he shrugged as he held out his hand.

Ami grasped it and pulled herself out of the car. She noticed they were the only ones in the parking lot. They had the building all to themselves.

As they entered the building, she was amazed at the artifacts they had. Age-old paintings that she used to admire in text books were now displayed for her right in front of her face. She walked around doting on every painting, making sure she didn't leave out a single detail.

Brett stood off to the side, watching her circle the wall and gasp in admiration. As she came to the end of a wall, she turned around and there, in the center of the building, was a table set for two with dancing candlelight's. Ami inhaled loudly as she brought a hand up to her mouth.

"Oh… Brett," she said quietly, looking up at him with dazzling eyes," this is wonderful."

Brett smiled at her as he walked over to her and pulled out her chair. "This is just the beginning."

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As Andrew drove, he felt his heart beat quickening from nervousness. The closer they got to his destination, the faster his heart would race.

Raye looked over at him. His face was expressionless. She smiled," You okay?" she asked.

Andrew quickly glanced at her and nodded. "Oh yeah. Great," he lied.

Raye giggled," You don't have to be nervous, you know," she confirmed. "I was nervous at first… but I'm fine now," she confessed, grabbing his hand comfortingly as he drove.

Andrew looked at their laced fingers and smiled. "You were nervous?" he asked, looking amused now as he drove.

"Well yes," Raye grinned, pausing before adding," You seem to have that affect on me."

Andrew looked over at her again, his eyes softening as he looked into hers. He gave her hand a meaningful squeeze. "You have no idea what kind of affect you have on me," he replied quietly.

Raye blushed as he said this, looking away from his gaze.

Andrew gently let go of Raye's hands as he turned into a vacated spot and parked. "We're here," he announced, grinning.

Raye looked around. It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere. The place was desolate; nothing but grass.

Andrew got out of the car and opened the door for her. "Ready?" he asked, looking excited.

Raye smiled and nodded. They walked together into what looked like a field. As they got closer to where Andrew was leading them, Raye saw a man standing next to a large basket. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.

"A hot air balloon?" she squealed, her eyes twinkling with enthusiasm.

Andrew smiled and nodded. "Tonight, we get to go up to the sky," he winked.

The man bowed respectfully and opened the basket for them. "Lovely night for a float," he said in a heavy Italian accent. "I shall be your pilot," the short man smiled. He opened a side of the basket for the two to get in, and so did he. He turned up the fire, and the balloon slowly began to fill, slowly lifting them up into the air. The man went around and untied some sand bags that were weighting the basket down. Once they hit the floor, up, up and away they went.

Raye looked down at the ground as they began gliding swiftly to the sky. She smiled as she gazed out. "This is beautiful," she noted, looking around.

Soon they were up so high, the city lights looked like specks of glitter that adorned the earth. Raye looked up and she felt like if she reached out, she could grab onto a shining star.

Andrew neared her and held out a glass of champagne. "Here you go," he said as he handed it to her and leaned against the basket, looking down at beautiful California.

Raye smiled as she took the glass between her fingers. She leaned on the basket with Andrew, bumping his shoulder with hers. "Thank you," she said quietly, her face close to his. "This couldn't have been more… perfect. It's like something out of a dream."

"It does feel like a dream, doesn't it?" Andrew asked, looking at her and then back out towards the stars that smiled back at him.

"Mmhmm," she sighed. Andrew placed a secure hand on her waist without asking for permission. Raye looked up at him, smiling as he grinned back down at her. As she rested her head on his chest, she caught a whiff of his cologne.

They stood like this for awhile until Raye broke the silence. "Tell me about your family."

"Well," Andrew started," I'm an only child, unless you count Darien. My parents and I are pretty close. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to them… or Darien for that matter. My mom's really sweet and she has the funniest personality. My dad is really down-to-earth and really caring. I couldn't have asked for better parents," he finished, shrugging.

Raye smiled," They sound pretty amazing."

Andrew nodded," They are. What about you? What's your family like?"

"Pretty much the same way," she replied," Only I'm a little closer to my Grandpa. He takes care of a temple so I'm constantly up there helping him. I worry about him sometimes though. He's over seventy and he's living on his own. My grandma passed away several years back so he's been living by himself with nothing but the temple to occupy his time," she said worriedly. "And I'm afraid he's getting sick. He feigns like he's healthy, but I know he's not. I could tell from his eyes."

