Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Seeing Stars ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: jasonulloa 
Darien prepares for his scene as the movie plot continues....
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.14.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 480 | Status: Completed
Darien prepares for his scene as the movie plot continues....
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.14.2003 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 480 | Status: Completed
Seeing Stars
By Jason Ulloa
Original story by Moonsong
Continued with her permission.
Chapter 5
"Okay, everyone, let's take our places for the next scene!"
Amy called out as she, Darien, and the rest crew quickly
moved to the part of the set where the next scene would
take place. "Ready? Action!"
**********************************************
" Mr. S, Mr. J is here to see you," a female voice said
through the intercom.
Mr. S growled softly to himself only for a moment. "Send him
in," he replied. His airheaded secretary couldn't ruin his good
mood.
Since it was full dark outside, the building lights were on,
except for the light over his seat. The darkness suited him;
suited his dark moods, which he was known to have. Since his
associate was here to receive his instructions, it was only fair
to come into the light to speak with him. After all, it wasn't like
he had anything to hide from him.
Mr. S strode into the light, one hand pushing back a wayward
strand of dark brown hair and stopping to brush of a piece of lint
from the shoulder of his gray business suit. His pitch black
necktie made a sharp contrast with his snow white dress shirt.
The door opened as the secretary let Mr. J in. Mr. J was a little
shorter than he was, with short, light blonde hair. His grayish-blue
shirt and black slacks was a little more casual than the other
man's suit, but he carried himself with an air that would have
anyone who didn't know different thinking that he was the one in
charge. His sharp, piercing green eyes focused on Mr. S's light
brown as he reached out to him with one hand.
Mr. J gave the secretary a hard glare which made her jerk back
reflexively. "Um, if you don't need me for anything further, Mr. S?
Mr. J?"
"I told you NOT to call me THAT!!!" Mr. J snapped angrily while
thrusting an accusing finger at her.
"S, s, sorry, sir," she replied meekly as she hurried out of the room,
closing the door behind her.
"I wish I could do that to her," Mr. S said with a grin.
"The problem with you is that you worry to much about legalities,"
Mr. J replied.
"You're not her employer. I am. I have to worry about legalities."
"Bah," Mr. J retorted, waving his hand in dismissal. "We're not
here to discuss idiot secretaries. What've you got lined up for me,
Max?"
Max grinned wolfishly. "We're ready to begin phase 2 of our
operations."
"So soon? I thought you wouldn't be done with production for...."
"Not only have I finished production, but over half of the satellites
are currently in orbit and in position."
"No kidding. So I guess you'll be wanting me to make your
necessary acquisitions, then?"
"The sooner you get this done, Jed, the better. Half of the payment
is right there on the table behind me," Max told him guesturing
toward the briefcase lying on the table. "The other half of the
payment on delivery, of course."
"Of course," Jed agreed, walking past Max and picking up the
briefcase. "I'll contact you with updates on my progress."
"Good. Remember, if you get caught, I know nothing."
Jed snorted derisively. "Whatever. You know I never get caught."
"Precautions, Jed," Max repiled, admonishingly waving his index
finger with a small conspiritorial grin on his face. "I have to cover
my own ass, you know."
"Yeah, yeah," Jed countered tiredly as he waved his free hand
again in dismissal, as if he had heard that speech millions of times
before. "I know. I know. If you'll excuse me, Mr. S," he said in a
tone imitating Max's secretary, "I've got things to attend to before
I get to work."
"Just get the hell out of my office!" Max shouted seethingly. Jed
chuckled to himself as he left the office.
**********************************************
"C ut!" Amy shouted and grinned to herself. Personally, she thought
that everyone else worked better when Serena's oppressive and
dominating personality was absent from the set. She also had a
tendency to break character and demand that the scene start over
because of this actor's or that actress's incompetence. Thankfully,
Serena was holing up in her trailer, away from everyone else.
"Well, I'd better start getting ready for my first scene," Darien
stated as he got to his feet.
"Darien, your scene's not up next," she replied questioningly.
"I know, but I just wanna go over my first scene one more time.
Don't wanna make any mistakes, ya know?" he said, nodding his
head slightly toward Serena's trailer.
Amy sighed to herself. "I think you're overreacting just a little."
"I'm just being careful," Darien countered. "I'm the one on her bad
side, not you. Besides, this movie is supposed to be a big
opportunity for me. If I blow this chance, then I'd never forgive
myself. I'm gonna do the best I can, despite Serena Moon's demand
for perfection."
