Life after Sailor Moon
Night of Surprises
By Cindra
Rated K+ for now but promise that it won't be any higher than T
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Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Sailor Moon I do this for my enjoyment and for the enjoyment of my readers…The original characters and the original ideas are mine and it's going to stay that way.
Although this isn't my first Fanfic it is my first purely sailor moon one so I hope that all of you enjoy it. I usually tend to write about another anime and throw in other shows to the storyline to make it interesting. I am going to make this into a series though so there will be more to come.
Notes: I put colons between conversation denoting silent thought between two characters
' and in bold denotes a Heart link between a couple…
italics denotes a characters thoughts
This is first chapter is about Serena's reaction when Darien suddenly breaks the news that the friends that he had invited from his University days in the states... Were really the reincarnated souls of his four generals from the days of the Silver Millennium all of those years ago.
Okay I don't do Cannon in anything that I write... Certain Names that I use in my stories are different from the dub because I just can't stand the names that they gave certain characters. The Inner Senshi I used the American names. I don't like Darien's last name so I changed it to Fortune…(It sounds so much better than Shields) The Outer Senshi have the same names except for Uranus and Pluto ; (I mean what were they thinking!) I happen to like Selena for Pluto and Erica for Uranus. I use American names for the four Generals. Kunzite is Kevin, Nathan is Nephrite, Jared is Jadeite, and Zachary is Zoisite.
And now on with the story...
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Serena Angela Fortune should have been one very happy young woman. She was happily married to her prince, was expecting her first born and owned The Silver Millennium, a very successful anime company; which had been Darien's gift to her for graduating number one in her class at one of Japan's finest art schools. She had eagerly gotten to work on her first anime and it had become an instant hit, seeing as she had based it on her alter ego. So why was she so upset you ask? Well I'll tell you... her prince had told her who he had invited to dinner...And let's just say that she was just a little bit surprised.
"Say that again... Did you just say that the four friends that went to Harvard with you are the four generals of the Silver Millennium and they are the ones coming here for dinner tonight! " Serena paced in front of the fireplace in the study, as she tried to attempt to take what he was telling her in. "This is not a good idea! Ami's homecoming party is tonight!"
Dare set down the Medical file that he had been studying and walked over to his radiantly beautiful wife. "Calm down my sweet, my friend's are nothing like Beryl's Negaverse clones. Kev, Nat, Zach, and Jare have lived in the states all of their lives." He pulled her into his arms and was rewarded by a kick by one of the babies that were nestled inside Serena's womb. "Please angel try and calm down. This is not good for you or the twins. Everything is going to be fine I swear it. Now please come over to the couch and sit down."
Serena buried her head against his shoulder and burst into tears. "How can you say that? When the clones of the four generals tried to kill all of us! The girls aren't going to react well to any of this!"
Dare swept her up into his arms and carried her over to the soft leather couch. "The four of them are my best friends and nothing like their counter parts." He cuddled her against him, as he spoke in a low soothing tone.
Serena looked up at him with disbelieving azure blue eyes and sniffled.
"Jared Matthew Kennedy has a doctorate in parapsychology and is an award winning author on his third best seller. In fact he and Raye met when the girls went to visit Ami and they have been in contact with each other ever since. She even agreed to let him use her in his next book. Dr. Zachary Allan Powers is an up and coming surgeon and has agreed to join my surgical team here in Tokyo. He is also bringing his fiancée with him Dr. Ami Elizabeth Anderson. Nathan Maxwell Stanton has made a name for himself in two fields he holds a doctorate in Astronomy and is also a chef and owner of, The Celestial Gardens, a chain of high class restaurants all over the globe and each one focuses on a different planet in our solar system. He and Lita also hit it off when they visited Ami a month ago and they came up with the idea for his new restaurant using the theme of the Lost Kingdom of the moon. Now lastly is Kevin Malcolm Knight, he happens to be the heir to the Knight Corporation, one of the wealthiest companies in the world. He also owns the studio where Mina is shooting her first picture and he's the reason that Mina keeps jetting to the states all of the time. I meant what I said when I told you that everything was going to be all right." Dare placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"But why didn't they tell me?" Serena began to cry even harder. "I talk to Raye, Mina, and Lita everyday and I chat with Ami online in the evening and not one of them even hinted that they were romantically involved with anyone! How could they keep this from me!" She wrenched herself free of Dare's arms and ran out of the Den in tears. 'Even you kept this from me!' Serena used her link with him to really let him know what she was feeling.
'Sere calm down! It wasn't for me to tell! They thought that you'd overreact and didn't want to upset you, especially now that you're carrying the twins.' Dare tried to remain patient with her.
"I'm not made of glass! I haven't had to be Sailor Moon since Galaxia and I don't want nor do I need them to treat me like I'm some kind of mindless twit! I want to be trusted damn it! I worked my ass off to gain that respect and they should have trusted me! I'm not the same girl that I was all those years ago! I happen to have grown up!" Serena's moon symbol blazed on her forehead and she instantly transformed into Neo Queen Serenity. "Not now! This is the last thing that I needed!" Serenity threw herself onto the bed in defeat.