"I'm sorry," Andrew comforted, his voice soft and kind.

Raye looked up at him," What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything," she said with a smile.

Andrew shrugged," Yeah, but I don't like it when you're sad."

"I'm not sad…. I'm more concerned," she explained. "I mean... I don't want my Grandpa to die, but I know it's inevitable. I'm just… worried about him."

Andrew pulled her in closer to him, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Who knew you were so sensitive and sweet underneath all that 'tough girl' act," he joked.

Raye shook her head as she laughed. "I don't act tough," she defended. "I'm just blunt and brutally honest."

"That's what I like about you," Andrew told her.

As they drifted through the infinite sky, silence fell between them. But not one of those awkward silences, this one was a comfortable one. All they could hear was the breeze and an occasional humming from the 'pilot', as the man called himself. There was not a sight more majestic then this; with the stars gathered around them in an endless stretch, and the city glow of California with the vast ocean off to the side. It really was like a dream.

Andrew pulled Raye gently away from him and looked into her captivating orbs. "I want to ask you something," he said, feeling jittery.

Raye looked a little perplexed but said 'ok'.

Andrew closed his eyes for a minute and exhaled before opening his eyes and asking," Can I be your boyfriend?" he paused for a minute before rambling," Wow… that sounded totally Junior High! I mean… do you want to go out?" he looked flustered as he let go of one of her hands and ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't coming out how I want it too!" he yelled at himself out loud, panicking.

Raye smiled as she watched him beat himself down, finding him immensely adorable right now. She grabbed his face, making him stop whatever he was doing and look into her eyes. "I would love for you to be my boyfriend," she whispered, her eyes sparkling.

Andrew grinned as she said this, feeling so happy he wanted to scream, but instead, he leaned down and kissed her.

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Ami and Brett had dinner under the stars. The center of the building had a glass dome, so they could see the moon and the stars as they ate and laughed merrily with one another.

As Brett was telling a joke, Ami looked at him with adoring eyes. She had never met anyone that made her feel so whole and secure. When he laughed or smiled, she felt completely content and forgot about all her worries. All he had to do was look at her, and she could feel her whole world turn upside down.

Brett laughed suddenly at his own joke, throwing his head back. "Oh man," he wailed afterwards," it was so funny." When he looked up, he noticed that Ami was smiling and watching him, her eyes dancing with the candlelight. "It wasn't that funny, was it?" he asked, looking sheepish now.

Ami's smile grew as she shook her head," No! It wasn't that, I was just… watching you," she confessed as she blushed.

This news brought a smile to Brett's face. They were quiet for awhile until Brett said," You look really beautiful tonight."

Ami looked down at her empty plate, blushing even harder. "Thank you," she answered before gazing back up at him. "And you look very handsome tonight," she added.

Brett grinned one of his grins that made Ami's stomach do flips. "Well.. you know how I do," he shrugged jokingly, then laughed, Ami giggling with him. Brett abruptly got up and went over to Ami, bowing slightly. "Are you ready for the next part of our enchanted date?" he asked with an attractive smile.

Ami got up and nodded," I am," and took his arm as he led her out.

They took a ten minute drive and stopped near a shore.

"We'll end the evening with a moonlight stroll on the beach," he announced happily.

Ami smiled and got out of the car. She took off her shoes and ran into the sand, laughing.

Brett watched and chuckled as he tossed his shoes into the car, and chased after her, running beneath the glimmering moon.

Brett was a fast runner, so he caught up to her in no time. He scooped her up into his arms and twirled about while Ami laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. When he came to a stop, he looked down at her affectionately as he still held her securely in his arms.

"You know," Ami said with a smile," You haven't kissed me yet."

Brett grinned. "Well then, I guess I had better do that soon," he teased as he finally brought his lips down to meet hers.

As they kissed lovingly, they could hear the crashing waves of the ocean as it did it's rhythmic journey to the shore and back out again.

Their sweet, heartfelt kiss soon ended and Brett placed Ami back on the soft sand, taking hold of her hand. They walked for awhile, letting the sea touch their feet as they walked along the illuminated shore.

Brett stopped her and wrapped one arm around her waist, and he began swaying to the music of the ocean.