The blue-haired director grinned to herself as she watched Darien
head toward where he left his script and start rereading it. 'I have a
feeling that he's gonna do better than we've all hoped for; even if
Serena didn't all but browbeat him into doing his best. If I'm right,
then I'll be placing a call to G.Q. very soon. Once I tell him about
what's going on around here, he'll jump at the chance to revise this
script the way Melvin and I have been hoping to do.'
Greg Quincy Carter - or 'G.Q.' as everyone called him, due to the
fact that he was always dressed as if he had just stepped out of a
Gentleman's Quarterly magazine - was a good friend of Amy's, and
a crack writer. He had collaborated with her for every single script
rewrite she needed. He was also very modest, despite the way he
dresses, often saying that most of the ideas were her own and that
he just built upon them. There was also a lot of Hollywood gossip
about him and Amy, saying that they were all but a couple, despite
the fact that they were always saying that they were just friends.
Not that he would mind that if she did want to go out with him, but he
knew she had her eyes set on someone else.
Amy turned toward one of the grips that was carrying a box and
waved him over. "Would you mind informing Miss Moon that we're
getting ready for her next scene, please?" The grip nodded his
assent and left after she nodded her thanks.
Minutes later, Serena left her trailer and walked over to the set.
"Is everyone ready?" she asked in a less pompous manner than
earlier. She seemed almost... normal.
Amy blinked in surprise for a moment, caught off guard by her
quick change of behavior. "Uh..., almost. The grips are almost
finished getting the set ready...." She paused for a moment as she
noticed one of them giving her an O.K. sign. "Oh, they're done."
Serena nodded and took her place as Amy watched in confusion.
Not that she wasn't grateful, but what she wouldn't give to figure
out what had calmed her down so quickly. For a second, she
entertained the notion that it was the fact that Darien was
elsewhere and not in Serena's sight, but she dismissed that idea
as silly. She had always been haughty and abrasive, even without
Darien adding fuel to the fire. There was something about her
current serene, self-possessed attitude that made her wonder
what was going through her mind at the moment....
"Everyone ready for the next scene?" Amy asked. "Action!"
**********************************************
The phone rang as Diane was busy in the kitchen, preparing
breakfast. She was dressed in grey sweats and a loose grey
T-shirt, her hair bound in a long ponytail as she always wore it
to bed. She put down the bowl she was scrambling her eggs in
and walked into the living room to answer the phone.
Her one bedroom apartment was nicely kept. Of course, due to
the cleaning service that came in once a week, anyone's
apartment would look nicely kept. The couch, reclining chair,
carpet, and a good deal of the other furnishings were all a
silverish-grey color, like her namesake. Not that she was
egotistical or anything, but she did like the color. A couple of
magazines littered the coffee table between the couch and chair,
not to mention the TV remote. The TV was off due to the fact that
there wasn't anything good to watch anyway. Damn cable.
As she plopped onto the couch to answer her cordless, her black
cat jumped off in order to avoid getting hit by her mistress' legs.
The cat turned and meowed at Diane in an upset tone, then
stalked off after her diatribe was finished.
"Oops! Sorry, Luna!" she called after her cat as she picked up
her phone. "Hello, Silver speaking."
"Diane!" a male voice greeted over the phone. "Heard about
your little banking incident yesterday."
"Oh, that?" she replied in an off-handed manner. "No big deal. I
just wanted to get my check deposited as soon as possible and
the police would've taken forever just with the hostage
negotiations."
"Nice to know that heroism was the last thing on your mind,
Diane," he replied wryly.
"Ah, come on, Artie," she replied in a feigned hurt tone, "you know
I wouldn't try anything like that. I was just responding to my
situation. Being taken as a hostage by simple, amateur bank
robbers wouldn't do for my reputation, now, would it? I'm not the
top agent for nothing, you know."
There was an audible sigh heard over the phone. "You and your
reputation," he replied in a slightly exasperated tone. "Sometimes
I wonder why I put up with you."
"Maybe it's because you love me?" she teased.
Artie snorted loudly. "Hardly."
"Aw, come on, Artie," she continued with a large grin on her face.
"You know you love me. Admit it." She could just imagine him
rolling his eyes in annoyance.
"Anyway, Diane, I'd like you to give me your own verbal report of
what happened yesterday when you come in later," he told her.
This time, it was Diane's turn to sigh. "Aw, come on, Artie," she
moaned. "Do you really need my report? Isn't the police report
enough?"
