We do not own "Sailor Moon" nor any of the characters.
"SAILOR MOON ETERNAL"
"The 6th Season of the Sailor Moon Saga"
Chapter 6
"Bachelors Only...Please"
The sky seems especially dark tonight, Sayer Starr thinks, looking absently out the window of the car, an unusual gloom taking over his regular vibrancy. The group heads to celebrate the man about to marry the Moon Princess this Fighter once had strong feelings for.
Why do I feel so…empty? I'm going to what looks like is going to be a great party. I'm seeing all my friends again, and I know for sure that I've resolved my feelings for Meatball—I'm really, truly happy for her. Then why can't I shake this freefall feeling? Closing his eyes, he opens the window, hoping the fresh air would change his mood. As it slides down, the speeding wind caresses his face and he can't help but smile.
"Ally…" His lips whisper silently to the rushing breeze. "That's it! That soldier of the wind makes me crazy! So crazy…" Her dazzling smile still ripples through his mind.
"You all right, Sayer?" Terry's low voice, even lower so no one else can hear, notices his brother's unusual quietness as he drove along.
"Fine, Ter, I'm just fine." Sayer turns to him, a dreamy smile on his face, feeling all the way to his fingertips that something new, something exciting was on the verge of breaking loose. Suddenly he feels his giddiness returning, stronger in fact than it's been in a long time.
I think I'm gonna enjoy this party after all, he smiles to himself.
"So!" He claps his hands, rubbing them together as he turns to the three surprised occupants of its backseat. "Where're you girls going tonight, while we men are busy consoling Darien?" Sayer smirks wickedly. Michelle smiles back, trying to bring herself out of her own sour mood.
"'Consoling,' eh?" Her eyes laugh as she glances at Robin who was sitting next to her in the back seat. "We 'girls' are going out on the town tonight, doing some consoling of our own." She mocks the chosen word that intimated a coming sorrow, which wedded bliss supposedly was not.
"I don't know, Rob, sounds a bit risque to me." Sayer teases his silver-haired brother who merely rolls his green eyes. Sayer then addresses the silent third passenger in the back seat.
"You'd better keep an eye on 'Chelle, Susie." His singer's voice croons insinuatingly with a cat-eating grin.
As if being pulled from a thousand years away, Susan breaks her long stare out into the darkness.
"Yes." She answers, a little sadly. "Yes, I will." Her soul still torn from this night's events, the dark green long haired female's eyes slowly lift their gaze to the driver of the sedan—the man who was putting her Time indentured soul through such torment.
How long I have waited for you. If only I wasn't… Sadly the realization of her duty sweeps over her. If only…She looks up to find his eyes, his beautiful eyes, fixed on her in the rear-view mirror, a question being asked silently through the looking glass. Finding herself unable to respond, Susan tears her eyes away from his.
Terry furrows his eyebrows and even as Sayer rattles on and on, his mind drifts away. Why is she avoiding me? I thought we were…growing closer. I must talk to her. Tonight. When we get back, I have to know what she feels. I know what I feel. I know I'm in love with this vision of beauty. Terry smiles at the admission to himself, his dreams of romance finally coming to fruition.
"You're quiet." In the back seat, Michelle suddenly whispers aloud to Robin. She sensed his mental signature going a mile a minute, though Michelle's closed emotions were not even aware she was the one who had paused the messaging between them.
"Am I?" Not wishing to intrude on the rough sea of her emotional waves until Michelle was ready, Robin answers simply. He looks up from where his gaze had been fixed down on his folded hands in the car's back seat.
"Don't worry." She leans her aqua curls onto his shoulder flirtatiously. "Nothing matters, nobody else matters, only you and I." This daughter of Neptune says with a confidence she didn't feel at all. Robin looks at the head on his shoulder in denial with uncertainty.
Oh, Michelle, what am I supposed to do? Open your mind, I need to seriously talk to you! His silent plea either unheard or ignored, Robin frowns at the untapped silence, her hectic thoughts expertly avoiding his unspoken questions.
"Terry! We're here! Please pull up to that restaurant on the left. That's where we're to meet the girls." Michelle calls out, her voice all business.
When the car stops in front of a fancy-looking restaurant, Susan reaches for the car door handle, only to find it magically whisked open for her, Terry's hand extended to help her out. Taking it gingerly, she nods politely, with a small 'thank you,' but nothing more. Terry's sweet smile fades as she walks aloofly past him. Suddenly he feels a tug on his arm from the other side.
"Hey, guys!" Lita runs up to Susan and Michelle, hugging Terry's unclaimed arm warmly to her. The tall chestnut brown haired girl smiles from ear to ear as she wears a long skirt with a rather high slit up the side. Then, remembering the rest of the little entourage, she sticks her head in the front window of the car.
"Hey! Boys! Have a blast at Andrew's—I mean,Darien's—send-off!" The flustered gal quickly amends her slip of the tongue as she adorably sticks it out with a wink, causing Sayer to smirk.
"Oh, Lita, yes, we'll say hello." Terry smiles down at her, his gaze still following Susan's retreating figure.
"Hey, Lita! Say…'Hi' to Meatball for me." Sayer calls with a touch of sentimentality in his melodic voice and Lita gives him a thumbs-up back, as her mind vaguely wonders on Alex's whereabouts.
Michelle alone slides elegantly from her seat, giving Robin's arm a squeeze. "Have fun, boys," then, raising her eyebrows at Robin, "But not too much."
Andrew glances around the hall he'd rented for the evening surveying the gathering group of men invited for Darien's bachelor party. Not many really, since most of Darien and my friends from the university are off traveling on summer hiatus, so mostly just the girls' escorts for the wedding could make it. Serena's little brother Sammy wanted to come but…Mrs. Hart put the quash on that pretty quick. I guess she knows bachelor parties are for men only, not young boys, over 18 at least. Melvin and Greg over there just made it, but—Andrew smiles to himself at the recent high school graduates—neither of them look all that comfortable. Oh well. I don't feel all that comfortable myself, but I've decided to leave my troubles behind, if only for tonight.
