Blueeyeddevil06 thank you for being my beta!
Chapter 35 – Elopement
Serena arrived at her parents' house on Friday evening and didn't even knock. She marched right in and found them and her brother eating at the dinner table.
"Mom, Dad, I'm eloping tomorrow." They gasped and her brother's eyes were wide open. "You will show up at exactly eleven and sign that I'm allowed to marry. Then you may leave if you choose to. Sammy, you may come and stay for the wedding if you would like."
"What makes you think we would show up and sign?" Her father demanded.
"How many times did you notice that I snuck out of my window growing up starting at the age of fourteen?" She asked instead.
"That hardly matters!" Her mother announced.
"It makes my point. You really haven't taken responsibility for me for years! You will come and you will sign because it takes less energy than taking responsibility for me. You have always taken the easier way out, and I expect you to do the same now."
"That is hardly fair, young lady!" Her dad was really mad at what she had accused him of.
"Oh, really? How many times did I sneak out of the house? I want to know. Also, how come you never noticed anything about me? I'm freaking Sailor Moon, and you never had a clue! I started fighting youma at the age of fourteen. I had a talking cat Luna in this very house and came home with injuries you never noticed constantly! Moon Crystal Power, Make up!" She yelled and transformed in front of them all. "Sammy, don't breathe a word about this to anyone. You both can't either, Mom, Dad." She narrowed her eyes at her parents.
"You're Sailor Moon!" Her parents both exclaimed.
"Yes, and you never had a clue! How could you not notice anything? I was your daughter and right under your noses. I even died once and came back to life, and you noticed nothing! Show up and sign the damn papers!" She dropped her transformation, turned, and stormed out of their house.
The moment she stepped out and into Darien's waiting car, she burst into tears and choked out, "They will be there. Don't worry."
"I don't give a damn about them right now. Why are you crying, and why did you become Sailor Moon? I felt you transform, and I almost went running in there." He wrapped his arms around her and comforted her while she cried.
She managed to calm down with his arms wrapped around her. She could feel how he loved her, and she met his eyes with her watery ones, "How could they not have noticed that I became Sailor Moon at fourteen? Am I really that invisible?" Her lip trembled.
He sighed and lifted her chin to look at him. "I noticed you from the very beginning. Even when we argued, you were the only woman I have ever really seen. You aren't invisible. They are the ones losing out on getting to experience what an amazing woman you are." He kissed the top of her head and pulled back. "Can I let you go just long enough to get to my apartment? Let's go there, and you can tell me everything that happened."
She nodded and gave him a watery smile, "That sounds perfect. Wait, do you have any ice cream?"
He smiled and gave a light laugh. "We're getting married tomorrow, and you're moving in. Of course I have ice cream." He gave her a peck on the lips and then pulled out of his parking spot.
She settled back into her seat and smiled. "You're a smart man."
Ring. Ring. Ring.
She dug her phone out of her purse and answered quickly, "Hello."
"Hello, Serena. It's Sammy. Can we talk? I hate what Mom and Dad have done to you. I had noticed something was strange, and yet I never said anything." He sounded distressed.
Serena looked at Darien and said, "It's my brother." And then went back to her call, "I would love to talk to you. Sorry for dropping everything on you like that. You didn't do anything wrong, and it wasn't really fair to you."
"No, I get it. You were mad at Mom and Dad, and we haven't really been close. Um…. Is there somewhere we could talk soon? I hate how things have been, and I have noticed the same things about Mom and Dad too. You aren't alone in that."
"I'm sure we could talk soon," she said. She looked at Darien with a question in her eyes, and he smiled at her.
Darien said, "Tell him I can loop back around to pick him up if he wants to come over to my place now."
She kissed him on the cheek and spoke into her phone, "Sammy, if Darien drove back to the house, would you like to come over to his apartment right now?"
"That would be great! Mom and Dad are both yelling downstairs, and I would love to get out of here. I will just leave a note. Don't come to the door. I'll meet you outside and just hop in the car."
They picked Sammy up, and he marveled at Darien's car and talked about it the whole way to the apartment. They had all come to a silent agreement to not broach any important subjects before they made it into Darien's apartment.
Once they were all settled in the living room, Sammy spoke, "So, there is so much I want to talk about and have questions about. Can we start with Mom and Dad, or will that make you cry again?"
"How did you know I was crying?" Serena asked.
"Mom and Dad might not notice things, but I do. Your eyes were red and puffy when I got in the car." Sammy looked at Serena and shrugged. "So, am I the only one who has noticed that they have a weird list of things they care about and things they don't care about?"
"It isn't a weird list," Serena replied. "Think about it. Anything that could make them look bad gets commented on, and the rest gets ignored."
