Vegas Chapter 13
Mina, Girl Why You Seeing Things! and Darien's in the Dog House-izzle
Mina sat in her English class thoroughly freaking out. Strings hung out of every part the room. Some people had them, some did not. Some strings were thick and some were so thin they were almost invisible. For example, Molly and Melvin sat on opposite ends of the classroom; however, a string connected from Molly's chest all the way to Melvin's chest thick and black. The new girl who just started at this school yesterday, Nami, had a thin string attached to Yuki who Mina had known almost four years now. Some of the students had strings that extended out the doors and windows.
She shook her head trying to wave away the images.
It all started yesterday when that group of boys came in to the arcade. It makes sense now that they must have been looking for Darien, but easily became interested, as most are when they see the fun in trying to win a date with their beautiful princess. They approached Ami as to where to apply. Kevin was sent to her booth and after all the questioning she found her self very attracted to him; however, just her luck he had scored very high on her questionnaire. It seemed that all of the other men scored high as well. After the interview when she was leading him to meet Serena, she accidentally touched his hand causing sparks to shoot up and down her arm. Feeling a little high off the feeling of being in the same room as him she didn't notice the strings at first.
They just sat there laughing at the boys jokes, they were clearly Americans, and had a certain air about them and charm. It was when Darien walked in the room and she noticed him talking to Ami that she saw the strings for the first time.
"Miss. Aino can you read the sentence on the board." Her English teacher interrupted her thoughts bringing her back in to the classroom.
"Of course I can read it, I lived in England most of my life." She answered waving her long hair back behind her shoulder.
Her teacher sighed and called on another student allowing Mina to continue reflecting on her thoughts.
Darien and Ami both had strings coming out of their chests. Darien's was golden and beautiful it strung across the room toward where Mina was with the group. Ami's was almost clear but defined as well and it swooped in the same direction. Mina blinked a few times and the image disappeared. Darien walked over toward the group clearly pissed. A strange aura surrounded him and the men backed off Serena as almost a silent command. When things cooled off a bit Mina remembered looking down finding her own string. Silver and almost see though like Ami's but was more taunt coming straight out of her chest, by her heart. She tried to touch it and her hands went right through it. Following it she found that her string connected to a body right at the chest as well. It was Kevin. Her string connected to Kevin. What did it mean?
"RING RING RING" Mina almost fell out of her seat when the bell rang. She had to figure this out.
888888888888888888888
Darien smiled when he received the text on his phone, " Going to Ray's temple. See you at home later. Sere."
It was great waking up with her this morning. Her blond hair everywhere just like the morning sunshine. She snuggled in to his side and he kissed her hair. The kiss when he left for work was a bonus as well.
Darien changed out of his scrubs and back in to the suit he wore to work earlier that morning. It was good that Serena was going to the temple, he needed to talk to his generals about the recent attacks.
He pulled his coat on tighter around him, last nights storm had turned everything to ice. The roads and walkways were frozen over. He made his way to his car very slowly.
"Darien." A familiar voice rang out before he could open the door.
Turning around he saw Andy, wrapped up in a long grey coat and scarf. Her green eyes slightly dull looking.
"Andy? What are you doing here?" He said a little more harshly than he originally intended.
"I know you are mad about how I acted in Vegas and I am just so sorry." She said sincerely.
Darien just huffed in frustration. It still bothered him to this day how Andy had acted. She was his only friend on the road and when she started acting nuts he was just thrown. He never told her about how he felt about Serena, only Andrew knew but for some reason he felt this need to protect Andy from Serena even if she didn't know her.
"You don't have to forgive me now… I just want things to be like they used to be." Her eyes glimmered at him.
"Andy, you know that is not possible." He said shaking his head.
"Let me try. Come on, let me buy you a coffee." She wouldn't take no for an answer. She always got her way.
"Andy, I really have to be somewhere." He sighed.
"Thirty minutes." She pleaded. "I did this amazing surgery this morning and I can't talk to anyone about it. Anyone who understands I mean."
Her eyes watered.
"Fine." He gave in.
