Title: Next Time Take the Stairs
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com

	I'M BACK!!!!!!! Konnichiwa, minna-chan!! I know you all missed me 
terribly! Anyway, for the loyal followers of A Dance to Remember... 
(looks down and blushes) Um... I sorta haven't done anything on it... at 
all... um... sowwy? But, good news!! I did finish TWO new stories, all for 
your everlasting enjoyment!! Now, of course, this means that you all 
have to write and congratulate me, which I'm sure all of you will, 
right? RIGHT? Because you KNOW how much I love mail! Oh, that's another 
thing... to Jessica Smith, Athena, and Space13aby, and a million other 
people I can't think of off the top of my head, I totally apologize for 
not having written back right away like I'm so used to doing. School 
has been killing me, and get out these two fics is NOT as easy as it 
may seem! Anyway, thanks for putting up with me, and I'll try to be 
better from now on. 
	Anyway, this is ANOTHER first season romance... as well as my first 
sorry attempt at a 75% comedy, which I admit, probably isn't as funny 
as I would have liked it to be, but I'm sure you'll be satisfied 
anyway. 
	Thanx a million times over to Lady Starra, Edeet, Athena, 
Jessica, Patricia, and R-chan for the ideas you've all given me. Most 
creative people!!! And I love every one of them VERY much and hope the 
Lord will always bless them!!
	ANNABELLE!!!!! Okay, if you're reading this, I really hope that 
caught your attention. Anyway, I've tried e-mailing you and CAN'T! So, 
I'm just gonna write to ya now and give ya some free advertisement, 
kay? ~_0  Anyway, I absolutely LOVE, in every aspect of the word, "To 
Remember the Truth"!! That is always the first thing I look for when 
the new stories are updated and PLEASE get the next part out ASAP! That 
preview is killing me!!! How mean!! Anyway, it totally rocks and I 
absolutely love it, and thanx SO much for mentioning Baby Cupid in your 
ANs though I totally don't deserve all that praise, and your chapter 
was JUST as adorable!! So, anyway, if your e-mail starts up again, drop 
me a line!! And keep up the great story!!!
	As always, much love and thanx to Athena and Edeet, I love you 
both very much and am so grateful for your friendship and support!
	And now... da da da DUH!!! The story!!!
	Enjoy!
	God bless everyone!! 
	"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that 
whosoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting 
life."      	John 3:16


She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, staggering through 
the cold wind. Her blonde hair whipped around her body, her bangs 
clinging to her forehead, matted down by the pouring rain. She closed 
her eyes, but quickly opened them again for fear of colliding with 
something in the dark. The black clouds above offered no mercy as heavy 
drops fell unceasing from the sky. She lashed at a few drops on her 
forehead with her sleeve. With a terrified sob, she urged her legs to 
run faster. She squealed as her foot splashed into a black, invisible 
puddle, sending mud and icy cold water over her already soaked legs and 
pleated skirt. 
	She let her other foot land, too late, in the ankle deep water, 
tears streaming down her pale cheeks. With a loud sob, she clutched at 
her shirt, imagining she had a warm coat to wrap around her shoulders. 
Taking a breath, she ordered herself to be brave. Gathering any 
willpower, she trudged out of the small ditch, running across a black 
street. Muddy water splashed onto her legs as she ran, though her bare 
legs had become numb a long time ago. Shuddering beneath a tree 
offering little protection, she paused to catch her breath. More tears 
fled her eyes and this time she made no attempt to rid herself of them. 
Gasping for a breath, she forced herself to continue on. Closing her 
eyes for a moment to gather anything left of her senses, she pushed 
herself forward. 
	Staggering down an empty sidewalk, she kept her head down, trying 
to ignore the biting cold or painful raindrops falling onto her. The 
only welcome thought to her... 'Home'. 
	She shuddered as a strong wind blasted at her, sending icy drops 
stinging on her skin. Her fists clenched until her knuckles were white. 
Her two locks of hair clang to her neck and arms, circling messily 
around her waist. 
	She bit her lip roughly, slamming her eyes shut. Opening them 
again, she could feel strength draining out of her. Fear gripped around 
her heart as she gulped and gritted her teeth together. She gasped for 
air, struggling to stay brave, to stay aware, to keep going. With shaky 
steps, she staggered ahead slowly. Her eyes throbbed with tears and 
rain. Her cheeks burned and stung. Goose bumps covered her nearly 
frozen arms and legs. With her chest heaving in struggling breaths, she 
pushed herself one more step. 
	A flash of bright light above shook her to the core. The 
lightning was almost immediately followed by a roaring thunder. She 
screamed and collapsed to the ground, all energy disintegrating into 
the surrounding storm. 
	She wrapped her arms around her as tight as possible, gathering 
fists full of cloth. Burying her face in her knees, she rocked back and 
forth on the cold pavement. "I hate storms. I hate storms," she chanted 
over and over as tears fell unchecked down her cheeks. Her frail body 
wracked with sobs and cries as she sat alone on the deserted sidewalk. 
	
