I Promise--Chapter One By: Aimee bunny80@webtv.net Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Sue me, and you shall suffer my wrath. Author's Notes: This fanfic takes place in the SMR episode "Much Ado About Babysitting." My sincere apologies if this is your favorite episode, because you'll find I changed around most of it. However I did keep a few similarities--such as Darien and Serena keeping little Jordan until his mother is well, and a few lines are the same. I tried to make it different, though...um, quite different. Anyway, comments are appreciated. I like constructive criticism...it helps me know what you people like and don't like to read. Now, sit up straight and pay attention! >^..^< ----------------------------------------------- I Promise--Chapter One Serena was beyond frustrated...who knew babysitting was this difficult? Little Jordan had been crying for some time now. He had quite a pair of lungs, and wasn't afraid to use them. That fact caused Serena to be oddly attached to the whimpering mass of diapers and peach fuzz...if the baby wanted a crying match, she was up for the challenge. "Oh, I wish babies could talk!" Serena cried out in frustration, displaying her own capable set of lungs. "I don't know what's wrong with him!" Darien glanced at the screaming child and the hyperventilating Serena, and couldn't decide if he was incredibly annoyed or terribly amused. He shook his head, and silently reminded himself never to get married. "Maybe he's hungry," the weary Darien suggested, offering the nine month old a fresh bottle. Jordan accepted it, and his crying finally quieted. His blue eyes looked around curiously at his new surroundings as he drank his dinner. Jordan's mother had fallen ill and was unable to care for him. Darien had offered to watch the little one until the mother was back on her feet. Serena had joined Darien to offer her assistance, but wasn't exactly enjoying herself. She sighed and stole a glance at him. For someone who was supposed to be her 'One True Love,' Darien sure could be a jerk. His constant teasing and mocking was almost more than she could take. If he did much more she feared she would lose her cool and turn him into Moon Dust. 'Hmmm...' she thought. 'Not a bad idea...' She smiled, fingering her transformation locket with an evil giggle. Darien tried to entertain the baby by donning silly faces, no doubt scaring the kid to death. Jordan looked at Darien like he was an idiot--Serena had to agree. Darien resorted to speaking in the best 'baby talk' he could muster. "Ooooh, Dat's right! Milk is gooooood for you, huh lil' guy!? Yes it isssssss! Can you say milk for me?" Serena rolled her eyes. "He can't even walk yet, and you're expecting him to talk?" she told him, attempting to pay him back a bit for all the rude comments he'd aimed her way all afternoon. "Oh yeah? I'll bet talks before he walks," he challenged. Jordan finished his milk, and Darien took the bottle from him. Serena could never resist a bet. "Ten bucks says I'll have him walking before his mom comes to take him home." "You're on..." Darien shot back. For added emphasis, he added her hated nickname: "...buns." It was all he could do to keep from smiling when the steam started billowing out of her ears. So cute...so very cute... Serena could be a pain sometimes, but he had to admit he kinda liked having her around. Her laughter and smile lit up his normally dull and lonely apartment. It was a nice change. Serena picked Jordan up angrily and stormed into the living room. She sat on the couch with the baby in her lap. He sucked on his pacifier and played happily with Serena's curls. She smiled sadly--'At least someone likes my hair...' she thought. Darien walked into the room with a book and sat down in a chair near the couch. He trusted Serena to entertain Jordan long enough so that he could get a bit of studying in. He tried to read, but found his eyes kept drifting to the young blond. The strangest feelings overtook him when she was near... almost like deja vu. He wouldn't have thought much of the feelings had they not occurred quite so often. There was something about her... Serena's hair had quickly proven to be Jordan's new favorite toy. He seemed fascinated with it, and it was all Serena could do to keep him from putting it in his mouth. "No, no Jordan...let's not eat my hair. I doubt it tastes very good. Besides...didn't you just have dinner?" Darien smiled, recalling how nice Serena's hair felt. It was soft, and--'Wait a minute...' he realized. 