Title: Royal Flush - Day 7
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com

Hey Minna!!! How's it goin'? Okay, ONE MORE WEEK OF SCHOOL! Then I will 
be free to write to my heart's delight! Woohoo!!! Can't wait! Oh, this 
is the last chapter, though there IS going to be an epilogue. Have 
fun!!

I have to thank a million people for this one. When I first started 
writing this chapter, I was totally struggling for ideas, but I got 
tons of suggestions and inspiration from Twilight, Stormlight, 
Persephone, Patricia Dawson, R-chan, and Eryn. Thanx a TON guys! 
Chances are this wouldn't have been out for a couple weeks yet if it 
weren't for them. Arigatou!

Also, the basic idea for this story came from two incredible fanfics by 
the incredible Lady Starra and her Playing Matchmaker, and Psycho Star, 
the awesome writer of Ferris Wheel Kisses. You both rock, and thanx for 
letting me use your ideas!! 

And of course, I cannot forget to thank Edeet, Athena, and Sailor 
Elysia who have given me tons of ideas as well, and I am ever grateful 
for your friendship. Thank you!!!

VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!!!! If anyone received an attachment from me 
labeled Happy99, with a display of fireworks, tell me! It carried a 
small virus called a worm, and as soon as we got rid of it, it started 
sending itself to everyone who seemed to be in my inbox at the time. If 
you didn't open it, good, but if you did, please tell me! We had it for 
weeks before it started doing anything, so you might have it without 
knowing. Gomen nasai!!

Visit Rebe-chan's site! http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bridge/8224/

Enjoy! Oh, and Happy Father's Day!!

"If you love Wisdom 
and don't reject her, 
she will watch over you.
The best thing about Wisdom 
is Wisdom herself;
Good sense is more important 
than anything else.
If you value Wisdom
And hold tightly to her, 
great honors will be yours.
It will be like wearing 
A glorious crown 
of beautiful flowers."

		Proverbs 4.6-9


	He stirred lightly in his sleep, wrapping his arms tighter around 
the girl. A small smile tugged at his lips as a sweet scent flowed into 
him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, looking down to see just what he was 
holding onto. A pillow last time, wad of blankets before...
	But never had he woken up to see his dreams were actually REAL! 
His eyes shot up in surprise, though he remained perfectly still. 
	There she was. In live flesh and blood, sleeping peacefully at 
his side. Her gentle features showed nothing but happiness and content 
as she slept on, ignorant to the stirring of the man with his arms 
wrapped around her. A great pool of golden hair fell beneath her, 
cascading over his hands in shallow silkiness. Pale pink tinted her 
smiling lips as long eyelashes smoothed the corner of her eyes. Her 
arms were tossed loosely about his neck, one of her legs wrapped just 
around his ankle, pressing her fragile body to his. She still wore her 
school outfit, the pleated skirt now ruffled up to mid-thigh and the 
white blouse wrinkled and bunched. They had both lost their blankets 
sometime during the night and they now rested around their knees, 
carelessly forgotten and unneeded. 
	Darien took in a deep breath, inching his head back to the 
pillow. He lay there for a while, simply staring at her. Wondering if 
something was trying to trick him into seeing this goddess, and he was 
yet to awake. But his ears could not deny the roar of the city below 
his window, nor his eyes ignore the streams of light entering into his 
bedroom. And so, finally, he smiled. 
	Tilting his head to the side, he drew her closer with one hand, 
running it carefully through her soft mane. Closing his eyes, he 
savored the moment, deciding to wonder over questions in a less... dreamy 
state later on. Again, he was motionless for a long time, feeling her 
presence, bathing in her warmth, in his love for her. He felt that if 
he were to lose his memory all over again, he would be just fine, as 
long as he could remember that very moment. Everything must have been 
just perfect with the world, as she lay so peacefully, trustingly in 
his arms...
	Eventually, hunger beat at his stomach. Groaning quietly, he took 
one long look at her, at them, before crawling slowly out of the bed. 
She protested, her arms tightening around him. With a smile, he pried 
her off and took leave of her, pulling the blankets up once again. At 
first, a frown seemed to caress her lips, before tints of a smile came 
through. He smiled back and left into the kitchen.