"You know that your temper reacts to the crystal, besides you happen to be fighting a losing battle by trying to suppress that side of you." Luna curled up against her mistress.
"I can't help it Luna! I happen to like living a normal life, even if my friends and husband think that they still need to protect me!" She closed her eyes and tried to revert back to just plain old Serena, only to find that she wasn't able to do that anymore.
"Don't panic Serena; it was going to happen eventually." Luna tried to calm her.
"Why does it have to happen now!" She buried her face into her pillows.
"But you've been Serenity since your eighteenth birthday...It's your destiny, now please calm down before you make yourself sick." Luna lectured her.
"I can't calm down Luna!" Sere felt her stomach beginning to roll and bolted for the bathroom. "Goddess! I hate getting sick!" She gasped trying desperately not to lose her lunch.
Darien calmly walked into the master bedroom and headed for the bathroom. "I'm sorry angel, please calm down before you make yourself any worse." He knelt down beside her and handed her a glass of water. "They didn't mean to hurt you my love...they love you too much to ever do that. They just wanted to surprise you in their own way."
Serenity looked up at him with her endless blue eyes pooled with tears and whimpered. "I can't be just plain old Serena anymore...my temper (sniff) caused me to transform into Serenity and now I'm stuck."
"Oh angel...you will always be my meatball head no matter if your Neo Queen Serenity or Serena that will never change." Dare bathed her face with a cool wash cloth. "Your Moon symbol fades when you calm down and you were already radiantly beautiful...I guess the only real change is that your hair has a more silver gold quality to it." Dare kissed her nose. "Wear that tonight at dinner that way you can really get back at them for keeping all of this from you." He whispered in her ear.
"I love you so much Muffin." Sere snuggled up against him.
"And I love you too my meatball head." Dare carried her out of the bathroom and over to the bed. "Why don't you nap for a while? I promise to wake you before they arrive." He carefully tucked her into bed.
Serena was asleep almost instantly.
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"Hey Dare! Is anyone home?" Came some shouts from the foyer of their mansion.
Dare quickly shut the door to the master bedroom and ran down the steps. "Yes! Now quit yelling Sere is sleeping and I don't want anyone to wake her!" Dare glared at Raye, Lita, Mina, Jared, Nat, and Kevin.
"Is she all right? I sensed that she was really upset a little while ago?" Raye frowned at Darien.
"Let's just say that she found out about all of you and wasn't happy that we hid this from her." Dare downed some aspirin for his headache.
Raye narrowed her eyes at Darien, "I knew that you would cave in! Damn it Darien you shouldn't have told her anything!"
"Easy love she probably panicked when he told her about us." Jared pulled her into his arms. "Besides that the Serenity I remember was always as curious as a kitten."
"Come with me Red...Lets you and I prepare the ultimate dinner." Nate winked at Lita. "She still loves to eat doesn't she? Besides she never could resist my cheesecake."
"Oh she still has her appetite all right, more so now that she is carrying the twins." Dare grinned at his friends.
"TWINS?" The girls exclaimed in unison. "She never said anything about having twins!"
"Then I guess you're even with her for not telling her about the new loves of your lives." Dare growled.
"We get the point buddy...now go upstairs and soothe her ruffled feathers. We can handle things down here." Kev decided to take matters into his own hands before the girls decided to do the prince any bodily harm.
"He's right Dare, besides Ami will skin you alive if she arrives and Serena isn't her usual self." Mina walked over and gave him a hug. "But if you ever keep news like this from us again Cape Boy...we'll skin you alive." She hissed into his ear.
"I think the same goes to you and the girls...Sere wants to skin you alive as well." Dare hissed back. "If you guys are sure..." Darien started to protest only to be cut off by Kevin again.
"We've got it covered, now go comfort the princess." Kevin growled.
"I'm going! Who's the prince around here you or me." Dare headed up the staircase, but he didn't act as if he were in any hurry to go check on his wife.
"If I didn't know any better I would say that Endy is afraid to face Sere." Jare smirked.
Dare turned around to glare at his friends. "She happens to be Neo Queen Serenity. She can wield the full power of the Silver Imperium Crystal, so yes I'm a little wary of her when she's beyond furious at me." with that said he continued to head up the stairs to check on his wife.
"SAY THAT AGAIN?" If their guys hadn't had a firm hold around their waists Raye and Mina would have made a run for the stairs to check on her themselves.
"Easy Flame he was just stating a point." Jare held her closer to him.
"We just hit a nerve V. He's just stressed out because she's driving him crazy." Kev pulled Mina to him for a quick kiss. "Now let's get this place ready for Ami's homecoming party. We have a lot to do and only a few hours to do it."
