Love Boat Part 2 - First Impressions Rated: G or PG by: Alexia-chan e-mail: alexiachan@yahoo.com Hey minna-san! Here's Part 2b! Sorry this took me so long to get out! I've had bad writer's block and I've been so busy with school work. But now since it's vacation, I decided to get busy. Don't forget to e-mail me at alexiachan@yahoo.com and tell me what you think of my story. IMPORTANT: I still have the net!! My parents decided not to torture me by getting rid of it! :) I am currently working on a short story, Snowbound, that takes place in Sailor Moon R. Since it doesn't apply to this archive, if you're interested in reading it, e-mail me, and I'll send it to you! I also just started writing another holiday story that I plan on posting if I get it done soon! That's all from me! Enjoy! Disclaimers: All standard disclaimers apply. Sailor Moon does not belong to me, but this story does. ~Darien~ I checked my appearance in the mirror and nodded in approval. After changing about five times, I had finally decided on khaki Dockers and a blue Polo sweater. I glanced in the mirror again and frowned. No matter how much gel I used, that stupid cowlick always popped up. Oh well, I still looked darn good, if I do say so myself. I turned around and walked out of my room, flicked off the light on the way out the door. I went into the kitchen and plucked Serena's number and address off the fridge. I glanced at the clock. 4:30. I should probably call Serena and see what time dinner is. For some reason, I was terribly nervous about dinner with Serena and her family. If they didn't like me, then Serena won't get to on the cruise and I'd feel really bad. I picked up the phone and dialed her number with shaking fingers. I cleared my throat nervouslywhile the phone rang. "Hello?" a young boy answered. "Hi. May I please speak to Serena?" I asked, praying that I didn't sound as nervous as I felt. "Yeah, hold on," the boy replied. I heard him cover the mouth piece with his hand,but I still heard him yell,"Serena! Your boyfriend is on the phone!" I banged my forehead on the wall. This is peachy, just peachy. Serena's going to think that I put him up to saying that! Not that I would mind being known as Serena's boyfriend or anything, but...~Serena~ My boyfriend, huh? I'll teach Darien for putting Sammy up to that! I picked up the phone and said,"Ok, Sammy, I got it! You can hang up now!" I waited until I heard the other line click off before saying, "Hey babe! I thought you were leaving for your aunt's house today. Aww, are you calling me from the road? You are soo sweet! I still wish you could've gone with me on that cruise. It would've been so romantic! I'm having Darien go with me. Yeah, I know he's a jerk sometimes, but I was desperate! But don't worry, I would *never* dump you for him cause I love you way too much!" I could hardly contain myself. Ok, so maybe I over played just a little, but it was too funny!~Darien~ My heart sunk. She was already invloved, and it seemed pretty serious It definately seem like I had a chance with her. What was I thinking? Why would anyone like her ever like me, anyway. I'm just not her type. She's so kind, so friendly, so loving. Then there's me. I'm so cold and distant. I cleared my throat nervously and said sadly, "Serena, this isn't who you think it is. It's Darien."~Serena~ Ooo! This is too good! Wait a minute! He actually sounded kinda said about the idea of me having a boyfriend. Could it mean...NAH! I would highly doubt it! He's so cool and sophisicated and not to mention in college! I'm still in junior high. There's no way he would ever fall for me when he can have any girl he wants at his college. Finally I couldn't contain myself any longer and let my thoughts disappear and burst out laughing. "You-you actually believed that? That is the *biggest* line of bull I have ever said! That's what you get for telling Sammy that you were my boyfriend!" I managed to say throughfits of giggles. ~Darien~ What a relief! She really didn't have a boyfriend! That means I still have a chance, just not that much of one. "Serena, you are very evil!" I growled, feigning anger, but inside, my heart was soaring. "And I didn't tell your brother anything. He must've come up with that all on his own, I swear. I would never pull a stunt like that. You, maybe;me, no." I knew Serena was sticking her tongue out at the phone, but I wasn't sure why I knew. I shrugged off my confusion and added, "Put that tongue back in your mouth! That phone didn't do anything to you!"