This was a pause, which she guessed meant that Artie was
probably grinning. "You know 'my' reputation."
"Yeah, yeah," she replied. "Mr. Artemis 'Thourough' D'Loire.
Pencil pusher, extraordinaire." She giggled as she heard him
growling over the phone. "All right, then, chief, you'll have my
report."
"Good. I'll see you in my office later."
"Okay," Diane said as she sat back up on her couch. "Bye,
Artie!" She hung up the phone and walked back to her kitchen,
pausing to scratch Luna behind her ears.
**********************************************
Arte mis hung up the phone and sighed to himself again as he
shook his head in vexation. Diane had always loved to tease
him, even though he was her superior. Then again, he never
really minded the good-natured ribbing. She was like a daughter
to him, and he occasionally treated her as such. Especially,
when she was in one of her teasing moods.
He had known her ever since she first started working for the
F.B.I. five years ago, when he was still a field agent. He taught
her everything he knew and she learned very quickly, even
surpassing him in some areas. When he was finally promoted
from field duty two years ago, she had quickly gained a
reputation as one of the best agents in the F.B.I.
She was one of the first agents to be placed under his
supervision; in fact, she had asked to be transferred under
his supervision. He was very honored by the action, despite
the fact that she was constantly calling him a 'pencil pusher'.
Not that he missed field work, but at 41 years of age and grey
slowly coloring some of his hairs, he was glad to be behind a
desk. Diane's 25 years was better suited to the field than he was.
Artemis glanced down at the police report again and chuckled to
himself. "Bluffing with a gun-shaped lighter," he said to himself.
"Now I'm glad I got her that for her birthday even though she
doesn't smoke. I'm gonna love saying 'I told you so' to her face,
once she gets here." He leaned back in his chair and grinned
broadly, crossing his arms across his chest.
**********************************************
"Cu t!" Amy shouted. "Very good, people! We're making great
progress today. Everyone, take a break and be back for the
next scene in half an hour."
Serena went quietly back to her trailer without one complaint
about the other actors or without saying that the scene could've
been done better. Amy glanced at her retreating form with one
eyebrow raised in confusion. Deciding not to look a gift horse
in the mouth, she headed over toward wardrobe, where she
last saw Darien.
**********************************************
A knock on the door pulled Darien's attention from the script he
was studying. He got to his feet and opened the door. "Amy, is
it time for my first scene yet?" he asked as soon as he saw who
it was.
"Yes, but everyone's on a 30-minute break, now," she replied.
Darien frowned in confusion as he noticed her slightly
preoccupied expression. "Something wrong?"
"Serena's acting strangely for some reason," she told him.
"Doesn't surprise me," he commented.
"No, I mean, when she came out of her trailer, she was acting
calm, instead of arrogant and haughty as usual."
"And that's what's bothering you?" he asked incredulously. "I'd
be grateful, no matter how it happened."
"It's not that I'm not grateful," she replied, "it's that I don't know
how it happened. I wish I knew, but I don't."
Darien scratched his head in confusion. "Well, no matter how
she's acting, my scene's up next."
"You ready, Darien?" Amy asked.
"I'm ready," he replied confidently. "I'll show Miss Moon that this
'extra' can act good enough to suit her."
Amy grinned and nodded as they both left the room. 'Now we'll
see if Melvin and I were right to choose him to play opposite
Serena...'
****************************************** ****
Serena closed the door behind her as she entered her trailer.
She walked the short distance between the door and her vanity
and sat down in front of the lighted mirror. Slowly, she undid the
long ponytail and began brushing her hair. She disliked wearing it
in a desheveled manner, but the scene called for her looking like
she had just gotten out of bed a little late in the morning.
She glanced at the clock hanging on the far side of the trailer.
11:09. Amy had been working the cast and crew hard this morning.
They needed that 30-minute break. Lunch was in a few hours, so
she would have time for only one more scene before lunch.
Darien's first scene.
The thought of that man made her angry. He almost ruined one of
her favorite designer dresses, which cost her quite a bit to clean.
She had gotten him fired from his last job, which didn't bother her
much, nor did it mollify her ire any. When she saw him standing
next to the craft services table earlier, her temper flared up again.
It burned when she found out that not only was he going to be
working on the same set as her, but he was going to play opposite
of her as well! The thought just made her want to chew nails.
She realized she was clenching her fists very tightly, making her knuckles
white. Deliberately, she loosened them, allowing blood to flow. She
had almost lost her temper again.