'I've never touched her hair before. What made me think I had?' Darien was overtaken by a sudden and very vivid flashback: he saw himself in a tuxedo--a mask hid his face. A young girl with long blond hair was in his arms. They were in some sort of ball room...he heard music and realized they must be dancing. His hand ran through the girl's hair lovingly, noting it's softness. The girl looked up at him, smiling a very sweet but sad smile. Darien's eyes widened as he recognized her face...Serena? The flashback ended, leaving Darien breathless. He glanced at Serena. Yes, it was definitely her he'd seen in his vision, but she had looked different--almost like a princess. The vision had a strange impact on him--it was almost as if something inside him had unlocked a forgotten memory. It seemed very real, but Darien didn't think it could have been. After all, he'd only met Serena a short time ago. He sat back in his chair with his book, trying to shake the feelings. Serena felt Darien's eyes on her, and shifted uncomfortably. 'He probably wants me to leave,' she thought sadly. 'He didn't want me to help in the first place...maybe I should just go.' Tears stung her eyes as she recalled what they'd once been to each other, and the condition of their relationship now. She wished with all her heart that he would remember their past and come back to her, but an unspoken, lingering doubt had formed in the back of her mind that she would never get her Darien back, and that she would never be anything more to him than someone to tease. She missed him terribly. Jordan had begun to get fussy. His wiggling knocked Serena's transformation locket that she wore on her school uniform to the floor. Darien reached down to retrieve it for her. It was warm from being against her body. He studied the intricate design on the front of the locket. He'd never seen anything quite like it. "It's very pretty," Darien told her, breaking the silence between them. Their hands brushed when he gave it back to her. Serena bit her lip and closed her eyes-- Darien wondered why. "My mother gave it to me," Serena mumbled, referring to Queen Serenity. Darien smiled half-heartedly. He didn't have a mother. "She must love you a lot..." Serena replaced the locket on the bow of her uniform. "She's always been there for me when I need her most." "Must be nice..." Darien mumbled to himself, not realizing he spoke audibly. He picked up his book and again tried to read. Serena heard his comment, and looked at him with compassion. "Oh Darien, I'm sorry. It must be hard being an orphan..." Darien's head snapped up. "How do you know about that?" 'Whoops...' Serena thought. She'd forgotten that he had no recollection of telling her about his parent's deaths. "Uh...um...you told me?" she stuttered nervously. Darien shook his head, unconvinced. "I don't tell many people about that. I would have remembered telling you." Serena shrugged nervously. She didn't know what to say, so she quickly changed the subject. Donning false happiness, she spoke cheerfully, "Hey Jordan, are you ready for your walking lessons? Here we go!" She sat down on the floor near Darien's feet and helped little Jordan to stand. Darien eyed Serena, slightly annoyed. It bothered him that she knew so much about his past. It was definitely something he didn't like to talk about, and he preferred to keep it to himself. How did she find out, anyway? Did Andrew tell her? Darien sighed, and decided to drop it...for now. Jordan's walking lesson wasn't going too well. The little guy was too busy trying to eat Serena's hair than to pay attention to his insistent teacher. After realizing the hopelessness of her pupil and accepting that she would soon be out ten bucks, Serena finally gave up. "Here, why don't you hold him for a while." She picked up the baby and held him up to Darien. As he saw Serena kneeling before him, holding little Jordan up for him to take, Darien was struck suddenly with another flashback: he saw Serena kneeling before him, bruised from sort of battle. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held a beautiful musical locket up to him--it's tune was so familiar... "All you have to do is touch it," she whispered. The memory faded, leaving him confused. "Darien--you okay?" Serena asked with concern. "Yoo-hoo? Darien? Hello?" "Uh...yeah. I'm fine," he said, trying to shake the feeling the flashback had left. 'Where are these visions coming from?' he wondered. He took Jordan from Serena, lost in his thoughts. "Are you sure?" Serena persisted. "You looked--" "I said I'm fine, all right? Leave me alone already," Darien snapped at her, much louder than he'd meant to. Serena frowned. That was it. She wasn't going to take any more abuse from him. "You don't have to yell. I was just worried about you." Darien sighed, angry at himself. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to--" Serena cut him off. "You know, I've had it with the way you treat me. You can take care of Jordan by yourself. I'm out of here!" She headed for the door in anger. Realizing his mistake, Darien quickly put Jordan on the ground with his toys, and chased after Serena. Before she could reach the door he had caught her by the wrist...it felt small and warm in his hand. She stopped but didn't turn around. "Look," Darien began, trying his best to be gentle with her--it was something he wasn't exactly accustomed to, but he gave it his best shot. "I'm sorry I yelled. I've had a lot on my mind today. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It was wrong, and I apologize." Serena shook her head, unable to look at him. "I know you hate me. You just won't come right out and say it." "I don't hate you...not at all," he insisted, putting his hands on her shoulders from behind. In doing so, he realized for the first time just how tiny she was...the top of her head barely reached his shoulders. "Please stay..." Serena's anger at him slowly vanished--not because of what he'd said, but because of his kind touch. It reminded her of the Darien she'd lost--the way he would hold her when she felt down, or how he would gently rub her shoulders when she felt discouraged. She missed that part of him more than she could say, and his actions now were pushing her closer and closer to tears. Serena wondered if she would ever have him back. Darien turned her around to face him, but her gaze dropped quickly to the floor. She didn't want him to see that she was about to cry--he wouldn't understand why she was upset. "Look at me," Darien said, lifting her chin. It trembled in his hand, and he realized she was close to tears. 'Surely this couldn't have been caused by such a small scuffle,' he thought. 'But what else could be wrong?' Darien cupped her cheek in concern, making the ache in Serena's heart intensify. She wanted him to stop trying to comfort her--it just made it hurt worse. She wanted him back... Serena's face crumpled, and the tears began to come. Darien's arms were ready to surround her when she leaned on him for support. A loud sob shook her body as all her built up emotions rushed out at once. "Shhh," Darien whispered softly into her hair. He was positive now that she wasn't crying because of their argument--her tears were too intense for that. He wondered what could possibly be wrong, and scolded himself for not noticing she was upset sooner--if he had known, he would have spared her the teasing, which in his mind was what drove her over the edge and into tears. Attempting to comfort her, he stroked the back of her neck with surprising tenderness. For some reason this felt so natural to him. Suddenly another flashback took Darien by surprise-- he saw himself on a balcony with Serena in his arms... again, she appeared to be dressed as a princess. Her face revealed she was distressed about something. He bent to kiss her...she began to cry. The memory vanished... Darien's head was spinning. Where were these memories coming from? He couldn't seem to be able to think straight. One thing he did know was that having Serena in his arms felt very right. He wondered why he hadn't seen it before. Serena's tears had quieted into sniffles and hiccups. Darien's warmth was comforting, but in a way it made her feel worse. She knew in her heart that he only holding her out of guilt or pity...she couldn't decide which was worse. "All better?" Darien asked her, glad that her tears had slowed. Serena nodded, but she shook in his arms, weakened by her flood of emotion. She looked up at him uncertainly. Darien was overcome by the sudden urge to kiss her, and was surprised by how intense the feeling was. He had never felt that way before--or had he? The sensation felt strangely familiar. He pulled back slightly from the embrace, and put a hand on her cheek. Serena smiled at his kindness, but it was a sad smile. She loved this caring side of Darien, and she wished so badly that he loved her back. She looked into his eyes...her smile slowly faded. He was staring at her with unmistakable intensity--Serena swallowed hard. Darien very slowly lowered his face to hers. She felt his warm breath on her cheek. Her eyes closed. His lips grazed slightly against hers... ------------------------------------- Hmmm...I think that's a good place to stop, don't you? *dodges the various objects thrown at her from the enraged readers* Guess you'll just have to wait for Chapter Two. ^_~ Send comments to: bunny80@webtv.net Please visit my homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/4986