Marriage of the Will

By Eternity Rose

E-mail: [email protected]

Rated: Pg-13

Author's Notes: And yet another chapter. This is chapter 4 of my story.

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. (how many times do I have to write this?)

Chapter 4

"So, your actually going to marry her?" Raye Knight, Darien's 23-year-old younger sister, asked the next day in the library where Darien was reading. Obviously Grandfather had told her.

"Yes," Darien said, looking up from his book.

"Why? You don't even know this girl!" Raye exclaimed, her light purple eyes flashing with anger. She flipped back her long raven hair and sighed as she plopped down on a thickly cushioned chair across from her older brother. "Darien, your my older brother and I love you tons and I don't want to see you getting snagged by some greedy old witch."

Darien smiled amusedly. "I don't think Serena is a greedy old witch. The girl looks to be quiet the opposite."

"Looks? What does looks have to do with it?" Raye stopped and narrowed her eyes at Darien. "Is she pretty?"

Darien thought about it for a while. "She's all right. She isn't exactly what your call beautiful but homely and pretty."

"So at least you could trust her not to be vain," Raye remarked absently.

Darien chuckled and nodded. "Serena is far from vain."

"Darien!" Setsuna Knight appeared, looking very pissed off at her handsome cousin. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

"Ahh, Setsuna. It's good to see you," Darien said smoothly. He stood up from his chair and hugged his tall cousin. She was only a year older than him and almost his same height.

"Don't you 'ahh, it's good to see you, Setsuna' me!" The tall young woman exclaimed furiously. "What are you doing getting yourself married to this poor Serena Blackwood girl? Is it for the joining of both businesses?"

Darien pretended to be hurt. He knew that his cousin knew him too well. "I would never do that, I am an honest man."

"Ha!" Setsuna exclaimed hotly.

"C'mon, Setsuna, I truly am an honest men although my relationships with woman are a bit questionable," Darien said dryly as he thought of all the woman he had dated in the past. It was quiet a long list. "Besides, it's to keep the business from landing in the hands of Beryl Enterprises."

Setsuna took a seat beside Raye and crossed her incredibly long legs. She flipped her dark, dark green hair back and raised an eyebrow at her cousin.

"I know it's the protect the business but what I'm wondering is why my debauching cousin is doing marrying!" Setsuna said loftily, clearly amused. Her moods changed quickly.

"Oh, c'mon, Setsuna," Raye giggled. "Darien isn't that bad."

"All bachelors are," Setsuna replied matter-of-factly.

"What would you know? Your dating that Taiki Louren guy." Darien took his seat across from the two girls and placed his book on a small, round table at his elbow.

"Taiki, at least, doesn't have a string of old girlfriends longer than the Wall of China!"

"That's because he's soo boring," Raye drawled.

Setsuna sighed and shook her head. "He's not boring. He's the most intelligent man I've ever met."

"Exactly why he's soo boring."

"Raye, why don't you just go and find Jadeite and bother him?" Darien asked, referring to Raye's three year boyfriend, Jadeite Conner.

"Because he's in class," Raye sighed. "I have no one else to bother. I don't have any work today because my boss thought I've worked too hard and needed a break. That's why I decided to bother you, Darien," Raye added sweetly.

"The joys of brother hood," Darien said mournfully.

"Please, stop joking. I'm still not happy about this forced marriage. Are you insane to agree to this? I know you don't like Beryl but how did this all happen? Is it even legal to have this stupid marriage set up?" Setsuna demanded hotly.

"Obviously it is since it is happening," Darien said, shrugging nonchalantly. (AN: Sorry, I know nothing about laws and all that kind of stuff so bear with me. It just works with the story.) He wasn't really worried about the marriage since he didn't feel like having another girlfriend to deal with and needed a break. He didn't think Serena was going to take this marriage seriously anyways. After a year he would be a free man and the company would still remain in tack.

"Well, I still don't approve until I meet this girl," Setsuna said stubbornly.

"Me, too," Raye agreed, nodding.

"All right. We're going to meet together in a few days. You can meet Serena then," Darien said reasonably. Then he returned to his reading as both girls left the library.

~*~

They all gathered in the Blackwood parlor after lunch three days later so Serena and Darien could announce their agreement to the terms of the will. Both were too stubborn to let Beryl Enterprises take part of their family business and both wouldn't like to see the other ruin the business either.

Serena sat with a straight back across from her future husband. She wore a simply gray blouse with all the buttons buttoned up and a long black skirt with black slippers. Her hair was done up in their usual odangos with the rest of the golden hair flowing down to her knees. Since she was sitting the touched the carpeted floor. She thought Darien looked especially handsome if arrogant. But that was how he was and she was going to get to know this arrogant man in the next few days till their wedding day which was set on November 25, a Saturday.