"Relax handsome we've got everything under control. Dare and Serena are going to pick them up at the airport. Then they'll bring them here for dinner." Mina and Raye began to hang the banner.
"Serena might not agree with our plan if she's still angry with the four of you." Jare began filling balloons with helium.
"Our princess isn't one to hold a grudge. She'll be fine." Raye tried to sound optimistic, but she didn't need to use her psi to know that Serena was beyond furious with them.
Luna padded down the stairs and went over to curl up next to Artemis. "Serena is really upset with them." She sighed.
Artemis had missed Luna and nuzzled his face against her cheek. "I missed you." He purred. "On a scale of one to ten just how mad is our princess?"
"Try a twelve...I missed you to." She purred. "She's also Neo Queen Serenity...so that makes this even worse...seeing as she can't will herself to be just plain Serena anymore."
"This is going to be a really fun evening...What do you say we go somewhere quite and let them deal with it." Artemis knew when to lay low and this was definitely the time to do that, besides that he wanted to cuddle with Luna for a while.
"For once I agree." Luna and Artemis padded up the stairs.
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Serenity listened to all of the noise going on downstairs and found that she didn't want any part of it. "Enjoy the party Endymion, because I'm not going." She informed him as soon as he opened their bedroom door.
Endymion? She really is furious about this. Dare turned on the bedside lamp and looked down at her. "Don't do this my sweet. It's not like you to hold a grudge."
"I can't just forgive all of you every time you feel the need to hide things from me! I'm not that naive fifteen-year-old anymore! I haven't acted that way since that last battle with Galaxia! Hell I graduated with honors from High School and Art School! I didn't need any of you to protect me against Galaxia and I don't need you to protect me now! I can handle any situation on my own damn it!" Sere's voice was like ice as she spoke.
"I told you all about my college buddies. I just didn't say who they used to be in a previous life or that they were in the process of courting their own princesses." Dare crawled in next to her and pulled her into his arms, "Please try and see this for what it is...they needed time to find each other, just like you and I did. They weren't trying to hide anything from you."
"I'm feeling left out of everything..." Sere burst into tears. "I'm fat and ugly and no one wants anyone to see me anymore!"
"Sweetheart, you are not fat or ugly, and no one is leaving you out of anything. Raye wanted to blacken my eye for spoiling their surprise and upsetting you." He rocked her in his arms.
"Really?" She sniffled looking up at him with her expressive azure blue eyes. "Who prevented her from hurting you?"
"Jared pulled her into his arms and all thoughts of hurting me vanished from her mind." Dare chuckled.
"Chad would have gotten decked if he had tried that with her..." Sere whispered sadly. "I miss that goof ball."
"I still can't believe that he's gone." Dare cuddled her even closer to him.
"I didn't think that Raye was ever going to smile again, after the plane crash." Sere whispered.
"At least they got to tell each other that they loved each other before it happened." Dare growled hoarsely.
"Does he make her smile?" Sere asked softly.
"What my sweet?" Dare kissed away her tears.
"Jared...does he make Raye smile?" She asked again.
"Yes he does...but then you can see that for yourself...if you come downstairs with me." Dare kissed her on the nose.
"What if they don't like me?" Sere buried her face against his chest.
"Angel, they'll adore you just like the rest of us do." Dare couldn't believe that his princess was suddenly acting shy.
"I know that I'm forever in Serenity mode now, but I'm eight months pregnant with the twins and this dress clings to much." Sere rubbed her swollen belly affectionately. "I mean I already know that I'm as big as a baby whale...there's no since announcing it to the entire world." She pouted.
"You are absolutely breathtaking my love and that dress does look incredible on you, but I want you to be as comfortable as possible, so wear what you want." He smiled down at her.
Sere concentrated on the crystal and her dress was transformed into a beautiful white gown not unlike the one she wore as Princess Serenity. "Ah this is much better...why darling, you looked shell shocked...is something wrong?"
"No nothing's wrong dearest...that just took me by surprise." He helped her to her feet. "Is that something new that you've been practicing?"
"I've really gotten good at using the crystal haven't I muffin." She winked at him. "Want me to try it on you?"
"That's not necessary angel...I can manage." Dare growled.
Sere waddled into the bathroom to touch up her make-up before joining him to head downstairs to meet the others. "Love trust me when I say that you are totally hopeless when it comes to fashion, unless it means choosing the perfect tux." She whispered in his ear and then made a dash for the door.
Darien proceeded to follow her out of their room down the hallway and to the stairs before pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless. "Can I help it if I happen to be a little bit color blind?" He growled in her ear.
"Its okay muffin your secret is safe with me." She giggled. "I mean what would happen if anyone ever found out that Darien Michael Fortune was not so perfect after all."
"You'll pay later for that brat." He growled softy, as they made their way down the stairs.
"Talk is cheap Cape Boy." She whispered back.