	Serena woke not long after to the tempting scent of sizzling 
bacon and eggs. With a smile, she opened her eyes, the memories of 
yesterday flooding back to her instantly. Rolling onto her back, she 
stared groggily up at the ceiling. Rubbing at her eyes, she slowly 
stood and straightened out her outfit before sauntering down the 
hallway. 
	The first thing she noticed was the many pots and plates littered 
around the kitchen. The second was a tall, dark, handsome, and 
shirtless man hovering over the stove. She smiled, biting her lip 
softly and leaning against the wall. 
	Darien turned at the sound of a yawn and giggle. She was watching 
him carefully, a grin spread across her lips. Smiling back, he set the 
spatula down beside a skillet. 
	"Mornin' Sunshine!" he exclaimed. She laughed as he neared her. 
"Ya hungry?"	
	Her eyes widened joyfully. "What do YOU think?!"
	He laughed. "Great, 'cause I'm making enough breakfast to feed an 
army!" Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he added, "Of course, 
I'm not sure if it'll be enough for YOU..."
	She rolled her eyes, smacking him in the stomach. He groaned, 
grabbing his stomach in fake pain. Smiling again, she asked, "How do 
you feel?" Without warning, she placed her hand on his forehead. "It 
doesn't... feel like you're still running a fever..."
	He took her hand in his, looking down into her gloriously blue 
eyes. "Actually, I feel wonderful, Meatball Head! I think your 
treatment worked pretty well..."
	She smiled proudly. "Yep! Just leave it to Nurse Serena! I'm glad 
you're feeling better. Must have been a 24 hour bug or something..."
	No longer able to resist, he pulled her into a huge hug, wrapping 
his arms tightly around her. She gasped and squealed in surprise. 
	"Thank you, Serena. For everything..."
	Shakily, she reached up and tied her hands behind his neck. "Y... 
your welcome, Darien... But... what did I do?"
	He laughed, looking down on her innocent face, a grin lingering 
on his lips. "You were there for me. You even stayed all night... that 
means a lot... to me."
	She tilted her head slightly, staring seriously into his loving 
gaze. Finally, she smiled back at him, unconsciously pulling herself 
farther into his hold. "It was nothing. I wanted to be here with you..." 
Nervously, she added, "I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be..."
	At first, he only stared back, before finally nearing his face to 
hers, their noses barely touching. "I'm glad you're here with me too... 
Serena... I... There's something I want... I have to tell you..."
	Her eyes widened slightly. "Y... yes?"
	"I... think...that I... that YOU are... well... I think that we..."
	BEEP! BEEP!
	They gasped, each knocked from their hopeful dreams. Swiftly 
pulling away from each other, they turned awkwardly away. Darien ran a 
hand through his hair, quickly switching off the timer. Serena steadied 
herself on the counter beside her, trying desperately to clear her 
thoughts. After a few moments, she looked up to see that Darien had 
busied himself dishing up the food.
	Inhaling a breath, she decided to try her luck. "Um... wh... what 
were you going to tell me, Darien?"
	He paused, gulping slightly. Turning, he forced a nervous smile. 
"Um... well, you see, I..."
	'Am in love with you and want to get married someday,' he 
thought.
	'Love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you,' she 
hoped.
	"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the carnival with me 
later on." He sighed.
	Her jaw dropped for an instant before she forced it closed. 
Clearing her throat, she nodded. "Oh... um, yeah, sure. I'd love to go... 
master."
	He chuckled and set the plates down on the table. They ate mostly 
in silence until Serena got over her initial disappointment and 
realized... she was going to the carnival with Darien!
	The meal was filled with happy, excited chatter after that.

	"Ooh, let's go over here! No, no, over there!! Please, Darien?!"
	Darien chuckled joyfully as he was pulled through the busy 
carnival on the hand of the giddy young girl. "Whatever you want to do, 
Serena!"
	She stopped briefly to smile up at him. "There are so many things 
to do here, I don't know what to do first..."
	He smiled, placing his arm over her shoulders. "Well, ya know, we 
do have the whole day ahead of us. What's the hurry?"
	"You're right! So... how about food first?"
	He laughed. "Didn't we just eat an hour ago?!"
	"Well I'm hungry again!" Her lips curved down in an adorable 
pout. Darien bent down and kissed her cheek tenderly. 
"Anything you desire, princess."
	Her eyes opened wide as a small grin touched her lips. Happily, 
they headed off toward the food court. 
	
	"Wow, it's so busy here..." Serena mused at the crowds of people. 
Hardly any tables were unoccupied. 	
	"Here, why don't I go save us a table, and you can go get some 
food? Sound like a plan?" Serena nodded as Darien handed her some money 
before separating. He quickly found a nearby table for two, sitting 
down before scanning the lines for a familiar hairstyle. Finding her, 
he sat back to stare shamelessly.