Serena sighed to herself. She had never been this angry at anyone
before. Sure, she would get angry if people weren't doing their job
right, but that was because their shoddy work would reflect on her.
She was a very successful actress and she would be damned if
she would ever have her name associated with a movie that bombed.
There was something about Darien, though, that seemed to draw
her anger like a magnet. Perhaps it was the circumstances under
which they 'met'. Spilling soda and coffee on her favorite desiger
dress is certainly no way to get on her good side. Then there was
his sudden and abrupt career boost. She had to work hard to get
where she was and this guy just happens to get some lucky break.
It was totally unfair and it pissed her off.
She had somewhat threatened to make his life a living hell while he
was on the set, but most of it was just words said out of anger. She
wasn't really going to go out of her way just to make his life miserable,
she just wanted him - and everyone else - to think she did. Kicking
his chair out from under him and making his coffee spill all over him
helped reinforce that.
Unbidden, the image of Darien without his shirt flashed through her
mind. She had to admit that he was cute... no, sexy, with those
well-defined muscles and gorgeous features. He wasn't too bulgy,
but just right for her taste. The image of him shirtless soon led to
other images, which quickly prompted her to pause in her brushing
and shake the images out of her head. Her mind cleared, she then
continued her brushing.
After she finished brushing her hair, she put it up in her favorite
hairstyle: a pair of odangos and twin ponytails streaming down from
the two hairbuns on her head. She was famous for this hairstyle.
Many young women, and even some of her colleagues, tried to
imitate her hairstyle, but not many could pull it off as well as she
could.
As she turned to leave her trailer, so she could watch Darien
perform in his first scene and see for herself how good he really
was, her eyes fixed onto the script lying on the small end table
near the door. Upon seeing the script, she remembered the scene
she had read before leaving her trailer. Before, she had been in a
shocked stupor when the full realization hit her. Sure, she had read
the scene before, but that was when she thought that some other
actor was going to do the scene with her, not Darien. The images
she had banished from her mind minutes ago returned, stronger
than before. She closed her eyes and covered them with her
hands as she shook her head again.
"No," she whispered to herself. "No. Damn you, Anderson. Damn
you, Van Holst. How could you do this to me? I don't want to do it.
I hate him! Why couldn't it be anyone else but him? I could deal
with it if it was anyone but him."
'Are you sure?' a small voice asked quietly inside her head. 'He
is handsome. You yourself even admitted that. Are you positive
that you wouldn't want to do that scene with him?'
"I don't want to do it," she whispered quietly in reply. "Never with
him. I hate him!"
'Are you even sure you hate him? A designer dress is such a
trivial thing to hate someone over.'
"He's just some jerk who got a lucky break!" she argued quietly
to herself. "He doesn't deserve to have this part! I had to work
my ass off just to get where I am!"
'So, you supposedly hate him because you're jealous of him,' the small
voice mocked. 'You're jealous because he got opportunities you
never got.'
"I am NOT jealous of him!" she retorted. "I have no reason to be
jealous of anyone! I am Serena Moon, one of the greatest
actresses in Hollywood! I'm jealous of no one!"
'Oh, really?' the voice laughed, then fell silent.
Serena grabbed the script off of the table and cocked her arm
back as if to throw the script across the trailer. She paused for
a moment as her anger began to calm again. "Now I'm getting
angry with myself," she muttered in annoyance as she casually
tossed the script back onto the end table and shook her head
tiredly. "I need to get a grip. After this movie's finished, I'm taking
a vacation." She glanced back at the script again. "A very LONG
vacation."
As she opened the door, she could hear the sounds of the crew
returning to work. The set was being set up for the next scene.
Over by the studio entrance, she could see Amy talking with Darien.
'Are you even sure you hate him?' she remembered the voice
asking her mere moments ago. 'Are you positive that you wouldn't
want to do that scene with him? You're jealous because he got
opportunities you never got.'
"Damn you, Shields," she whispered quietly to herself as she glared
at him. "Damn you."
**********************************************
To Chapter 6
**********************************************
Author's Note: Okay, I know I said that I was gonna have
Darien's first scene in this chapter, but things happen and
suddenly you're in a whole new chapter before you know it.
Darien's first scene is definitely going to be in the next chapter,
I promise. Be sure to be there when Chapter 6 features Darien
Shields as Jack Terrance... and some other stuff. ^_~
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs to Moonsong and myself, and I would appreciate
you emailing her or myself for permission before posting it
anywhere else. Thank you.