	Darien gave up trying to keep the umbrella right side out and 
quickly folded it up.
	'Whoever created these things could have at least TRIED to make 
them useful in windy weather!'
	He stopped in his tracks as he noticed a small form huddled just 
to the side of the otherwise empty sidewalk. The petite body was 
shaking and over the roar of the storm he could hear loud whimpering. 
However, what caught his eye the most was a most peculiar hairstyle. 
	"Meatball Head?" he called over the blasting storm.
	Darien gasped and staggered back at the sight that greeted him. 
Her usually bright, cheerful eyes were dull and lifeless, dripping with 
tears. The area around them was red and puffy from crying. Her lips 
quivered and her small shoulders shook with every gasp for breath. 
	For the first time in her life, Serena was happy to see Darien 
Chiba. She stared up at him for a moment, hope draining through her 
mind. With any might left in her, she launched herself toward him, 
tying her arms around his waist. Burying her face in his black shirt, 
she allowed her sobs to wrack her body. Slowly, Darien found himself 
dropping the momentarily forgotten umbrella to the ground and wrapping 
his arms around the shaking girl. He held her close to him, his 
thoughts losing any rationality. 
	Finally, Serena clutched to the front of his green jacket. She 
looked up into his confused blue eyes, pleading in her own.
	"Please... Darien... get me out of here. Please get me out of here... I 
can't... Darien..." she sobbed loudly, before her knees gave way and she 
slid down his body. Darien quickly wrapped his arms tighter around her, 
keeping her from falling to the pavement. It took him awhile to 
understand what she had said. 
	'Get her out of here? The storm?'
	With one arm still supporting her around the waist, he took off 
his jacket and easily slid it on her. She made no objection, but 
continued to cry into his shirt. Her legs no longer kept her standing. 
	Stooping down slightly, Darien scooped her into his arms. Her 
head fell against his chest, tears soaking into his shirt, mixing with 
the salty rainwater. He held her carefully, as you would a china doll, 
and began making his way to his apartment building. 