"Keep it up Miss Moon and I'll kick everyone out and you and I will have our own party." He all but purred into her ear.
Sere was just about to answer his challenge when she realized that they had an audience. "Hi everyone! This looks really wonderful! I just know that Ami is going to love it!" She smiled at all of them.
The girls just stared at her and the guys, well, they were speechless. She looked like a blonde replica of her mother.
"Well don't all of you speak at once...am I that huge or did I say something wrong?" Sere tried to get them to snap out of it.
The girls snapped out of their shock and raced over to give her a hug.
"Come over here and sit down on the couch Serena. You really shouldn't be on your feet." Mina led her over to the couch in the living room.
"Are you hungry? I made you some of your favorites." Lita smiled at her.
"Do you need more pillows? Are you comfortable enough?" Mina piled some pillows behind Sere.
"We're sorry that we upset you Rena, but we really wanted this to be a surprise." Raye sat down next to her.
"I'm fine. I was a little miffed...well more than a little, but I thought about the whole situation and realized why you needed to keep this from me." Sere eyed each of her friends with wary eyes. "Now why are you suddenly acting like I'm made of glass? I'm just expecting a little one."
"Serena? Is there something that you want to tell us? Something that you've felt the need to hide from the four of us?" Raye pinned with her all-knowing-all-seeing look.
Sere looked over at Dare who gave her this very guilty look. "I guess I did sort of forget to mention that I'm having twins..." She gave them all a guilty look. "I just didn't want all of you to overreact and start treating me like you are now." She sniffled.
"It's okay Serena we love you, just don't ever keep something like this again." Raye gave her a hug, as did the other girls.
"The same goes for the rest of you. I think that it's about time that I met your soul mates don't you?" Sere looked over at the four generals and smiled. "It's okay you three I really am quite harmless."
"Jared, Nathan, Kevin...I would like you to meet my beautiful wife Serena." Darien made the introductions. "Serena these are my friends from college."
"Honestly, Endymion, you could have done better than that." Serenity pushed herself up to her feet and proceeded to greet each of them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Hello Jadeite, Nephrite, Kunzite...welcome to our family it's about time that you finally found your brides, but then it took Endy a while to find me, so I guess that I can forgive you this once." She winked at them and found herself in a group bear hug.
Now that they had their princess back the guy's sighed in relief. She had always been like a sister to them, so her accepting them was a very heavy load off of their shoulders.
"It's good to be back, Sere. We missed you to." Kevin smiled down at her.
"Your mother would be very proud of you." Jared smiled.
"Our little princess is all grown up." Nate sighed.
"Oh I missed you so much!" Sere burst into tears.
"Zach is going to go into over protective brother mode when he sees you." Kev handed her a tissue. "After all, he and Ami always were the ones who tended your scrapes and bruises whenever you trained along with the others. You were only just starting your training and the others had been Senshi for years."
"Staying at the palace all of the time was boring, I wanted to be with my friends." Sere pouted. "Being a Senshi seemed like more fun than being the heir to the Moon Kingdom. I wanted to prove to Mother and the Royal Council that I could become a Senshi and that being one really mattered to me."
"No wonder you were so clueless Serena! You were never really finished your training...that explains a lot." Raye smirked at her friend and was rewarded with a glare.
"I wasn't that bad Raye...well maybe I was that bad...but I did get the hang of it and became one of the greatest heroines in the world. I think that I more than earned my place on the team." Sere stated in her defense.
"Easy love she's just teasing." Dare glared at Raye.
Raye got up off the couch so that she could go over and give Sere a hug. "Sorry Rena you were great as Sailor Moon...I was just teasing."
"As much as we're enjoying this little catch up session of our past...Sere and I need to go pick up Ami and Zach at the airport." Dare had looked at the time and noticed that they were running a little late.
"Are you sure that she needs to be jostled around in that crowded airport?" Raye wasn't so sure that she liked the plan now.
"I'll be fine, besides Ami is expecting Dare and I to pick her up at the airport not you so relax." Sere let Darien help her with her coat.
"If you say so, but might I suggest something before you go?" Raye noticed that Sere was still wearing her tiara.
"Sure but make it quick." Dare sighed.
"You might want to leave the tiara here." Raye grinned.
Sere reached up, took off her tiara, handed it to Raye, and then followed Dare out the door.
"Once a princess always a princess." Jared chuckled.
"As long as we're waiting, why don't you girls show us what made Serena one of the biggest names in Japan and all over the world." Kevin suggested.
"You want to watch Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon? Are you sure? I mean it is based on what we went through and the first part deals with Beryl and your clones?" Mina frowned at them.
"We're big boys. Besides, its only anime...how's it going to hurt us?" Nate shrugged.
"Don't say that we didn't warn you." Raye led them to the entertainment room. "We'll only be able to watch a few of them and the first part deals with Jadeite's clone."