She smiled. "Thank you, Darien."
They walked over toward the coffee shop that was across the street. For thirty minutes they enjoyed each other's company like old times. They talked about procedures and their hospitals. Darien remembered why he liked talking to Andy, she was so smart and it was great to talk to someone who was more his age about his work life. She was one of the only doctors he ever could relate to.
"I got to go. Andy, I am glad we got this all cleared up." He pushed away from the table in the café and stood up.
"Me too." She smiled.
Walking back toward his car, Andy was gabbing on about a lung transplant that she did this last week and was not paying attention. Her foot hit a patch of ice and she began to fall. Darien's quick reflexes caught her right before she fell; however, he hit a patch as well and they both went tumbling to the ground.
Before Darien knew what had happened laughter bubbled out of Andy's lips and Darien began laughing as well. Andy knew in that moment that she would kill that Moon Wench and Darien would be all her's.
8888
Ami had just got done meeting with her mother. She was running late to the scout meeting but couldn't run due to the roads and sidewalks being so icy. Walking toward the parking lot she heard hysterical laughing. It was Darien and a brunette woman on the ground laughing. Oh, she was a little taken aback, in a way she never hoped to see Darien with his wife. She enjoyed him as part of the team. Looking down at her watch she took off skiiing. Using her skills as Mercury to let the icy pathways get her to the temple faster.
"This isn't fair! How come when I am late you yell at me like a banshee but when Ami is late you don't care. I don't like this double standard Rei!" Serena yelled eating another mochi.
"Shut up Serena, you know that Ami had to meet her mother first." Rei waved off the blond.
"So! When I have detention and I am late you still yelled at me." Serena said in between bites.
"That's because you deserved it." Rei stated. But before Serena could yell at her Ami burst though the doors.
"Sorry I am late." She sat down at the table with the rest of the girls her face red and excited looking.
Luna jumped up on the table. "Okay let's begin. Anyone have any leads on who this new enemy is?"
Ami pulled out her computer to take notes.
Mina sat up very straight "We know that her name is Andromeda and she harnesses the power of old magic."
"I have watched the fire for days and I know she is powerful, she is resurrecting her youma from a different time; however, she does not posses the power to travel back and forth through time herself. So we can rule her out as being from the future." Rei went on.
"Okay, so if she is not from the future do you think she is from the past?" Lita questioned.
"Well, Rei said she can't go though time barriers and I would think that Pluto would have contacted us if someone crossed though the time gate." Artimus contemplated out loud.
"Ami, have you gone though your data to see if we know this Andromeda?" Luna asked.
"Well, yes and no. When I type in Andromeda all I get is information about the Andromeda galaxy. They were almost as powerful as the moon but much larger. It seems that they tried to over throw Queen Serenity multiple times never succeeding. I am assuming that it is because of the power of the crystal."
"That would explain how I knew how to kill the beasts." Mina said taking people by surprise. That would make sense, a basic instinct.
"Okay, she is from the past, but how did she get here?" Serena asked.
They all sat silent for a while. Going over the data in their heads.
"Never died?" Lita threw out.
"Resurrected by something more evil?" Rei pondered." Like Metellia and Nethalenia."
Serena scrunched her brow up thinking almost mechanically.
"No, we are missing something. She said she would be the future queen on Earth." Mina was just as mystified as the rest of them.
"Like Beryl? Self proclaimed queen but why would she want Earth?" Ami punched this information in to her computer.
"Remember what she said to us during the battle." Serena spoke. "She knew that we were princesses, she said we should remember her this time. If I am right she was reborn. Maybe she died with us and she was reborn with us." She shrieked proud to have worked that one out.
Luna looked at her in shock. Some memories floated to the surface, "I think Serena is right. She must have died with us the day Beryl attacked."
"Then if she was raised on Earth why would she want to destroy it?" Mina asked.
"Maybe she doesn't want to destroy it just rule it." Lita concluded.
"No, no, I think I know what she wants." Artimus said with a far off look. "I just remembered something, a conversation with the Queen. She just speculated this but I remember her asking us to watch out for Andromeda. I think she wanted to marry Endymion."