	There wasn't anymore rain pounding on her face. The brutal wind 
had gone. The sense of unknown danger disintegrated. But, strangest of 
all, Serena felt an incredible warmth and protection encompassing her. 
Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up to see Darien looking down on 
her worriedly. She was still held in his arms, his jacket, though wet, 
was still keeping her warm.  
	"Where are we?" she whispered. Darien smiled slightly.
	"The lobby of my apartment," he said simply. 
	"Oh..." Slowly, Darien sat her back down on her feet, though his 
body screamed at him not to. Honestly, he was rather enjoying her 
needing him... her wanting his protection. 
	She stood shakily on the dark blue oriental carpet, her hands 
still tied around his neck. She dreaded releasing them. Looking down to 
the floor, she nervously released her arms from around his shoulders, 
sliding her hands down to lightly rest on his chest, though her fingers 
barely touched the wet black material. 
	"I... um... th...thank you..." she whispered finally. 
	Darien smiled a little. 'Never thought I'd hear her say that,' he 
mused silently. 
	"No problem Meatball Head," he joked, attempting to lighten the 
mood. She lifted her eyelids, glaring at him subtly, though with a 
strange good natured-ness. 
	"Because you're being so nice... I'm gonna let that one slide."
	He smiled crookedly. "Come on, let's get you upstairs for some 
hot chocolate."
	Her face lightened instantly. "YUM!" she squealed, provoking a 
soft chuckle from Darien. He turned her around, hitting the up button 
next to the elevator doors. The two metal doors opened instantly and 
they walked into the empty elevator silently. 
	Serena watched a tad uncomfortably as they closed behind them. 
Darien hit the small button labeled '12' and she could feel the 
elevator begin to rise beneath them. Her eyes casually moved over to 
Darien. He was soaked, and the lack of his jacket didn't seem to help. 
She smiled slightly, pulling the green shirt tighter around her. 
	'It smells like him,' she thought dazedly. 'Wait... since when do I 
know what he smells like?' She shook her head, looking away from him. 
	"D...Darien?" she whispered quietly, nervously. He looked over at 
her, standing about 4 feet away from him, almost as if she was afraid 
to come closer.
	"Yeah?" 
	"Why... are you being so nice to me, anyway?"
	He glanced at her a bit stunned before turning away. His mind 
searched for a logical explanation... but he came to the conclusion he 
wasn't even sure why he was being so... gentlemanly. 
	He laughed a little, turning back to her. She was staring at him 
confused and maybe even a little hopeful. He smiled down at her. "Let's 
just say I have a thing for damsels in distress."
	She cracked a smile, almost unwillingly. "Well, you make a great 
knight in shining armor!" They both laughed, feeling the relief that 
this wasn't THAT awkward. After the small chuckling and giggling had 
died down, Serena wrung her wrists nervously. Taking a few steps toward 
him, she looked up at him, honesty thriving in her blue eyes, just now 
regaining some life to them. "But...Darien...I really do appreciate this... I 
mean... I... I was so scared and... and..."
	He was just about to wrap an arm around her to keep away the 
tears from falling when everything stopped. Just... stopped. The small 
elevator went completely black and Darien felt the engine come to a 
roaring halt. Serena screamed loudly and launched herself into his 
arms, screaming and squealing. 
	"DARIEN!! WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"
	He clamped a hand over her mouth, preferring to keep his hearing 
for a little longer. With his other arm, he pulled her as close to him 
as possible, molding their bodies together.
	"It's alright Serena. Just calm down... Everything will be fine..." 
he whispered comfortingly. He removed his hand from her mouth to wrap 
it around her shaking body. Her arms clutched around his broad 
shoulders, as if she were literally terrified to let go of him. Darien 
looked around, trying to see any sign of light or movement. He found 
nothing. Serena was crying into his shirt and he could hear her sobs 
echoing in the now silent elevator. 
	Darien stroked a hand through her hair before holding her head in 
place on his chest, with an incredible calm and gentleness. He knew he 
must stay assured... for Serena. 
	Slowly, her cries and whimpers subsided. Their eyes could find no 
light or movement. Serena slammed her eyes shut and buried her head in 
the material of Darien's shirt. 'No more darkness... No more darkness...'
	Darien continued to whisper into her ear softly, bringing the 
fear down a little. Finally, he pulled away from her just enough to 
reach into his pocket. He immediately found his keys.
	"Darien?" Serena asked in a tiny, frail voice. 
	"Don't worry Serena, I'm gonna get us some light, okay?" With a 
click, a small beam of light entered the black elevator from his mini 
flashlight key chain. 
	Serena squealed with delight. Reaching out a hand, she instantly 
plucked it from Darien's fingers... and dropped it quickly to the floor. 
The small beam disappeared with a clatter and Serena screamed yet 
again. Darien rolled his eyes, but quickly pulled Serena back to his 
arms to comfort the scared girl. 'There goes that idea.'
	"Oh, I'm so sorry, Darien! I just got so excited and I... and now 
we have no light in here and..."
	"It's okay Meatball Head, don't worry about it. Here... I'll just... 
look around for it a little and..."
	"Good idea!" Darien felt her slip from his grip as she dropped to 
her knees in search for the missing flashlight. He chuckled quietly and 
followed her example, exploring the carpeted floor. There was a still 
silence for a few minutes as they shuffled around in attempt to find 
the elusive flashlight. 
	"OW!" they echoed. Darien and Serena jumped back, rubbing their 
foreheads where they had clashed with each other. 
	"Oops..." said Serena.
	"Ditto."
	Darien began chuckling lightly. Serena smiled, though the 
complete blackness still shook her to the bones. Steadily, Darien 
reached out a hand and easily found her small form in front of him. He 
cupped her chin and leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently. Serena 
gasped and trembled a little at the intimate touch. But then it was 
gone. 
	Darien could feel a blush creep into his cheeks. 'What did you do 
that for?!' he scolded himself. 
	He didn't know why, or even how, he'd kissed her small wound like 
that. It just... happened... like he was drawn to do it... and had no choice...
	He cleared his throat nervously, scurrying away to put a few more 
feet between them, for fear of repeat performance of a few short 
moments ago. 
	Serena felt a lack as he moved away from her, though she could 
understand why. But what appeared even more odd... was that the small 
hurt on her forehead had disappeared the second his lips had brushed 
her skin. She closed her eyes, trying to force these thoughts out of 
her head. 
	Their contemplating was cut short by THE most annoying music they 
had ever heard filling the small, dark elevator. Yes, the emergency 
elevator music system had commenced. Serena shrieked loudly. 
"NO!! Not this!! Anything but elevator music!!! This can't be 
happening to me!!!"
Darien covered his ears. Between Serena's wailing and the awful, 
supposedly upbeat music... he wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to 
be deaf by the time he got out of this place. 
Soon, bright florescent lights flooded the elevator as well and 
they both turned their eyes away to avoid the blinding light. 
	After they had adjusted, Serena looked up at Darien, and then, 
without warning, jumped full speed into his arms. He stood stunned at 
first, but slowly tied his arms back around her. 
	"Ooh, light! No more darkness! I hate the dark! And I can see 
again! I'd rather be deaf than hear anymore of that music, but at least 
I CAN see! And now we can go have that hot chocolate and..."
	Darien scrunched his brow, no longer paying attention to her 
mindless chatter. No, he had more important things to think about. 
Like... why wasn't the elevator moving yet?
	"Darien? Darien, what is it?"
	He looked down at her joyous face and felt a pang of guilt in his 
heart. "Serena... it's great that we can see again but... we're still not 
moving..." he stated slowly. 
	Realization dawned on her face and she cautiously backed out of 
his arms, much to his dismay. She looked around, as if to check for 
herself, and her face and heart dropped. "Oh no..." she whispered. She 
wrapped her arms around her waist, teetering from foot to foot. 
"Darien... why...?"
	He shook his head. "I don't know Serena... they're probably just 
having technical problems because of the storm, that's all. I'm sure 
they'll have everything up and running any minute now..."
	He reached out for her, but she jumped away, surprising him. 
"Serena, everything will be fine..." he took a step towards her, but 
again she stepped back. "Serena, what? What did I do?!" he asked, 
agitation now becoming clear in mind and voice. He didn't understand 
why, but all he seemed to be able to think about was holding her near 
him again. And this cat and mouse game was already getting old.
	"Stay away from me," she said coldly. Darien opened his eyes wide 
in shock. Her eyes were turned down to the floor, her arms, shivering 
beneath the oversized green jacket, still wrapped in front of her like 
a shield. 
	"Excuse me?" he said curiously. 
	"This is all your fault!" she stated seriously. Darien raised an 
eyebrow. Habit kicked in and he immediately switched to defensive mode.
	"And HOW is this MY fault?!"
	"You dragged me here to your stupid apartment! If it weren't for 
you I'd be home right now, and warm! And SAFE!"
	"No, if it weren't for me you'd be frozen half to death on the 
sidewalk! It's not MY fault you're afraid of a bit of rain!"
	Her jaw clenched. Glaring up at him, tears threatening to soak 
her now dry skin, she leaned her back against the wall. "Well maybe it 
would have been better if you hadn't shown up. Being half dead would 
definitely be welcome compared to being stuck in an elevator with YOU."
	Looking away, she slid down the wall, burying her head in her 
knees once more. 
	"I'll remember that next time I see you stranded in the rain 
then," he shot back cruelly, now leaning his back against the wall as 
well, staring off to the corner of the small elevator. The only sound 
was the continuously repetitive music.
	His blood was boiling with anger. 'I try to do something for the 
little ditz and THIS is what I get?! She could at least be a little 
grateful! I could have just as easily left her on the freezing wet 
street! See if I ever do anything nice for..."
	The silence and Darien's thoughts were cut short by a small 
whimpering coming from the crouched form on the far wall. 
	Almost unwillingly, Darien looked down at her. She hadn't moved, 
though her slim shoulders trembled with hidden tears. She was trying to 
hide the fact she was crying again, to no avail. Darien could hear her 
sniffle and swipe a sleeve across her nose, before returning to her 
still position. 
	And the walls of anger cracked and fell in a fraction of an 
instant. 
	His shoulders sagged and his pride turned to bitter remorse and 
sympathy. Sighing, and looking up at the corner one last time, as if 
bidding farewell to stubbornness, Darien strolled slowly and silently 
over to the shaking girl. He slid down the wall next to her. She 
ignored him. However, once he reached out a hand to touch her arm, she 
yanked away from it forcefully, turning her head away. 
	Darien gulped before wrapping his arm, rather possessively, 
around her shoulders. She continued to ignore him. 
	"I'm sorry," he whispered. She said nothing, but sniffled and 
wiped at her tears with a sleeve yet again. "I didn't mean it Serena... I 
just... I'm sorry..."
	She sobbed a few times, her shoulders shaking a bit more. Then, 
without warning, she turned and buried herself in his welcoming arms. 
He smiled as he pulled her close, seemingly drifting off in the warmth 
that came as he held her. He rocked back and forth a little, as if she 
were a young child, until her sobs had quieted. 
	He heard her whisper through her sniffles, "I just wanted to be 
home. I just... wanted to get out of the storm and... and..."
	"Shh... I know... I know Serena... I'm sorry..."
	There was a silence as Serena just snuggled in his strong 
embrace. Finally, she whispered, "Don't be sorry. You didn't do 
anything. You're right... if it weren't for you, I'd still be out in that 
awful storm, freezing half to death and..."
	"But you wouldn't be stuck here with the one guy you can't 
stand," Darien replied with a bitterness in his voice. He looked away 
as Serena turned her blue eyes up to him. 
	"Darien... that's not true..."
	He sighed, smiling down at her softly. "Yeah, Serena, it is. I 
know you hate me, and I don't blame you. After everything I've said and 
done to you... and this is just the icing on the cake. You were terrified 
as it is. And now... you're stuck in an elevator and..."
	"But I'm not terrified anymore."
	Darien raised an eyebrow. She blushed slightly and tried to hide 
further in his arms. 
	"I was scared, because of the storm and everything but... I dunno... 
because you're here with me... I'm not as scared anymore..." she whispered 
uncertainly. 
	Darien smiled slightly. Resting his head on hers, he closed his 
eyes and squeezed her gently. "I'm glad..."
	"Hey Darien!"
	"Yeah?"
	"Look what I found!"
	He opened his eyes as she pulled something from beneath her. A 
chuckle escaped his lips as he noticed the small flashlight attached to 
his key chain.