"Thanks for trying to protect me love, but I think that I can handle this." Jared pulled her to him for a kiss as the opening title played across the Wide screen TV.
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(Tokyo International Airport)
Ami and Zach had been flown in on one of Kevin's private jets, so they didn't have to deal with the bustling activity of the main terminal. In fact they hardly had to deal with anything at all and were shuttled to the VIP lounge of the Airport.
"I can't wait to see Serena and the girls again." Ami smiled at Zach. "I want to make sure that Serena and her little ones are well and that she doesn't over do herself during this last month of her pregnancy. Tokyo General can wait until after the twins are born. Making sure Serena is taken care of is my first priority and then I will focus on my residency at the hospital. That's why I told them that I would begin my residency in a few weeks."
"We both need to get settled in, besides that I haven't taken a real break in years, so I have more than earned this time off, before I officially join up with Darien's surgical team. We also have a wedding to plan." Zach pulled her to him for a kiss.
"It's good to be home. There is so much that I want to show you Zach." She sighed happily.
"I can't wait to see Japan through your eyes." Zach looked around the terminal for Dare, but didn't see any sign of him. "Do you think that Darien and Serena are here already here?"
"Let's check the lounge to see if that's where they're waiting for us." Ami frowned. "I hope that nothing has happened to Serena."
"Well the most comfortable place in this airport is the VIP lounge and Serena is very pregnant with twins, so that seems like the logical place to begin our search." Zach and Ami went in search of their friends.
Dare and Serena were the only ones in the lounge and Serena was curled up in his lap snoozing away. While Dare attempted to read his latest medical journal.
Ami saw how pale Serena looked and rushed over to them. "Is she okay?" She whispered to Dare.
"Welcome home Ami and welcome to Japan, Zach. Did the two of you have a nice uneventful flight?" Dare set down his medical journal and smiled up at his friends.
"Don't dodge the question Darien...and why is she Serenity?" Ami wanted some answers and wanted them now.
"Ami, she's fine and the twins make her sleepy. Now as for why she's Serenity, that answer is obvious she's been Serenity since her eighteenth birthday, but something really upset her today that triggered her final transformation as Neo Queen Serenity." Dare explained in a calm and neutral tone.
"What happened to upset her enough to revert to Serenity? Only her temper or battle usually causes the transformation to occur." Ami was now sitting next to him and had automatically begun to check her vitals.
"She didn't like finding out that we've been keeping important information from her." Dare growled softly.
"Serenity never could stand secrets." Zach sighed in frustration. "She seems fine to me Ames lets just get her back home."
"Of course she's fine! Do the two of you really think that I would have ever let her come with me, if she hadn't been fine? I am the head surgeon at Tokyo's finest hospital! I think that I can take care of my princess and our unborn little ones!" Darien situated Serena in his arms, stood up, and stalked out of the lounge.
"Wait Dare we didn't mean to make you angry. We're just worried about Serena." Ami and Zach went after him.
Sere blinked her eyes open and looked up at her not so happy prince. "What's wrong Muffin? You seem upset about something." She yawned.
"Nothing that you need to worry about my Angel," He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Did you have a nice nap?"
"I just can't seem to stay awake these days." She sighed. "Are Ami and Zach here yet?"
"Yes love they happen to be right behind me...in fact I've already been accused of not taking proper care of you." Dare sighed in frustration.
"She overreacted to my being Serenity didn't she." Sere worried her lower lip with her front teeth.
"You could say that, but then so did Zach. So I did what any intelligent man would do and beat a hasty retreat." Darien nodded.
"My poor Muffin...Don't worry darling, I'll protect you. Just put me down so that I can talk to Ami." Sere began to squirm in his arms.
"You are going to stay right where you are, besides I love holding you in my arms." Dare smiled down at her.
"But I want to see Ami and Zach..." She sniffed her eyes instantly pooled with tears.
"Don't cry princess, we're not going anywhere. We just needed to get our bags." Zach walked over to them with their luggage cart in tow.
"Let's get Serena home. It's starting to get stormy and she doesn't need to catch a chill." Ami took charge once more.
"Not you too Ami! I'm fine!" Sere pouted.
"And I want to make sure that you remain that way, so let's get you home." Ami headed for the front doors just as lightning flashed across the sky, followed by loud cracks of thunder.
Sere immediately went from pouting to sheer terror in moments and had buried her face against Darien's coat. "I hate thunder storms!" She whimpered her whole body was trembling in sheer terror.
"We were at the house and saw that you had chosen to take the Lexus instead of the Limo. I guess that you didn't notice that we had a storm brewing, so Shell and I sent it here." Erica and Michelle arrived at the airport with a solution to their princess's current dilemma.
"Welcome home Ami and it's about time Zach or should I say Zoi?" Michelle winked at Ami.
"It's good to be back." Ami smiled at them.
"It's good to see you Shelly. I see that some things never change." He chuckled.