~Serena~ I gasped in suprise. How did he know what I was doing?? Maybe he's outside my house right now looking in the windows. Nah, I just can't picture Darien as astalker. "For your information, Mr. Chiba, I was *not* sticking my tongue out at the phone!" I asked witht mock-seriousness. "Yeah, right. Of course you weren't Meatball Head," he said, adding that hated nickname. I groaned silently. This phone conversation was going so well, but he had to go and ruin it! "Darien, how many times to I have to tell you that my name is Serena! Not Meatball Head!" I shouted. Maybe I was going a little over the edge, but it drives me nuts! Ok, I guess it's kinda cute, I suppose. I mean, sure, Raye calls me Meatball Head, too, but it's so much cuter when Darien says it! "Yeesh, Serena. I'm sorry. You didn't have to go ballistic on me, you know. I wasn't trying to make you mad or anything," Darien said. His apology sounded sincere, so I said," Ok, ok. I forgive you!" "Thanks babe!" Darien said, happily. I could almost see him giving me that sexy quirky grin of his... "So, what did you call for, anyway," I asked. "I wanted to know what time dinner was," he replied. "Oh, well, we're eating at 6:00, but you can come over now, if you'd like to. We could hang in the rec room in my basement. I have a Super Nintendo and like a hundren games. I'm sure we can find one to play," I said. I really liked the idea of Darien spending time with me. But knowing my luck, Sammy will end up goingdown with us. "That's sounds great, Serena. It's been so long since I've played Nintendo! I hope I can remeber how to use that little controller thingy. Well, I'll see you in about 15 minutes! Bye!" Darien said, laughing. "Ok, super! I'll see you then! Ta-ta!" I said and hung up, my heart pounding. I ran into my room and looked in the mirror. I was still wearing the sweatshirt and jeans that I had on earlier. Ugh...this outfit is not going to work! I ran over to my closet and pulled out a fuzzy pink sweater with little white bunnies embrodiered across the chest. I peeled my sweatshirt off and pulled that on. I looked in the mirror again. Hmm...I really don't like these jeans. I went over to my dresser and pulled a pair of flares out. I put them on and looked in the mirror again. Ahh...much better! I was looking good, but I thought a second opinion might be helpful. "Hey, Luna, how do I look?" I asked, spinning around so she could see the whole ensemble. "You look lovely, Serena. Why are you so worried about how you look, anyway? It can't be because Darien is coming over. Just yesterday you were telling me how much you couldn't stand him," Luna said. I grinned. "I just saw Darien in a different light, I guess Luna." "Whatever you say, Serena!" Luna closed her eyes, mumbling sleepily about going back to bed. I brushed my hair and walked downstairs. I went into the living room and looked out the window. Oh come on, way to seem desperate, Serena. I sighed and plopped down on the couch. I flicked on the TV and mindlessly flipped through the channels. I glanced at the clock. Sixteen mintues have passed since we hung up. He said he'd be here in fifteen! Where is he? Maybe he's hurt or worse! I mentally smacked myself. Get a grip, girl! I'm sure he'll be here any minute! The doorbell rang, making me jump about six feet in the air, It's him, it's him! I ran over to the door, then screeched to a halt before calmly opening the door. There stood Darien holding a bouquet of blood red roses. "These are for you, Serena." Darien said, handingthem to me. I felt my face redden. He's so sweet!! "Wow, thanks Darien. Let me go put these in water and tell mom that you're here. Have a seat." I said, pointing to the couch as I walked into the kitchen. ~Darien~ I'm glad I thought to bring her flowers. She was so suprised! I circled the room, deciding whether I should sit down or look at the pictures of Serena and her family. My curiosity won out, and I walked over to the mantle to look at the plethora of pictures perched there. Seeing the pictures of Serena and her family so happy together brought tears of sadness to my eyes. I could've had all this, too, but no, I grew up an orphan. Life wasn't fair. "Enjoying the pictures?" Serena asked, taking meaway from my reviere. I quickly wiped my tears away and turned to face her, blushing. "Yeah, they're really nice." Serena smiled and her mother walked into the room. "You must be Darien! Hi, I'm Serena's mother, Ilene." I walked over to where they were standing and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Tsukino." "Darien, please call me Ilene, I insist," Ilene said, smiling warmly. "Well, I must get back to the kitchen. Why don't you two go down to the rec room and watch some TV or something. I'll let you know when dinneris ready." "Ok, great mom. Bye!" Serena said. She turned to me, bowed, and held out her arm. "Shall we?" I laughed, took her arm, and she led me in the direction of the basement. ~Ilene~ I like that boy. He seems so perfect for her. I'm not sure why they always fight, though. I just don't know what Ken will think of him. He's already against the idea of Serena taking a college guy on that cruise with her. I'll have to see if I can convince him that Darien won't hurt his baby. It suprises me that Darien isn't spending Christmas with his family. Wait a minute, what if he doesn't have a family? That's always possible. He did look rather sad after he was looking at our family pictures. Well, I'm not going to bring up such a sad thing on such a happy night. I'm just glad Serena found someone to go with her.