Looking around, he sees Darien calmly discussing something with Chad and Lita's friend, Ken. He seems like a nice enough chap.
I hope those Three Lights guys get here soon or they'll, um, miss the start of the, um… entertainment. Andrew almost blushes at the thought of what was in store. Then thinking about the three singers, he wonders to himself. Of course I had to invite them, being Serena's friends and all, and the escorts of some of the ladies in the wedding party. And there really aren't enough of us here for a good party without three more, But still, I don't know about rock stars. Andrew remembers for some strange reason a certain tall, green-eyed young woman at the church wedding rehearsal blushing up at the one she called 'Terry.'
I guess it's them being idols and all, making all the girls go wild. Even Lizzie went nuts! But seasonal idols are unreliable types I hear, and I just don't want any of our girls to get hurt. Yeah, that must be it. Besides, I don't think Darien liked that Sayer guy too much. As soon as he came in—I don't know—there was something. But what could I do? I had to invite them—Michelle almost insisted on it! Anyway, they must be nice enough guys if they're such good pals with Serena and Lita. I sure hope they didn't get lost. The bachelor party manager with the honey colored hair AKA 'groom's best buddy' glances down at his watch.
"Who're you still waiting for Andrew?" Darien comes up to him, "I thought this was all of us."
"Oh, no, I invited those three new guys. Lita and Michelle figured the more the merrier!" Andrew smiles toothily.
"Oh, they did, did they? Good idea." Darien lies with a false smile. I don't mind the other two, it's just that one…I never did have the opportunity to ask Serena about him. She seems so innocent about it. I didn't want to bring it up if there's nothing there, or was she avoiding me? When he held her, there was something…I don't know. Well, anyway, this is my bachelor party and I'm going to try to enjoy myself. I'll just steer clear of him—yes that's it. And then there won't be any problems.
"There you guys are!" Andrew's voice rings across the hall as the newcomers walk up to him. When they reach him, Sayer sticks a bottle of champagne out to Darien.
"Here, this is for you, Dar. Figured you already had some but you can never have enough bubbly at a party, can you?" Sayer smiles brightly at the celebrant.
"Thank you." Darien politely accepts the bottle, looking the man in front of him up and down.
Oh, yes he's an idol all right in his vivid red designer showy clothes, flashy hairdo, and his free and easy demeanor. Could Serena really be interested in a boy like this? He then finds himself shaking the hand of Sayer's tall companion.
"Congratulations, Mr. Shields." Terry politely speaks to the man of the hour.
Now this one's all right. If it weren't for the ponytail, I wouldn't take him for an idol at all, not with his respectful attitude. I like him. "Please, call me 'Darien,' Terry." Darien responds, and Terry smiles. Then the black turtleneck donning Darien looks down at the third member of the trio who was looking at him—but not at him, rather through him—a faraway vague look in his eyes, as if not really present here but reaching out to somewhere else. Then, suddenly noticing Darien, Robin's green eyes come into focus.
"Oh, yeah, looks like a nice party." Robin's scratchy voice sounded rather bored, having to just say something.
Don't know what to make of this one. Strange, there's something familiar about him...Darien vaguely thinks in back of consciousness, past assessment.
"I'm glad you could make it." Andrew deals with the niceties. "Hi, I'm Andrew Hansford, I'm the one who called earlier. Michelle said you'd come. Thanks for being here."
"Thank you for thinking of us, Mr. Hansford." Terry nods to Andrew courteously.
He is very polite. I could see Lita liking that in a gentleman, but it could just be a show.
"My name is Terry Starr, and these are my brothers, Sayer and Robin." They all exchange nods.
Leading them over to the crowd around the refreshment table, Andrew goes to introduce them to the others.
"Hey, Chad, Greg, Ken, Melvin!" He calls out to get their attention, and they turn around. "This is Terry, Sayer, and Robin, the rest of our party for tonight."
"Cool, dudes." Chad says a bit grumpily nonchalant as he looks down at the little silver haired one. Normally, he would be excited to meet real rock stars, since he was an aspiring rock star himself, but not ones Rei was attracted to, especially that one whose magazine photogravure was still pasted to her bedroom vanity mirror. (Not that I've been peeping, Rei! I swear I wasn't!)
"Hello," Ken answers cordially. "Lita and the other girls have talked so much about you guys. I feel like we're old chums already." Lita's childhood friend was a good one through and through, rain or shine, Ken was reliable and true.
"Oh, hi." Greg's meek little salutation comes out from behind the buffet table. Wow, they're so…cool. Noticing the Three Lights' designer suits, Greg looks down at his own sad-looking one. And it wasn't just the slick clothes that made them look so much better either, he sighs at his own sorry form.
No wonder Amy and the others were crawling all over them. Look at me. Oh, Amy, how can I ever compete with these idols? He feels the inadequacy even more against the tall, slender, mature looking one Amy had seemed to be interested in. Sigh. And imagine! They're all about the same age as me, too. Double sigh.
"Are you guys really those famed singers, the Three Lights, who mysteriously dropped under the radar and disappeared almost two years ago? Or are you some alien shapeshifters in disguised form bent on infiltrating Japan in order to conquer planet Earth?" Melvin Butlers' head eerily rises up from behind the refreshment table, posing his suspicious question to the trio as he shifts his oversized coke bottle eyeglasses furtively onto the bridge of his nose.
All three of the other-worldly 'boys' swallow as they stare back at the little guy in degrees of guilt.
"Nice to meet you." After a sociable pause, Terry looks down at the teen with the huge eyeglasses and conspiracy theories galore and chooses to simply smile and ignore the somewhat insightful accusation. (The alien part, not the world conquest angle.)