Darien was dressed casually in a black Polo shirt and dark slacks with nicely polished shoes. He sat next to his grandfather who was speaking with Mrs. Blackwood and her eldest daughter Lita. Mina, David and Amy were talking quietly among themselves with a few quick glances in the direction of the two who sat so silently across from each other. Darien's sister, Raye was talking with Setsuna as they both looked a bit worried about everything that was going to happen.

He brushed away an annoying lock of black hair and looked over to his future wife. She was her usual pale coloring and her blue crystalline eyes looked lifeless as usual except for a few flickers of assessment and curiosity as she glanced up at him a few times. She was a strange girl. Too quiet, and too shy. Was she always like this? Or was it because of her father's death? From her movements Darien could tell somewhat that Serena used to be a very lively girl. Full of energy and used it a lot whenever she can. What had happened to that? Not that it really mattered to him.

"So, you both have agreed to this marriage?" Edward Knight asked, breaking the quiet talks among each small group.

"Yes," Serena and Darien said together.

"Wonderful, I was just making sure," Edward said. He stood up and left with Mrs. Blackwood. "We'll discuss the plans and then return to you all later," he said behind his shoulder as they left the parlor.

The minute both adults left everyone gathered around Darien and Serena and began to ask questions and voice their opinions.

"I believe this forced marriage is unfair," Lita said immediately.

"I agree. Serena, do you really want to do this?" Mina asked worriedly.

"Yes, Serena," Amy agreed, as worried as Mina.

"I'm fine with it," Serena said, assuring.

"Darien, I don't like this thing about marrying someone you don't know," Raye pouted. She looked over to the plain blond girl that was speaking with her own family. They didn't look happy about it while Serena just looked very passive. She wasn't the girl that Raye had thought her older brother was marrying. Quite the opposite. But she still didn't like it.

"Raye, quit worrying. After a year this thing will be over and we can move on with our lives," Darien sighed.

"I know, I know. But I still don't like it!" Raye exclaimed.

Setsuna reached out and comforted her. Then she turned to Darien and voiced her own opinion. "This is bad. Marriage shouldn't be conducted this way."

Darien was about to reply a sharp remark about being frustrated with all of these repetitive opinions when he was cut off.

"Will you people stop all of this?" Serena suddenly exclaimed. She leaped to her feet and suddenly her blue eyes were filled with life and anger and her cheeks showed a faint touch of color.

Everyone was a bit startled at the sudden outburst. They weren't used to it after such a long period of time of nothing but passiveness and sadness.

Darien raised his eyebrow at this sight. She looked much better with a little energy and color in her face. Maybe if he could only get her to react more to things and get that energy and emotion to surface...Stop thinking, Darien. It's not like you like her. Darien gave himself a mental shake and watched as the energy disappeared and the color faded. Serena sat back down and was again passive as her family continued with their protests.

For about what felt like an eternity both Darien and Serena had to deal with the protests and questions of the marriage from their family. Finally it was time for dinner.

All of them except for Serena and Darien left the room to fill their empty stomachs.

Serena looked over to Darien with a weak smile. "At least your family isn't as loud about it as mine."

"They aren't so bad," Darien agreed. He held out his arm to his future wife. "Shall we go have dinner?"

Serena smiled, a beautiful sight really. A bit of pink touched her cheeks, making her look more attractive. Darien began to wonder about the lost energy once again...but then shook it off.

"Why, what an old fashion thing to do. But okay." Serena placed her hand gently on Darien's elbow and they walked out of the parlor.

~*~

The next day Darien went over to Serena's mansion, deciding that he was better off getting to know his future wife.

Serena answered the door in shock. Her hair was up in a very messy bun and she only wore a black tank top with black shorts. They were probably the most revealing thing that Darien had ever seen Serena in. And she looked very nice in them. The outfit showed off Serena's long, slim arms and smooth, round shoulders. Her legs were impossibly long, longer than Setsuna's, and smooth, curved nicely around the calf muscles. He looked her up and down appraisingly and found that he liked what he saw.

"Darien!" Serena gasped. She blushed and looked down at her feet. "What are you doing here?" Serena felt like disappearing. She had thought no one was going to visit and everyone had left the house so she decided to dress comfortably in tank top and shorts. She had thought it was UPS when the door bell rang for some wedding decorations. She had never expected Darien. And having him see most of her flesh was a little unnerving for her.

"Oh, I just wanted to stop by and take you out to lunch. I thought we should get to know each other better since we are going to get married in a few days," Darien replied easily.

"I see," Serena said, still refusing to look at him.

Darien liked seeing the color in Serena's cheeks but he didn't know why. Maybe it was just nice to know that the girl was human and not ice.