Darien decided to quickly change the subject before Erica lost it and decked Zach. "Excellent idea Erica...here take the keys to the Lexus while I get Sere safely into the Limo." He winced when Sere dug her nails into arm. "Easy angel, as long as your in my arms you're safe." He tired to calm her down.
"That was the plan Dare...as for you Zoi...you and I are going to talk later." Erica gave him an icy glare then she and Michelle left the terminal.
"CAN WE PLEASE GO HOME!" Sere wailed as thunder seemed to shake the windows.
"Will you two move it!" Ami all but snarled at them and the two men bolted for the front doors. "I've already gotten them to put our bags in the Limo! Honestly, men can be so dense some times." Ami muttered under her breath as she got into the Limo. "Hurry up before it starts pouring!" She snapped.
"I'm okay Mercury...I just hate storms." Sere was curled up across from her.
"You are not okay...being scared to death is not okay...but we're safely inside the Limo so the storm can't get you." Ami went to sit next to her friend. "So please try to calm down and relax."
"I'll try..." She whimpered.
Dare and Zach joined them in the Limo and Sere was immediately pulled into his arms. "Shh...Baby its okay...I won't let anything happen to you." He rocked her in his arms as if she were a little girl.
"I remember when she first experienced a thunderstorm...back during the Silver Millennium. It was during one of our fierce summer storms." Zach looked over at Dare to see if he would remember.
"And a tree was struck by lightning and came crashing through the window in the sitting room of her stateroom. I didn't think that she would ever stop trembling..." Dare finally realized why his angel was so terrified of the storms.
"I think that she has every right to be afraid of storms...don't you." Zach sighed.
"And the feeling is intensified even more because she's Serenity." Ami frowned.
"Right as usual my love..." Zach kissed her on the nose.
"She'll be fine as soon as we get her home and feed her...that always seemed to work when we were kids." Ami smiled up at him. "I only wish that the others were in town to greet us...I really wanted to see them today."
"Well Mina, Lita, and Raye all flew to the states to see if they could drag Kevin, Nate, and Jared back with them." Dare didn't think that it would hurt to tell one tiny white lie. "But they are all due here tomorrow so you'll see them all then."
"Oh well at least I get to catch up with you and Serena." Ami looked out at the Tokyo skyline. "It's good to be home."
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(Sere and Dare's mansion)
Raye paced the ultra plush living room carpet. The storm appeared to be intensifying outside. "I hope that their plane landed before this storm hit...Poor Serena must be scared out of her mind! She hates storms. In fact they absolutely terrify her. Thank goodness we have an emergency generator that way the lights will be a welcoming sight for them."
Jared walked over and pulled her into his arms. "Easy Flame, I called the airport before the storm hit and they said that the plane had already landed."
"It just reminds me of the night that Chad..." Raye couldn't finish what she had wanted to say, because it still hurt too much to think about that awful night when Chad's plane had crashed.
Jared swept her up into his arms and carried her over to the couch. "It's okay love, I've got you." He let her curl up in his arms and cry.
"I still miss him...you are my life, but I miss him so much..." She finally let herself cry after over a year and tears finally fell down her cheeks.
"I know baby...I know...just let it all out..." He rocked her in his arms.
"I treated him so badly, but he never once complained or let me run him off. He just took whatever I threw at him." She sobbed against his chest. "I used to chase him with a broom all around the grounds of the temple, because he thought that he could sing...when the truth was that he couldn't hold a tune. He always tried to save me no matter the danger. He was such a goof ball...I loved him so much and he was always there for me." She let herself remember the good times as she continued to cry on Jared's shoulder.
"Did you know why Chad fled to Japan?" He asked softly.
"No why" She sniffed.
"He and my Uncle had this big fight and he just vanished...no one knew where he went. Then a few years ago he came back home, because his father was dying. That's the first time that I knew that you weren't only a dream. You were all that Chad could talk about. All that he could think of was getting home so that he could ask you to marry him. I asked him if he had a picture of his love and he had all kinds of them...the moment that I saw your picture I knew that you were lost to me. God it hurt...it felt as if some one had ripped out my heart, but all that I cared about was that you were happy. I lost myself in my work and avoided any of my family, until Kevin insisted that I pick you up at the airport and then well the rest is history." He looked down into her endless violet eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me all of this?" Raye asked softly.
"I didn't want to upset you...I knew that you were still hurting, it was like your pain was my pain." Jared whispered hoarsely.
"You would have let me go just like that? Regardless of our destiny?" Raye reached up and brushed a lone tear from his cheek.
"I would do anything for you...my eternal flame." He kissed away her tears.
"Then marry me, be the father of my children, and be mine forever." She her eyes never left his as she spoke.
"As you wish my love, but wasn't that suppose to be my line?" He smiled down at her.
"While you were talking to Grandpa...I um..." She gave him a guilty look. "I snuck into your room and happened to notice this little velvet ring box sitting on your night stand."