	Andrew walked quickly through the dark rain, his coat hood pulled 
tightly over his head. 
	"Of all the days Darien chooses to leave his wallet at the 
arcade," he muttered. Finally, he saw Darien's apartment building come 
into view. He picked up his pace and jogged quickly through the 
pounding storm. 
	He entered the lobby and immediately took off his jacket, shaking 
it out right outside the door. Taking a deep breath, he turned and was 
surprised at what he saw.
	Two men in bright orange construction jackets stood directly 
outside the elevator, one talking on a walkie-talkie, the other on a 
head set. Raising an eyebrow, he walked over to them slowly. "Um... 
what's going on here?" he asked cautiously. 
	The one on the walkie-talkie turned to him slightly. "The 
elevator has stopped working because of the storm. We think there is a 
couple people in one, it would be best if you could use the stairs," he 
said vaguely, before turning back to whatever he had been doing. 
	"Stairs?! You've gotta be kidding! Darien lives on the twelfth 
floor! There's no way I'm gonna trudge up all those! Sir, how long do 
you think it'll be?"
	The man looked back agitatedly. "Look, we don't have time for 
this. We're working as hard as we can to get this running again, but so 
far all we've been able to do was switch the lights. It's weird... almost 
like something's making it so we CAN'T get it working."
	"And what does THAT mean? What, you think DESTINY has made it so 
this thing won't work?! You guys are crazy!"
	"Like I said, we're doing everything we can. Now please back away 
and give us a bit of space to work here!" With that, the man turned 
back and opened a panel with a screwdriver and began testing wires 
again and again. 
	Andrew rolled his eyes and sighed. "Great! Just great! I come all 
the way here through the storm of the century, and the elevator is 
broken! Wonderful!" He stomped over to the other side of the lobby and 
collapsed into a chair. 
	'Darien might need his wallet... I suppose I could call up to him 
and tell him I'm here... maybe he'll meet me half way or something... or 
come down and we can go catch a cup of coffee... the elevator's sure to 
be working once we get back.'
	Standing up, he walked casually over to the desk in the lobby. No 
one was working there, which seemed strange, since usually there was 
always someone back there filing papers or organizing mail.
	Shrugging, he turned the phone around to face him and began 
dialing Darien's number. 'I wonder if you have to push anything weird 
to call people in the building... hope not.'
	He was relieved to hear ringing on the other end of the phone. 
	Ring...
	Ring...
	Ring...
	Ring...
	"Hi, this is Darien."
	"Hey Darien! Look, I have your..."
	"Actually, I'm not home right now. Leave a message." BEEP.
	He rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. "I hate that 
recording," he muttered. Turning around, he saw that the two men were 
still working on something or other. "Now... if Darien's not home... where 
on Earth could he be? He wouldn't be wandering around in this weather... 
and he doesn't work, so..."
	And then, something clicked. "Wait... could Darien be... stuck in the 
elevator?!" He burst out laughing at the thought, annoying the man with 
the walkie-talkie. After he caught his breath, he walked over to the 
men again. "Excuse me... but is there anyway we can talk to the people in 
there?" he asked. 
	"We're working on that right now."
	The man with the headphone connected two wires together. Static 
was heard over a small speaker just above the elevator. "Hello, is 
anyone up there? Can you hear me?"
	