	She flipped through the wad of bills he'd given her before 
looking up to the large signs depicting what they had to eat. Biting 
her lip, she began wondering what she should get for herself and 
Darien. He hadn't even told her what he wanted.
	Finally, she reached the counter.
	"Hello, can I take your order?"
	"Um... hi, I'll have... a thing of onion rings... some fries... um... a 
chicken burger... and um... how about... a slice of pizza..."
	"Would you like anything to drink with that?"
	"Two chocolate shakes please."
	"The total comes to $8.43. Your order will be ready in a moment."
	Serena handed her the money and received her change before 
stepping aside and waiting. There was a tap on her shoulder.
	"Yes, Dar... Oh, I'm sorry, am I in your way?" she asked to the 
young man now standing beside her.
	"No, um... actually, I was um... just coming over to... see if you 
needed help with anything..."
	She looked at him strangely. "Um... nope, I have everything under 
control, thank you."
	He smiled. "Oh, okay..." There was a silence as he stared at the 
ground, teetering from foot to foot.
	Finally, Serena turned to him again. "Is... there something you 
need?"
	He cleared his throat, looking up at her again, and smiled. "Um... 
well, actually... Hi, I'm Kevin."
	"He...hello, I'm Serena..." she said awkwardly. 
	"I was just wondering if... maybe... you wanted to eat lunch with me 
or something..."
	She stared at him for a moment, before a small smile crossed her 
face. 

	Darien watched on, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Who was 
HE?! Someone she knew from school? A friend? An admirer? Could... could 
he be her crush? Or boyfriend?! She doesn't have a boyfriend... right? 
RIGHT?! What is she doing? Smiling? Smiling! Maybe... maybe he just said 
a joke... or... or... Or maybe she's flirting with him.
	His heart sunk into his knees. She's here with him. She couldn't 
be flirting with other guys... she couldn't be thinking about them... 
	'Of course she can. She's not attached to you in any way, 
remember? Even if you are in love and know that you were made for each 
other, doesn't mean she feels the same way... But goodness, what does she 
see in HIM?!'
	Then, he saw a look directed toward him. It was only for a 
moment, but he could clearly see the distinct look of begging for help. 
Confused, though with a flicker of hope coming back, he stood and 
walked over to her.

	"Well, you see, um... that's really nice. I... I'm flattered, but you 
see... um..."
	"You don't have to if you don't want to. I understand..." Kevin 
started dejectedly. 
	She gulped. Goodness he sounded pathetic! "No that's not it, it's 
just that... I'm here with... MY BOYFRIEND!" A look of relief passed her 
features as Darien walked quickly up to the two. He'd gotten her hint! 
	With a thankful smile and a stare that told him she'd explain 
later, she threw herself into his arms, tying one arm around his waist. 
Darien raised an eyebrow, before placing a confident arm over her 
shoulders. 
	"Um... Kevin, meet Darien. Darien, this is Kevin!"
	The boy looked between the two, before coughing slightly. "Oh, 
it's nice to meet you. Um... I'll just be going now..." He quickly 
disappeared into the growing crowds. 
	Serena breathed a sigh of relief, her hold on Darien tightening. 
	"Miss, your order is ready."
	She smiled and took the tray from the cashier behind the counter 
before turning on her heels and walking quickly to their table. Darien 
furrowed his brow confusedly before following after her.
	"Okay, I got a chicken sandwich and pizza, which would you like?"
	"Who was that?"
	Serena looked up at him from the corner of eye. She shrugged. 
"How should I know?"
	"It just seemed like you knew each other."
	"Nope, I'd never seen him before in my life. Fries or onion 
rings?"
	"He seemed to like you..."
	She sighed, giving Darien the pizza and onion rings. "He was just 
some guy who asked me if I wanted to eat lunch with him."
	"And you said no?"
	She rolled her eyes. "No! I said yes, so we have to hurry and eat 
so I can go join him!" she said sarcastically, then added, "Of course I 
said no!"
	Darien chuckled. "Why?"
	"What do you mean why? I'm here with you, silly!"
	He tilted his head to the side. "Look Serena, I know you're 
supposed to be my slave right now, and all that, but..." Darien smiled up 
at her, confidence echoing in his thoughts. Part of him already knew 
what she was going to say, "but you don't have to stay with me if you 
don't want to."
	She looked up at him, shock written across her face. "But... I like 
being here with you!"
	Bingo. A huge grin dawned upon her face and soon the confusion 
began to leave hers as well. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, 
Darien leaned across the table and whispered secretly, "Ya know what?"
	She giggled, leaning nearer to him so their faces were only 
inches apart. "What?"
	Reaching his hand to her, he traced a finger down her cheek. "I 
like being here with you, too." With that, he placed a butterfly kiss 
at the tip of her nose before pulling away and beginning to eat. Serena 
backed up slowly, a blush covering her cheek. The meal went on in 
silence.