Darien looked puzzled, reached over, and took Serena's hand, holding on to her in support. He worried that he didn't like what she was implying. How could someone miss how amazing she was?
Sammy looked puzzled too, "What do you mean? It seems like a random list to me."
Serena nodded and said, "It does at first. Think about it though. They get upset over grades, curfew, what we wear, leaving our things out in the front yard, the type of friends we have at the house, and how we talk to them in public. They ignore sneaking out, who we hang out with away from home, whether or not we study, how clean our rooms are, and things of that nature."
Sammy nodded, "Yes, a strange list. How is sneaking out okay when I was five minutes late one night, and I got a huge lecture?"
"The lecture included how that would look to the neighbors didn't it?" She asked. Sammy just nodded and she continued, "See what I mean? Anything that looks bad to the neighbors or anyone else they know upsets them. They want to look like the perfect family with the perfect children." She paused and sighed, "They only care about appearances, not me."
Sammy snorted in disagreement, "You mean not us. I started sneaking out seven months ago, and they haven't noticed or said anything."
Serena looked puzzled and then it dawned on her, "You're sneaking out through my room, aren't you?"
"Yea, does that bother you?"
"Nope! And really it hasn't been my room for a long time. I just knew yours would be hard to sneak out of. I had been thankful for having that room many times when I needed to sneak out at night to fight youma." She sighed and shook her head. "It isn't that I wanted to get caught. I just wanted the type of parents that would care about me enough to catch me. Does that make any sense?"
Sammy nodded and said, "It really does, and I agree. I just want you to know it isn't just you. They are like that with me too."
"I honestly wish it were just me. I don't want that for you for a second," she admitted.
Darien leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. "Sammy, I haven't had the chance to really get to know you. Serena and I are marrying tomorrow, and you and your parents are the only ones who know that we are eloping. I asked her about a week ago to marry me, and I can't wait to have her as my wife. That said, I didn't think about the fact that it would give me a brother too. I'm hoping we could spend more time with you, and I could get to know you better. You are here comforting your sister and reassuring her that it isn't just her that has suffered. Man to man, that goes a long way to convincing me we will get along." He sat back and said, "I respect the way you have handled this situation. Especially since you're fourteen and acting so mature about all of this."
"I would like that. It will be neat to have a brother. Especially one with such a cool car." Sammy stated. "Hey, if I get my driver's license, can I borrow it when I go on dates? I bet I could get Tonya to go out with me if I showed up with that car!"
Darien laughed, "Once you have your license, show me that you are a good driver, and we'll talk. For the time being, I could be your driver for dates once in a while if you fulfill certain requirements. How about that?"
"Awesome! What are the requirements?" Sammy wanted to know.
Darien smiled and said, "They're simple. You always watch out for Serena."
"Huh?!" Sammy looked at Darien, "I don't understand."
"You will when you see it." Darien replied, "You have access to your parents and their comments. You let us know anything we need to know. You also are the brother of Sailor Moon; you can keep an ear out for anything important. Anything odd that is happening gets reported to us. Also, you are her brother, and she needs you as family. You spend time with her and make sure she has your support."
Sammy said, "I can do that!"
Serena looked and added, "And you get to be the brother of Sailor Moon meaning, if you need anything, call me. I'm not above kicking a bully's butt if they give you problems. Also, if you're on a date and there is a youma that I come to defeat, I will say hello to you by name to impress her."
"Awesome! Thanks, Sis!"
Darien chimed in, "You can't go and beat up a bully!"
Serena shrugged, "Fine." She looked at Sammy. "I will send him to do it then," and pointed at Darien. "That could be my husband's job."
Darien shook his head, "I want to be a doctor. I can't have an assault against a fourteen-year-old on my record."
"You could always go as Tuxedo Mask," was her reply.
"YOU'RE TUXEDO MASK?!" Sammy was shocked. "Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are getting married. That's so cool!"
Darien chuckled, "Oh, it gets even better."
He then launched into their whole history and the present. He told Sammy everything including their deaths a thousand years ago. Sammy gasped when he realized his sister was a princess, and not only that, but the princess of their entire Solar System. Darien also explained Queen Serenity and their uncle.
"Wait, so who am I then?" He asked. "Was I from that Silver Millennium thingy?"
Serena looked at him and said, "I don't think so."
"Then why am I your brother now? Why give you a brother?"
"I was an only child on the moon. Maybe Mother didn't want me to be lonely here. I don't really know." Serena looked thoughtful.
"Bummer. It would have been cool to be a prince," he replied.
Darien added, "Well, there will come a day when Serena and I rule the whole earth. I guess we could appoint you as a prince then." He turned to Serena, "Don't you think so, my love?"
"Sounds great to me. Prince Samuel, I like it." She smiled at her brother.
