How to Have Fun Chapter 3 Author: natia_99 E-mail: natia_99@yahoo.com Rated: PG Author's Notes: Since I don't have any friends to complain to in Toronto yet, I'll complain to you poor unsuspecting fools about how HOT it is up here! Waaaaaahhhh I'm melting! I opened my package of chocolate chip cookies and they were MELTED! SOB! It's 40 degrees Celsius and I'm cooking on the street! And then I see these people in SWEATERS!!!!!! Are they from some sort of alternate universe? Did they grow up ON THE SURFACE OF THE SUN????!!!!! And THEN I go to McDonalds to get a chocolate ice cream...and they only have VANILLA! WAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!! (The girl working there seemed rather startled when I started to wail....I don't know why......??) Disclaimer: Did I MENTION how HOT it was in Toronto? Oh wait, this is the disclaimer......sigh, at this moment, if it the only thing I had to do to own Sailormoon were to give up my dinky little fan.....I wouldn't do it! You know it must be bad when a cheap plastic fan has become the most important thing in my life.........CLUNK *nat-chan passes out from both heat exhaustion and the shock that suddenly air has become more important than sailormoon* GASP! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien managed to get home without passing out from shock--but Rini's incessant chatter of her wonderful new friend Serena didn't help. He couldn't believe. He just couldn't believe it. How had someone managed to reach Rini? And why was it Serena? He thought back to how he had pushed her away and sighed. Ahhh irony. Didn't it just figure? And what now? He shook his head. What was he supposed to do? Go crawling back and give her some sob story about how his little sister usually terrorized his girlfriends so he hadn't risked it but now it was all okay? Not likely. No, the chance for anything with Serena was already ruined. And besides, he *did* have other things to focus on. School for instance. And raising Rini was a full time job unto itself. So what if Rini had fallen head over heels for her? What if they went out and it didn't work out? Rini would be heartbroken....and she'd torture HIM instead......... He smiled ironically, it was a catch twenty-two. Nope, the single life it was. Medicine and Rini would have to be enough. Though a sudden image of Serena's smile, and her face when he'd almost kissed her made his heart tug painfully with the revelation. He sat back in his chair, thoughtful for a moment.....his thoughts lingering dangerously close to 'what if...?' but he forced them away. And finally, with a deep breath he was successful and ready to move on. And at this triumphant moment the phone rang. "Hello?" He asked, all calm and collectedness. "Isn't it fantastic? I'm still in shock! It's GOT to be a sign! I mean--it's fate! Oh, now you two can go out!" "Mina..." He muttered as she continued to babble on for some time. He wondered why the Gods had chosen to punish HIM in particular.... Perhaps he shouldn't have wondered for suddenly there was a beep on the other line. "Hang on Mina!" He tried to cut into her chatter. click. "Hello?" And suddenly, he was without a nanny.....this late, after everyone was booked for the school year! He clicked back over to Mina. "My Nanny quit." "What?!" She gasped. "Yes, Mina, listen, I'm going to go and make some calls....maybe by some miracle there's still someone available." "Alright, bye, good luck!" click. Darien simply put his head in his hands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later in the week, after calling everyone in town, Darien was nearly out of his mind. He had Rini with him all the time, save for the rare occasion that Rei could watch her. And now, with his schedule in hand, he realized the full horror of his situation, three of his classes were in the evening and there was nothing he could do. Rini was in school, but who would pick her up and watch her and make her dinner? He was walking somberly down the hall with Rini in one hand, his schedule in the other when he spotted Serena and Mina approaching. "Mina! SERENA!!!!!" Rini called out happily, breaking away from him and bounding over. "Hey Rini!" Serena chirped back, "What are you doing here?" "Darien's picking up his schedule--I guess it's pretty bad...." Serena looked up and saw Darien then, his grave face and the odd expression in his eyes as he regarded them together. She tried hard to smile completely, "Hey Darien, didn't get the classes you wanted?" "No, no, nothing like that. I'm in all the classes I applied to but they're mostly at night and my Nanny just quit so I have no one to look after Rini. I've been calling everywhere but no one's available." (AN: I bet you can see where THIS is going....is there some sort of fic law against extreme predictability? hope not.....) Serena was thoughtful a moment. She looked at Darien, she looked at Rini. She tried hard to convince herself that she was only going to see if she could help because it was the right thing to do. There was NO ulterior motive--not Darien's enchanting blue eyes or gorgeous dark glossy hair.....no. Finally she gave up and simply shrugged. ~Whatever. I'm doing it anyway." She informed the rational part of her brain. It simply rolled its eyes at her--if possible--it was used to this sort of thing. Often it wondered why it was present at all. "Let me see." She smiled, pulling the schedule out of his hands. She scanned it briefly and held up her own schedule. Finally she spoke, carefully, "We--ll. I have all those evenings free.....as long as Rini didn't mind coming to the dance studio one night so I could practice....I could do it." Darien and Mina stared at her in disbelief. "Yaaaaaaayyyy!" Cried Rini, "I'll go to your dance studio! I wanna learn how to dance too! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease Darien? Pretty pretty pleeeeeeeeeeease?!" Darien chuckled at Rini as she tugged on his pant leg. But he regarded Serena quizzically and ushered her over to one side for a moment. "Serena, I can't ask you to do that!" "You didn't. I offered." "You know what I mean. It's a huge responsibility--are you...are you sure you want to do it?" She smiled, "It'll be fun! I really like your sister, she's cute!" He smiled disbelievingly, then grew serious again, "This would be strictly professional. I'll pay you. Nothing....can happen between us. This is strictly for Rini." She regarded him sadly a moment. ~Silly man.~ "Of course." He nodded at that and they shook on it--though she laughed and saluted him afterwards. Then she ran over to Rini, "I hope you like baking cookies!" "I LOVE COOKIES!" She cried back as Serena swung her around. "I might be able to swing you into a kids dance class while I practice, how would you like that?" "SURE!" Darien and Mina watched them and looked at one another. Then Mina leaned over, "I think it's because they have the same amount of energy.....don't you?" "Maybe." Darien muttered. Or maybe fate was just laughing up its sleeve at him. He looked over and caught Serena looking at him. She quickly smiled and winked at him reassuringly. But for just a moment.....? He sighed. Now he was becoming paranoid. Serena sighed herself. She knew Darien was worried that she was trying to romance him, that's why she'd have to convince him otherwise. The trouble was she didn't want to. There was something about him she really liked. Not just because he was handsome. He seemed so fun starved--he had such a strong sense of family and responsibility. But these were not bad qualities. And he more than deserved happiness. She wondered if she were brought into his life for a reason. Maybe having fun was a more complicated process for Darien. Maybe getting him required more than just winning *him*. Although that would double his fears, so he would be twice as wary. Hmmm....she thought....a challenge. I love challenges! She smiled and kept on chattering to Rini. Whichever way this worked out, she'd be sure to show them BOTH a good time before she left. Like Mary Poppins. Yes. She laughed. Like Mary Poppins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena stood a little nervously in front of Darien's door. Perhaps because the last time she'd been here it was on a date. Perhaps because Darien had invited her over alone. ~Or perhaps because aliens landed on mars!~ She thought in exasperation, unable to sort out her thoughts. Darien opened the door and smiled at her--a little thrown that for once, she was not smiling herself. He ushered her in and gave her a small tour. The kitchen, the living room, Rini's room, etc. He launched into a slew of 'Rini likes this but not this. Rini's afraid of this but this usually helps her sleep. Rini's allergic to this....emergency numbers are here, first aid kit is here, poison control kit is here-- "Darien! Darien!" She cut him off, chuckling, "You have your own hospital here. I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, I'll ask Rini all about what she likes and doesn't like. That's how I'll get to know her! Don't worry! I worked as a lifeguard back home too so I'm trained in CPR and first aid, kay?" He seemed to breathe a little sigh of relief at that, "I'm glad you know First Aid." They sat down to have some tea then and Darien was silent a long moment before speaking again, "Look, this is awkward, but I have to bring it up anyway. You doing this for me has nothing to do with--with us right? We still can't become involved. Especially not now, not with Rini involved. It'd be too hard on her if we didn't work out. Besides, I *need* you as a nanny, I can't afford to have you leave." She smiled then, though she felt her heart being crushed unceremoniously, and she cursed herself for falling too fast. He really didn't want to try with her. I mean, first his sister ruined his relationships and now that she liked someone, it was too much of a risk? All her Mary Poppins good intentions flew out the window. "Darien, you don't need to say that--I know. We're just friends remember? Besides. I'm waiting to go away to dance around the world! I don't want a relationship either, it would be too hard to leave--especially with Rini too! I'm just going to help you out and be a good friend to both of you okay? Someone has to make sure you have fun!" He chuckled at little, "Good luck with that mission!" They both made a show of seeming relieved then, and relaxed and chatted and carried on for some time. Finally Rei brought Rini back over and Serena let her show her around all over again, paying careful attention to all her important toys. Serena tucked her in gently and then left, her heart stinging a bit, but her spirit determined to make good with this. It was, afterall, just a part of the adventure right? Right. Darien meanwhile, climbed into bed heartsick. Everything had worked out for the best in the end. But that didn't ease his mind like it should have. Really, he wanted nothing more then to pull Serena into his life and fall head over heels in love with her--but it just wasn't possible. Especially now that she'd confessed her real desire to travel and dance. He sighed. Although his life felt orderly once again, it seemed considerably flatter and grayer than before. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~