Rated PG13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Out of the Blue" by Stormlight ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHAPTER SIX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena's mind shut down at that point. She couldn't think as she watched with detached horror as the car slid, as if in slow motion, toward her. There was no time to run. The scream that tried to escape didn't come out as anything more than a terrified whimper. She tensed, squeezing her eyes closed as she waited for the painful impact of sheet metal against her body... There was an impact, all right, but it didn't come from a car. It came from another body that suddenly tackled her, sending them both flying out of harm's way. She landed on top of that body, strong arms wrapped about her and her head buried in a warm, solid chest. She looked up slowly, her mind beginning to un-fog. Darien was there. He was the one who had caught her...who had saved her life. She stared at him in stunned wonder as he helped her to sit up. His shirt was torn, she noticed; probably when he'd hit the ground. Then she realized that he had taken most of the impact on himself, making sure to land with her on top of him so she wouldn't be crushed beneath his weight. The gesture amazed her. He had risked his life for her? Had tried to protect her? Had taken the injuries meant for her onto himself? Why? "Why...?" she whispered as their gazes locked. * * * * * Darien saw Serena crossing the street, and moved to follow her. She appeared to be deep in thought, and he longed to know what on earth she was thinking about that caused her normally happy face to look so serious. He smiled slightly, wondering if Serena even knew how beautiful she was when she looked like that. She looked beautiful all the time, he reluctantly admitted, but just now... His thoughts were interrupted at the sight of a bright red sports car speeding toward the intersection. He glanced at the street light nervously. It was still red, and yet the car was not slowing down. There were no cars crossing the other way just then, and a sick realization dawned on him. The driver meant to keep going...right through the light! But...SERENA! He looked at the girl with a gasp, then forced a cry of warning through his restricted throat. At about that time, the driver of the car apparently realized that there was a pedestrian on the street, and tires squealed as he slammed on his breaks, laying on the horn to warn her. But he was going too fast, and he was too close...and Serena was right in his way... **No. NO!** Darien screamed silently. **I can't lose her! I CAN'T!** He was acting before he'd even decided to. Some deep, unconscious instinct had taken over, and he was racing full-speed out into the street, heedless of his own danger. It was mere seconds, but it seemed like years, and all the time he was thinking, **I'm not going to make it!** **I'm...not...going...to...make...it...** She was simply standing there, too stunned to move, but he heard her cry out; a mere whimper of fear that echoed in his soul, and it broke his heart. He could not fail her. He WOULD NOT! And then his arms were around her waist as he caught her in a flying tackle, shoving her out of the way and twisting so that he was landing on his back, ignoring the sound of tearing cloth...and possibly flesh...as he held her tight, afraid she'd disappear if he let go. He would never let her go again... The driver of the car had finally stopped, his face pale as he stared out the window at them. Darien raised his head and fixed the jerk with a deadly glare, and the man went even paler, shifting into high gear and tearing out of there like all of Hell was burning at his heels. Darien let him go, turning his attention back to what was really important. He helped the shaken girl to sit up, still holding her. He couldn't bring himself to let her go, and he didn't care WHO saw him! She was staring up at him, her face ashen, her huge eyes quivering with tears. "Why...?" she whispered to him, her lips trembling slightly. He drew in a deep breath. "He almost killed you," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. His own eyes were burning, and he didn't realize at first that it was because he, too, was on the verge of crying. After all, he had not cried since he was six. "You almost...I HAD to...oh, Serena!" He suddenly pulled her close again and buried his face in her neck, knowing that he was trembling all over and not caring in the least. It was too close. It had been too close a call, and now he knew...he knew that if he ever lost her he would never be able to live again. His very soul would die without her to feed it with her compassion and humor and...and love... * * * * * Serena felt Darien holding her so tight that she could hardly breathe. He was shaking, she realized, like a single leaf clinging to her as though to a tree, and a hurricane was threatening to blow him away if he let her go. The thought awed her, and frightened her, that strong, brave Darien...who had just so recklessly saved her life with disregards to his own...should now be terrified. His soft hair brushed her chin and she could feel him gasping into her shoulder, his breath warm on her neck, causing her to shiver. But then she felt something wet hit her shoulder where the shirt did not cover it; wet like a drop of rain...yet warm...like a tear? **Darien's CRYING?!