~Serena~ "Ha! I beat you again!" I cried triumphantly as my racecar crossed the finish line seconds before Darien's. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Darien grumbled. "Look, I told ya the Princess was better than Mario. You just didn't believe me!" I said, grinning. Before I even had a chance to say anything more, I was tackled by Darien. He easily pinned my arms down to the ground, and our faces were mere centimeters apart. I could feel his hot breath on my lips, and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. Part of me wanted him to, and the other part begged me to make the first move.~Darien~ Our faces were so close together, our noses were almost touching. I could smell the perfume that she was wearing, and it was absoultely intoxicating. I leaned my face closer to hers, lessening the small gap between us--- "Dinner time!" Ilene called from upstairs. It was a good thing she hadn't come down to tell us! Groaning silently, I reluctanly pulled myself off of Serena and offered her my hand. She took it, and I pulled her into a standing position. She looked into my eyes and turned away blushing. I could tell she had wanted the kiss as much as I did, but no! It just *had* to be dinner time! Oh well, we'd have plenty of time for *that*on the cruise! Serena walked over to the entertainment center and turned the game and the TV off. We walked up the stairs in awkward silence. Maybe I had been wrong. I shouldn't have tried to kiss her so soon. In that case, it had been a good thing it was time for dinner! At the top of the stairs, we were greeting by an older man, who I assumed was Serena's father. He glared at us. Uh-oh...this must be one of those pshyco fathers who won't let their daugthers date until they're like 21. I wasn't looking forward to telling him my age. I'm sure he's not going to like the idea of his daughter taking a college guy in this cruise. "H-hello, sir," I stuttered nervously. This isn't going to be easy. He smiled. He actually smiled. Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard, after all! "Hello there. My name's Ken. At first I wasn't sure about this whole thing, but I think you look like a trusting young man and you'll take good care of my daughter on this cruise." He looked over to Ilene and she nodded in approval. As soon as he looked away, I caught her eye and she winked at me. Gotta love that Ilene! "Well, it's time for dinner, everyone," Ilene said, ushering us into the dinning room. ~Serena~ I couldn't believe that daddy accepted Darien so well! This was going great. He seems to have made quite an impression on my parents. We walked into the dinning room and sat down in the same order we filed in. Dad, me, mom, Darien, and Sammy, after we picked him up from in the living room. "So, you're Serena's boyfriend," Sammy said, sitting down. Darien blushed and looked over at me, causing me toblush. "Well, um, no. You see, we used to hate each other until today, so we're just friends," he said, hesitantly. "I really need someone to go on this cruise with me, and Darien was there, so I invited him," I said and cringed inwardly. That sounded bad. It makes me look like I'm just using Darien to go with me, so I quickly added, "Not than I'm using you or anything, Darien." Darien smiled. "I know that, Meatball Head!" Sammy burst out laughing. "That's so funny! I'm gonna start calling her that! Thanks, Darien!" Great. I get it from Darien and Raye, and now at home! Yeesh! I glared at Darien, and before I had a chance to stick out my tongue, mom brought the food in. Chickencurry...mmm...my fav! "You made chicken curry? That's one of my favorite dishes!" Darien excliamed, taking a bite. "Wow, this is the best I think I've ever tasted!" Hmm...something else we have in common! My mother smiled warmly at Darien. "Why thank you. Chicken Curry is one of Serena's favorite dishes, too." Good ol' mom, playing matchmaker. "Really? I thought Serena ate anything, no matter what it tasted like," Darien said, grinning. "HEY! I'll have you know, I absolutely hate carrots! I won't eat those," I protested in vain. My family plus Darien laughed and I just sat there, glaring. How rude of my family! Once every one calmed down after their laughing fit, the rest of dinner went off without a hitch. After the dishes were done, we all were hanging out in the living room, well, everyone except Sammy who had gone to play video games, making small talk, when... "So, Darien, what does your father do for a living?"my father asked.