"Well, do you accept my invitation?" Darien asked. "It's a Sunday and I have nothing to do. The day's all free if you want to come with me down to the city and check things out."

"That would be nice, actually," Serena said, looking up and blushing even harder. Darien was almost positive he saw excitement dance in her eyes. "Just give me a moment to change into something more appropriate, then we can go. Come in and sit in the parlor." Serena stepped aside and allowed Darien to come in. She led him to the parlor and got some Coke for him. Then she fled the parlor and ran up to her room.

She quickly got dressed in a black silk blouse with black pants and black shoes. She grabbed a brush and brushed through her messy hair. Then she tied them up in her odangos with black ribbons wrapped around them. When she was finished, she decided to wear a little lip gloss and some eye shadow and light blush. This time it didn't make her look like a clown. She actually had some color in her cheeks this time and she found that she looked very nice like that. She grabbed her purse and went downstairs.

Darien was sipping his Coke slowly when she walked into the parlor. He looked up and smiled. She looked human. That was a beautiful sight. He stood up and walked over to her.

"You look nice. It's good to see some color in your face," he said, nodding approvingly.

Serena narrowed her eyes. "What? Am I always suppose to look wonderful for you?" She demanded mockingly.

Darien was a bit surprised at this sudden show of life but he didn't question it. He didn't want a log for a wife. "No, of course not. It's just new and I like it."

Serena blushed. "Thank you. Now, about that lunch...?"

"Let's go, madam," Darien said, holding out his arm.

Serena took it and followed him out to his silver Porsche. She got in and smiled as she pulled the seat belt over and snapped it closed.

Darien got into the driver's seat and looked over to Serena who was smiling happily as she looked around herself.

"You act as if you never been in a Porsche," Darien remarked as he started up the car.

"I have," Serena said slowly, just a bit of anger of Darien's arrogance boiled over. "It's just that every car is different and I'm just looking around this one."

"Whatever," Darien said, amused as he drove out of the circular driver way and down the street, towards the city.

"So, what do you really think of this marriage?" Darien asked politely.

"Truthfully? I think it sucks," Serena sighed. She looked at him and clamped her hand over her mouth. "Oops. It's not that marrying you is going to be hell it's just that I don't want to marry unless...unless..."

"Unless you love that person," Darien finished.

Serena nodded gratefully. "I mean, your a nice guy and all, Darien. But I don't love you."

"And I don't love you. At least our feelings are mutual there and we don't have to worry about them."

Serena raised an eyebrow. "What? Afraid I might fall for you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

Serena gasped. "Why you arrogant man!" She exclaimed, stunned at his boldness.

Darien just chuckled.

Serena huffed and shook her head. "Your horrible, Darien Knight. I've never known some one who is as arrogant as you are!"

"Well, now you have," Darien replied nonchalantly as he drove with one hand.

"Ooh, you!" Serena huffed.

"C'mon, Serena, have a little sense of humor."

"A sense of humor? Of course I have a sense of humor. But I'm not used to deal with such arrogant men as you."

"Is that because you've never had to deal with men, Meatball Head?"

Serena literally seethed at that horrible nickname. She hated that nickname. She had sworn long ago to strangle anyone who called her that. She forgot all about her mourning over her father or the fact that this man was her husband. The minute Darien pulled over to a stop in front of a restaurant and got out of the car Serena's hands were around his neck and she was literally strangling him.

"What's the problem?" Darien gasped as Serena continued to strangle him with all her might.

"Don't you ever call me Meatball Head every again!" Serena shouted.

Darien gasped and grabbed the small hands around his neck. He removed them easily against Serena's protesting and held them in front of him so the young woman didn't try to kill him again.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be offended," Darien apologized.

"Offended? Do you know how many times I've been teased? I hate it!" Serena exclaimed, drawing a little attention from the passer byers. She just gave them a very mean glare and they all turned their attention back to their own business. Darien almost wanted to burst out laughing out loud. This was far too amusing for him. Seeing so much energy coming out from Serena was something very new and refreshing. He liked it. He didn't know why, but he liked it.

"Then why don't you change your hairstyle?" Darien suggested, still holding on tightly to Serena's small hands.

"Because I'm not going to change it over a few insults. It's my hairstyle and it's going to stay that way!" Serena replied indignantly.

"And it will. Now, can I let you go and still be comfortable to know that my neck won't between those hands of yours?" Darien asked, looking down at the small hands in his tight grip.

Serena glared at him but nodded.

Slowly, Darien released her hands and they walked into the restaurant.

Inside, Serena ordered a chicken salad while Darien ordered some kind of cream soup.