** she thought, her lips parting on a soft gasp. He was crying...the thought was inconceivable! He was the strong one! She had never seen him cry; hadn't known that he COULD cry. The fact that he was doing so now frightened her more than anything, and she couldn't hold back a deep shudder as her arms came about his waist unconsciously and tightened. She closed her eyes and swallowed several times to fight back her own tears. It was her turn to be the strong one... "It...it's okay," she whispered hoarsely, turning her face to his soft, silky hair. "Everything's okay, Darien, really. I'm fine, you see? You...you saved me. I'm not hurt; just a little shaken. Please don't cry. Please?" He slowly relaxed his hold on her, and his harsh breathing subsided against her neck. Slowly, he raised his head to look at her, his eyes moist, but his face was perfectly composed. She looked up at him, her crystal blue gaze fixed on his deep sapphire one, and smiled a little to prove that she really was okay, despite the single, crystalline tear that insisted on making its lonely way down her face. "See?" she whispered. "I'm still all in one piece...thank you..." His hands slowly rose to cradle her face in a tender grasp, long fingers curling into her soft hair, and her heart leaped as a faint blush rose to her cheeks at the way he gazed at her, as though to memorize her every feature. Then, he lowered his face to her own and pressed his lips tenderly against her cheek, kissing away the stray tear. "You're welcome..." he whispered, pressing his face to hers, and his breath stirred past her ear and caused her to shiver slightly. As he raised his head, their gazes locked, and pure emotion shot through them. His breath caught, and something flashed in her eyes, and then he was moving toward her, his eyes closing softly, anticipating the feel of her soft lips a gainst his own... "Hey! Oh, wow, are you two okay?! I saw what happened!" a sudden voice shouted close to them, and they winced, the moment of peace...of absolute kinship...shattering like crystal around them. Serena almost could have hated the man dressed in a business suit that came running up to them, his face lined with worry. He held a cell phone in his hand. "Hey, I got the license plate number off that car, and a good look at the moron driving it, so the police won't have any trouble catching him. Maybe I should call an ambulance for you two..." Serena looked up at Darien in alarm. An ambulance was the last thing she wanted! She didn't want to leave Darien just yet... Her eyes pleaded with him, and he seemed to understand as he stood carefully and helped her to stand, as well. She breathed a sigh of relief when nothing felt funny or broken. She had been incredibly lucky. Heck, she'd gotten hurt much worse in her scuffles with the Negaverse, but there was no need to drop that little detail to Darien. "We're both okay," Darien was saying firmly. "Thanks for your help, but all we really need is to get home, okay? We're not hurt." The man looked doubtful, but Darien turned away from him and slid an arm about Serena's shoulders, carefully leading her to the sidewalk. He was limping a little, and she could see a wet stain on his dark shirt, and stopped with a gasp. "You are too hurt!" she accused, touching his back gently. "You...you landed first...and the road was rough. I couldn't have been very light..." "It's nothing some peroxide and a few bandages won't fix," he replied. He took her hand and led her to a large, fancy apartment complex, bringing her inside. She looked around curiously as he punched a button for an elevator, then pulled her into it once it came. **Where are we going?** she wondered. **Well, he must know someone who lives here. Pretty fancy place, though. Whoever lives here must be rich!** The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor, and Darien led Serena down a long, sterile-looking hallway with pale green carpet, to a door, where he paused and fished in his pocket. Her mouth dropped open when it emerged clutching a key, and he put it into the lock and turned it. "You LIVE here?" she gasped as he opened the door and stepped out of the way, revealing a spacious apartment with huge windows and a minimal amount of furniture. The only decoration, in fact, was the vase of roses sitting on the coffee table, various knickknacks resting on the low bookshelves lining one wall, and a few paintings hung here and there. He was grinning slightly. "Last time I checked," he told her. "Go on, sit down so I can make sure you're okay." "Nu-uh," she said stubbornly. "You're the one who's hurt. YOU sit down and let ME take care of it! I know what to do!" She disappeared into the kitchen and began banging around while Darien listened nervously. He wasn't sure it was a good idea to let Meatball Head anywhere NEAR his clean kitchen, but she was obviously determined. So he followed her into the room, and had to smile when he saw her standing on a stool, straining up to reach a bowl on the top shelf of his cabinet. He moved up behind her and reached around her to take the bowl from the shelf. Her hair brushed his face as he looked down at her. She was suddenly very still. "Thought you could use some help," he told her, his voice a mere murmur. She licked her lips and nodded slightly as he set the bowl on the counter, his arm now at her waist. It stayed there for a moment, pressed lightly against her stomach, before dropping to his side as he stepped back. He wasn't