"Raye Lynn Hino, did you try and sneak a peak at your engagement ring?" Jared arched a brow at her.
"I couldn't resist it...you left the box sitting in plain sight on your nightstand...so I carefully opened up the box only to find that there was no ring inside." She pouted.
"You mean this ring?" Jared reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. "I had a feeling that you would try and find it, so I've kept it with me."
Raye watched as he opened the pouch and out dropped a gorgeous ruby ring surrounded by a spray of flawless diamonds. "Jared it's absolutely gorgeous!" She gasped in delight.
"It's a replica of the ring that I gave you the first time I asked for your hand in marriage. Princess Mars...my eternal flame will you marry me, be the mother of my children, and be mine forever?" Sapphire eyes met violet ones.
"Yes...Prince Jadeite. I would love to marry you again, only this time it will be forever." She watched as he slipped the ring on her finger.
"You remember?" Jared had tears shining in his eyes.
"How could I forget the happiest time in my life, even if it was only for a brief amount of time." She through her arms around him and kissed him. "I love you so much."
"And I love you my eternal flame." He deepened the kiss and they both fell back onto the cushions of the couch.
Lita and Nate were curled up on the window seat of the sunroom, as they watched the storm rage outside.
"I love you Lita and I never thought that I would ever say that to anyone." Nate brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them.
"I love you to Nate. I want back what was stolen from us all those years ago." Lita smiled at him.
Nate fished a ring box out of his pocket. "Princess Jupiter will you marry me?" He opened the box revealing a beautiful emerald and diamond ring.
Lita watched as he slid the ring onto her finger. "But how did you manage to find...it's my ring from the first time that you asked me to marry you." She was so happy that tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"I had it designed especially for you." Nate brushed away her tears. "Only one ring would ever do for my princess."
"This means more to me you will ever know." She through her arms around his neck and kissed him.
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Kevin and Mina were snuggled up together in the entertainment room. "Are you happy my goddess?" He had just given her an engagement ring.
"I have never been happier my prince. I love my ring...it seems perfectly natural to see it on my finger again." Mina watched as the diamond ring with a spray of perfectly carved citrines surrounding it, sparkled on her finger.
"This time we will have forever." Kevin vowed.
"I wouldn't have it any other way handsome. Now enough talk we still have time for some serious kissing." She was immediately kissed senseless.
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The Limo pulled up to the front door of the mansion which still had welcoming lights blazing against the fierce storm raging outside. "Are we home?" Sere looked up at Dare. Her back was killing her and she just wanted to get up and walk for a while.
"Yes angel we're home." Dare kissed the top of her head as he carried her inside.
Ami had noticed that Sere had not been very comfortable during the ride home and she had a feeling that it wasn't the storm that was making her uncomfortable but something else. "I think we might still be in for a few more surprises tonight." Ami gave Zach a knowing look.
"Then the twins will just be a few weeks early. I think that the two of us can handle delivering the twins, seeing as we've kept constant contact with Dare since he told us about the twins." Zach wasn't the least bit concerned.
"Two of us? What about Darien?" Ami asked quietly.
"Darien will be a basket case the minute she goes into labor." Zach looked up at the Welcome Home banner and the balloons and smiled. "I think that they were going to surprise you with a party."
Jared and Raye sat up the second that they heard Ami and Zach talking in the foyer.
"Welcome home Ami! Hi Zach!" Raye blushed.
"Welcome to Japan, Zach." Jared grinned.
"Are all of you here?" Ami dragged Zach over to the couch. "This was all for me?"
"Of course it's all for you and yes we're all here! Lita and Nate are in the Sunroom and Mina and Kevin are still in the entertainment room." Raye smiled.
"Well that's one way of passing the time away." Zach chuckled.
"We were celebrating our engagement." Jared growled.
"Congratulations!" Ami exclaimed happily.
Lita, Nate, Mina, and Kevin all came in to greet Ami and Zach.
"Welcome home Ami!" The girls ran over and gave Ami a big hug.
"Hey buddy did you have a nice flight?" The two men walked over to greet their friend.
"It was long, but then I had my princess to keep me company." Zach grinned.
"Where are Darien and Serena?" Raye noticed that they weren't there.
"I'm right here Raye." Sere smiled at them. "I'm fine Darien so stop hovering!" She hissed at him.
"Serena I think that you need to lie down...you said that your back was hurting you." Darien followed her into the great room.
"I'm eight months pregnant with twins you idiot! Of course my back is aching! Now stop hovering!" She snarled at him, her crescent moon symbol blazed on her forehead as if to warn him that she meant business.
"Seeing as the storm is still raging outside I half expected her to be clinging to him in sheer terror." Raye smirked.
"She was during the ride home, but then experiencing pre-labor back pains does tend to make one grouchy." Ami knew that her hunch was right.
"Pre-labor...? Now?" Raye couldn't believe what Ami was telling her.
