Hey, everybody!  Well, I've finally managed to write another
one.  Yessss!  It took me forever to finish. Hope you enjoy.
See ya'!

I don't own Sailor Moon.  I never owned Sailor Moon.  I wish
I did.

"Chances" was written by Roxette.  I don't own it, either.

Please don't sue me!

Take Your Chances
by The Watcher
rated PG


Ther were only 2 things in Darien's life that he loved.  The first (which
he wouldn't admit to himself) was to see Serena, his little blond
Meatball Head, cheerfully skipping down the street.  The second was
walking throught the park on a sunny day, usually beside the lake.
Today, since he couldn't seem to find Serena anywhere, he was currently
engaged in the second activity.  He was trying to find a calm spot, for
some peace and quiet, when he thought he heard someone crying.  As
quickly as it came, it seemed to fade out, but not before he had located
the source of the sound.

"Hey, what's up, Meatball Head?" he asked playfully.  

The object of his attention was a blond headed girl sitting on the ground.
Darien usually found her in the arcade, but today she was sitting behind a tree,
almost hiding.  Darien wondered what was up. He wondered even more when she
turned to face him.  Her face was red, and she was the one crying, although
trying not to show it.

"Go away, Darien.  I don't need this now.  Leave me alone!"she gasped out.

Darein was suprised.  She usually yelled at him for calling her names, but
not like that.  And she was the most cheerful person he knew.  Many days
he had gone out, dark and brooding, and had seen her, spreading her warmth
without realizing it.  It had kept him going more times than he admitted to
himself.  It seemed wrong that she should be so upset.  Without thinking,
he slid down next to her.

"What's the matter, Serena?  Is there any way I can help?  Tell me what
the problem is." 

Serena continued to cry for a moment, but then she fell against his shoulder.

"There's nothing you can do, Darien.  Just leave me alone."
 In spite of her words, she continued to lean on him, and he found himself
wrapping his arms around her.

"Come on, Serena, tell me what's wrong."he whispered.  Finally she began
to unbend.

"What's wrong?  Everything's wrong.  I feel so alone." she sobbed.

This took Darien by suprise.  He was used to not having any friends, but 
Serena had such a friendly personality, he had started to believe that
she was never unhappy.  Apparently he had been wrong.

"Alone?" he asked."You're not alone.  You have your parents, your friends..."

"Yeah." she broke in. "My parents, who never listen anytime I try to explain
something, my friends, who always criticize me for being late, or clumsy, or..."

"What about the girls?" he asked, refering to Amy, Mina, Lita, and Raye.
"I can't believe that they only criticize you."

"But they don't have time for me anymore.  Amy's always at computer school,
Raye works at her temple, Mina's not even here right now, and Lita's trying
to open her own resteruant.  I don't blame them, they all have things they
want to do with their lives, but I'm so alone!" She broke down again,
sobbing into Darien's jacket.  At this point, his mind lost it.

"Serena, would you like to go out for a shake or something later?" he asked.
She looked up quickly.

"Do you mean it?" she whispered.  He nodded.  "I'd love to!" she squealed.

"Great." he smiled. "I have to drop some books off at a friends house.  How
about I meet you here in 2 hours?"

"Okay.  I'll be here." she replied.  

"See you then." he called as he walked off.
  
                                 
'What am I doing?' Darien asked himself.  He was sitting in the park, waiting 
for Serena, except that he was an hour early.  He had given his friend his 
books back, and then found himself heading back to the park almost before
realized what he was doing.  Now he was waiting, and Serena was all he could
think about.  'How did I get the nerve to ask her out?' he wondered.  'Why did
I even do it? Sure, she is beatiful, and caring, and... WHAT AM I THINKING!'
He couldn't like her...could he?  But he constantly watched her, and thought about 
her, and... Oh, who was he kidding?  He didn't like her, he was in love with her.
Had been, in fact, for a long time.  He was so busy thinking that he didn't
even notice Serena watching him.

"Hi, Darien!  I'm sorry, was I late?" she asked.

"No, it's okay." he answered. "I was just early."
"Oh, okay! So...What would you like to do?" she asked nervously.