"So how's the party so far, guys?" Blowing off Melvin, Sayer's happy voice brightens up the whole room, treating them like old buddies already as he wraps an arm each around Chad and Ken.
"And where've you got the good booze hiding, Dar?" He raises his eyebrows conspiratorially in Darien's direction.
"Sayer!" Terry says in shock at his brother's boldness.
"This is supposed to be a bachelor party, right?" Wide-eyed and anything but innocent, he answers back.
"That's what I've been told." The dark haired man of the hour says evenly.
"Sure, we got some prime beers and alcohol over here." After Darien's cool remark to the vibrant newcomer, Andrew covers with a smile, leading them to a table.
Picking up a beer bottle, Sayer easily twists off the lid.
"Here, Ter." He hands the bottle to his brother.
"Sayer, I don't think we should—" He tries to hand the unwanted item back.
"Ter," Sayer looks so serious, "you only live once. Drink up." He smiles.
"But, Sayer, the Princess says we're not supposed to—" Terry looks at the bottle in his hand with uncertainty, seeing visions of his gentle, level-headed leader in his mind.
"Oh, 'Ball wouldn't mind since it's our good friend Darien's special shindig. Rob, here, catch!" Sayer holds up a can of beer readied to unwisely toss to his other brother, who looks at him in disbelief.
"A beer? You're kidding, right?" Robin snickers, looking disdainfully at the low-class beverage proffered.
"I'll just have one of these, if I must." Finicky digits pick up a more classy wine cooler.
Shrugging his shoulders, Sayer takes a swig of the drink, then eyes Terry, waiting for him to do the same.
"C'mon, Ter." He pushes his more responsible brother.
Sighing, knowing Sayer would never give up until he at least tried it, and a bit of curiosity as to what was so special about the drink, Terry gingerly takes a small sip, feeling the cool beverage sliding down his throat.
"It's not bad, a bit similar to certain sodas with hops and a cream flavor but with a bitter afternote." Terry analyzes the ingredients. Sayer slaps him on the back hard enough to make the poor guy nearly gag.
"See, I knew you I'd like it!" He downs some more of his own.
"Hmm…" Terry smiles at Sayer's liveliness, taking another sip from the bottle.
"C'mon, guys!" Sayer calls to Chad, Greg, Ken, and Darien. "Come and get some drinks! They're good and cool!" He busies himself opening bottles then adds, "before my brothers finish them off." He gives a wicked grin from ear to ear at Terry, who shakes his head with a chuckle at Sayer's teasing wild streak.
Coming over, Chad and Andrew accept the beers, Ken, a wine cooler.
"How about you, uh, Greg, ole pal?" Sayer holds out the choices in front of Greg, who suddenly looks scared.
"Oh, I uh-um..." Greg stutters under Sayer's tempting gaze. Look, everyone else is having one, and I'm almost 18 now, so I'll have one! The shy boy takes the beer before him defiantly. For you, Amy, he thinks to himself as he downs it manfully as if taking some kind of poison.
"Oh, yes it can, Greg, my fine friend! The demon liquor has brought down many a decent upstanding man, my dear old granny used to say! And the internet clearly reports: 'Excessive alcohol use has led to approximately 88,000 deaths yearly and 2.5 million years of potential life lost.' I wouldn't wish to leave my sweet Molly without my care and attention in trade for a foolish drink's fleeting pleasures, not to mention its ill-causing effects in body and mind afterwards." Pushing up his large swirly glasses to the bridge of his eccentric nose, Melvin's nerdy quote memorization of many online facts and figures causes Sayer's head to start spinning even prior to any alcoholic beverage imbibed.
Sayer turns from Melvin's soapbox rant, offering the beer he just twisted the lid off to Darien instead, who still looks at him coolly, ignoring his amenable gestures.
But looking Sayer directly in the eye with an air of frigid disdain, Darien opens up his own bottle of beer.
The challenge to which Sayer smirks inwardly.
He knows. Sayer thinks to himself with a small smile of guilt.
Just then the room darkens, a spot of light glows from behind them. Enticing music begins to play. All eyes turn to see some curtains magically pulled away to reveal a tall, slender woman slowly unwrapping herself from a filmy gauze loosely draped about her golden spandex clad body. Swaying in rhythmic movements to her musical accompaniment, she begins to hum.
With a flourish she flings the wispy fabric across the room, cascading it over Sayer's head and shoulders. He brushes it away, toying with it in his hands, a knowing smile on his face as he winks at her. The dancer licks her shining red lips and winks back.
Now wearing, by any measure, a skimpy sparkling golden "dress," and much too much makeup, she begins sauntering through towards the group, her low sultry voice singing "Give me a little kiss, will you, huh?" with some new more interesting lyrics added every now and then. She dances over to each man, running her polished fingernails through his hair, or caressing a cheek as she sang, making their testosterone levels go through the roof. She slowly makes her way through the song, her platinum blonde hair shining in the darkness, taking her time on Terry and Ken until she reaches Sayer.
Then she breathily finishes her song, runs her hands along his neck and chest, pulls him close to her and whispers, "What's a fox like you gonna waste your time getting married for, huh?" She begins to tug on his tie, loosening it.
"Because I'm not." He answers in the same breathy tones.
"Changed your mind already, Mr. Groom? Is it on account of me?" Her blue eyes go wide in anticipation.
"Sabra, wrong man!" Hissing the warning, Andrew had been trying to give her the high sign, as he points to Darien behind his back.
"Oh," she murmurs, though it doesn't seem to phase her much.
"You said black hair and blue eyes.' And what girl wouldn't die to marry this handsome fellow?" She moves her finger along Sayer's jawline. Then unwrapping herself from him she turns to Darien, feeling through his hair now.
"Oh yes, this is just as gorgeous." Each word stressed as she softly touches his face. "I think I would die to marry you. What's the lucky girl's name?" She whispers blowing on Darien's face.