	Darien and Serena looked up from their huddled position on the 
floor at the sound of the voice. 
	"Darien? What was that?" asked Serena with a shaky voice. He 
stood up slowly, leaving her curled up on the floor. 
	"Hello?" he asked suspiciously. 
	"Darien?!" screamed a voice.
	"Sir, you have to back up a little, we're trying to..."
	"Andrew?" Darien asked.
	"Andrew?" repeated Serena.
	"Serena?" they heard over the small speaker Darien had just 
realized the voice was coming from. There was a silence as Andrew 
seemingly struggled to get closer to the intercom back in the lobby, 
despite the engineer's protests. 
	Finally, they heard him speaking again. "Wait a minute... you and... 
YOU are stuck in an elevator together?! Oh, that's sweet! Ha, I never 
thought I'd see the day. So, have you killed each other yet? I bet you 
are totally at each other's throats, huh?" he blabbered. 
	Darien rolled his eyes and Serena giggled a little. Then they 
heard Andrew become a bit more serious. 
	"But... wait... why is Serena at you apartment anyway?"
	Darien cleared his throat a little nervously. "Well, you see..."
	"You guys are an item, aren't you?"
	"WHAT?!" they both screeched. 
	"No wonder you're always bickering! I thought there was more to 
you two than what met the eye. Oh, Darien, I am so happy for you! You 
guys really are perfect for each other, you know?"
	"Andrew, shut up."
	There was a silence as Andrew debated whether or not to be quiet. 
This WAS a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all.
	"Darien, it's okay, Dude. You guys don't have to hide your 
feelings anymore. But... I'm the best man, right? I'd better at least be 
invited to the wedding. Oh yeah, and I wanna be the godfather of at 
least the first born, okay? Maybe you could name it after me, I'd 
really appreciate that... No, you probably want a Darien Jr. doncha? Or 
if it's a girl you could name her Serena... and for a middle name, how 
about Meatball Head? That'd be cute. Ya know, for the main course at 
the reception, it should definitely be spaghetti and meatballs, it 
would be SO meaningful for you two and..."
	