"Well, I thought maybe you would like some ice-cream, and then we could just
take a walk, and just, um, talk." he finished nervously.

They started out for the ice-cream shop, with Serena chatting away.  As they
walked, he couldn't help but stare at her.  Finally they reached the park, 
and sat down on one of the benches.  When Serena looked up, she realized that Darien
was staring at her, and his eyes held a mixture of confusion and...fear?

"What's wrong, Darien?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he asked quickly.
"Well, you're staring at me, and you look upset." she replied.  "Is something
the matter?"
"No," he said quickly, "nothing's wrong."

The truth was that Darien WAS scared, scared of trusting Serena.  He had never
had anyone make him feel this way before, and it bothered him.  He wasn't used 
to opening up to anyone.  Still, something told Darien that Serena wouldn't
hurt him.  That she might come to care for him.  That...whoa.  'Hold it!
Stop right there' he told himself.  'You are not going to even risk being
hurt, understand? Still,' he thought, 'it wouldn't hurt to be nice to her.'

While he was thinking all this, Serena was gradually realizing that his
attention was elsewhere.  "Hey, Darien!  Anyone home?" she asked.

"What?  Oh, I'm sorry, what were you saying?" he asked.  She regarded him
wonderingly.  "Well, before you took off to dream land, I was going to ask if
we could do this again sometime." she told him.  Darien laughed softly.

"Sure.  I've enjoyed talking to you." he replied.  "Listen, would you like
to come over to my apartment tommorrow?  We could watch a movie or
something."

Serena got an excited look on her face.  "Really?  You mean it?  Sure, I
would love to!" she squealed. "I've always wondered what kind of place
you have."

"Great!  I'll see you about, what...1:30?"  Serena nodded eagerly.
"Okay, here's my address." he said, handing her a piece of paper. "Would you
like me to walk you home?" he asked.

"Sure." she replied.  As they walked down the street, Serena tried to find
out more about Darien.  Most of her questions he answered, but when she
started asking about his past, his family, and his friends, he tried to
avoid answering.  Before long he was fighting to keep his emotions contained.
'No way, Darien' he thought. 'You will not lose control.  You will not let
her through!'  Serena could tell that something was wrong, but with every
attempt she made to understand, it was as if he retreated farther and
farther away.  Finally she stoped walking.

"Darien, why are you trying to push me away?" she asked gently.

"What do you mean?" he replied roughly.

"Don't try to pretend, Darien.  I can see that you're in pain.  What's
causing it?"

Darien had lived with his lonliness for so long that he couldn't fight
anymore.  He broke down and told her about his past, and the emptiness
he carried.  With each word he cursed himself for a weakling and a fool,
but he couldn't stop.  Finally he managed to regain control.

"Sorry, Serena.  I didn't mean to bore you, now I think you should go home."

Serena tried to reach out to him, but by now he was determined to keep
her at a distance from him.  She saw that his barriers were up, so
she decided to go home and think things over for awhile.

"All right, Darien.  I'll see you tommorrow, okay?"  And
with that she turned back towards her house.

When she got home, she began to think about Darien.  About the smiles
he had given her, and the way that he had comforted her at the park...
She also pictured him as she had last seen him.  The agony she had
seen on his face, and the lonliness he had described...It did not
take her long to realize that she cared for him.  Just as Darien had,
she resisted the idea at first, but after thinking for awhile,
she accepted it.  She wanted to help him so much, to ease his pain, but 
she understood that he would fight it.  He was afraid to be hurt, she
suddenly realized.  How could she get through to him? She wasn't sure,
but she knew that she had to try.

Darien, too, was doing some careful thinking.  The difference was, he
was trying to ingnore the truth, rather than accept it.  In a corner of
his mind, he knew that he loved Serena, but he firmly crushed the thought.
He was too afraid to trust her.  It hit him suddenly that she was
supposed to visit the next day.  He didn't want to be hurt, but he had no
desire to hurt Serena, either.  He couldn't face her here, though.
All alone, just the two of them...no.  Definitly not.  Maybe if they
went out.  Sure, he could handle that.  He would take her out somewhere.
He would have to tell her tommorrow, since he didn't have her number.
Oh, well.  He went to bed, still fighting the truth, and his lonliness.