"NANI" Everyone gasped.
"Well, shit!" Lita said. I think we need to find him faster than ever now with Psycho face looking for him too!"
Everyone nodded, everyone but Serena.
"Well I have the reservations set up for Friday. Reservations for all ten of us, we can each take a guy and Darien can watch out for Serena. I have some questions for them and Rei says she can feel their bond with the Earth so we are on the right track." Mina played out the scenario she was so excited about this date thing.
"Well, I don't know if Darien is going to go." Ami said low a little disappointed.
"WHY!" Serena said a little too loud.
"Well, his wife is back in town. I saw them together right before I came here." Ami said.
"Wow! What did she look like?" Lita asked.
"I bet she is ugly." Rei snarled.
Serena didn't talk. Tears welled up in her eyes. 'who could he have been with'
"No, she's not ugly, I mean I only say her from a distance. They looked like they were having fun."
"Well! We better find out now! We need his help." Lita slammed her fist down on the table.
"This sucks. I liked him as part of our team." Mina murmured.
"Well, we will see what he wants to do. I am going to head home. I don't feel very well." Serena got up and moved out the door.
MEAN WHILE AT A PENTHOUSE DOWNTOWN
"Okay, so we have gone through all the facts. The scouts may very well be princesses; therefore, one of them may be Serenity." Zack concluded.
"And, Andromeda knew them. But the scouts didn't know her." Kevin pointed out.
"Her youma are strong you said?" Nathan questioned Darien.
"Yes, very strong. And they are not like other youma, they are mostly brut strength." He explained.
"Hum, and she implied that she would be the next Queen of Earth. That could mean many things." Zack said looking at this from all sides.
"Okay, enough of this crap. Let's just cut to the chase." Jacen said bluntly.
"What would that be?" Kevin growled.
"Dinner Friday. I totally call the hot one with the long black hair." Jacen smiled.
Nathan threw a pillow at him.
"What! Darien said that Serena is hands off and that the girls were open game!" Jacen retorted.
"I would never call them open game!" Darien yelled back.
"Well, I will openly pursue one of them. Unlike you who is hiding their marriage to that beautiful creature." Jacen said with a death wish. He loved to rile up Endymion.
"Do you want to die?" Darien asked cracking his knuckles.
"Well, I mean what if your plan doesn't work and beautiful Serena does choose one of us. What is Serena chooses me? Are you going to step aside for us to be together?" Jacen smiled.
"Jadeite… shut… up…" Darien growled.
"What if she chooses one of the other guys? Clearly I am the best choice but if she has bad taste she may just choose Kunzite over there." He went on.
Darien pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm down Endymion. But the vision of his sweet Serena under Kunzite, playing with his hair…
"Don't drag me in to this! Shut up Jadeite or I will kill you myself." Kunzite said. Nephrite and Zoisite just sat on the couch. One of them had pulled popcorn out of their subspace pocket and they were watching and munching very entertained.
"What! Why is he getting so mad? I mean I know he likes her and all but she is not Serenity and he is getting all pissed off like she is Serenity!" Jadeite said. "Serenity was the only one who was hands off, bound by our words. Serena doesn't fall in to that category." Darien lunged at Jacen. They threw blows at one another. Nephrite jumped up and pulled Endymion off. Zoisite pulled up Jadeite."
"Listen to me…" Kunzite paced "Any wife of our Prince is OFF LIMITS! She will be your future queen. Serenity found or not found we will protect Serena. Understood!" HE barked.
Jadeite knew he had gone to far. "Endy I was just trying to get a rise out of you. Sorry, man."
"And! What if I wanted to call the hot one with black hair." Kunzite taunted.
"Bastard! You don't go near her!" Jacen tried to get out of Zoiscite's arms.
"Don't like it too much do you?" He snickered.
"Sorry Darien… I promise I will be a good man to Serena if she choses me." Jacen said.
Endymion went to hit him again. Jacen put his arms up. "Kidding, Kidding!"