	Andrew backed away from the speaker as a loud crash and then 
static resumed. "Hmm... he's gonna be really mad when he gets out of 
there."

	Serena laughed uncontrollably as Darien leaned back against the 
wall after slamming a fist into the small speaker. "Well, we won't be 
haring from HIM in awhile. And listen! No more elevator music! I should 
have done that awhile ago."
	She giggled some more in agreement. 
	
	Andrew fell back into the chair laughing his head off. "Oh, that 
was nice..."	
	"Well, I hope you're happy. Now there's no way we can be able to 
talk to them! What if one is claustrophobic?"
	Andrew sighed and looked up at him. "I wouldn't worry too much 
about that. I would be more worried that they'll strangle each other 
before they get out of there."
	With that, he walked back over to the phone on the desk. 'Better 
call Rita and tell her I'll be late to dinner tonight. This could take 
awhile.'

	"You're kidding! Darien and Serena?!! But... they'll drive each 
other crazy! I'll have to see this for myself! Stay there, okay hon? 
Yeah, I love you too. Bye!"
	Rita hung up her cellular and shoved it back into her purse. 
Throwing on her coat and a pair of gloves, she treaded out into the 
storm. After about 4 blocks, she paused at a café on the corner. 
Sighing, she trudged in. 
	"I never thought it could be so hard to walk a couple blocks. I 
guess awful weather just wears me out a little." She walked up to the 
counter and ordered a cup of coffee to go. 
	"Rita?"
	She turned around to see a tall brunette she recognized as one of 
Andrew and Serena's friends. "Oh, hello Lita!"
	"What are you doing out in that terrible storm?"
	"I'm going to Darien's apartment."
	"Why?"
	"Andrew's there... and you will never believe this!"
	"What?"
	"Darien and SERENA are trapped in an elevator together!"
	Lita's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."
	"That's exactly what I said when Andrew told me."
	"But... Darien... and Serena... together?! They'll tear each other 
apart!"
	"I know. Not only that... but they're ALONE in the elevator!"
	"No way! Mina and I have GOT to see this!"
	"Mina?"
	A girl with blonde hair pulled back in a red bow walked up beside 
Lita. "Hey there!"
	"Rita, this is Mina. We were just relaxing here, waiting for the 
storm to pass... but now... we have to go check this out!"
	"Check what out?"
	"I'll tell you on the way. Come on!"
	Rita grabbed her coffee and Lita grabbed Mina's hand and they all 
jogged out into the ferocious storm. 

	Serena stared off into space, occasionally taking glances at 
Darien, leaning on the wall across from her. She sighed loudly, looking 
away. They had passed the last 15 minutes in silence, and it was 
driving her insane. 
	"Whatcha thinking about?" Darien asked.
	"Nothing..."
	"Ya sure?"	
	"Yeah... well... I wonder what they're doing right now..."
	"Who?"
	"Whoever's in charge of getting us out of this."
	"I'm sure they're doing everything they can."
	"Yeah..." Serena began laughing quietly and Darien looked down on 
her confused. 
	"What's so funny?"
	"Oh, I was just thinking... what if something really weird happens... 
like... there's a nuclear war and we're the only survivors. And then we 
get to be King and Queen of the Earth!" She giggled happily at the 
thought. 
	Darien smiled and rolled his eyes. "I don't think it would be too 
much fun being King if you didn't have any people to rule."
	Serena looked off dreamily. "Yeah, I guess... but then, we'd just 
have to re-... re-... What's that word?"
	"Repopulate?" Darien said raising an eyebrow. 
	"Yeah! We'd just have to repopulate the world."
	Darien looked down at her, suppressing a laugh. "Serena, do you 
have any idea what you just said?"
	"Yeah, we'd have to repopulate the world... why?"
	Darien cocked his eyebrows again at her confused expression. "And 
just HOW do you think that is done?"
	Serena stared at him for a moment, her mind clouded in confusion. 
Then, realization dawned instantly and she jumped to her feet, blushing 
furiously. "Oh, no! No! No! I didn't mean like that! I just... thought, 
ya know, we could like... I dunno... make robots or something and... and..."
	Darien fell to the floor, clutching his stomach from laughter as 
Serena continued to spew excuses.
	Finally, his constant laughter subsided. Looking up to her 
worried expression, he stated simply, "Serena, you are quite the 
character."
	She wasn't sure what to make of that.

