Title: Cliché Author: Alse Part 6: Revelation Rating: PG-13 E-mail: alsepang@hotmail.com Disclaimers: It is a widely known and indisputable fact that Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs only to Naoko Takeuchi and whichever companies and their franchises she has assigned whatever copyrights of merchandise, television, film, etc. to. This story was not written for profit on the writer's part and was never intended to be used for any such gain. The writer is not responsible for any nausea that might occur to the reader during perusal of this chapter. I'm afraid the next few chapters will be unbelievably mushy...some of you might need a paper bag or wastepaper basket before you're through. ~*~*~*~*~* His hand fell from my cheek at my silence and he shut his eyes briefly, dark lashes sweeping his tanned skin. He was so beautiful and wonderful. I felt a painfully hollow ache within me. What would I give, I asked myself sadly, to be able to call him mine, as completely as I was his? His eyes opened and looked directly into mine. There was a determined look in them. "Tell me that-that you don't love me-that you-could never love me." I stared at him in consternation, my eyes widening. What? I seriously considered making an appointment with a doctor. I must be having hearing problems- "If you can-look me in the eye and say so-I swear, Serena, I won't ever ask you again. I promise." His jaw set fiercely and his lips pressed firmly together, as if waiting for me to strike him in the face. I swallowed. This was horrible. I could not do it-how could I look him in the face and say that? Every time I clashed with those incredible, dark blue eyes, I wanted to tell him that I thought him the most wonderful person in the world, the person I loved so intensely that I would die for him in a heartbeat and never regret it. Still, I had to say something. I opened my mouth and my voice came out tiny, hoarse, very shaky and just a teensy bit squeaky. "Wha-at..." I swallowed hard and grasped the first line that came into my mind. "I-don't understand." He looked into my face for a long, long time. Then his eyes softened. "You don't? Look closely, Sere." And in a flash, in that moment, I did understand, and reeled back from the shock. I actually saw coloured lights dancing before me for a moment. I think I might have fallen backwards on to the bed if Darien's hand had not been so firmly planted somewhere along the small of my back. He had called me "Sere" again. But there was a world of meaning in that simple little name, in the way he had said it. At the party, it had sounded sensual and flirtatious on his lips. In the alley-after our marathon make-out session-it had sounded almost dreamy, as if the speaker were in a haze. Now-it sounded like all that and more. He had spoken my name with the tone of a lover, with all the tenderness, love, passion and emotion he possessed. I heard it in that one charged moment and if I had any doubts about the truth, they were dispelled by the look in his eyes as they gazed into mine. I could have seen the truth, but had not dared to. He loved-me? He-loved-me... He saw in my face that I had understood and given my answer, and-well, I had never seen anyone look so happy before. "You do love me," he murmured slowly and half-wonderingly, still gazing down at me. "Yes," I admitted, then blushed and glanced away, feeling suddenly and strangely shy. Darien tipped my chin up and I saw that he was smiling happily. Then he kissed me on the mouth and it was a gentle, loving kiss-the kiss of a man deeply in love. In return, I gave him the kiss of a woman deeply in love. Then logic kicked right back in. I pulled away from him. "Have-what about-Alexandra-" I broke off and looked questioningly at him. He sort of toppled us both back so that I was lying on the bed on my back and he was on his stomach next to me, one arm stretched across me and tracing patterns on my cheek. I wanted to reach up and hold his hand against my cheek, but I remembered that the variable in the equation still had to be solved. I waited for him to speak. "Getting jealous, are we?" Darien teased softly, bending his face to mine and kissing the tip of my nose. "No-well, yes, I was, but-it's not fair to her," I protested. My eyes narrowed suddenly. "This is not some kind of a sick joke you've cooked up, is it?" I demanded, feeling the colour drain from my face. "You're not going to laugh at me for loving you, are you?" I gripped the side of the bed tightly. He looked hurt. "I love you. Why would this be a joke?" I sighed, letting the tension drain from me. "We haven't exactly had the most promising history behind us, you know. It might have been the kind of thing you would try to pull on me back in high school." "Not true. I was always afraid to try that particular prank on you, even in high school. Like you said, it'd be a sick joke. There are other reasons, but I'll tell you about them later." I linked my fingers with the hand tracing my cheek. "What about Alexandra?" Darien laughed quietly. "Alex will be overjoyed about this. She's been trying to hook us up since the night of Lizzie's party. Didn't you notice?" My eyes nearly popped out of my sockets. Another half an inch more and they probably *would* have landed on the floor. For the umpteenth time, I had lost nearly all coherent speech. "Wha- at? What do you mean?" Dark blue eyes burned with so much love that I blushed hotly and had to look away. "I knew for sure that I was hopelessly in love with you the minute I saw you at the reunion. You were-*are* everything I have always wanted in a woman-and probably everything I don't want too, knowing what I know of you." I narrowed my eyes. "I can say the same for you, buster." Darien chuckled again. "Still the same ol' same ol', huh, Sere?" Then he became serious again. "I thought I might have