--------------------------------------------------------------------- And we are on THE VERY LAST CHAPTER! This was such a fun story to write! I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. But even if you didn't like it, and still read it, thanks bunches. =) Thanks once again to Alicia Blade for her help and suggestions (and thanks, Alicia, for all those sneak peeks of your work. Hope you'll soon have some more to show me. ;-) Hmmm...I'm gonna rate this one between a PG and a soft PG13, 'cause of some more mushy stuff. Awww...I couldn't resist, and SOMEBODY had to give Cupid's Angels of Mercy a show to pay off all their sneaky tricks. Well, on with it, then. =) Remember, you can email me at Stormlight@aol.com, any time, any day. =) I promise not to bite. Rated PG to PG13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Out of the Blue" by Stormlight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHAPTER TEN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lita paced frantically along the length of the arcade as her friends looked on with amusement. "Better stop that before you wear a hole in the floor. I don't think Andrew'll appreciate it much," Raye teased her, and she stopped for a moment, considering, before going right on pacing. It was Sunday morning, and Cupid's Angels of Mercy were once again sitting at a booth in the arcade to wait for Serena to arrive so they could bombard her with questions. "Calm down, Lita. Worrying is not going to change the outcome of this one way or the other," practical Amy told her. "You might as well sit down and have something to eat." "EAT?! How can you think of food at a time like this?!" Lita yelled. "Eat, my Aunt Bertha's booties! I want some answers!" "Well, I'm sure you'll get them, because here comes the helpless victim now," Raye replied with a feral smile, nodding toward the door, where Serena was just coming in. All five members of CAM stopped their activities and turned to stare at the girl, looking for any trace of misery on her features. "Ya know, for someone who may very well have had her heart broken, Serena's looking rather bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning," Rita whispered. Amy smiled a secret little smile...which Raye unfortunately noticed. She pounced like a cat on a mouse. "All right, Ames! You know something! What are you hiding?!" she hissed. Amy merely gave her a demure smile and turned her attention back to Serena. They would find out soon enough. Serena, for her part, was looking around hopefully. Andrew called her name, and she brightened and looked toward them. Then disappointment flashed across her features when she saw who it was before her normal, cheery smile reasserted itself. "Hi, guys!" she chirped, bouncing over to them. "What's up?" "Why don't YOU tell US," Lita said slyly, eyeing her small friend carefully. "So...anything you want to tell us? Need any shoulders to cry on? A tissue? A good therapist...?" Serena giggled. "Oh, Lita! You're so funny! I'm sure I don't know WHAT you're talking about!" she replied cheerfully. "So what happened with Darien last night?" Raye, never one to pussyfoot around a subject, asked bluntly. The others groaned as sweatdrops appeared on their foreheads. "Real subtle there, Raye," Andrew muttered. Raye looked at them innocently. "What?" Serena, for her part, looked like she would burst from sheer happiness, but her grin was sly. "Wouldn't YOU all like to know!" she sang, flapping her hand at them. "Awww...come on, Serena! All that trouble, and you aren't even gonna let us in on all the juicy details?" Lita whined. "Hmmm..." Serena pretended to think about it, then grinned. "Nope!" "I should have you arrested for cruel and unusual punishment," Lita grumbled, and Serena giggled in reply, unrepentant. "Serena." The soft voice calling her name had immediate affect on Serena. She stood up straight, two spots of color appearing on her cheeks as her eyes began to glow, then she turned around to face Darien, who was standing there, holding a single red rose, one of the most lovely she'd ever seen. One that looked strangelyfamiliar to her, somehow, but she was too excited to ponder where she might have seen such a perfect rose before. Besides, it didn't matter. "Darien," she whispered, a smile tugging at her lips. She walked slowly to him, suddenly incredibly shy, as her friends looked on with hawk-like interest. It looked like they might get to see some "juicy details", after all... Darien handed Serena the rose, which she accepted with a small grin, hardly able to meet his eyes. "It's beautiful," she whispered, stroking the soft petals with a finger. "Not as beautiful as you," he replied softly. Loud, dreamy sighs suddenly rose from the table behind them, and Serena cracked into laughter as she looked around. Raye, Amy, and Lita were sitting with their chins resting on their hands, gazing at the couple with dreamy, glazed eyes, and Rita had Andrew's neck locked in a choke hold that threatened to cut off his circulation as she sighed blissfully. They weren't the only ones staring though. The waitresses, Lucy included, had stopped their activities to watch, and the few other customers in the store were now looking on with keen interest. Serena turned back to Darien, who was grinning now. "I think they're expecting a show," she said in a stage whisper, holding a hand to her mouth. His grin widened, and he winked. "Shall we give them one, beloved?" he murmured, and her heart leaped at the endearment. She smiled and nodded shyly, and in another moment he had swept her up into his arms, spinning her around and making her squeal with surprise. Before she could protest, he had lowered his head and was fitting his lips to hers in a searing, soul-shattering kiss that once again left Serena feeling like putty in his arms. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he drew her closer to him, deepening the kiss into something like an inferno, lost to everything but the feel of her warm body in his arms, the softness of her lips, the scent of her skin...like peaches and vanilla. Someone whistled, causing laughter, and as the kiss went on someone else began to applaud, which was picked up by yet another, along with a loud catcall. Eventually, the entire room was filled with the sound of clapping and hooting and wolf-whistles, mixed with laughter. "Are you two ever gonna come up for air?" Lucy shouted, invoking more laughter, and finally the two lovers came back to themselves, slowly stepping away from each other, trying to steady their breathing. Serena giggled softly as she gazed lovingly into Darien's eyes, and he stroked a hand softly down her cheek before suddenly picking her up and spinning her around again, laughing breathlessly (and barely avoiding Lucy, who proceeded to yelp and duck for cover). Then, keeping his arm wrapped firmly and possessively around her waist, they both turned toward the table, where five matchmakers were gaping at them in wonder. Especially Andrew. He had NEVER seen Darien act like THAT before! Serena coughed, slightly embarrassed at her friends' stunned reactions, but more than a little amused, and she smiled at them sheepishly. "Well...you DID want some juicy details," she pointed out. "Was that good enough for you?" "Trust me, Serena," Lita replied with a chuckle. "That's all we needed to know." "Yes, well, it was the least I could do," Serena replied primly. "After all...you DID kind of help us last night..." She paused, then suddenly wagged a finger in their faces. "But if ANY of you EVER try to pull a stunt like that again...you'd better buy a one-way ticket OUT of the country, 'cause that's the only way you'll be saving your miserable lives!" she huffed. "Uh...got ya, Serena," Lita replied sheepishly. "No more trying to set you up." "But it DID work!" Raye cut in proudly. "You have to admit it! If it weren't for us, you'd be dancing around your feelings for each other forever! We're the best!" Serena glared at her, then smiled a slow, sly grin. "That's true," she purred. "You DID do a pretty good job, so it's only fair that I return the favor! Ya know...have you ever noticed the way CHAD looks at you, Raye? He's like a little puppy dog when it comes to you! Maybe you should go out with him sometime, hmmm? I bet he's just what you need to cool off that temper of yours! Oh, and Amy, have you seen Greg lately? How are things between the two of you? You haven't said much about him...although, I could have SWORN I saw you walking in the park last week... Oh, and Lita, have I introduced you to this guy I met who works in the ice cream shop down the street? He rides a motorcycle, and he's a black belt in karate, and he's reeeaally cute! He probably looks a lot like your old boyfriend, now that I think about it... Why don't you stop in sometime with me so I can introduce you..." Large sweatdrops appeared on everyone's foreheads as they listened to Serena prattle on, and Andrew let his head fall against the table with a dull thud. "We've created a monster..." he muttered. And all was at peace in the universe... ~~Finis~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VERSE 1: Without you, without you I always thought that everything was fine without you Never knowing you'd be mine Suddenly my world has changed And I just wonder why All it took was just one smile CHORUS: Now with you, out of the blue Love appeared before my eyes with you A dream come true I never thought I'd realize what love was what love was, what love was... VERSE 2: I need you, oh I need you And everyday I love you more and more Without you (dreams and tears) I know what it's all for Suddenly I see you there And everything's ok Don't know why I feel this way CHORUS: Here with you, out of the blue Love appeared before my eyes with you A dream come true I never thought I'd realize what love was what love was, what love was... BRIDGE: We are together now Never take my heart away All the love I found Is here to stay (out of the blue) Whoa-oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh... It's like a dream come true I never thought I'd fall in love with you Out of the blue Love appeared before my eyes with you A dream come true I never thought (whoa-oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh...) Here with you Out of the, out of the, out of the clear blue Oh, it's like a dream come true I never thought, I never thought Out of the blue Before my eyes with you A dream come true I never thought I'd fall in love with you... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Out of the Blue" written and performed by Debbie Gibson