Prologue Copyright © January 24, 2000 Moonsong.
Other Chapters Copyright © August 12, 2000 Jason Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.
By Jason Ulloa
Original story by Moonsong
Continued with her permission.
Chapter 5
"Okay, everyone, let's take our places for the next scene!"
Amy called out as she, Darien, and the rest crew quickly
moved to the part of the set where the next scene would
take place. "Ready? Action!"
**********************************************
" Mr. S, Mr. J is here to see you," a female voice said
through the intercom.
Mr. S growled softly to himself only for a moment. "Send him
in," he replied. His airheaded secretary couldn't ruin his good
mood.
Since it was full dark outside, the building lights were on,
except for the light over his seat. The darkness suited him;
suited his dark moods, which he was known to have. Since his
associate was here to receive his instructions, it was only fair
to come into the light to speak with him. After all, it wasn't like
he had anything to hide from him.
Mr. S strode into the light, one hand pushing back a wayward
strand of dark brown hair and stopping to brush of a piece of lint
from the shoulder of his gray business suit. His pitch black
necktie made a sharp contrast with his snow white dress shirt.
The door opened as the secretary let Mr. J in. Mr. J was a little
shorter than he was, with short, light blonde hair. His grayish-blue
shirt and black slacks was a little more casual than the other
man's suit, but he carried himself with an air that would have
anyone who didn't know different thinking that he was the one in
charge. His sharp, piercing green eyes focused on Mr. S's light
brown as he reached out to him with one hand.
Mr. J gave the secretary a hard glare which made her jerk back
reflexively. "Um, if you don't need me for anything further, Mr. S?
Mr. J?"
"I told you NOT to call me THAT!!!" Mr. J snapped angrily while
thrusting an accusing finger at her.
"S, s, sorry, sir," she replied meekly as she hurried out of the room,
closing the door behind her.
"I wish I could do that to her," Mr. S said with a grin.
"The problem with you is that you worry to much about legalities,"
Mr. J replied.
"You're not her employer. I am. I have to worry about legalities."
"Bah," Mr. J retorted, waving his hand in dismissal. "We're not
here to discuss idiot secretaries. What've you got lined up for me,
Max?"
Max grinned wolfishly. "We're ready to begin phase 2 of our
operations."
"So soon? I thought you wouldn't be done with production for...."
"Not only have I finished production, but over half of the satellites
are currently in orbit and in position."
"No kidding. So I guess you'll be wanting me to make your
necessary acquisitions, then?"
"The sooner you get this done, Jed, the better. Half of the payment
is right there on the table behind me," Max told him guesturing
toward the briefcase lying on the table. "The other half of the
payment on delivery, of course."
"Of course," Jed agreed, walking past Max and picking up the
briefcase. "I'll contact you with updates on my progress."
"Good. Remember, if you get caught, I know nothing."
Jed snorted derisively. "Whatever. You know I never get caught."
"Precautions, Jed," Max repiled, admonishingly waving his index
finger with a small conspiritorial grin on his face. "I have to cover
my own ass, you know."
"Yeah, yeah," Jed countered tiredly as he waved his free hand
again in dismissal, as if he had heard that speech millions of times
before. "I know. I know. If you'll excuse me, Mr. S," he said in a
tone imitating Max's secretary, "I've got things to attend to before
I get to work."
"Just get the hell out of my office!" Max shouted seethingly. Jed
chuckled to himself as he left the office.
**********************************************
"C ut!" Amy shouted and grinned to herself. Personally, she thought
that everyone else worked better when Serena's oppressive and
dominating personality was absent from the set. She also had a
tendency to break character and demand that the scene start over
because of this actor's or that actress's incompetence. Thankfully,
Serena was holing up in her trailer, away from everyone else.
"Well, I'd better start getting ready for my first scene," Darien
stated as he got to his feet.
"Darien, your scene's not up next," she replied questioningly.
"I know, but I just wanna go over my first scene one more time.
Don't wanna make any mistakes, ya know?" he said, nodding his
head slightly toward Serena's trailer.
Amy sighed to herself. "I think you're overreacting just a little."
"I'm just being careful," Darien countered. "I'm the one on her bad
side, not you. Besides, this movie is supposed to be a big
opportunity for me. If I blow this chance, then I'd never forgive
myself. I'm gonna do the best I can, despite Serena Moon's demand
for perfection."