Endymion nodded. In a way he was glad that Jadeite hadn't changed too much. Next time he needed to blow off some steam he would be more than happy to use Jacen as a punching bag.
"Okay. Dinner. Friday. Be there. And if any of you so much touch my wife. I'll kill you." Darien left.
8888888888888
Serena sulked in to her apartment. She couldn't go upstairs. Pulling out her homework she began to do her math homework. She did her homework mindlessly trying not to imagine Darien with this mystery women, her heart ached. Now all the girls thought that Darien's wife was back.
She was angry. Not quite sure how the emotion came up but she was so mad she could just spit. Why was Darien flirting with another women! Laughing with her. Her heart hurt, she was the other woman again. Would Darien cheat on her?
She vowed to flight for this relationship with no battle plan. She had no team like she did when she fought as a Sailor Scout. Her scouts were on Team Endymion and she stood alone on Team Darien. She answered the last of her math problems and stood up. Pacing back and forth making herself madder and madder. Then calming herself down saying there had to be some explanation. Then once again getting mad saying there was no explanation. That's it she knew what she had to do.
Darien came in to the apartment calling out for Serena. She didn't answer. He put his briefcase down on the table and began walking from room to room. Hum, maybe she was still out with the girls. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Not really paying attention to the screen, he glanced down at his watch over and over again.
'Was she lost?' he wondered.
'Did something happen to her?' Stressed.
'Maybe there was another attack!' Worried.
'No no…' Reassuring.
Darien went over worst-case scenarios over and over again in his head. Making him worry like a mother hen with a lost chick.
'Maybe she is at her apartment!' This one seemed the most logical. It didn't take him long to make his way down stairs and before he knew it he was standing at Serena's door.
He knocked once, feeling stupid knocking on his wife's door.
Serena opened the door looking happy, as soon as she saw it was him her smile went in to a scowl and she opened the door wide a hint that he should come in.
"Why the face?" He asked.
"Thought you were the pizza guy." She said not paying attention to him.
He just laughed and took a look around the apartment.
"Serena, this place look's great." He smiled. She ignored him.
Picking up frames he looked at al the pictures Serena had with her friends, family and cat. For some reason he couldn't put down one picture in particular of a girl with pink hair. She had the most uncanny resemblance to Serena. Like it was her child or a small sister.
Serena just puttered around picking up her books, completely ignoring Darien.
"Who is the girl in this picture?" Darien asked pointing to the pink haired child.
"That is Rini." She said not looking at the picture, she sometimes couldn't bare it.
"She looks just like you." He said. Serena snorted.
"I guess."
"Serena, what is wrong? You were not at home when I got there. I thought something bad happened to you." He went around to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her.
"Well, I didn't want your wife to come home and see me." She pushed him away.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well...Since Ami saw you with some other woman today she told all the girls that your 'wife' was home. So, now you should be spending time with your 'wife' and not your actual wife!" Serena yelled at the end.
"Does that even make sense?" He asked.
"YES!" She yelled her face turning red.
Darien remembered his time with Andy this afternoon. Did they really look so chummy together?
"So, who is this woman?" Serena crossed her arms over her chest playing strong when really she didn't want to know.
This is when Darien realized his mistake of hanging out with Andy. The things that Andy said to Serena were just nasty.
"Uh… well… she is an old friend." Darien muttered.
"Oh, so her name is Old Friend. I don't really think I made my question clear enough. What… is… her… name?" Serena glared at the doctor.
"Her name is Andy." He said.
"Andy… sounds like a boys name. Is she a boy?" Serena asked somewhat hopeful. She confused Amara to be a boy once two so maybe it could happen the other way around.
Darien chuckled at his comment noticing that some of her anger may have dissipated.
"No… she is a she…" He said slowly.
"Andy… where have I heard that name before." An image of an enraged brunette with green eyes came to her mind.
"Andy, I told you. We are not involved. We were never involved." Darien said in hushed tones.
"Why do you say that! I know you love me… not her!"