"Serena." Darien answers, smiling as he rolls his bemused eyes.
"Se-re-na…" She says slowly, one syllable at a time, her voice melodic. "Maybe tonight I can make you forget all about her…" She plays with the buttons on his shirt.
"Not likely," Darien smiles back, not one to be toyed with after all he and Serena have been through together.
"At least let me try." She kisses her fingertips placing them on Darien's lips then she turns and begins to dance again, this time to a faster-paced tune.
As she twirls past Robin, sudden recognition of his singular adorable yet sexy features shows on her face and she pulls him close, her lips almost touching as she blows in his aroused ear.
"Robin Starr!" Michelle whispers in shock, miles away in a fancy restaurant of her own, as she drops her purse to the ground.
"Michelle, what is it?" Serena asks worriedly from across the table, watching her older friend's cheeks suddenly flush.
"Oh, nothing, nothing," Michelle smiles, leaning down to scoop up her fallen handbag, "Just wondering how the boys are doing at your fiance's bachelor party."
And what exactly, she adds to herself, recalling the strange sensation broadcasted to her from the man she had bonded with.
"Oh, yes, the bachelor party. Did Andrew invite that cute friend of yours, you know, Kenny, Lita?" Mina looks excitedly from one girl to the next, her lavender mini dress shimmering.
"Yes." Lita smiles, glad things were working somewhat according to plan in the Mina situation. "I wonder what they're all doing." Lita says, interested, her voice sounding distant.
"Up to no good I'm sure," Rei answers sourly in her red & orange dress, imagining crazy Chad probably torturing them with his singing on top of it.
"Oh, Rei, I'm sure it's not anything like that—do you think it is?" Amy's calming smile suddenly turns into an anxious frown, the mere thought of her innocent Greg at such a function was unbearable.
"Of course it's going to be like 'that', Serena's mom wouldn't let Sammy go, would she?" Rei stresses the word, lowering her voice as not to arouse attention.
"No, not really!" Lita says in disbelief. "C'mon! Andrew organized it, how could it be like 'that!'"
"Lita, men are men, and all bachelor parties have a bit of 'that.'" Michelle answers with a giggle, knowing first-hand that more than a little bit of 'that' was going on—to her own chagrin.
"Guys, guys!" Sweet Serena interrupts a confused expression on her befuddled face. "When you keep saying the word 'that,' what exactly do you mean by it?" The look on her face was a genuine "Serena" one of a kind. The ladies gathered around her at the table blink at each other slowly and then burst into laughter, making the other guests of the posh restaurant turn and stare.
"Stupid Serena, how could you not know? Aren't you the one getting married tomorrow!?" Rei's cutting voice was always the first to snap at the poor girl.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with 'that—?!'" Serena starts to ask again, determined to know what everyone else seemed so excited to talk about.
"Never mind that, Serena, dear, we're here to celebrate your last night as a single woman, not to talk of the men and what they're up to all night." Michelle remarks amicably, changing the subject. However, she was not quite able to push a certain silvery young man and his movements out of her own head.
"That's right, Serena! We have important matters to discuss with you before you take 'The Big Step.'" Lita waves her finger at her dearest friend with such a serious face, that Serena feels like breaking out laughing.
"That's why we told you to leave Rini at home tonight. There's things we need to talk to you about that we just can't say in front of children." Rei picks up the serious tone of the conversation.
"Oh yes, we're all grown-up, mature women here." Michelle says coyly, teasing, trying to shake the uneasiness in the back of her mind as she watches Amy's shy face blush.
"Well, what is it that's so important?" Serena looks a little scared herself now.
"It's the burning question on everyone's mind, of course!" The little showman in Mina puts an even more dramatic air with her words. "Something you're going to know for certain by tomorrow…" Her blue eyes were serious as she nods gravely. Serena feels her heartbeat race in anticipation as she hangs on Mina's every thrilling word.
"Yes..?" She holds her breath, waiting for the all-important question. Sitting next to her, Mina takes Serena by the shoulders, as if bracing her for something mind-numbingly significant.
"Serena," Mina says so low and gravely spoken. "what do you think?" Pause, all eyes were transfixed on Mina's performance now, each girl expecting something earth-shaking to be shared.
"Does Darien—" Dramatic pause for effect.
"—wear boxers or briefs?" It all spills out from Mina's mouth quickly, with a wicked grin, her voice going higher with each word.
"Mina!" Five females shout at their star performer in unison as Susan merely blushes.
"Joke! Joke!" Mina giggles as Lita and Rei both jab her from each side, her laughter contagious.
As they all begin to chatter, giggling and smiling about tomorrow and Serena's bright new future, another young woman, who had remained silent the entire evening, looks on.
Marveling at their vigor and spirit, she sighs sadly, feeling more distant than ever at times like these. Times she could never truly share in, her duty and responsibility always first and foremost in her mind. But never before had Susan felt so acutely this pain, never before had it hurt so badly, seemed so unfair, never before…he came into her life.
The dark woman was feeling tears behind her eyes she reaches for her glass of water, trying to hide behind it. Tonight, that kiss we shared—was it only tonight? I have known him forever, for two thousand years I've dreamed of him, of his face, of his voice, of his touch. He has haunted my dreams. 'Terry.' Your very name is like a song on the wind to me. Only destined to travel on the wind, because I cannot do this. I cannot feel this. I cannot have you. I am a soldier first, a soldier destined to be alone forever. Emptiness my only companion. She chokes on the thoughts, the pain welling up in her magenta eyes again.
Hearing the happy laughter of the bright world outside, the soldier of Pluto looks up to see the smiling faces of her most beloved friends around her. Going from one to the other until she reaches Lita, her thoughts return to a scene earlier this evening. The scene where a tall young woman was casually hanging on an even taller young man—a dazzlingly handsome one with wisteria eyes and a gentle voice. Putting this scene together with their first meeting in the afternoon, Susan slowly realizes the situation. Terry and Lita. They're attracted to each other. Gazing across at the pretty young woman with the bouncing brown ponytail who was so full of life, Susan feels her heart sink.