	Ami grabbed at a piece of paper as it blew out of her hand, 
quickly shoving it back in her small book bag. She hunched over it, 
attempting to keep the contents dry from the incessant raining. 
	"I think I should have stayed at home to study."
	She stumbled back as a force came hurdling into her. "Now I'm 
turning into Serena," she said, looking up to apologize to whomever 
else was caught in the storm. She was surprised to see Lita staring 
down on her. 
	"Oh, hey Ames!" Lita yelled enthusiastically over the roar of the 
rain and thunder. 
	"Hello Lita," she replied, then said hi to Rita and Mina standing 
behind her. 
	"Come with us!" said Lita, turning her around. 
	"I'd love to Lita, but I have to get home and study for Monday's 
test and..."
	"But Darien and Serena are stuck in an elevator together and 
we're going to go see them when they finally get out!" Mina said from 
the other side of Lita. 
	Ami raised an eyebrow. "WHAT?! Serena and Darien?!" She looked 
behind her, and then to wherever they were taking her. "Oh, I'll get an 
A on the test anyway, this is a can't miss opportunity!"
	The 4 girls took off toward Darien's apartment together.

	Darien stood in the middle of the elevator, arms crossed, looking 
solemnly up at the numbers above the door. It appeared they had stopped 
somewhere between the 9th and 10th floors. He felt a slight tap on his 
shoulder. Turning, he saw Serena standing a few feet behind him, hands 
in her pockets, staring off to a high corner. She smiled and began 
whistling innocently. 
	Darien cracked a smile, laughter spilling from his lips. Rolling 
his eyes, he turned to stare off into space again. 'Cute...'
	Somewhere in the back of his mind, he began to wonder where in 
the world his umbrella had gone too.

	Andrew laughed as four very soaked girls walked into the lobby. 
Standing, he walked over to the one with long red hair, now matted to 
her head. Shaking his head, he wiped some raindrops off of her face. 
	Pouting slightly, Rita held out her arms for a hug. Andrew simply 
laughed and backed away. 
	"Nuh-uh. I'm not touching you like THAT!"
	She crossed her arms again angrily. "Well I love you too!"
	He smiled and helped her take off her jacket, settling for a 
light kiss on her cheek. 
	After Ami, Lita, and Mina had hung up their dripping coats, they 
all turned to Andrew.
	"Are they out yet?"	
	"Nope. We haven't been able to talk to them either."
	Mina bit her lip, turning to the closed elevator doors, Two men 
in orange jackets, walkie-talkies, and headsets standing in front. "I 
hope they're still alive up there..." she whispered.

	"Just hold still!"
	"Ow, that hurts!"
	"If you would hold still it wouldn't hurt so much!"
	"What's up with girls' obsessions with hair, anyway?"
	"You wouldn't understand."
	Darien rolled his eyes, folding his hands in his lap again. 
Serena kneeled behind him, doing Heaven-knows-what to his hair. All he 
knew was that it HURT. But would he make her stop? Of course not... 
especially since they made a deal that after she was done, he could 
play with her hair too... and he couldn't wait to run his hands through 
her long, silky locks.
	"I'm almost done..."
	He sighed. "Didn't you say that 20 minutes ago?"
	She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't tease, I really 
am this time!"
	"Uh-huh."
	"If you want, I can take it out and start all over again."
	"No! No, that's okay, really."	
	Serena giggled. She twisted the last small, damp lock into place. 
With a smile, she came around to face him. Her eyes nearly bugged out 
of their sockets. "Wow... you look... different!"
	Darien raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. Standing, he turned 
around to face the wall with a large mirror. His jaw dropped. Slowly, 
he reached up to touch his hair.
	The short ebony strands stood up completely straight in medium 
sized clumps, giving a spiky appearance. 
	"Wow," he said, looking at the reflection from every angle. 
	Serena giggled, standing up behind him. "Do you like it?"
	"I look like I'm 16!"
	Serena burst out laughing. Taking a few steps toward him, she 
buried herself beneath one arm. "I think you look handsome. Strange... a 
little... punk-rocker-ish... but... cool."
	Darien smiled and wrapped his free arm around her. "It's... 
different, alright..."
	Serena giggled happily.
	
	"Check mate," Ami said, yet again.
	"That's it, I SWEAR you cheat!" the man with the walkie-talkie, 
whom they'd found out actually had a NAME (gasp), said. The man with 
the walkie-talkie (of course, they forgot the name five minutes later) 
slammed the small pawn, the only piece he had won (and he lost a bishop 
in the process) down on the table. "I don't want to play with you 
anymore!" Standing up, he walked quickly over to the other side of the 
lobby... or, the elevator (remember the elevator? This story is about the 
elevator). 
	Ami watched him with wide eyes. "Hm... I wonder if he's mad..."
	"I think we should call Raye," said Mina wonderingly. 
	Lita looked up at her. "Oh, totally! She would kill us if we 
didn't tell her about this!"
	"I'll go call her right now," said Mina, standing up from the 
couch and walking over to the still-deserted desk, before dialing the 
number of the Cherry Hill Temple. 

	"You've gotta be kidding! Darien and Serena!? That is TOO funny! 
Of course I'll be there, a little storm can't keep me away from this. 
Hey, do you think you could make it so they don't inflict any permanent 
damage on each other until I get there? Thanks! See ya!"
	Raye hung up the phone, quickly gathering up an umbrella and rain 
jacket before trudging out into the raging weather. 