"Oh no! No! How could you? You told me and her that you were not involved with her. Did you lie? Am I in some sort of con? This is all a joke and you have been seeing her the whole time." Serena yelled at him pulling further and further away from him. Tears watered in her eyes.
"Serena it's not like that. She came to apologize! I didn't lie! We were never involved." He put his hands up in defense.
"Apologize! To you! She is the one that called me a slut, ugly, a bitch and referred to me a THIS!" Serena walked out of the kitchen.
'Wow she has a good memory' Darien thought.
"She said she felt horrible about acting that way." Darien stood up for Andy.
"Well great. LA TE Frickin DA! Go marry her then! All of my friends think you are married to her anyway!" She yelled.
"Be reasonable Serena! We were friends. She was my only friend on the road and I can have an intelligent conversation with her." Darien said the words before he thought about what he was saying.
"Oh… I see. I am stupid right. Stupid Serena married to the rich, smart doctor. He just wants me to what, clean his house and sleep in his bed while he goes out and talks about how dumb I am behind other peoples backs." She snarled.
"I would never!" Darien defended.
"Right! You went out and had a splendid good time with a women who clearly hates me and who clearly wants you! Even said she thought you two were involved. Great! I bet my friends are going to love this when they find out she is a doctor too! Wonderful Doctor Darien married to the other wonderful Doctor Andy." Serena spat nastily.
"Serena you are blowing this out of proportion!" He yelled at her.
Serena sat down on the couch and took in deep breaths. "Well you have no idea who you married… I don't think you should come to dinner with us on Friday." This was the out.
"What?" He asked stalking toward where Serena sat.
"I know that you think this whole dating thing is dumb, but there really is a bigger picture behind it all. I think you should just butt out for awhile." She stated.
"Like hell I will." He snarled.
"Well, I can't have anyone thinking that I am your mistress now that everyone has seen your 'wife' what would my friends think. Plus, if it does come out that we are married they will all think you are I were having an affair." She put her head in her hands.
"Serena, I can just tell them she is not my wife!" He said simply.
"And then everyone thinks you are cheating on your real wife? And with how close we are getting everyone will wonder if you have multiple whores on the side!"
Endymion was about to rear his ugly head. He had just worked things out with Serena to have it all fall to the way side. Hell no he would not let her win this battle.
"Serena." He growled. Once again this voice clicked with something in her mind, anger she had heard before.
"No one will ever speak about me or you that way. No one will ever touch you but me, do you understand me." He growled at her.
"And everyone else can touch you!" She yelled at him.
"If that's what you want." He smirked.
It was Serena's turn to look amazed.
He stalked toward her. "No one can have me unless you give me up."
It took Serena a few minutes to think about this, Damn, how did he always turn the tables on her.
"Do you want to give me up?" He said huskily in her ear. She didn't realize how close he had gotten. Her eyes were big and angry she looked in to his midnight blues and felt a strange aura of possessiveness ozzing off her. It was Serenity, her real self that said the words with ferocity.
"No. You are mine and if you go near the women ever again I will kill her, do you understand." Something flashed in her eyes and Darien knew that she meant it. Serena had an underlying power, and he could feel it merge with his. She closed the gap between him and kissed him in a way that bound them. He knew nothing could separate them.
888888888888888
Andy returned home after wondering around town in pure bliss. Darien was almost hers again. He missed her just as much as she missed him. After she took off her coat and scarf she realized that there was a message on her machine. She hit play.
First Message
"Hey Andy it's Darien." Her heart quickened
"I just wanted to let you know I had a great time today and it was nice to talk to you like we used to." Andy beamed. She couldn't believe her luck! He loved her! He did!
"But, things are not the same as they were before and I don't want you to get the wrong idea. We were only ever friends Andy and I don't want the lines to get blurred. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything regarding work, but anything outside of work is off limits. I am sorry Andy."
End of Messages
Andy's heart broke again. She forced him to say those things; it couldn't be true that he didn't want to be with her. This timeline was for Endymion and Andromeda. No one else! She quickly transformed and used most of her energy to create three youma. She gave them one order only. Kill Sailor Moon.