sure...but was that...disappointment he saw flash across her features? She cleared her throat. "Um...thanks," she said. "Now, sit down and take off your shirt so I can look at you." She faltered, realizing how that might sound, her cheeks flushing pale pink. "At...at your wounds...I mean..." He forced back a smile as he perched on the end of the kitchen table, carefully peeling off his shirt. His back stung when he shifted, and he winced. He heard her gasp softly, and for a moment feared that his injured back was worse off than he'd thought...but then he realized that she wasn't even looking at his back, considering that he was still facing her. He shot her a glance in time to see her staring at him with something like wonder, her gaze fixed on his chest, before her mouth snapped shut and she looked away, busying herself with filling the bowl with warm water from the sink. Her cheeks were pink. He grinned. Now this was interesting! One would almost think she'd never seen a man without his shirt on before... He watched her steadily as she found a few towels and laid them beside the bowl, then picked it up and carefully carried it to the table, being sure not to look at him. "Um...where do you keep your bandages and stuff?" she asked, and he grinned at how nervous she sounded. "In the medicine cabinet in the bathroom," he replied, and she nodded and quickly left the room. When she was gone, he sighed and stared absentmindedly at the floor, his thoughts on Serena. More, on how he would get her to notice that he was alive...and unattached...and interested in her... **This is weird,** he thought with amusement. **Up until a few minutes ago, she was nothing but Meatball Head, the immature, loud-mouthed crybaby. But now...** He paused, remembering her face as the car came at her, hearing her soft whimper, and he shuddered. **Now I understand how I really feel.** He grimaced. **I guess Andrew was right, after all. I AM gone on this girl, and it took a near tragedy to make me realize it. Or...at least admit it. Now...what am I gonna do about it?** Serena bounced back into the room just then, holding a bottle of peroxide and a box of bandages. "Okay, now turn around," she instructed. "Let me clean up your back. You really DID do a number on that! Skin and asphalt don't mix, ya know!" He grinned, chuckling a little. "Yeah, I kind of got that feeling," he replied teasingly as he obeyed. "You really don't have to do this, Meatball Head. I'll be fine." "No, I want to. Besides, all's fair, right? I mean, you fixed me up when I got hurt, and now it's my turn to return the favor! Besides that...you saved my life! It's the LEAST I can do! My fault you're hurt, anyhow. If I'd been watching where I was going in the first place..." Darien turned around quickly, catching her hands in his own as she looked at him, clearly startled. "It was NOT your fault!" he told her fiercely. "That creep ran the light, and almost hit you! It was HIS fault, do you understand? Don't you dare go blaming yourself for this! I made the choice to save your life, and if I could go back and rethink my decision...well, there IS no rethinking it! I had to save you, Serena. Don't you realize that? I couldn't lose you." She looked stunned at his words as tears filled her eyes, making them shimmer. For a moment, he feared that he'd frightened her or hurt her, but then she gave him a trembling smile. "I...I know, Darien. Thank you," she replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Nobody's ever done so much for me. I mean...they have, but it's not the same..." She broke off and bit her lip before she blabbed anything else. As much as she was starting to like this guy, she still wasn't about to tell him about her ulterior life as Sailor Moon, where she flirted with death nearly every day. Not that he'd believe her, anyway... "Well, c'mon now, turn around so I can clean you up," she said briskly, laying her hands on his bare shoulders and forcing him to turn, trying to ignore the tingles that shot up her arms at the feel of his warm skin beneath her fingers. She took the wet towel and began to carefully dab away the trickles of blood that seeped from the abrasions on his skin. He flinched several times as she worked, but she was being so careful about it. Then she poured peroxide onto a clean cloth. "Um...this is gonna sting," she told him regretfully. "But it'll clean out the wounds. Just thought I'd warn you..." "I know. Go ahead and get it over with," he told her, bracing himself. He heard her sigh, then felt the brush of soft fabric against his back...and then the sharp sting of the medicine as it hit his wounds. He clenched his teeth, determined not to show weakness, in much the same way she had only a week before. Then he felt her warm breath blowing against his skin, and the stinging was forgotten as this much more pleasant sensation overrode it. He smiled and closed his eyes, determined to enjoy her administrations, considering that this would probably be the last time her hands would be near him like this. He would have to find some way to thank her, he thought suddenly. Maybe with a slow, passionate kiss...on the lips, this time, but maybe starting out with that lovely, slender neck of hers and working his way up... **Yah, right! And she'll never speak to you again for sure if you do that!** he scolded himself. **Trying to seduce a fourteen year old! The idea!** But it was a delicious one, all the same.