The blue-haired director grinned to herself as she watched Darien
head toward where he left his script and start rereading it. 'I have a
feeling that he's gonna do better than we've all hoped for; even if
Serena didn't all but browbeat him into doing his best. If I'm right,
then I'll be placing a call to G.Q. very soon. Once I tell him about
what's going on around here, he'll jump at the chance to revise this
script the way Melvin and I have been hoping to do.'
Greg Quincy Carter - or 'G.Q.' as everyone called him, due to the
fact that he was always dressed as if he had just stepped out of a
Gentleman's Quarterly magazine - was a good friend of Amy's, and
a crack writer. He had collaborated with her for every single script
rewrite she needed. He was also very modest, despite the way he
dresses, often saying that most of the ideas were her own and that
he just built upon them. There was also a lot of Hollywood gossip
about him and Amy, saying that they were all but a couple, despite
the fact that they were always saying that they were just friends.
Not that he would mind that if she did want to go out with him, but he
knew she had her eyes set on someone else.
Amy turned toward one of the grips that was carrying a box and
waved him over. "Would you mind informing Miss Moon that we're
getting ready for her next scene, please?" The grip nodded his
assent and left after she nodded her thanks.
Minutes later, Serena left her trailer and walked over to the set.
"Is everyone ready?" she asked in a less pompous manner than
earlier. She seemed almost... normal.
Amy blinked in surprise for a moment, caught off guard by her
quick change of behavior. "Uh..., almost. The grips are almost
finished getting the set ready...." She paused for a moment as she
noticed one of them giving her an O.K. sign. "Oh, they're done."
Serena nodded and took her place as Amy watched in confusion.
Not that she wasn't grateful, but what she wouldn't give to figure
out what had calmed her down so quickly. For a second, she
entertained the notion that it was the fact that Darien was
elsewhere and not in Serena's sight, but she dismissed that idea
as silly. She had always been haughty and abrasive, even without
Darien adding fuel to the fire. There was something about her
current serene, self-possessed attitude that made her wonder
what was going through her mind at the moment....
"Everyone ready for the next scene?" Amy asked. "Action!"
**********************************************
The phone rang as Diane was busy in the kitchen, preparing
breakfast. She was dressed in grey sweats and a loose grey
T-shirt, her hair bound in a long ponytail as she always wore it
to bed. She put down the bowl she was scrambling her eggs in
and walked into the living room to answer the phone.
Her one bedroom apartment was nicely kept. Of course, due to
the cleaning service that came in once a week, anyone's
apartment would look nicely kept. The couch, reclining chair,
carpet, and a good deal of the other furnishings were all a
silverish-grey color, like her namesake. Not that she was
egotistical or anything, but she did like the color. A couple of
magazines littered the coffee table between the couch and chair,
not to mention the TV remote. The TV was off due to the fact that
there wasn't anything good to watch anyway. Damn cable.
As she plopped onto the couch to answer her cordless, her black
cat jumped off in order to avoid getting hit by her mistress' legs.
The cat turned and meowed at Diane in an upset tone, then
stalked off after her diatribe was finished.
"Oops! Sorry, Luna!" she called after her cat as she picked up
her phone. "Hello, Silver speaking."
"Diane!" a male voice greeted over the phone. "Heard about
your little banking incident yesterday."
"Oh, that?" she replied in an off-handed manner. "No big deal. I
just wanted to get my check deposited as soon as possible and
the police would've taken forever just with the hostage
negotiations."
"Nice to know that heroism was the last thing on your mind,
Diane," he replied wryly.
"Ah, come on, Artie," she replied in a feigned hurt tone, "you know
I wouldn't try anything like that. I was just responding to my
situation. Being taken as a hostage by simple, amateur bank
robbers wouldn't do for my reputation, now, would it? I'm not the
top agent for nothing, you know."
There was an audible sigh heard over the phone. "You and your
reputation," he replied in a slightly exasperated tone. "Sometimes
I wonder why I put up with you."
"Maybe it's because you love me?" she teased.
Artie snorted loudly. "Hardly."
"Aw, come on, Artie," she continued with a large grin on her face.
"You know you love me. Admit it." She could just imagine him
rolling his eyes in annoyance.
"Anyway, Diane, I'd like you to give me your own verbal report of
what happened yesterday when you come in later," he told her.
This time, it was Diane's turn to sigh. "Aw, come on, Artie," she
moaned. "Do you really need my report? Isn't the police report
enough?"
This was a pause, which she guessed meant that Artie was
probably grinning. "You know 'my' reputation."