That's what you need, Terry, someone like her, someone who can be a part of this world, part of your world. Unlike me. My world is driven by duty and fate. I am forever suspended in time. Her depressing thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a soft, sweet voice.
"Susan, are you all right?" The concern in Serena' Harts usually cheery voice, even amidst her own celebration in her honor was plain for her elder friend.
Snapping out of her reverie, her secrets her own, Susan smiles pleasantly, "Of course, my Princess, all is right with the world, you and the Prince are to be joined in matrimony, as ordained long ago by destiny. I am quite content."
Not quite believing her, Serena smiles anyway, not knowing what else to say. This friend is such a mystery, keeping herself to herself. It's always hard to read her feelings. But I'm the expert at reading into people's hearts and it's as plain as anything I can see sorrow in her eyes—sorrow and…something more Something new….
Giving Susan a hug, Serena decides to let it go, Things will work out, I hope. Everything will be perfect and beautiful for everyone after tomorrow. She thinks with a little prayer for her reserved friend.
"So where're Alex and Tara? I thought they were coming?" Serena hears Mina ask Michelle bluntly, as Mina always did. Serena watches Michelle's relaxed face suddenly become tense and troubled. Now what's happened between them?
"Well, they were, but, Tara wasn't feeling well." Michelle covers for the younger girl, knowing perfectly well that it was a broken heart that Tara was nursing. "and Amara, Amara…" Michelle decides to tell them the truth after a long moment of introspection. "We had an argument, and she simply walked out." The older Sailor Scout admits looking down, a little guilty, but mostly still angry with her cousin.
"An argument?! You two! No way!" Rei audibly sounds her disbelief, Mina mimicking the unheard of idea.
"Oh, Michelle, what happened?" Amy asks, her high, sweet voice concerned for their two dear, inseparable friends.
"It was nothing, really." Michelle tries to make light of it, hiding her own part in the matter, concerning Robin Starr. "She's probably back at the house, sulking, and missing all this fun."
"It's about the Three Lights' staying, isn't it?" Lita puts two and two together, knowing Alex's attitude towards popular men and her past relationship with Sayer less than friendly.
"Well…yes and no." Michelle dodges the question expertly.
"Why wouldn't she want them there?! I'd die for them stay with me! But my parents probably wouldn't allow it." Mina says, under her breath. "They're even more gorgeous now than they were when they left!" Mina explodes in a high-pitched squeal, to Rei, Amy, and Lita's nodding assent.
"But Alex isn't your typical adoring girl fan though, is she?" Rei smirks with a knowing smile. "I don't know how you convinced her to let Sayer escort her to the wedding tomorrow." Rei turns to Lita in disbelief and awe. "Especially considering his own attitude problem." Rei herself never did take to Sayer Starr's irresponsible, outgoing nature.
"What's that supposed to mean, Rei!?" Serena suddenly pipes up in defense of one of her closest friends.
"Sayer's really very easy to get along with. Caring and generous and kind." Serena's eyes glaze over at the happy memories of their building friendship, "and very, very, VERY sweet." She adds smiling broadly over the even sweeter chocolate shred sprinkled, chocolate frosted, chocolate cake their table was just served.
But halfway across town the young man in question, at the moment, seemed anything but 'sweet.' In one hand was a half-drunk bottle of champagne, in the other a nearly empty can of beer. For an eighteen-year-old far from homeworld (light years away, in fact) he was certainly enjoying Earth's pleasures with vigor. And never one to be left alone, Sayer Starr made sure his friends would share in the fun.
"Here, Ter, have some more." He begins to pour some more champagne in his brother's empty glass.
"No, no, Sayer, I think that's enough." Terry's usually calm, low voice comes out in a drawl as he sways back and forth unsteadily.
"C'mon, s'good for you." Sayer giggles, a bit tipsy himself as swaying, he tries to fill Terry's wavering glass held in front of him—and failing miserably, most of the bubbly spilling to the floor.
"Stop moving, Ter." Sayer scolds with pursed lips.
"I'm not moving," Terry replies, his eyelids so low you'd almost think they were closed.
"Yes, you are!" Sayer continues to pour, splashing the liquid on Terry's hands and onto the floor, but not a drop into the wandering glass.
"You're both moving." Robin slowly walks up to them, doing some swaying of his own.
"In fact, the whole room is moving." he dangerously looks about to collapse, his own bottle of of wine cooler still clutched in his hand.
"What's in this stuff? It's only my first one." Dizzily he tries to focus on the label, blinking his mint green eyes several times. Feeling the effects of hard alcohol for the first time in his life, Robin finds himself unprepared for the punch it wholly packed. He starts to giggle uncontrollably, pointing at the bottle in his hand, before rolling back and forth on his heels.
"What's s'funny?" Sayer looks up from his impossible task of connecting the liquid into the glass when the drink finally stops running out of the empty bottle.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh," Robin couldn't seem to stop chuckling. Terry inexplicably starts to join in at seeing his older brother in such an uncommon state, his unstable hand shaking what little champagne that did manage to get into his glass onto the floor.
"What's up with you guys!?" Sayer feels the giggles about to overtake him, too, demanding the answer before he gives in.
Robin points at his wine cooler drink in between chuckles. "Look, heh, heh, heh. It's written in Japanese, heh, heh, heh," Robin's tolerance for the drink suddenly gives out, he looks at his brothers with a goofy smile before tipping over, falling to the floor with a thud.
Across the miles, normally composed at all time Michelle spills her glass of wine, feeling aware of the dizziness taking over her due to her link with Robin.