	"I always wondered what you looked like without the meatballs," 
Darien said, pulling the last bobby pin from her golden hair. Serena 
smiled, sitting in front of his kneeled position.
	"Does this mean ya can't call me Meatball Head until I put my 
hair back up?" she asked hopefully.
	Darien hid a chuckle, running his fingers through the loose 
locks. He stroked some from the side of her neck before leaning down 
next to her ear. "Nope! You're still Meatball Head!"
	"Ugh! You are so aggravating!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms 
over her chest and pouting. Darien smiled to himself. 
	'This is too perfect...' he thought, running his fingers through 
her hair again.
	Serena forgot the short teasing for a moment, allowing herself to 
relax beneath his gentle touch. A smile tugged at the corners of her 
lips as she fell into the soothing sensations. Her scalp tingled from 
the common feeling she had after releasing her hair from the tried 
meatballs. 
	Darien never wanted to stop caressing the spun gold, but he soon 
realized that if he didn't do something else soon, Serena would find it 
just a TAD strange.
	He took a lock from the side of her head, just behind her ear, 
and began to braid. He couldn't even remember how he learned to do 
this... but he thought he was doing a pretty good job. Until the ends 
started getting tangled.
	"You have so much hair!" he exclaimed, trying to unravel a small 
knot. Serena giggled.
	"Yeah, I know. It takes some getting used to."
	He had finally continued his styling, wrapping the braid around 
her head in a crown, then around again... and again...
	"Ya know, you could easily do one of those sixty's beehive 
things. That'd be flattering," he said sarcastically. 
	Serena only rolled her eyes.
	He secured the braid with some bobby pins from the meatballs, 
then ran his fingers down the mane again... pretending he was combing it, 
or something. The long golden locks pooled all around both of them on 
the elevator floor, catching the bright lights above in flowing rays. 
Finally, Darien let his hands drift from the cascading hair to wrap, 
rather possessively, around her shoulders. 
	"There you are princess," he whispered.
	Serena felt dizzy being this close to him, though she had no idea 
why. Gulping, and against her body's protests, she stood, pulling 
herself out of his surrounding arms. Darien let her go reluctantly and 
stood next to her. 
	Serena looked at her reflection, a bright twinkle in her eye. She 
smiled widely, letting a small giggle escape, running her fingers 
lightly over the golden crown. She looked behind her at Darien's 
reflection. He was smiling down on her, quite proud of his work, his 
hands comfortably in his pockets. 
	"Look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the mirror. "It's the princess 
and the punk rocker!"

	"This had better be worth it! When they come out of there, they'd 
better either be half dead or married!" Raye yelled, wringing her raven 
hair out on the tile floor. "I had to trudge through that freaking 
tidal wave out there to get here, now where is that Meatball Head! I 
need someone to yell at!"
	Mina laughed slightly. "They're still in the elevator. We can't 
talk to them yet, either."
	"What?! Well who's working on getting them down?!"
	Mina pointed to two construction workers, one currently involved 
in a thumb war with Lita, while the other cheered him on, the headset 
wrapped around his neck, and the forgotten walkie-talkie in his pocket. 
Raye rolled her eyes, sighing.
	"This town's going to Hell in a hand basket," she mumbled.
	"Hey, think about it this way, this just means that Darien and 
Serena are gonna be stuck up there for a LONG time!"
	Raye got an evil gleam in her eye. "I wish they had cameras in 
those elevators. I'd really wanna see what's going on now."

	"Darien, you're making it too hard! It's VERY simple."
	"What's the point of this again?"
	"It's just for fun."
	"Who in their right mind would sit there and come up with things 
like this anyway?"
	"It was probably some tired and hungry kid who couldn't afford 
any toys, so they came up with this."
	Darien looked at her with false sympathy. Placing a hand on her 
shoulder, he said, "Serena, do you want me to buy you a toy?"
	Serena glared at him, pushing his hand off her shoulder. "Darien, 
be serious. This is actually pretty fun when you know how to do it 
right. Now pay attention."
	Darien smiled at her, never taking his eyes off her face. She 
stuck out her tongue in concentration and he nearly broke out laughing. 
Yes, she was simply too adorable. 
	"There, see! Now you try! Darien? Darien?!"
	"Huh? What?" She rolled her eyes, dropping the string from her 
fingers. 
	"Weren't you paying any attention at all? Cat's Cradle is the 
easiest string game there is, now you are GOING to do this, understand 
me?"
	Darien rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, I'll try. Now... how did you 
do that?"
	She smiled in spite of herself and once again picked up the long 
string tied at the ends. "Okay, first you slide it over your four 
fingers, like this..." she put it over his willing hands, wrapping the 
string around each one time. "Then you string your middle finger 
through the opposite one... no, like this... Darien, stop being difficult!"
	He laughed. 'This is TOO much fun!' "What did I do?!"
	"Middle finger, Darien."
	"