So here she sat on a rainy Sunday afternoon, trying to figure out why she wasn't leaping with joy now that the love of her life had proposed to her. If she had been thinking straight last night, maybe she could have said something clever like, 'who is it you want to marry, Serena, Sailor Moon, or Reenie's mother?' But then, Darien would have said something equally clever like, ' I want to marry them all, because they're all parts of you'. Serena allowed herself a smile at the way she had mimicked Darien. Of course, she hadn't said anything clever last night, and that was why she was interrogating herself today instead of basking in the glory of being a newly initiated fiancé.

Was she being ridiculous? Was she being unfair? Darien had given her a lot of things over the years, did it matter if his attention was a little unfocused? Maybe she was being selfish, but then she wasn't asking that he be with her twenty-four seven. She just wanted to know that he liked being with her on occasion, and that he loved her for whom she was. She just wanted to know.

Serena decided at that moment that she would never marry Darien, no matter how much she wanted to, if he didn't love her as passionately as she did him. (AN: glad I put that 'if' in, aren't you?). It simply wouldn't be fair to ask him to live a lie like that. She ran her fingers gently over her stomach again. It also wouldn't be fair to bring a child into the world for the selfish reason of trying to hold on to your husband. No, it had to be love or nothing.

" Please, Darien, show me I'm wrong. Prove to me you love me, so I don't have to live without you", Serena whispered into the silence of her room. She twisted the ring on her finger, already becoming accustomed to its presence while at the same time wondering how a simple ring could weigh so much.

" Darien, what's the matter with you? You've been sitting here all day like a statue", Andrew asked. Darien was sitting on a stool in the arcade, staring at the countertop as though it held the solution to his problems.

" I just, didn't think she'd… I guess I just thought she'd say yes. I mean, that's what was supposed to happen."

" I don't understand", said Andrew patiently. The arcade was empty on account of the rain, so Andrew gave his friend his full attention.

" I proposed to her, Andrew", Darien admitted. Andrew would know whom he meant.

" And?"

" And she said she'd think about it", Darien said. The words sounded so much more ominous in his head.

" I take it you were expecting something else?"

" Well, yeah. Everything was going so well. We got back together without problem, we saw each other regularly, and I proposed at the correct time. I did everything right and she just sort of looked at me, with this pleading look in her eyes. Do you think I should have gotten her a larger ring?"

Andrew angrily smacked Darien upside the head. " Don't be stupid. How could you accuse Serena of all people, of being so mercenary?"

" I know, but what else could it be? I just don't understand. Where did we go off track?"

" Darien, she isn't a math formula that you can work through for a predictable result, she's a person."

" Of course she is, I know that", Darien said moodily.

" Do you? The way you described your relationship just now sounded like someone writing out a grocery list. You've relegated her to some corner of your mind because you're so certain that she loves you, and because of that you think she doesn't require any attention anymore. You think because she's always been there, that she'll continue to be there for as long as you want her to be there. Well, she's a person and you can't pick her up, and toss her aside whenever you want. And you can't expect her to be ecstatic about marriage, if the only reason you asked was because it fit nicely into your plans and completed some grand scheme of yours. You think she's thrown a wrench in the works, but really she's trying to show you that she isn't just an entity. She's a person, when was the last time you told her as much?"

Andrew was right, he did take her presence for granted sometimes. Maybe it was because he knew something of their future? He knew they were married and he knew they had a child. Having Reenie around confirmed to him on a daily basis that this wasn't a dream, that he truly was blessed and that Serena would always be in his life. And maybe he was a little too set on acting in certain ways, and having things happen at appropriate times, but he had never been good at expressing his emotions. He didn't want to do something wrong and have things end or delayed. What if he made another mistake like the one he had made with the dreams and his break-up with Serena? Would she forgive him a second time? Since that moment, he had tried to be the perfect boyfriend, but she'd just grown more distant to the point where he'd freaked out that he was losing her, and asked her to marry him. Because he couldn't lose her again.

" How do I tell her what I see when I look at her?"

" You'll have to figure that out for yourself, I think."

" I thought you'd say that", Darien said, and stood up to leave.

" Well, if you really want my advice, I'd go over there and kiss her senseless", Andrew said.

" Oh, I don't think that would go over well", Darien said.

" Why not?"

" Because that's not the kind-of relationship we have", Darien said stiffly.

" Good God. Please tell me you're joking, and that you've kissed and held her more times then you can count?"

Nine kisses while we've been dating, Darien thought to himself. It didn't sound like very many, all of a sudden. " I didn't want to scare her, I was trying to be gentle. What's wrong with that?"

" Nothing, so long as you make it clear that's what you're doing. Try and see her perspective. For one thing, you don't show others how you feel about her – no outward displays of affection. That, I guess, is excusable. Two, you sure as hell don't show her how you feel, as you've just admitted. Three, you've probably never told her. How in the world is she supposed to know what you think of her?"