The next day, Serena arrived at Darien's apartment, right on time.
As soon as she knocked, Darien opened the door and stepped out.
"Listen, Serena, I know I invited you over," he began,"but my place is
a wreck.  Could we go someplace else?" he asked.  Serena was a tad
disappointed, but glad that he wasn't trying to avoid him altogether.
"Sure, Darien." she replied. "Where would you like to go?"
Darien shrugged.  "I dunno.  How 'bout we just take a walk.
and see what turns up?" he suggested.

Serena agreed, and so they set out.  As they walked, she set herself
to carefully get as close to Darien as posible, without him realizing
that she was doing it. So as they walked, she edged closer and closer to
him, until she was able to take his arm.

Darien looked down when he felt her arm slip around his.  He knew he
should pull away, but for some reason he couldn't.  She made him feel
so secure, and so cared for...'Stop!' he yelled at himself. 'You can't,
you can't...' But that small voice was gradually being drowned out by
Serena's love, and her warmth...all the things she had hoped to show
Darien.  He found himself dreaming about her, about her belonging
to him.

Serena realized that she might be getting through, but that it would
take much more work.  Her intuition was proved true when he suddenly 
gasped and pulled away.  She decided it was time for a direct approach.

"Hey,Darien?  Could we sit down for a minute?" she asked.
"Sure, Serena."  Darien led them to a small bench near the park.

 Serena took a deep breath.  She prayed that he wouldn't simply 
leave after he heard what she wanted to say. "Darien, could we talk
about something, seriously?" she asked carefully.
"What do you mean, Serena?"
"I want to ask you something, and I want to tell you something,
but I'm afraid that if I do, you'll leave right now."

Darien tried to force down the fear her words stirred in him.  "I
promise I won't leave." he told her.

"All right." she said. "The question I had for you is this: Can you tell
me why you try to keep me at a distance?  I know the reason.  But can
you tell me, out loud?"  Darien found that he couldn't speak, and so
Serena continued.  "I know that you're lonely. I am, too.  But I
also know that you don't want to be hurt. You feel such pain already,
and you don't think that you could handle anymore being added.  I
understand, Darien.  But if you never trust anyone, your pain won't
go away, and it won't stay the same.  It will get worse.  Trust me,
I know." she whispered.  "Love is worth taking chances." she assured
him. "Just think about it, okay?"  Darien could only nod slowly.

"Now," Serena broke out, cheerfully,"where would you like to go?"

Darien just shrugged, and so they took off walking again, Darien lost
in thought.  How could she see into him so well?  And why couldn't
he resist her, why couldn't he push her away, as he had so many others?
Her words echoed in his mind. *Love is worth taking chances.* 

They had been walking for a few minutes when Serena suddenly stoped.

"Hey, Darien.  What's that place?" she asked, pointing to a door."I
don't think I've ever been there."

He looked to see where she was talking about. "Oh, that's a new place
that opened, kind of a dance club for younger people." he told her.

"That sounds like fun. Could we go in?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" he answered.

They stepped inside, ordered sodas, and found a table.  Darien could not
stop thinking about what Serena had told him.  Eventually he noticed
that she was looking at the dance floor with a wistful, longing
look.  He realized that he should ask her to dance, but the thought
of being so close frightened him.  However, he set his misgivings
aside, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Would you like
to dance?" he asked her quietly.  Serena's face lit up. "Yes, please."
she gasped, delighted.

They moved out, and began dancing to the slow song that was playing.
All the while, Darien was fighting not to be overcome by her nearness.
He was also failing miserably.  Before long they took a break,
and went back to their table so they could listen to the songs.
Just then, a new song came on, one that lanced through Darien.
 
"Hear my call,
here and everywhere.
I've been walking the streets
in despair.
One more fire,
turns a shade of gray.
One more tear,
is lost in the rain.
And I say that I love you.
I say that I need you.
Baby I leave you
a sign of desire.
No shadow will haunt you,
No heart will desert you,
No one will hurt you,
No space or no time.