	"Okay, the games are over there... Kiddy Land is somewhere in that 
direction..." said Serena looking at a colorful map of the park. Darien 
guided her down the crowded path with one arm tightly around her waist. 
Suddenly, he stopped.
	"Hey, you want to do that?" he asked teasingly. 
	Serena looked up from her brochure to see what had caught his 
attention. Her jaw dropped as a giggle escaped her lips. "Yeah right! 
Have you seen the dresses they make the girls wear in those things?!"
	They stared at the time era photo booth. It had a western setting 
and there were currently two men and a woman having their pictures 
taken together. One man was wearing a 'sheriff' costume with a hand 
holding a shot glass and the other wrapped around the woman who was 
dressed as a bartender with a blue and white hoop skirt dress and laced 
corset, showing much cleavage. The other man looked like a bandit with 
a scarf covering his mouth and one hand holding a plastic gun 
secretively. They were all laughing excitedly as the photographer tried 
to coax them into holding still. 
	Darien laughed. "Hm... beads, feathers, and skirts up to here..." he 
placed one hand lightly on her thigh, making Serena jump startled. "I'd 
actually like to see you in one of those costumes!" he said teasingly, 
chuckling. 
	Serena folded her arms over her chest, her cheeks glowing red. 
"Darien, I don't know..." she whimpered.
	"Aw, come on, it'll be fun! Besides..." he paused for a moment, 
looking at her from the corner of his eye. "You don't have much of a 
choice, now do you?" 
She sighed agitatedly. "Yes, mi'lord." With a laugh, he grabbed 
her hand and led her up the wooden steps.
	"Hi, we'd like to have our picture taken!" he said, his fingers 
laced through Serena's. She was looking away, the blush still lingering 
as Darien paid the clerk. Before she knew it, a young lady was pulling 
her back into a dressing room as Darien left with another employee. 

	Darien laughed at his reflection in the mirror. THIS was funny! 
He wore tight dark blue jeans, a loose leather belt, white shirt and a 
denim vest. A red scarf was tied about his neck, black boots covered 
the hem of his jeans, and to top it all off, a cowboy hat adorned his 
head. 
	Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the dressing room. 
Knocking on the door next to him, he called out, "Hey Serena, you 
ready?"
	"I am NOT coming out in this thing!" she yelled back. He laughed. 
	"Are you dressed?"
	"Yeah, I'm dressed, but this thing is so..."
	"WOW!" said Darien, opening the door. She screamed as she saw his 
reflection in the mirror and turned to face him. He laughed at her 
shocked expression.
	That expression immediately faded as she looked up and down his 
apparel. "Woah... you know, that's actually a pretty good look on you..." 
she said giggling. 
	He grinned crookedly, reaching into the room and wrapping an arm 
around her waist, plucking her from the small area. She squealed and 
blushed again as his eyes drifted over her shamelessly. 
	"You don't look half bad yourself, Meatball Head!"
	She was wearing a red flapper dress covered in sequins. It cut 
off very high on her leg, trimmed with white fringe. Some loose straps 
hung lightly on the sides of her arms, more fringe edging them, 
highlighting the elbow-high white gloves. A white lace garter wrapped 
around her bare thigh and red high heels adorned her feet. Red crushed 
velvet ties wrapped around her pigtails and a white feather boa 
completed the look. 
	"Yeouch..." Darien whispered, doing a double take... and triple take...
	Finally, Serena sighed, hitting him in the shoulder. "Stop 
looking at me like that!" she yelled before turning and walking out 
toward the photo area. Darien smiled, following closely behind her and 
wrapping an arm around her waist. 
	"And I thought you looked hot before," he whispered in her ear, 
sending shivers down her spine. She blushed again, knowing this was 
gonna be a long shoot.