~Darien~ I guess I shouldn't have ruled out thhe possibility that someone would ask that question. "Well, sir, I don't have a father. Or a mother, for that matter. When I was very young, my family and I were involved in a terrible car accident. It was raining, and my father lost control of the car, causing it to fly off a cliff. The doctors say I was lucky to have survived, but I don't remember my parents or my life before the accident at all. To tell you the truth, I think I might have been better off dead, than going to the orphanage. The children were cruel there, and they didn't even try to befriend me. Every Christmas, the children would pick other children to exchange gifts with. I never got any gifts..." I closed my eyes. I had never wanted to relive that moment again. Before I had a chance to open my eyes again, I felt arms encircle my waist. I quickly opened my eyes to see Serena sitting on the couch beside me, tears streaming down her face. She has such a huge heart. "Oh Darien, I never knew. I'm sorry!" Serena said, wiping her tears away. "It's ok, Serena. I've learned to live with it." I glanced down at my watch. 10:30 already? Wow. Time sureflies! "Darien, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask us, ok?" Ilene said, smiling sadly. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Well, I best be going. Thanks so much for having me over for dinner, I reallyenjoyed myself." "I'm sorry for bringing up such bad memories Darien. I had no idea," Ken said, shaking my hand. "That's ok. I needed to tell someone. I've always kept it bottled up inside me." I said, putting on my coat. "You mean, not even Andrew knows?" Serena asked, walkingme to the door. "Nope, I've never told anyone, except for you and your family. I could never bring myself to tell Andrew. He knew I was an orphan, but not about my horrible Christmases." I said. I never wanted to relive those days again. "Thank you, Darien," Serena said, looking up at me. "For what?" "For telling us. For trusting us with your past." "You're welcome, Meatball Head," I said, grinningdown at the smiling girl. "Brr..it's cold out. I should go back inside. Thanks for coming. I'm sure my parents approved of you," Serena said shivering. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to get her warm. I wasn't ready to leave her yet. "You're welcome, Serena. I really did have a nice time. I challenge you to a re-match in Mariokart. I'll show you what I'm really made of!" I grinned, inching my face closer to hers. She giggled slightly. "You're on, buddy!" I smiled, then closed the distances between our faces, and brushed my lips gently against hers. It wasn't a big kiss, but it was enough to warm my body. "See ya, later, Serena. I'll call you sometime. Sweet dreams," I called, walking out to my car, leaving Serena, staring dazedly and waving. I couldn't help butchuckle.~Serena~ After he was gone, I slowly brought my hand up to my lips, where he had ever so slightly kissed me. "Wow. He kissed me. HE KISSED ME! YAHOO!" I opened the door and skipped inside. I went into the living room and plopped myself down on the couch. "Well?" My mother smiled. "Well what, dear?" I grinned back. "What did you think of Darien?" "He's too old!" my father grunted. "Come on, Ken. We talked about this. I thought he was a very nice young man and I'm sure the two of you will have a great time on that cruise. "And if he even tries anything, call me, and I'll find someway to get out there with my shotgun. No man's going to take advantage of my baby girl!" My father exclaimed. Sometimes he's just a little overprotective...ok...all the time. I smiled slightly. "Trust me, daddy, he won't try anything. Well, I'm gonna go upstairs and get ready for bed. Goodnight!" "Goodnight, sweethart." Well, what did you think? Yeah, I know that Christmas is over, but I can't help it. Part 3 will be out as soon as possible. About the other stories I mentioned above, they will definately be taking a back burner to Love Boat because I want to get it done soon. I don't even know if I'm going to concentrate on A Holiday to Remember because the holidays are practically over, and by the time I get to it, they will definately be over. I'll work on it when I can, and then release it for next year. Snowbound will be my next story, and I'm thinking it's just going to be a short, so that will be easy for me. I'm also looking for an editor who will force me to write because I'm not very good at working on deadlines. I always get busy and then I don't have much time to focus on my writing. Well, I'm sure that this bored you to death, so I'm gonna shut up now! Oh, one more thing, don't forget to e-mail me at alexaichan@yahoo.com and please, I really do need and editor, so if any one of you is interested, please e-mail me! Have a great 2000! :)