Darien visibly paled, Andrew's words finally hitting home. He wondered if Serena had any idea that every single day, every single hour, every single moment was only worthwhile for him because she existed. Did she know that he would sometimes go to bed early, just so that he could dream of her? Did she know that he kept himself away from her sometimes, because he didn't want to overwhelm her with the full expression of his need for her? Did she even know he loved her? He thought back to the proposal and realized he hadn't said he loved her then. He thought back to when they had gotten back together – he hadn't said he loved her then either. As far back as he could remember, he had said it only once or twice to her, and usually under duress. Darien felt almost sick. He had to go to her, now. And tell her over and over again so she never had a single doubt.

" I've gotta… bye", Darien charging out of the arcade, jacket and umbrella forgotten despite the intensity of the storm outside. He was soaked to the bone and shivering when he arrived at Serena's home. It was dinnertime, but he didn't see any lights on and the car was gone from the driveway. Oh God, what if Serena was out too?

He rang the doorbell frantically, then banged on the door when he got no response. He heard someone on the stairs and he heaped further abuse on the front door. Serena considered not opening because whoever was pounding on the door so harshly, must obviously be insane to be out in such a storm. She was dressed in comfortable sweats and a T-shirt, her hair mussed, and she was dragging around the quilt from her bed. When she opened the door the quilt fell from her hands.

It was Darien, but a Darien she had never seen before. His eyes were wild, and feral looking. He was drenched and shaking, but he seemed to be lit with an inner fire. Before she could say one word, he grabbed her almost roughly, hauled her warm body to his cold one, and pressed her up against the kitchen counter. Her small mewl of protest was cut off when his mouth descended upon hers, ravaging her soft lips, and shocking her to her very core. One of his hands twisted into her hair, angling her head so that he could gain better access to her mouth. His tongue plunged between her parted lips, tasting her, devouring her as though he could never be satisfied. And he probably never would be; he'd have to spend his whole life feeding his addiction for her, and that sounded like a great idea. He felt her arms tighten around his neck, felt one of her legs press gently against his thigh. He lifted her up so that she was sitting on the edge of the counter, and pressed his body against hers even more tightly.

Despite the dizzying sensations, Serena never forgot that she was kissing her love, her Darien. The one for whom her heart beat, her soul ached, and her body yearned. It was like a dream and if her hands weren't so busy, then she might have pinched herself, to make herself believe that it was real. The assault on her mouth continued and Serena loved every second of it. Gradually, their mouths drew apart, gasping for air. Darien continued to kiss her face, her hair, her neck. In between his fervent kisses, he mumbled almost incoherently.

" I'm sorry… I couldn't… I had to… I love you so much".

" What did you say?" Serena said, fearing she was hearing things. Darien looked her straight in the eye, and pressed his hands to either side of her face.

" I said, I love you. I'm sorry if you ever doubted that, but I love you. I'll keep saying it because it seems like such an inadequate way to express what you mean to me. I love you, a million times".

" I love you, too", Serena said, tears forming in her eyes.

" Don't cry, please don't cry. Then I'll start crying, and I'm just getting the hang of this emotion stuff."

" You're doing just fine", Serena said, laughing. Just then they heard the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway. In moments Serena's family were hurrying through the front door and out of the rain. Serena and Darien leapt apart, and Serena put her feet back on the floor, acutely aware of the Darien-shaped wet mark on her clothes.

" Serena, what have I told you about leaving things in the front hallway?" Serena's mother said, picking up the discarded quilt. She then noticed Darien, leaning up against the opposite wall. " Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know you had company. Darien, isn't it?"

" Darien!" screamed Reenie, running forward and wrapping herself tightly around his leg.

" Hey kid, did you have fun tonight?"

" Uh huh."

" Time for bed, young lady", said Serena's mother, Irene.

" Darien, will you read me a story?" Reenie pleaded. Serena was careful to keep her face completely neutral – she didn't want to come between father and daughter, but she couldn't help but feel that right now Darien and her needed to work some things out.

" I can't tonight, Reenie. I have something I have to do", Darien said gently, tweaking one of the little girls pigtails.

" Enough stalling, up the stairs, pronto", Serena's father said brusquely. He eyed Darien suspiciously but said nothing as he herded the little girl up the stairs. Sammy didn't say anything either, though he did look back and forth between Darien and Serena before shaking his head in amusement.

" Serena, can I talk with you for a moment?" Irene asked. Irene pulled Serena to the side a little bit and tried not to stare when she noticed the ring on her daughter's finger. " I can tell that we interrupted something important. So why don't you and Darien get out of here. Take what you'll need for school tomorrow and I'll handle things with your father."

" Really? But why?"

" Because I know my daughter, and I want you to have all the time you need, because I trust your judgement."

" What did I do to deserve you?"

" I ask myself that every day", Irene teased. She gave a nod to Darien before heading upstairs.

" Can we go someplace, I still have things to say", Darien asked.

" So do I, just let me grab a few things." Serena went up to her room and stuffed her schoolbooks and her uniform in a bag. When she was packed she came back downstairs. She realized she had forgotten her coat upstairs but decided she didn't want to wait any longer.

" Ready?"

