The Beauty Within Her (Revised) 
Chapter 1 
By: Jessica M. Moonflower 
E-mail: salud731@earthlink.net 
Rated: G 

Timeline: Alternate Reality 

Genre: Romance 

Disclaimer: WHAAAAAA!!!!!! I don't own 
Sailor Moon. Oh well! At least I own the story. 
Be happy about that at least. ^_^ 

AN: Here's the revision of this story. Hopefully 
you'll like it! Special thanks to Sarah Twilight and 
Amy who both helped me revise this chapter! ^_~ 
Remember to e-mail me, minna! 

"A friend is a person that knows everything about 
you, but likes you anyway." 
~*Unknown*~ 

-----<---------<---------@ 

	"Serena, you have a visitor," Serena's mother, Daisy 
Banker, informed, poking her head through the doorway 
of her daughter's room with a stack of fresh clean towels 
in her arms. 

	"Who is it?" asked Serena curiously, adding more blue 
paint to the canvas with light and gentle brush strokes. 

	"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Serena's mother 
suggested with a knowing smile and wink. 

	Ocean blue eyes perked up in interest at her mother's 
secretiveness. Pushing her thin wired glasses higher 
onto her nose, Serena stood up from the stool she was 
sitting on and wiped paint covered hands onto the white 
apron that covered her knee length plaid jumper. Hurriedly, 
she closed the caps of the paint tubes. Painting was her 
passion. She loved capturing the beauty of the world around 
her through paint and brush--from a crystal blue lake to a 
mother and her child. Her dream was that one day she would 
send her work to a local museum where it could be displayed 
and admired from people all over. Her tennis clad feet thumped 
through the hallway as she headed for the stairs. The 
twenty-three year old, Serena Banker lived with her parents in 
Boston, their house located near a mansion where her parents 
worked. The rich and well respected Garrison family employed 
them; her mother, the cook, and her father, Mark, the chauffeur. 

	The Garrisons were wonderful people, like a second 
family to Serena. They even helped pay for her education, 
putting her in one of the best schools available. Leo Garrison 
was the owner of a huge computer enterprise known as 
Garrison Computers, but retired the business, passing the 
company on to his son, Darien. His wife, Nancy was a famous 
best-seller mystery novelist who liked to spend her time at 
home, either writing or thinking up more ideas for future novels. 

	Serena quickly ran down the stairs, her feet making light 
thumping noises with each step she took while she tucked 
back a stray lock of golden hair behind her ears. She was 
curious and eager to find out who her mystery visitor could 
possibly be. 

	When she reached the bottom, she found a young man 
with blond hair lounging on the couch while flipping through a 
family photo album. 

	"Andrew!" Serena exclaimed as she ran to give the young 
man a hug. 

	"Hey gorgeous!" He exclaimed, dropping the album. He 
pulled her into a warm embrace, arms reaching gently around 
her waist, and before she could protest, her feet were a good foot 
off the floor, hair flying wildly behind her as Andrew spun around
the living room. 

	Serena squealed in surprise and asked Andrew to put 
her down since she started to feel a bit dizzy. 

	"What are you doing here?" she questioned breathlessly 
after he put her down. 

	"I have great news!" 

	"Well, tell me!" Serena demanded a little impatiently. 

	"Let's go over by the couch and sit," suggested Andrew. 

	"Okay. Oh, wait! I'm such a rude hostess. I didn't ask you if 
you wanted anything to drink. How about some coffee?" 

	"Sounds great!" 

	"Okay, I'll go make some." 

	Serena left the room to make the coffee while Andrew 
scanned the picture frames on the tables and walls. 

	Andrew Scott, a handsome male, had light brown eyes and 
stood with a height of 6'1". His family were the owners of one 
of the most famous hotels in all of America called The Star 
Gazing Hotel. He was the nephew of the Garrison family and 
his family had lived with the Garrisons ever since he was a little 
kid. When Serena and Andrew were small, they used to play 
with each other in the huge Garrison garden. As they grew up, a 
close brother and sister bond had formed between them. They 
would always talk to each other, tell each other secrets, and 
comfort each other whenever one of them was feeling down. 
Since he now lived in Chicago, Serena and Andrew always 
kept in touch. They would always write letters, talk on the phone 
once a month, and see each other on holidays or whenever they 
were free. 

	Serena entered the living room, carrying a tray of steaming 
hot coffee and homemade chocolate chip cookies. 

	"Wow! Those cookies look delicious. Let me guess, your 
Mom made them, right?" Andrew asked as she set the tray on 
the coffee table and sat down beside him. 

	"Yes, she did, and no I did not make them if that was 
what you were implying." She playfully poked him in the ribs. 

	Andrew held up his hands in defense while giving her a 
smirk. 

	"I wasn't implying anything--I was simply asking. Anyway, 
your Mom is such a great cook. The Garrisons are a lucky 
family to have your Mom as their cook. As a matter of fact, the 
Garrisons tried to urge your parents to stop working for them 
and try to get a better job, but your parents refused." 

	"My Mom and Dad like working for Mr. and Mrs. Garrison. 
They know they don't have to work for them if they don't want to, 
but they insist. They're still very grateful to them for providing the 
money to pay for my education." 

	"That's because they always thought of you as one of their 
own children. My family likes you as well because you're just 
too lovable not to like." 

	"Well, you're wrong about one thing. One person doesn't 
feel the same way you do." Serena's eyes looked downcast. 

	"What are you talking about? The entire Garrison and 
Scott family love you. There's me, Lita, Uncle Leo, Aunt Nancy--" 

	"Darien doesn't like me," cut in Serena. 

	"Serena, that was when we were little kids. He was just 
a bully that complained about almost everything and always 
liked putting people down. We're mature adults now, no longer 
immature kids like we used to be. He has grown up a great 
deal now that he's in charge of Uncle Leo's business. He's 
not the little kid he used to be when he would play practical 
jokes on everyone. He was very nice to you during his holiday 
visits, don't you remember?" 

	"Yeah, I guess so. But enough about Darien, what's your 
big news?" Her eyes sparkled with merriment as to what 
Andrew had to say. 

	"Remember Rita Blake?" 

	"Of course I remember her. You brought her to the 
Christmas Ball last year. She's very nice and I like her a lot." 

	"Well, I asked her to marry me and...she said YES!" 

	"Andrew that's wonderful!" Serena exclaimed as she 
hugged her friend tightly, happy to see that he found someone 
he's madly in love with. 

	"The wedding is going to be here at the mansion. We're 
having a garden wedding." 

	"An outdoor wedding sounds sooooo romantic!" She 
sighed dreamily. "When's the big day?" 

	"June 10th," Andrew proudly said, sipping some of his 
coffee. 

	Serena radiated with happiness and excitement for her 
friend's upcoming wedding that she was already picturing the 
wedding in her mind. 

	"I'm happy you found someone to spend the rest of your 
life with." 

	"Thanks. I feel like the luckiest man on Earth to have her 
as my wife." Andrew's eyes danced with equal happiness and 
excitement. 

	"It must be a wonderful feeling." Serena took a bite of her 
cookie. 

	"It is. It feels like some magnificent dream that you don't 
want to wake up from." 

	"I hope I get to find a special person like that someday." 

	"I hope so, too." He patted her back gently to reassure her. 
"I better go now. I've got to call Rita to see when her flight into 
Boston is. If you need me, just stop by the mansion." 

	"Okay," Serena said as she gave Andrew a hug 
good-bye. 

	"Oh, and thanks for the refreshments." 

	"No problem." 

	"Bye Serena." 

	"Bye Andrew." 

To be continued... 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Revised June 26, 2001