Still giggling, Terry drops to his knees, a bit too hard. Placing his own glass on the floor, he lifts the bottle still clutched in Robin's unconscious hand, caring more for the welfare of the drink it seemed than that of his fallen sibling.
"He's wrong, it is in English." Terry shakily stands up, holding the bottle close to his face. "See, ingredients: alcohol, water, carbonate," he sways as he reads off the ingredients, straining his eyes, forgetting that's what his eyeglasses were for.
"…sugar and spice and everything nice!" He finishes with a triumphant smile. "Nothing bad in here! HahahaHaha!" Terry raises his hand assertively.
"Right." Sayer agrees, nothing sounding out of the ordinary. Although, the naughty boy knew perfectly well that it was a certain other added ingredient that did ole Rob in, hee, hee.
"Aren't those the same ingredients in something else, too, Ter?" Sayer drawls out, asking his more astute brother seriously.
"Hmm…" Terry had to think hard, searching his vast knowledge for the answer, turning the "hmm" into a low hum. Unaccustomed to not having the answer to nearly any question instantly, he digs deep into his swirling mind. "Sugar and spice and everything nice…" Terry repeats in song, trying to stimulate his brain cells, which seemed out of order, for some reason.
"Maybe a little more of this'll jog your memory." Sayer scoops up Terry's glass and turns the champagne bottle upside down entirely. Wondering why the liquid wasn't coming out, Sayer lifts the bottle above his head. Closing one eye, he looks into the bottle in search of the missing drink and was obliged with one drop hitting him smack into the eye. Rubbing his eye, he looks at Terry who was starting to turn that "sugar and spice" thing into a pretty good song, his face still deep in thought over the subject.
"Well, you keep trying to figure that one out while I go get us some more juice." Sayer wanders off towards the crowd around the drink table.
"I thought it was merely the drinks causing the excitement over here, but I was wrong, it must be you." Sayer says in a low, husky tone to the golden clad lady draped all over Darien near the refreshment table.
"There you are, Sexypants." She answers in similar tones, "I wondered where you got off to. Why don't you help me convince your friend here to loosen up a little?" Sabra wriggles her fingers on Darien's straight chin. "After all, it is his last night as a free man." She flutters her over-sized lashes up at the uptight turtleneck wearing man.
"That's right, Dar, I know how we usually stick to 'meatballs' ourselves, but other blondes are supposed to be just as much fun, especially ones as beautiful as this." Sayer was digging himself in deeper with Darien with every dunken word.
Sabra smiles at his compliments, though, putting her hand on Sayer's red cheek.
Taking the obvious reference to this rock star's past relationship to Serena badly, Darien's jealous mind flames. "You're wrong about three things now, Sabra," Darien forces a smile, really aiming his comments at the other man, not her, anger biting behind his voice. "First, I don't need to 'loosen up.'"
Sabra's eyebrows raise at the rising coldness of his voice. "Second, by tomorrow I may no longer be free, but at least I won't be alone." He looks at Sayer with the blatant swipe at the wandering shooting star's unrequited love. "And third," Darien pauses, looking at Sayer pointedly, "We are not friends. He's Serena's friend, not mine. And never will be." Darien finishes, his anger vented.
"Dar, I'm hurt." Sayer says, but truly not the slightest bit upset, although he does wonder what he could've done to cause this confrontation.
Being a smart cookie, Sabra looks from one man to the other, putting together that there was some kind of jealousy feud going on. "Oh, I get it." Sabra says, looking at Sayer, "You used to go with Darien's girl. Hmm, she certainly has a good eye, I'll give her that." She fingers Darien, who folds his arms angrily, turning away.
"I wouldn't say we 'went together.'" Sayer admits, growing serious. "We just…became great friends. That's all, really…Darien." He decides to be the bigger man in this rivalry and try to patch up the situation, for Meatball's sake.
"Then why is it every time your name was mentioned in front of me everyone gets all hushed up, if nothing happened?" Darien asks accusingly, this subject had been on his mind for a long time.
"Well, maybe, maybe, I was a little taken in by her shine, but that was my fault, not hers. You can understand that, right?" Sayer leans forward trying to catch Darien's eye, "Besides, most of the time we were together Meatball spent moaning for you. I guess I felt bad…And more than a little angry at you for leaving her behind like that. So I had to take over your job. Maybe in the end I wanted something more…that's what I came here to find out." The alcohol had loosened Sayer's tongue for this heart-to-heart that was long incoming.
"And what did you discover?" Darien feels his own anger slipping away, finding a caring soul behind the idol with those dark eyes.
Pause.
"That I still love her." Sayer slurs nonchalantly, drunkedly watching in glee the reaction on Darien's stalwart face and Sabra's enthralled, eavesdropping one, who looked like she thought this might come to fists.
But then Sayer laughs.
"Like a brother would love a sister, not like a man loves a woman. Got you going there, though, didn't I, Dar?" He smiles teasingly. For a long moment their eyes lock in a stare until finally Darien smiles back. Sabra lets out a breath and smiles, too, relieved not to have a fight on her hands.
"You know, Sayer, I think I finally figured out why Serena likes you so much." Darien says as Sayer pours three glasses of champagne out.
"Yeah? Why's that?" Sayer hands Sabra a glass.
"Because you're a total nutbar." Darien smirks.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Sayer smiles, handing Darien a fresh glass of champagne.
"This one isn't spiked, is it? I know what tricks you've been up to tonight." Darien sniffs the liquid in his glass. Sayer just smiles.
"Nah! I ran out of that stuff a while back when I accidentally dumped the rest into Rob's wine cooler. Let's have a special toast, just for the two of us good buddies." Sayer raises his already tipsy glass in the air.