"This is all so weird." Was his only reply.
Darien laughed and said, "We have had more time for it to sink in. You'll get there. For now, just keep her secret please."
"No problem. There's absolutely no way I can tell anyone she is Sailor Moon! Everyone knows that I have had a bit of a crush on her for four years, and she turns out to be my sister. Gross!" Sammy shook his head, "It would be so embarrassing to tell anyone."
They continued to talk about the new developments and chat for a while. It started to grow late, and Darien took Sammy and Serena home for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a fabulous day.
Saturday, Sammy sat in the back seat of his father's car in slacks and a dress shirt, and his parents fussed in the front seat. He was having a bad day so far and was hoping that his parents didn't spread that to Serena on her wedding day. He then remembered what Darien had said to him, and he knew he needed a plan.
By the time his parents arrived at their destination, Sammy knew what he was going to say, and as they exited the car, he spoke up. "Mom, Dad, I spoke to Serena last night. You're aware of that?" They nodded. "Well, I would like to help you both. We discussed today, and if you really are looking to show her that you disapprove, you should just sign the documents and leave. She wants you both to decide to want to stay for her wedding. If you just leave without saying anything, she will fully understand how upset you both are."
His father looked at him and nodded, "Thank you, Sammy. That is just what we will do. We don't need to be making a scene at the courthouse." He then looked at his wife. "Jefferson down the street works in the front offices, you know."
She nodded and said nothing.
Sammy had to turn his head away from his parents to hide his smirk. He had played that perfectly, and Serena was absolutely right about their parent's motivation. He hoped a drama free wedding would work as a last minute wedding gift from him.
They walked through the front doors, and he saw Serena there, looking apprehensive. She started to speak and then obviously changed her mind and closed her mouth, staying silent. Sammy winked at her. She couldn't have played that better, even if he had warned her what he was going to say to their parents.
Darien gestured for them to come and sign the paperwork. They showed their identification and signed. Darien thanked them, and Serena and Darien proceeded to fill out more paperwork.
Sammy was drawn away by his parents and his dad whispered, "Let's go."
Sammy paused and hoped the next part of his plan would work out right. "I wanted to stay out here in the hall and see if they do end up getting married once they have noticed the full scope of your displeasure. You'll need to know if you should be telling your friends and the neighbors they're married or not." He paused and pretended to be thinking things through, "I guess I could just catch a bus home afterwards. You both should head out before Serena begs you to stay and makes a scene."
"Smart thinking, Sammy. Let us know what happens." He turned to his wife. "Honey, let's go." He then drew his wife away quietly before Darien and Serena turned around.
Serena and Darien finished the paperwork and turned around. "Where are Mom and Dad?" Serena asked.
Sammy smiled, "I don't have a bow for it, but it was my last minute wedding gift to you both. I got them to leave without a fuss."
Darien gave him a nod of approval and a pat on the back, "Well done, Sammy! We're going to get along swimmingly. Thank you for doing that, and you have no idea how grateful I am to you."
"Hey, what are brothers for?"
Serena gave him a huge hug and thanked him too.
Darien said, "Let's go sit in the chairs over there and wait to be called."
Sammy's day had gotten a heck of a lot better. He realized that Darien's approval and Serena's happiness meant a whole lot to him.
Serena couldn't believe how fast the ceremony was over, and they were signing their names. They had been promising forever, and it barely took five minutes. She decided to write down the name of the man who performed the wedding. She got a kick out of the idea of one day explaining to him that he performed the wedding for King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity. She almost giggled out loud at the thought.
They walked out to the curb where Darien's car was parked, and Sammy turned to them. "I'll see you later. I'll hop on a bus and take that home."
Darien asked, "Wouldn't you rather I drove you home?"
Sammy shook his head, "Any other day and I would take you up on the offer, but today is your wedding day. Spend it with the new Mrs. Shields, and I'll be fine."
Darien beamed at him. "She is my wife, isn't she," he said. He then looked at Serena. "Want to get to our lunch reservations and then go back to our apartment?"
"Sounds wonderful," she beamed at him.
Darien leaned down and kissed Serena, his wife. Damn, that sounded good to him.
Darien then looked to say goodbye to Sammy and noticed he was gone. "I knew I was really starting to like him. Looks like he knows when to make a quiet exit."
= Note: I posted their wedding night as a separate story. Please be 18 or older if you go over and read it.
It is complete.
It is titled Wedding Night (Her Time to Shine)
Warning: Smut
You will notice I have references to that story in this next chapter. The next chapter will however still make complete sense without reading my other story. I wanted it to be totally clear that you don't need to read the smut in order to follow along with my story.
If I have any more chapters that are M for pure smut, I will probably add them to Wedding Night (Her Time to Shine) and change the story title.