(AN: Sorry people but I just don't know what rich people eat for lunch. I really don't think they actually stop by McDonald's. Or do they? ::wondering::)

"So, what do you do for a living, Serena?" Darien asked as he leaned back and waited for their orders.

Serena looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "I'm a nurse at the local hospital."

"Really? And your only 23?" Darien asked, a bit surprised.

"Well," Serena blushed, "I was kind of a genius when I was little. I skipped a couple of grades in elementary and one in middle school. High school I didn't want to skip any grades since I already felt so out of place." (AN: Remember! This is an alternate reality! Hehe)

"That's very impressive," Darien said, nodding.

Serena smiled broadly. "Thank you. I don't need to ask what you do because you obviously take care of the business for your grandfather."

"Yes, I do," Darien said, nodding.

Their meals came and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"So, do you know much about business?" Darien asked, licking some of the cream soup off his lips.

Suddenly Serena had a very unbidden thought. She shivered as she thought of actually kissing Darien. When did these thoughts come? Yes, Darien Knight is handsome but I'm NOT attracted to him. She mentally slapped herself and tried desperately not to blush.

"Actually, I do. I took classes in business and that was one of my majors besides medical," Serena replied calmly. And she was very, very happy that she had replied in such a calm voice. She didn't want it shaking or anything. That would have been far too embarrassing.

"Good. It's just that..." Darien trailed off and smiled crookedly in slight embarrassment.

"That's all right," Serena said with a shrug. "I guess you have every right to worry about the business since it is important to you. But don't worry, Darien, I'm pretty good with numbers and words." She smiled and forked some lettuce into her mouth.

Darien found himself liking this different Serena more and more. She wasn't silent at all and she had life. She didn't sit there, pale and untalking. But she was smiling, blushing and talking like all her emotions were backing up her words. He liked this. It was funner to talk to someone who would give a reply.

"So, where did you go to school?" Darien asked.

"Harvard," Serena replied, licking some dressing off the side of her mouth without much success.

Darien chuckled and leaned over with a napkin in his hand. He gently wiped away the dressing and sat back down.

"Thanks," Serena said, smiling.

"No problem."

"So, where did you go to school?"

"Harvard."

"Really? How cool. We went to the same school. But the campus was so big it's no wonder we never bumped into each other!"

"Yeah. But it was a good school."

"Yep. Nothing too difficult if you understood everything. I made a lot of friends there but most of them had to fly back home after the school year was over."

"That blue haired girl, Amy. She's your friend, right?"

"Yep, my best friend. She's a doctor at the hospital I work at as a nurse. She's a total genius too. She skipped more grades than me and we're the same age! We met in middle school and then she skipped ahead in high school but we stayed tight friends since we were the only ones who really knew how it felt to be the youngest of the class. Then she went off to Germany to study there but we still kept in touch. She came back to the States during my last year at Harvard and attended with me until the end. The cool thing was that we graduated at the same time despite the grade difference."

"It's nice to have close friends. I have that's always been there for me. Andrew Kingston."

"Andrew Kingston? Why does that sound so familiar?" Serena asked, musing to herself.

"He's the owner of several cafes across the U.S.?" Darien hinted.

"Oh yes! I've been to a couple, they're really nice. Isn't he dating Rita Keller? The famous archeologist who discovered that ancient lost city?"

"Exactly. I'm glad you know of them," Darien said, smiling.

"I like to read the newspapers," Serena said, laughing.

They finished their lunch with talk of their friends and family members. Then they left the restaurant and Darien drove Serena back home.

"Thanks for the lunch. It was the best," Serena said, smiling. "It's going to be nice to be your business partner."

"Not wife?" Darien asked arrogantly.

Serena slapped him on the arm. "No. As your business partner. Wouldn't it just make things easier?"

"Yes, it would," Darien agreed as he rubbed his stinging arm.

"Good, I'll see ya at our wedding!" Then Serena closed the door and walked up to her room. She reached it and rushed over to the window in time to see Darien pull out of the circular drive way and drive off towards his own mansion. She sighed and sat down on the cushion and leaned against the window.

He was a nice man. She wouldn't mind marrying him at all. The thought of marriage suddenly caused Serena's heart to beat too fast and anxiety and panic over came her. Marriage. Did she want to marry him? No, but she had to. And it was only for a year. Sure, a year with a totally handsome guy that can totally turn your life upside down with one of those smiles of his.

But I'm not going to fall for him. I'm just going to be his business partner and we're going to be friends. It's just better that way.

With that decided, Serena changed back into her tank top and shorts and went to take a nap. She needed all the rest she could get until the wedding day.

Sighing softly, Serena drifted off into sleep.

~*~

Just a little bit of mush people call romance in here. E-mail!

Eternity Rose