	"Alright, I'd like you to sit on the chair," the photographer 
said to Darien, pointing to the green velvet chair in the middle of the 
set. He did as told making himself comfortable before looking up at 
Serena who was busy fidgeting with her skirt, mumbling something about 
short skirts and fat thighs. 
	"And could you, miss, sit on his lap?"
	Her eyes widened and she looked up at him, shock written across 
her face. "Wh... WHERE do you want me to sit!?!"
	Darien laughed. "You heard the guy, now get over here!" Leaning 
forward, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back, sending 
her sprawling onto him. He laughed as she once again began pulling down 
the tight dress. 
	"Ooh, I don't know how I get myself into these things!" 
	"I don't see how you can fit in that either, with all the candy 
you eat!" he chuckled. 
	Her hands dropping to her lap, she turned to glare at him. "Oh, 
don't you start now, mister!"
	Smiling innocently, he pulled her closer to him, her head landing 
on his shoulder. "Comfy?"
	She giggled. "Guess so..." She wasn't the least bit surprised that 
she was actually starting to enjoy this...
	"Here, sir, which of these would you like to be holding?," asked 
one of the workers, showing Darien a shot glass and a hand of cards. He 
laughed. 
	"Oh, the cards, definitely!" The employee looked at him 
strangely, wondering why it was so funny, but handed him the five 
cards. He looked at them closely and burst out laughing again when he 
saw the designs painted on them. The 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of 
hearts. 
	Smiling down on Serena, who was watching amusedly, he said, 
"Royal Flush. Seems a bit ironic, now doesn't it?" 
	She giggled. "You gonna win me again?"
	"I was thinking about it..." he mused. 
	"Okay, now I want you two to do what you feel comfortable with, 
play around with some different poses, I'll tell you when to freeze," 
said the photographer. He was already having a play-day with the 
couple's compatibility. They were every photographer's dream!
	Darien looked down on her, raising an eyebrow. She laughed and 
straightened her posture, crossing her legs, posing as sexy as she 
could manage. Of course, she didn't realize what an incredible job she 
was doing. Darien tilted his hat down, staring almost evilly at the 
camera, and the shoot began...

	Serena hung up the dress before stepping out of the dressing 
room. Darien was already out waiting for her, holding the hat in his 
hands. "You know, I almost want to keep this..."
	She laughed, taking it from his grip. "Naw, you can't hide your 
nice hair like that. It would be a terrible tragedy!" she said matter-
of-factly. Darien looked down on her lovingly, draping his arm around 
her again before they left to the front of the booth. 
	The worker looked up at them, smiling and pulling out a large 
envelope from beneath the counter. "Welcome back. You guys took some 
excellent pictures! You can only keep one though, so... which would you 
like?"
	She handed them a stack of 5 large black and white pictures. 
Serena buried herself deeper in Darien's arm, picking up the stack and 
beginning to look through them, with him watching over her shoulder. 
	The first was of them both facing forward, her left hand playing 
with the boa, while the other rested on his cheek. He held her tightly 
around the waist, his free hand holding up the cards as he looked at 
the camera warningly.
	Second was one of Serena turned in his lap slightly, her head 
resting on his shoulder. Her eyes were looking up at him with a happy 
glaze and one hand relaxed on his chest. He had one arm reached in 
front of her, supporting her back, while the other held the back of her 
neck carefully. His head lay on hers, looking seductively at the 
camera.
	Next was of Serena leaning forward and kissing Darien on the 
cheek. He was winking at the camera, tipping his hat to the side while 
his free hand rested mischievously on her thigh, pretending to tug at 
the garter.
	The fourth picture was of Serena winking and holding the cards 
happily, one leg kicking up straight, supported at the calf by Darien 
while his other arm held her back. Bending down, he appeared to be 
kissing the hidden side of her neck flagrantly. 
	In the final picture, Serena was sitting turned to the camera 
again. Darien held the boa at her stomach with one hand, the other 
holding up the cards slightly. Serena's hands held onto his, meeting 
over the soft feathers, their fingers laced together. She was looking 
up at him, meeting his gaze as he stared down on her, both with hints 
of loving smiles. 
	"Wow, that's a tough choice..." said Darien as they flipped through 
them again. Serena nodded. Personally, she liked the fourth. Looking at 
it, she could remember the feeling as his lips kissed her neck 
tenderly. 
	Darien was in favor of the third. He enjoyed the look of her 
kissing him openly... very, very much.
	"I like this one," they said simultaneously, each pointing to 
their favorite. The lady behind the counter laughed. 
	"Can we get two?" asked Darien.
	"You'll have to pay for the other one."
	He smiled. "That's fine. We'll take these."