" Absolutely", Serena beamed. They stepped out into the rain and Darien instantly reached for her hand. They half-ran, half-walked through the storm becoming wet in the process. The thunder and lightning began and Serena clutched nervously at Darien's hand, but a part of her was excited. Running through the dark, imagining all sorts of dangers looming in the shadows, but feeling perfectly safe because of the company she was in. She seemed to recall laughing when they splashed through a surprisingly deep puddle and she distinctly remembered Darien's answering laugh, as he picked her up and lifted her over the puddle, as though he could keep her from getting any more wet.

They arrived at Darien's apartment in a rare sort of mood. Serena was giggling like mad, despite the fact that her teeth were chattering, and Darien couldn't seem to keep the loopy smile from his face. He brought a big dark-blue fluffy towel and wrapped it around Serena's shoulders. With his hands on her shoulders, he began to roughly dry her off. Serena's eyes closed of their own volition at the rhythmic movement of his warm hands on her shoulders. Abruptly, he stopped and Serena opened her eyes. He was staring at her chest in the rain-plastered T-shirt. Seeing her watching him, he flushed and went to get a towel of his own. Peeling off his wet shirt, he grabbed another one from his wardrobe, and came back into the room towelling his hair.

" Hot cocoa?"

" I'd love some", she said. When the cocoa was ready, they sat on the couch and looked towards the balcony windows. Serena began playing nervously with her ring and it caught Darien's attention.

" Have you decided, yet?" he asked anxiously.

" If I tell you something, do you promise not to interrupt me until I finish?" Darien nodded. Serena took a deep sigh, and decided to explain to him all of her fears. " When you broke up with me, you said you didn't love me. You also said that I should have noticed that your feelings had changed." Darien wanted to jump in at this point and defend himself, but he then remembered his promise not to interrupt. " So I swore that if we ever got back together that I would pay attention, and not let myself be so easily duped. When I came to you with the dream, you still didn't take me back. It wasn't until you saw that Reenie was disappearing that you forgave me, and I thought… I thought you had come back to me because I was the only one who could give you Reenie. I saw it as some big master plan of yours: put up with me until she was born, and then forget about me. I started seeing all these instances where she came first and I admit, I got jealous. I didn't think it was possible that you could love me as much as I loved you. And the more I thought, the more distant you seemed to become. You never even touched me and then this proposal came out of the blue. Of course, you could never have Reenie unless we were married, and…"

" And you thought I was trying to hurry things along", Darien finished for her. Serena nodded. " I'm sorry."

" You can't be responsible for my thoughts", Serena said.

" But I should never have let things get so tense between us that thoughts like that could ever occur. After we got back together, I didn't want to be reminded of that horrible time we were apart. I certainly didn't want to remember that it had been you who had seen through the dream, and me who had taken the cowardly way out."

" It wasn't cowardly, I mean, it must have been hard on you too", Serena said, taking his hand.

" Serena, I thought I was going to die without you and I never thought of you as merely a vessel for Reenie. Reenie is a part of you and a part of me, that alone is enough for me to care about her. I love you, not what you can give me. I know I don't say it enough, but I love you."

" At the time, I didn't know what you were feeling. And you still never touched me, I thought I must repulse you somehow."

" Nine kisses", Darien said regretfully.

" You kept count to?"

" I have something of a confession to make also. You know, I'm not good with emotions, but as for showing you how I feel, I'm not much better." He pulled Serena into his arms, and she cushioned her head on her shoulder. He began stroking her hair and took a steadying breath before continuing. " Serena, I'm a virgin."

There was a momentary pause as Serena digested the news, and then she spoke. " So am I. What does it matter?"

" It's different for guys, certainly for twenty-one year old guys. I'm supposed to know what to do, how to take care of you – be experienced and confident about the whole thing", Darien said nervously.

" I'm glad we get to be each other's firsts. I think it's perfect", Serena said, snuggling herself deeper into his embrace.

" But, what if I can't… What if I screw up and you hate me for the rest of your life?"

" You're cute when you're out of your depth. Don't worry so much, you'll be my first so how will I know if you're terrible or not?" Serena chuckled. " Besides Darien, that kiss we shared in the kitchen at my house, what did you think about it?"

" I thought it was the most amazing thing I had ever felt", Darien said without hesitation.

" So did I, and we did it completely by ourselves, and totally on instinct. I think we're going to be natural at everything we do."

" I wish I'd told you this long ago", Darien said relieved. It felt so good to have that fear taken from his shoulders. Tightening his grip on his girlfriend, he whispered " I love you, Serena Tsukino."

" Serena Shields, I think you mean. That is, if the offer still stands?" Serena asked, waving her ring finger in front of Darien's face.

" It does. Will you marry me?"

" Yes, I will."

Darien kissed the ring on her finger and then he kissed her lips. He would never let her go again, or forget to be grateful for her presence. Serena gave a contented sigh, still amazed that she had gotten exactly what she'd asked for. Darien loved her: the only requirement she had insisted upon before becoming his wife. Who could have guessed that there would be so much drama over their marriage, when to every one else it seemed like such a sure thing? Apparently, even the most secure outcomes were still affected by unknown variables. Variables such as the human heart.

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The end. Like or dislike? For anyone waiting for Chap. 3 of 'All the Right Notes', I promise it's coming soon, but it's a complicated chapter that I want to get right. Bye!