Got to, got, you gotta, got to,
Take your chances,
On me.
Like the river will lead
the water to the sea.
Take on me.
Take your chances on me.
Don't ever let it be.
Don't ever let it be.

Darien reacted like he had been slapped.  He looked at Serena,
open-mouthed.  Serena wondered what was wrong.  All he could do
was stare at her, as if he had been mesmerized.

There's a night,
when you close your eyes
'round a dream
that shines like the sun.
Everyone,
knows it's beautiful.
Tell me why
you wanna dream it alone?
And I say that I love you.
I say that I need you.
Baby I leave you
the lines in my palm.
No darkness will get you,
No heart will desert you.
Nothing can hurt you,
Do you any harm.

Got to, got, you gotta, got to
Take your chances,
on me.
Like the river will lead
the water to the sea.
Take on me.
Take your chances on me.
Don't walk away from me.
Don't walk away from me.

Darien felt as though he'd been hit.  Serena's words came back to
him again. *Love is worth taking chances.*  His mind was reeling.
*...it won't stay the same.  It will get worse.*  Suddenly he stood up 
and ran out the door.  After she got over her surprise, Serena
followed him.

She managed to keep in sight of him as he ran, and she followed him
to the park.  He kept running until he reached a large tree beside
the lake.  Serena smiled to herself as she recognized the same tree
she had been hiding behind yesterday.  Darien ducked behind it, and
Serena quietly followed.  As she kneeled down, she could tell
that he was sobbing.  "Darien?  Are you all right?" she asked gently.
He merely kept his head downcast, so she eased in beside him and 
wrapped her arms around him.  "Do you want to talk about it?" she whispered.

Darien looked up.  "What are you doing here?" he asked raggedly.
Serena smiled at him.  "I'm checking to make sure you're all right." she
told him.  He shook his head. "Don't worry about me." he told her.

Serena knew that she couldn't hold back any longer.  "Darien, do you
really want to be lonely?" she asked him.  His renewed sobs were
her only answer. "Darien, why won't you let me in?" she asked.
His head snapped up.  "How can I trust you?" he asked.  "How can I..."

"How could I trust you yesterday?" she interrupted. "How could I
risk that it wasn't some kind of joke, some way to hurt me?  But I
let you in, and I don't regret it."  Darien looked into her eyes, and he
saw her love. How could she give like that?  And since when did she have
this power, to make him feel like nothing could hurt him while he was
in her arms?

"Darien," she asked softly,"answer me truthfully.  Do you want to know love?"
He looked up at her, and suddenly he couldn't fight anymore.  "Yes." he
gasped. "More than anything."  Serena turned so that his head rested
beneath hers, and began to stroke his forehead gently.  "Then will you
accept it from me?" she asked.  And she kissed him gently.

As Darien felt their lips connecting, he realized with shocking
clarity that this was a feeling he had been longing for almost all
of his life.  Serena had managed to break all his barriers, and
he didn't even want to try forcing her out.  Finally Serena sat back
and waited for Darien to make his choice.  He realized that he truly
loved her.  If he walked away, they would both be hurt, and if he
stayed, they would both be happy.  Finally he stopped resisting.

"Thank you." he whispered, as his arms came around Serena. "Thank
you so much, Serena."

Serena was thrilled.  She had done it.  Now he knew that he had
someone who cared for him.  "I love you, Darien."

"I love you, Serena" he whispered. "Thank you for coming after me.
Now, what do you say we get back to the club?"

Serena giggled. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Life would never be the same.



Got to, got, you gotta, got to,
Take your chances,
On me.
Like the river will lead
the water to the sea.
Take on me.
Take your chances on me.
Don't ever let it be.
Take on me.
Like the river will lead
the water to the sea.
Take on me.
Take your chances on me.
Don't walk away from me.
Don't walk away from me.
-Roxette  "Chances"

Well, that's a wrap!  I hope you liked it.  Chances is a beautiful
song, and a moving one.  I'm trying to work out a way to send
audio clips over the computer through e-mail, because I use many
songs in my stories, and some people may have never heard them.
If anyone would be interested, let me know.  As always, if
you liked the story, *please* mail me!  I live on e-mail!!
Until next time!

The Watcher
gambit56@hotmail.com