"But she isn't due for another three weeks." Mina whispered as not to alert Serena.
"Twins come early, relax or she'll think that something is up." Zach hissed at the girls.
"Come over here and sit down Serena." Lita smiled at Serena as she walked over to them. "I'll bet you're absolutely famished."
"I don't wanna sit and I'm not hungry." Serena rubbed at the small of her back it seemed to be getting worse by the minute.
"Then how about a nice soothing cup of tea," Lita never thought that she would ever see the day that Serena would turn down one of her meals.
"Yes, Lita that's just what she needs." Ami answered for Serena.
"I'll be back in a minute." Lita went to get the tea.
"Will all of you please stop hovering over me! It's not like I'm going into labor!" She exclaimed just as her water broke. "Then again maybe I am going into labor." She whimpered shakily now that she was soaking wet.
Darien tried to act as calmly as possible and picked up the phone to tell the Hospital that they were on their way, but the phone wasn't working. Don't panic Darien, just use your cell phone. He told himself. "Everything is fine the storm seems to have knocked down the phone lines. I'll just use my Cell phone to inform the hospital that we're on our way. Raye, why don't you and the girls take Serena upstairs so that she can change out of her wet dress." He tried his Cell phone, but the storm was playing havoc with that to.
Erica, Michelle, Hotaru, and Selena arrived for Ami's party. It seemed that the city was experiencing one of the worst storms in years.
"Half the city is out of power, there are lines and trees down everywhere. It seems that Typhoon Ling decided to hit us instead of lower Japan. No one is going anywhere tonight." Eric informed them.
"ERICA! There has to be some way! Serena's water just broke a few minutes ago! I need to get her to the hospital!" Darien was not taking the news very well.
"Calm down Darien. After all Ami, Zach, and yourself are all doctors or did you cheat your way through all of those years of medical school?" Erica had never seen him this unglued before it was really quite amusing.
"That's enough Erica. The prince is on the verge of panicking so leave him be." Selena tried to hide her grin.
"I am not panicking! I just wanted this to happen at the hospital! Where I knew that there was a medical team standing by in case something were to go wrong." Dare raked his fingers through his jet-black hair.
"That doesn't seem to be the case, so this is what I want everyone to do." Ami came downstairs to take charge of the situation. "All of you relax and above all don't panic. Darien please go upstairs Serena needs you. We're going to need some towels and some blankets...Zach get Darien's medical bag you'll know what we'll need. Now as for the rest of you smile...after all it isn't every night that the future heirs to this planet are born." With that said she headed back up the stairs.
"Nate? I'll need you to boil some water, so that I can sterilize the instruments that we're going to need. Don't worry everyone she'll be fine and so will the twins." Zach smiled at them.
"So now all we can do is wait?" Kevin hated to wait.
"That's the way it goes...why don't you go play a game of pool or something...this could take hours." Zach suggested as he went to get things ready for the birth of the twins.
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(A few hours later)
Darien and Serena were awed by the two perfect little miracles that they were holding in their arms. "I am so proud of you angel." He kissed her softly.
"I'm sorry about the black eye." She smiled at him.
"Are you kidding it was worth it...look at them so perfect." He had tears shining in his eyes.
"He looks just like his Daddy." She cooed down at her son.
"And she looks like a little duplicate of her momma." Dare kissed the top of his baby girls silver blonde hair.
"Well Muffin do we stick with tradition or try something new?" Sere yawned.
"You mean call them by our given titles?" Dare had to think that one over.
"Serenity Rose Fortune?" Serena arched a brow at him.
"Endymion Rafferty Fortune?" Dare tried out the name.
"Rose and Rafe...I like those names don't you?" She sighed happily.
"Well? Can we come in or do you want to be alone?" Raye poked her head into the room.
"Come on in and see our little miracles." Sere smiled at her.
Everyone piled into the room to see the twins.
"Look at how adorable they are." Lita cooed down at one of the twins.
"You did a good job little sister." Kevin and Jared walked over and kissed Serena's forehead.
"Great job princess." Michelle smiled at her.
"I agree about the twins and Darien's black eye." Erica winked at her and Serena blushed with embarrassment.
"I'm so proud of you Serena..." Raye smiled down at little Rafe.
"Would you like to hold him?" Serena smiled at Raye and carefully placed him in her arms.
"Hello there I'm your Aunt Raye." She cooed down at the snoozing infant in her arms.
"Sere what are their names?" Mina was cooing at Rose.
"Serenity Rose and Endymion Rafferty or Rose and Rafe for short." Dare announced proudly. "Selena would you like to hold Rose?"
"I would be honored." Selena now cradled the little princess in her arms.
"Welcome to the world little prince and princess...you hold the key to the future of this planet." Hotaru whispered softly.
"Yes little one and what a brilliant future it will be." Selena smiled down at Hotaru as they continued to celebrate the new additions to their family.
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Next Chapter Two
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