	"Where to next, princess?"
	Serena stared at the small map thoughtfully. How about... ooh! 
Let's go to the games, okay? Please?!"
	He smiled. "Sure! Lead the way!"
	After about 5 minutes of walking, Darien found himself surrounded 
with booths full of stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. Serena 
laced her fingers through his and pulled him happily down the aisle, 
looking at the prizes available at each. 
	"Ooh, I want one of those! Can you get me one, Darien, please?!"
	He laughed. "Oh, so it's up to ME to get all the prizes, huh?"
	She giggled, looking away. "Well... it IS the guy's job, right?"
	Chuckling, he walked up to the booth and gave the worker two 
dollars, receiving 10 small darts. "So... how many balloons do I have to 
hit for the big one?"
	"All 10 for the grand prize, sir."
	"Hm... should be a cinch."
	Serena giggled, standing back to watch. He pulled up each sleeve 
dramatically before picking up the first dart. 
	POP!
	Serena squealed with delight. 
	POP! POP! POP! POP!
	Giggling, she jumped up and down excitedly, clapping her hands 
together. The employee watched on in amusement.
	POP! POP! POP!
	Darien smiled. Two more...
	POP!
	Turning, he smiled back at Serena. "Actually... I don't know if I 
can hit the last one, what do you think, Serena? Think I can do it?"
	She giggled, nibbling her lip. "I know you can do it, master!"
	He chuckled. "Do I get a good luck kiss?"
	She rolled her eyes at him, the smile lingering. Quickly taking a 
step forward, she stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek before backing 
away with the beginning tints of a blush. 
	Grinning, Darien turned and took aim. POP!
	"Congratulations, sir, which color would you like?" 
	"PINK!" Serena cheered happily, answering for him, before burying 
herself beneath Darien's arm. She took the large, 3-foot tall bunny 
from the man as he handed it to her, hugging it closely to her chest.
	Darien smiled down at her happy grin. As they began to walk away 
from the booth, she looked up at him with love sparkling in her eyes. 
	"Thank you, Darien."
	"No problem! Told you it'd be a cinch."
	Suddenly stopping, she turned to him and threw her arms around 
his neck, kissing him on the cheek again, the bunny clasped by the ear 
in one palm. Before Darien could react, her eye had caught on something 
else over his shoulder and she was out of his arms, holding his hand 
with the bunny hanging from her arm in a headlock. Darien shook his 
head, trying to clear the thoughts before they stopped at another 
booth, this one filled with large plush dolls of the Sailor Scouts and 
Tuxedo Mask. He laughed loudly. "Oh, you want one of these now?"
	She nodded vigorously. "Please, Darien?! 	PLEEEEAAASE?!" She 
pouted her lower lips, looking up at him through thick eyelashes. He 
chuckled. 
	"How could I possibly say no to that?" Turning to the young woman 
behind the booth, he asked, "What do I have to do for one of the big 
ones?"
	She smiled at him, batting her eyelashes and ignoring the young 
girl at his side. "Knock over all three milk jugs in one hit."
	He grinned, "Seems easy enough." He handed her a dollar and 
received 3 baseballs in return. He threw one, knocking over the top 
bottle. 
	"Ooh, close..." said the woman in her most sultry voice. Darien 
didn't seem to notice as he watched her place the bottle on top again. 
	Throwing the other bottle, he knocked over the top one, and one 
on the bottom. The third jug swayed, but stayed in place. He grumbled 
beneath his breath. Serena watched closely, now more interested what 
the woman was doing than the game. 
	The bottles were set up again and Darien took a deep breath, 
aiming carefully. CRASH! All 3 bottles clattered to the floor. A grin 
spread across his face. The woman stared in shock, making it seemingly 
obvious that the game had been rigged. Gulping, she turned to Darien, 
who was smiling proudly to himself. Her eyes took on a look of 
admiration. 	
	Leaning with one hand on the counter, she reached the other 
forward to gently squeeze his muscles through his jacket sleeve. He 
gasped, looking at her shocked. "What a strong arm you have. Do you 
work out much?"
	"Uh... I... um..."
	Serena held back the fit of giggles that came from the stuttering 
man and the hilarious sight he made. Finally, she pushed herself 
between them, much to the disappointment of the lady, and relief of 
Darien. "We'll take that one!" she said, pointing to a doll hanging 
above her.
	With disapproval written clearly across her face, the woman 
retrieved the prize, handing it to Serena. She took it happily, shoving 
it into Darien's grasp before quickly pulling him away.
	Once they were at a safe distance, Serena broke into a fit of 
laughter, holding her stomach tightly. Darien stared at her confused. 
Between breaths, she reached out to take hold of his arm, managing, "Oh 
my, what a... strong arm! Do... do you work out much?" Again, laughter over 
took her, as she struggled to catch hold of her breath. 
	Darien rolled his eyes, allowing her to have her fun. He looked
down at the large plush doll, about 2 feet tall. He grinned. She'd 
chosen Tuxedo Mask. 