"To dazzling blonde women who we'd move the moon and the stars, and Heaven and Hell, too, to catch the light of! Cheers!" To Darien's genuine nod of total agreement, Sayer makes the toast before downing the full glass in one huge gulp. A certain short-cropped golden blonde shakes the world of his inebriated mind before it turns completely fuzzy…
Hearing Sayer's loud and boisterous toast, Ken and Greg look at each other, both smiling dizzily as the intoxication slowly sets in for them as well, much to Melvin's tongue-clicking chagrin.
"Maybe let's go talk to them, huh? This guy's depressing." Ken glances across the table at the golden haired man who's been crying into his beer for the last half an hour over some girl who ditched him. "I don't like depressing people."
"Yeah…" Greg feels a strange boldness that he generally shies away from. Maybe this stuff is making a man outta me, He thinks, his head spinning. Anything for you Amy…if I could just get you back…He smiles at his alcohol-coated memories.
"Rita, Rita, Rita, that's all we've been hearing about! Let's go find something fun to do." Ken complains, not caring that Andrew was sitting right in front of him, though not seeming to hear a word anymore.
"Rita…" Andrew moans her name for the thousandth time this night, sighing as he downs another beer.
"C'mon, Andrew, man, like get over it. We're sick of like, hearing you moanin,' man." Chad bounds up to the trio, a guitar stolen from the band in one hand, a beer in the other.
"Chad, tell me, are all women so heartless that they'll break your heart without a thought?" Andrew stops his groaning to ask his friend.
"Fer sure, man. And if you get them mad enough, they might even break a broom over your head." Chad rubs the back of his head that's been the target of Rei's broom so many times.
Ken starts to giggle. "No way, not all women are like that."
"Rei is! I've got the bruises to prove it, man!" Chad brushes his hair aside displaying many black and blue spots in between his bushy hair follicles. "But I really don't mind." He adds with a smile.
"I don't mean hitting you with a broom, Chad!" Ken shakes his head at this guy's stupidity. "I mean some girls are really great. Take my friend, Lita, for instance. I know her so well. For sure Lita'd never break some guy's heart. Some girls just don't have it in them."
"Yeah, Amy wouldn't ever do that, either! She's too good!" Greg throws in, defensively.
"My Molly is the very definition of an angel on Earth." Melvin adds his adoration drool with a contented sigh. I just wish she was here and not abroad doing work with her mother's very important jewelry exposition.
Andrew, even in his drunken stupor, heard Ken's words perfectly clear somehow.
'Lita'd never break some guy's heart…'' Over and over it rings in his head, the searing image of his beloved Rita slowly morphing into a smiling vision of Lita, looking so sweet and kind in her pale sage school uniform that he first met her in.
"Maybe you're right," Andrew finally says, "maybe losing Rita's not the end of the world. Maybe things aren't as bad as they seem." Andrew feels his depression lifting, a hopeful smile on his face as he remembered Lita's compassionate eyes from this afternoon.
"That's more like it, Dude!" Chad babbles, then lifting his guitar in the air, he says, "C'mon, the band's on break and they left all their instruments behind!"
"But…I'm not very musically inclined." Greg looks at the stage warily.
"You don't have to be, man. It's the good karma vibrations that count in music!" Chad says happily. "Just pick something up and start playing!" Electric guitar in hand, Chad yells out as they reach the stage of strewn instruments.
Normally, Greg wouldn't touch anything as difficult as an instrument, but tonight, tonight he felt like he could take on the world as he picked up a trumpet. "Do you think it's alright?" Greg puts the strange brass horn to his lips, surprised at the warped sound escaping.
"Does anyone see a triangle? I was lead trianglist in middle school band. I was so good I was tapped to play solos all the time. Haven't practiced in a while though, so the trusty old arm may be a little rusty." Melvin offers in his indomitable way to join their little impromptu music unit.
"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Ken laughs at the bug-eyed peepers guy. Never having even touched a bass guitar before in his life, never mind playing one, Ken grabs the instrument and starts to strum. Feeling some kind of compassion for his new-found friend, he looks to Andrew and points at the vacant keyboard seat.
"Can you play the keyboard, Andy?"
Andrew shakes his head with a smile that shrugs off his depression.
"Good, neither can I. So we're both newbies." Ken tries his guitar again, pleased when an, albeit funky note, comes out, loud and clear.
"C'mon, try it, Andrew! You can play harmony to my expert melody. Follow my lead, gang!" Melvin had indeed discovered a triangle in the at-break band's wares, he confidently begins banging away on the brass instrument with assured pride, Greg giggling as he joins in hesitantly.
Andrew capitulates. He begins to gingerly bang on the foreign looking black and white keys, laughing with his make-shift band, despite his woes, as Chad shreds the electric guitar zealously and starts to sing a drunken tune.
"Rei! Oh Rei, my ray of light! Like the sun! Oh-oh my Rei of light!"
Hearing the sudden outburst of cacophony over the loudspeakers, Sayer, fully ditching his long unplugged, too-warm-to-wear dinner jacket, takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around Sabra's waist.
"We can't waste all this good 'music,' can we, babe? Let's dance." His wolfish eyes were aglow on her golden dress, something about that shining color fascinating to him. "I'm going to take this lovely lady off your hands, Dar." The idol with the navy ponytail leans his agile neck backwards to ask permission as his limber body was about to sweep the willing female away to the dance floor.
"Go right ahead." Darien laughs, now amused by Sayer's antics more than angered by them.
Sayer pulls the stripper somewhat dizzily out onto the dance floor as Sabra ignores the music, setting her own rhythm. As they sway back and forth, she whispers in his ear.
"You're a very good dancer, Sa—yer..." She rolls his name on her tongue looking like she'd enjoy doing more than that. "My shift's about up here. Why don't you and I beat this place and find something else to do?" She breathes heavily into his ear.
"Sounds like fun." He smiles wickedly. "You know I'd probably enjoy what you have in mind, but…" Sayer looks her in the eye as they rhythmically dance in seductive motions.
"But…?" She demands, unaccustomed to being turned down so flatly. Searching his eyes, Sabra only finds them dazzled by someone else already.