"Yeah, yeah," she replied. "Mr. Artemis 'Thourough' D'Loire.
Pencil pusher, extraordinaire." She giggled as she heard him
growling over the phone. "All right, then, chief, you'll have my
report."
"Good. I'll see you in my office later."
"Okay," Diane said as she sat back up on her couch. "Bye,
Artie!" She hung up the phone and walked back to her kitchen,
pausing to scratch Luna behind her ears.
**********************************************
Arte mis hung up the phone and sighed to himself again as he
shook his head in vexation. Diane had always loved to tease
him, even though he was her superior. Then again, he never
really minded the good-natured ribbing. She was like a daughter
to him, and he occasionally treated her as such. Especially,
when she was in one of her teasing moods.
He had known her ever since she first started working for the
F.B.I. five years ago, when he was still a field agent. He taught
her everything he knew and she learned very quickly, even
surpassing him in some areas. When he was finally promoted
from field duty two years ago, she had quickly gained a
reputation as one of the best agents in the F.B.I.
She was one of the first agents to be placed under his
supervision; in fact, she had asked to be transferred under
his supervision. He was very honored by the action, despite
the fact that she was constantly calling him a 'pencil pusher'.
Not that he missed field work, but at 41 years of age and grey
slowly coloring some of his hairs, he was glad to be behind a
desk. Diane's 25 years was better suited to the field than he was.
Artemis glanced down at the police report again and chuckled to
himself. "Bluffing with a gun-shaped lighter," he said to himself.
"Now I'm glad I got her that for her birthday even though she
doesn't smoke. I'm gonna love saying 'I told you so' to her face,
once she gets here." He leaned back in his chair and grinned
broadly, crossing his arms across his chest.
**********************************************
"Cu t!" Amy shouted. "Very good, people! We're making great
progress today. Everyone, take a break and be back for the
next scene in half an hour."
Serena went quietly back to her trailer without one complaint
about the other actors or without saying that the scene could've
been done better. Amy glanced at her retreating form with one
eyebrow raised in confusion. Deciding not to look a gift horse
in the mouth, she headed over toward wardrobe, where she
last saw Darien.
**********************************************
A knock on the door pulled Darien's attention from the script he
was studying. He got to his feet and opened the door. "Amy, is
it time for my first scene yet?" he asked as soon as he saw who
it was.
"Yes, but everyone's on a 30-minute break, now," she replied.
Darien frowned in confusion as he noticed her slightly
preoccupied expression. "Something wrong?"
"Serena's acting strangely for some reason," she told him.
"Doesn't surprise me," he commented.
"No, I mean, when she came out of her trailer, she was acting
calm, instead of arrogant and haughty as usual."
"And that's what's bothering you?" he asked incredulously. "I'd
be grateful, no matter how it happened."
"It's not that I'm not grateful," she replied, "it's that I don't know
how it happened. I wish I knew, but I don't."
Darien scratched his head in confusion. "Well, no matter how
she's acting, my scene's up next."
"You ready, Darien?" Amy asked.
"I'm ready," he replied confidently. "I'll show Miss Moon that this
'extra' can act good enough to suit her."
Amy grinned and nodded as they both left the room. 'Now we'll
see if Melvin and I were right to choose him to play opposite
Serena...'
****************************************** ****
Serena closed the door behind her as she entered her trailer.
She walked the short distance between the door and her vanity
and sat down in front of the lighted mirror. Slowly, she undid the
long ponytail and began brushing her hair. She disliked wearing it
in a desheveled manner, but the scene called for her looking like
she had just gotten out of bed a little late in the morning.
She glanced at the clock hanging on the far side of the trailer.
11:09. Amy had been working the cast and crew hard this morning.
They needed that 30-minute break. Lunch was in a few hours, so
she would have time for only one more scene before lunch.
Darien's first scene.
The thought of that man made her angry. He almost ruined one of
her favorite designer dresses, which cost her quite a bit to clean.
She had gotten him fired from his last job, which didn't bother her
much, nor did it mollify her ire any. When she saw him standing
next to the craft services table earlier, her temper flared up again.
It burned when she found out that not only was he going to be
working on the same set as her, but he was going to play opposite
of her as well! The thought just made her want to chew nails.
She realized she was clenching her fists very tightly, making her knuckles
white. Deliberately, she loosened them, allowing blood to flow. She
had almost lost her temper again.
Serena sighed to herself. She had never been this angry at anyone
before. Sure, she would get angry if people weren't doing their job
right, but that was because their shoddy work would reflect on her.