	A little while later, Serena and Darien headed out to the parking 
lot to store their winnings in the car. Serena shoved the bunny, Tuxie, 
a large plastic blow-up lollipop, a 12-inch alien doll, the 
photographs, and two posters into the trunk. Turning, she shook her 
arms, relieving the tension from having been holding everything. Her 
master hadn't helped.
	Finally, they returned to the park, looking around for what to do 
next. 
	"How about that?" asked Darien teasingly.
	"Hm?" asked Serena, following his gaze to The Bullet, the 
fastest, twistiest, scariest roller coaster at the park. Her jaw 
dropped. Giggling uncomfortable, she began tugging his sleeve in the 
other direction. "Ha ha, don't be silly, Darien."
	He stopped in his tracks. She turned to face him nervously. "I 
was serious. Come on, let's go!" He began walking toward the line, 
dragging her behind him. Serena dug her heels into the dirt path. 
	"Nuh-uh, no WAY am I going on THAT!" she screeched. 
	He chuckled. "Why? Are you AFRAID?!" he teased. 
	"YES!"
	He laughed, continually pulling her toward the line. 
	"No Darien, no! Please, don't make me, I don't want to do this! 
Darien, it's so high! Please?!" 
	They had reached the end of the line before Darien finally turned 
to her. She was gawking up at the coaster, her eyes wide and jaw agape, 
and she was shaking. 
	His smile finally turned to concern. Lacing their fingers 
together, he brought a hand up to her face and turned her to look at 
him. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. She bit her lip.
	"You... you really want to do this?" she whispered, fear flashing 
past her eyes. 
	He gulped. "Hey, we don't have to do this if you really don't 
want to. I... I didn't realize you were that afraid..."
	"Hey, the line is MOVING!" said someone who had already gathered 
behind them. Unwillingly removing his gaze from Serena's he pulled her 
steadily to the ticket collector. 
	"6 tickets," they said tiredly. 
	He turned to her. "It's not too late to leave..."
	She shook her head. "No... whatever you want." Her eyes had 
wandered up the steep track again. 
	Bending down, Darien kissed her cheek, drawing her attention back 
to him. "Everything will be okay. It'll be fun!" He handed the tickets 
to the collector before pulling her up to the waiting pad. The small 
tunnel had been built and painted in the shape of a gun. Soon, a group 
of black carts came up to the deck and Darien and Serena claimed their 
own. Once in, Darien placed his arm around her, pulling her closer to 
his body. She was still shaking. 
	"We can still get off."
	Her gaze turned to him, and slowly the frightened look melted 
away to trust and care. "No... it's about time I got over my fear 
anyway..."
	He smiled, taking a deep breath just as the cart jumped into 
action. Serena screamed briefly, squeezing her eyes shut. Darien smiled 
down on her as they began to climb the first hill. Leaning over, he 
brushed his nose against her soft skin. 
	"Open your eyes. It's better that way."
	She gulped, hesitating a moment before lifting her lids. Pursing 
her lips together, she grasped at Darien's hands, holding the closest 
tightly between her palms. He tightened his grip around her waist. 
	"Here we go..." he whispered as the cart began to tilt on the first 
hill.
	"Darien?"
	"Yeah?"
	"I change my mind. I don't wanna do THIIIIIIIIISSSSSSS!!!!"
	Her screams echoed loudly throughout the park as they dropped 
down the first hill, around the bend, through the tunnel... Darien was 
surprised he didn't go deaf.

	Darien emerged laughing from the cart, turning to help a shaky 
girl behind him. Serena climbed out, before stumbling into his arms. 
Chuckling, he looked down on her. 
	"So what did you think?"
	She looked up with wide eyes, the remains of excited tears drying 
in their corners. "I... I can't believe I just went on that..."
	He laughed. "Hey you want to do it again?"
	"WHAT?! You've GOT to be kidding!"