a chance with you, but I wasn't sure because I had been such a fool in the past." "So was I," I told him, kissing the palm of his hand. "I wanted to see if I could make you jealous. I knew that if you were jealous, it could mean that I had a chance." He glanced away, looking a little embarrassed. "Alexandra is not my girlfriend. She never was. She's just an old friend from college and I asked her to pose as my girlfriend to see if I could rouse any feelings in you." My mind whirled. If she wasn't his girlfriend- "But my plan backfired." He ran his free hand through his hair. "You were sick the night I brought her for dinner-I saw that you were cut by the crystal pieces and I wanted so much to go to you, but I knew that you wouldn't want me there. I didn't get to see you or introduce Alex until Lizzie's party." I remembered the additional presence on the landing that I had registered vaguely that horrible night. It was Darien who had been there. With the mention of that disastrous night, all the pain of that memory rushed back suddenly and I stopped moving, withdrawing my hand from his. "What's wrong?" I shut my eyes. "You're wrong." My voice quivered even though I tried to still it. "Your plan worked perfectly. I did see you with her that night, Darien. That-that's why I dropped the Swarovski." I remembered something else too, something that sent a cold sensation washing over me. "I also-I also saw you just before you kissed her." I clenched my jaw. There was a brief silence and I felt even colder. Was this, then, all a lie? Then I felt his hands cradle my face, his fingers gently brushing the traitorous wetness as it trickled from my eyes. "Oh, Sere, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you so badly. God, Sere, don't cry-oh, darling, I didn't kiss her, never did- I love you, Sere, I'm so sorry, so sorry-" His voice cracked. I opened my eyes, blurred with my tears as they were and tried to blink them away. "Tell me the truth-did she mean anything to you-" "No." Darien's voice was fierce. "Alex is only a friend, Sere, nothing else. She was just part of my stupid, stupid plan to make you jealous. She told me it would hurt you terribly if you did care for me, but I was too desperate and I wouldn't listen. I didn't think-I never thought you would get so hurt or that I would hurt you so much. Serena, will you please for-" The self-loathing and guilt in his face convinced me. I reached up and kissed him as softly and tenderly as I knew how to, determined to wipe the unhappy expression off his handsome face. He traced my lips with his fingers and spoke, sounding a little breathless. "I guess that means I'm forgiven." The blissful expression on his face suddenly turned mischievous. "Now that I've confessed, it's your turn, princess." "I think I'm not going to like this," I mumbled. "I already dislike the look on your face." He grinned. "When did you know that you loved me?" "The night you brought Alexandra to my place for dinner, I was eaten up with jealousy. It was so unfair that I had to fall in love with you, of all people!" I pouted a little. "For goodness' sake, how clichéd could it have gotten? In love with my worst enemy?" "Do you regret it? Being in love with your worst enemy?" he asked quietly, looking down anxiously at me. I met his eyes squarely. "When I thought that you didn't and couldn't love me, yes. Now, no," I told him honestly. "I tried to push away my feelings for you, but you brought it all back at Lizzie's party. And-what happened in the alley today-you know, I've never been so confused and embarrassed with myself in my entire life." He gave me his trademark quirky, mischievous grin, the one that he had always used on me in our previous fights. "You know you enjoyed it a great deal, or you wouldn't have stayed so long. I enjoyed it too..." His grin widened as I coloured furiously. "I hate that particular smile of yours," I grumbled, trying to change the subject. "You always used it to irritate me back in high school." He frowned. "That's funny. Girls told me it was sexy." I raised an eyebrow. "Ha. The great ego gets pierced. What were you doing anyway, using a sexy grin on *me*, of all people, in high school? I thought we were enemies. Don't tell me you were actually trying to charm your worst enemy." He had the grace to blush a little. "Hey, all's fair in love and war. That was war and I thought that if I could gain a little leverage with you using that smile, I'd try it." "You never did stop 'trying' it out on me," I observed. "You liked it," Darien argued, a twinkle in his eye. "I noticed you sort of sparkled and fought even harder with me every time I gave you that smile." "That was because I hated that smile," I said defensively. "You're blushing again. You're beautiful when you go all red like that," Darien murmured, giving me the same quirky grin. "If you really don't like it, I know a sure fire way of making you like it. Every time I smile like that, this is what'll happen next." He bent his head and brought his mouth down swiftly on mine in a passionate kiss. When he finally broke it off, his eyes were glittering triumphantly. " *And* we'll do a repeat of that delightful and very enjoyable little experience we had this afternoon-and perhaps much more," he added huskily. I flushed scarlet and saw that he was preparing to kiss me senseless again, but unfortunately, someone banged on the door. "Have you two finished? It's already a quarter to twelve!" called Lizzie, giggling from outside the door. "I don't want to-ahem-interrupt anything, but well, your mum called, Sere..." I gasped and shot up straight, sending Darien tumbling over to the other side of the bed at my sudden movement. "*Quarter to twelve* ?" All I had told my mother was that I would be picking up a gift at Lizzie's and would be back quite soon. Now three hours had gone by!