"Oh." She smiles a bit miffed at the loss but still impressed by this very virile 18-year old young man's fortitude. Going back to the slow dance, she smiles, "Is she pretty?"
"Only gorgeous." Sayer answers, wishing Alex Sokova was the woman in his arms right now.
"Your friends don't seem to know about you and her." Sabra had been doing some research on Sayer during the evening apparently.
"Nah, they wouldn't. You know what? Neither does she—yet." Sayer smiles, wolf on the prowl.
"Oh, what a nice surprise, for her. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it." Sabra pouts.
"Happy?" Sayer smiles. "Not too sure of that…I think she'd rather decapitate me with her sword first." He adjusts his collar with a gulp that made Sayer's Adam's apple bob up and down at the thought.
"Decapitate? Sword? What kind of girl is she?" The professional dancer remarks in shock at the kinky company this singer was already keeping.
"Well, she's definitely unique. She's…strong...and tough...and not very much like other…" Sayer smiles dreamily in his attempts to describe his rebel, Ally.
"…GIRLS!" A low voice thunders across the hall as Terry runs up to his brother excitedly. "The answer is 'girls!'" he begins singing his sugar and spice theme again.
"Hey, Sayer. I admire men who prefer 'strong and tough.' There's not many of you out there. So keep that thought, Handsome." Sabra places a finger on Sayer's sighing lips, giving up on her conquest tonight.
She looks at Terry and then asks Sayer: "What about him? Is he currently available?" She spots a newly intoxicated prospect who was just as handsome and even taller. Sayer laughs, pulling his innocent brother away from the claws of the vixen.
"Let's go and join the musical fun going on up there, Ter." He tugs a wobbly, long-legged Terry towards the blaring 'music' coming from the stage. As soon as they get there, like a magnet, Terry was pulled to the microphone centerstage.
"Indulging in your sweetness, slow down!
Longing to touch your skin, it's a heavenly paradise
Hanging on every one of your sighs
So good a feeling, I want you badly!
Music in his blood and romance on his mind, even in his drunken state (or maybe because of it) Terry begins to sing a new song he was currently composing on the intoxicated fly. Performing and dancing with such rhythm and blues, the tall young man was inspiring to all the somewhat loosened up boys around to join in as backup for the energized theme of a man hopelessly falling in love, in the most expressive ways:
"Really this is perfect love
SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!
For crimson rouge lips=CE-LE-BRA-TION!
I break into a sweat now
SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!
Dreaming of tomorrow,
Only because of yesterday!"
With this mighty amount of liquor his mischievously sneaky younger brother Sayer had deviously poured into him this celebratory night, usually proper and staid, scholarly Terry Starr becomes a hard-core rock and roller.
"Sadly forlorn, she sighed music!
In my ear this party night
Going through me, she sighed music!
'Til morning, dazzling the night…"
With this extemporaneously written song, albeit extremely flirtatious and raunchy at intervals, this normally studious Starlight cuts loose. With inhibitions unleashed, Terry was expressing through illustrative lyric, pumping music and risqué dance all the romantic yearning he was keeping pent-up for the stunning lady he desperately longed to completely make his own.
"Burning fantasies, I slow down
Sweeping over me the wind sings her name"
Words melodically rolling off his silver tongue, the boy genius sheds all decorum the gentleman in him generally swore by, shaking Terry Starr's muscular, fine stature, well endowed below the hip, manly form as he dances in perfect time with the sensual lyrics.
"Gorgeous lady, Belle of evening
Won't let you be lonely, Baby face!"
Envisioning Susan's magenta gaze envelope his mind, heart, body and soul, Terry Starr puts all he had into the thrilling performance of this fast-flowing tune the brilliant performer was on stage just conjuring up, with a timeless woman's shining eyes as inspiration to stirred up every fluid body movement and perfectly struck tenor voice melody and word.
"Really this is perfect love!
SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!
For crimson rouge lips=CE-LE-BRA-TION!
Grabbing up the saxophone which was leaning against the keyboard, and letting out more than a few perfectly rounded music notes, Terry jauntily moves from instrument to instrument that the other men, less confident, had taken up. Like an expert conductor, his soaring sax provides lead in accurate key for Chad's electric guitar to follow, the precise tone color for Andrew's keyboard to play, the correct octave for Greg's trumpet to reach, the proper pitch for Ken's bass to rhyme, and fluid tempo for Melvin's triangle to keep the beat of the fresh-off-the-presses new score of clever Mr. Starr's.
"I break into a sweat now
SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!
Dreaming of tomorrow,
Only because of yesterday!"
The impromptu rock band of 'The Moonboys' were thoroughly impressed by Terry Starr's superlative singer/exceptional songwriter/show-stopping performer attitude as they each rise above themselves to make music set to this Star Maker's rhythm. They couldn't believe how amazingly professional his unrehearsed delivery of his spontaneous song was, nor the cohesive harmony the group was creating together.
"Sadly forlorn, she sighed music!
In my ear this party night
Going through me, she sighed music!
'Til morning, dazzling the night…"
All except Sayer. Having grown up with Terry as the composer of his heart's music, he was never astonished by his brother's endless capabilities. Leaping on stage to sit at the drum set to join in the fun, he too lets go at the same pace as always that his Starlight partner was setting. In rhythm with Terry's 'Shake, shake, shaking!' the dark navy ponytailed performer bangs and crashes along so deafeningly on the drums, if you were outside the building you would swear it was thunder.
Considering the still passed-out Robin Starr lying on the dance floor just feet away from where he sat, the lucky one, Darien holds both hands to his painful ears, fully enjoying this bachelor party thrown in his honor. And wishing it was over at the same time as he endures, only with the thought of his future bride's radiant smile in his mind's eye.
And the star shaking refrain from the makeshift band plays on long into the night, making this bachelor party one to remember…