	"You weren't kidding. I can't believe you weren't kidding..." 
Serena whispered as Darien strapped them into the cart for the second 
time. He smiled at her.
	"Aw, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Her only response was a cold 
glare from the corner of her eye. He chuckled, placing his arm around 
her again. "Hey, ya wanna try it without hands?"
	"NO!"
	"Okay, okay, relax, I was only joking."
	"I can never be sure anymore."
	A rumbling was heard beneath them as the gears started into 
action and they were on their way up the first hill. Serena gulped, 
taking in deep breaths. Once again she reached for Darien's hand, 
biting her lip nervously. 
	At the top, Serena closed her eyes, preparing for the long drop. 
	...
	...
	...
	Her eyes opened one at a time. "Huh? Why aren't we going down 
yet? Wh... why aren't we moving at ALL?!" she screamed already on the 
verge of hysterics. 
	Darien looked around. Sure enough, they were frozen in place at 
the very top of The Bullet. "Oh, no..." he whispered.
	"Darien..." squeaked out a tiny voice. Turning, he saw her staring 
up at him, tears of horror and panic welling inside her eyes. 
	"Oh, Serena, it's okay. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure they're 
just having some small problems. It'll all be over in a minute. It's 
all right..."
	"I'm scared..." she whispered, her eyes never leaving him. Slowly, 
a crystal tear flowed down her cheek. His eyes immediately began to 
overflow with emotion. Worry, protectiveness, love...
	He brought up one hand, stroking away the tear just before 
another could fall. Tying his hands behind her back, he pulled her 
close to him. She buried her head in his jacket, squeezing her eyes 
closed as tears soaked into the green material. He held onto her 
tightly, stroking her back, running hands through her hair, all the 
while whispering sweet comfort. 
	After what seemed like hours, though could very well have been 
less than five minutes, the gears started up again, this time moving 
backwards, and they were brought slowly down the hill. Serena never 
looked up, never loosened her hold on him. Once they had reached the 
platform, a couple workers came up to them to check on their safety. 
Darien glared at them, knowing full well it wasn't their fault, before 
standing from the cart and leading the sobbing girl away. One man 
handed him his tickets, which he shoved into his pockets before 
wrapping his arm around Serena once again, molding her body to his.

	"She wasn't at home?"
	"No, her mom said she was staying with a sick friend."
	"That's strange... wasn't any of us. Could it have been Molly?"
	"I don't think so... Molly was at school yesterday."
	"So... no one's seen her?"
	"Not since the arcade yesterday... and then, she didn't even bother 
saying good bye... just up and left!"
	Raye shook her head. "This just isn't like the Meatball Head. 
We've been planning this trip to the fair for weeks! She wouldn't just 
miss out on it!"
	"Really! Maybe something came up..." added Lita, staring at all the 
colorful shops around them. 
	"Perhaps she decided to stay home and stud... oh, never mind. I 
forgot who we were talking about for a moment," said Ami, a small blush 
hinting at her cheeks.
	"Do you think..." said Mina softly, "do you think she didn't come 
because of me?"
	The small group turned to look at her, ceasing their promenade 
down the rows of the carnival. 
	Lita smiled at her. "Oh Mina, you don't think she's still mad at 
you? Come on, we all know how forgiving she is!"
	Mina shook her head. "I know... but you all heard what she said 
after Darien left last Saturday. She said she would never forgive me..."
	"She DID look pretty mad..." Raye added. Lita elbowed her 
harmlessly in the side. 
	"Don't be silly! Of course Serena forgives you!"
	Mina sighed again. "I'm not so sure. I mean... she really does hate 
Darien. And if it weren't for me, she never would have been stuck with 
him for a whole week! She must have felt embarrassed and lowly... and 
it's all my fault!"
	"Oh it is not either! Serena gave you permission to use her as a 
bet, remember? She knew what she was getting into!"
	"She is right," spoke Ami. "It was of her own choosing. Besides, 
even if she was mad at the time, Serena can never hold a grudge. She's 
incapable, I think."
	Chewing on her lip, Mina looked up at them hopefully. "I guess 
so... but I would really like to see her... so I can apologize..."
	"I know! I'll call her this evening and see if she wants to go to 
the mall with us tomorrow! She can never turn down a shopping spree! 
And then you guys can make up and everything! Plus... it involves 
SHOPPING!" cheered Lita happily. The other girls smiled and nodded.
	"Yes, and then we can stop at the book store and I can pick up 
that new chemistry book I ordered last week!"
	"AMI!"
	"Um... hey, guys?"
	"Yeah, Raye?"
	"I... don't think we'll have to wait 'til tomorrow for Mina to 
apologize..."
	"Huh?"
	They all followed Mina's gaze... and their jaws dropped 
simultaneously.

	"It's okay, Serena... Everything's okay now..." Darien whispered into 
her hair. Finally, her frightened sobs began to subside and