She was a very successful actress and she would be damned if
she would ever have her name associated with a movie that bombed.
There was something about Darien, though, that seemed to draw
her anger like a magnet. Perhaps it was the circumstances under
which they 'met'. Spilling soda and coffee on her favorite desiger
dress is certainly no way to get on her good side. Then there was
his sudden and abrupt career boost. She had to work hard to get
where she was and this guy just happens to get some lucky break.
It was totally unfair and it pissed her off.
She had somewhat threatened to make his life a living hell while he
was on the set, but most of it was just words said out of anger. She
wasn't really going to go out of her way just to make his life miserable,
she just wanted him - and everyone else - to think she did. Kicking
his chair out from under him and making his coffee spill all over him
helped reinforce that.
Unbidden, the image of Darien without his shirt flashed through her
mind. She had to admit that he was cute... no, sexy, with those
well-defined muscles and gorgeous features. He wasn't too bulgy,
but just right for her taste. The image of him shirtless soon led to
other images, which quickly prompted her to pause in her brushing
and shake the images out of her head. Her mind cleared, she then
continued her brushing.
After she finished brushing her hair, she put it up in her favorite
hairstyle: a pair of odangos and twin ponytails streaming down from
the two hairbuns on her head. She was famous for this hairstyle.
Many young women, and even some of her colleagues, tried to
imitate her hairstyle, but not many could pull it off as well as she
could.
As she turned to leave her trailer, so she could watch Darien
perform in his first scene and see for herself how good he really
was, her eyes fixed onto the script lying on the small end table
near the door. Upon seeing the script, she remembered the scene
she had read before leaving her trailer. Before, she had been in a
shocked stupor when the full realization hit her. Sure, she had read
the scene before, but that was when she thought that some other
actor was going to do the scene with her, not Darien. The images
she had banished from her mind minutes ago returned, stronger
than before. She closed her eyes and covered them with her
hands as she shook her head again.
"No," she whispered to herself. "No. Damn you, Anderson. Damn
you, Van Holst. How could you do this to me? I don't want to do it.
I hate him! Why couldn't it be anyone else but him? I could deal
with it if it was anyone but him."
'Are you sure?' a small voice asked quietly inside her head. 'He
is handsome. You yourself even admitted that. Are you positive
that you wouldn't want to do that scene with him?'
"I don't want to do it," she whispered quietly in reply. "Never with
him. I hate him!"
'Are you even sure you hate him? A designer dress is such a
trivial thing to hate someone over.'
"He's just some jerk who got a lucky break!" she argued quietly
to herself. "He doesn't deserve to have this part! I had to work
my ass off just to get where I am!"
'So, you supposedly hate him because you're jealous of him,' the small
voice mocked. 'You're jealous because he got opportunities you
never got.'
"I am NOT jealous of him!" she retorted. "I have no reason to be
jealous of anyone! I am Serena Moon, one of the greatest
actresses in Hollywood! I'm jealous of no one!"
'Oh, really?' the voice laughed, then fell silent.
Serena grabbed the script off of the table and cocked her arm
back as if to throw the script across the trailer. She paused for
a moment as her anger began to calm again. "Now I'm getting
angry with myself," she muttered in annoyance as she casually
tossed the script back onto the end table and shook her head
tiredly. "I need to get a grip. After this movie's finished, I'm taking
a vacation." She glanced back at the script again. "A very LONG
vacation."
As she opened the door, she could hear the sounds of the crew
returning to work. The set was being set up for the next scene.
Over by the studio entrance, she could see Amy talking with Darien.
'Are you even sure you hate him?' she remembered the voice
asking her mere moments ago. 'Are you positive that you wouldn't
want to do that scene with him? You're jealous because he got
opportunities you never got.'
"Damn you, Shields," she whispered quietly to herself as she glared
at him. "Damn you."
**********************************************
To Chapter 6
**********************************************
Author's Note: Okay, I know I said that I was gonna have
Darien's first scene in this chapter, but things happen and
suddenly you're in a whole new chapter before you know it.
Darien's first scene is definitely going to be in the next chapter,
I promise. Be sure to be there when Chapter 6 features Darien
Shields as Jack Terrance... and some other stuff. ^_~
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs to Moonsong and myself, and I would appreciate
you emailing her or myself for permission before posting it
anywhere else. Thank you.
Prologue Copyright © January 24, 2000 Moonsong.
Other Chapters Copyright © August 12, 2000 Jason Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.