Author's Notes: I'm back! I hope everyone had a good holiday and is enjoying the year 2014. I know I am, so far. Sorry I didn't update the last few weeks, but I thought because of the holiday I deserved a break. Anyway, big thanks to:

catgirl505 – Mhm. Cookies. Thanks for your review!

nickybluejess – Thanks for your review! You probably didn't remember what happened because it's been a while since HBOL and Balancing Fate. Thanks for reading it again though!

lariell30 – Thanks for your review! And thank you too for reading my other stories and your kind words. They mean a lot. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

buffy corvin

Mistress Mask

smfan4ever72

for reviewing the last chapter. They mean the world to me. On with the new chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon. And this story is rated M for a reason, more lemons are ahead.

Balancing Fate: A Hell Bent On Love Tale

By: afallenblackrose

Chapter Four:

Ignore the Burning Chicken, Let's Talk

I woke up the following morning, with the sunlight streaming in through my window. It took a few moments before I could place where I was and why my body felt so sore. I had a body. I was alive again, and the reason I was alive was because Fate needed the balance to be restored. I had started to work on that, by going to Serenity's mother yesterday where I had also ran into Darien. Darien…my brain stuck on the name as the events of the night before played in my mind. The blood went to my cheeks and I tried not to smile, but it was in vain. Last night had been perfect, and even though I knew I should feel bad for what I had done, especially so soon after meeting the man, but yet I wasn't feeling anything other than pure happiness.

A feeling that evaporated when I rolled over to find my bed empty. I sat up in my bed, the comforter wrapped around my body, and found that I was completely alone. Why would he leave as if I was a one-night stand, as if he was… I let out a bitter laugh. As if he was like Endymion. God, this fit Endymion's old persona before he became serious about me to an absolute T. Looks like more than just appearances was passed down. Fuck my life, I thought and lay back down. Something crinkled beneath my back and I frowned. That was not my sheets. I sat back up and looked, it was a folded piece of paper.

No way, I thought and picked it up. Well, this was definitely not part of Endymion's former motif. I unfolded the note and read through it:

Dear Serena,

Whatever you do, don't freak out that I'm not there. I realized that in my haste to come and see you last night I never locked the door to my apartment. I also realized that, even though I would have loved to wake up with you in my arms, I still have a medical practice to run, and I can't be late.

However, with that in mind, I still wish to continue whatever it was we started last night later tonight, after work? That is if you're up for it? Besides, I believe that we really need to talk. Now, stop reading this letter and go and get ready for work, even though you're sleeping with the boss, I still don't want you to be late!

Darien

I smiled, the anger and bitterness I was feeling disappearing with each word I read. But he was right about a few things. One, we really needed to talk about what had happened and what it meant for us. And two, I really shouldn't be late for work even though I was indeed sleeping with the boss. I looked at the clock and swore some more that morning.

I had to be at the office in twenty minutes.

I ran as fast as I dared down the block in a pair of high heels. The slightest misstep and I could go sprawling on the concrete. Lucky for me, the office wasn't too far from the apartment, so I was able to make it to the door with two minutes to spare. I stopped and collected my breath and checked my appearance in the glass. Not a hair out of place, no dust on my skirt and blouse. I took in a deep breath and opened the door.

Darien was sitting in my chair and looked up when he heard the door open. He smiled at me and looked at the clock.

"One minute to go, not bad, newbie," he said and got out of the chair. "We have an easy day today, so before we start, about my note this morning…"

"Yes, what about it?" I asked as I sat down in the seat he had just vacated. He leaned down, his arms on the arms of my chair.

"What are you doing after work?"

"Well, according to some note, I have to have a long conversation regarding certain events from last night," I replied, trying to ignore the darkening color of Darien's eyes. But it was hard to do. I knew what the darkening meant, and I tried not to squirm in my seat at the thought of him and me doing it right here in this office.

"Good," he said huskily, leaning in even closer. "We'll have dinner at my place, and then have a very long conversation about what this means." He breathed in deeply. "I'm trying really hard not to kiss you right now."

"Keep trying," I said. "Because we are in your place of employment and your first appointment is bound to walk in any minute now." I tried to be the voice of reason, because someone had to be in this situation.

"You do have a point," he replied and straightened himself up. "All right, let's get this day over with." He moved towards his office, just as the front door opened again admitting the first patient of the day.

I smiled, "Good morning."

The day seemed to keep dragging on. Darien kept looking at the clock every moment he could without looking too obvious that he would rather been somewhere else with someone else. With each patient who walked through his door, he knew that it was one less person he had to see, meaning the day was coming to an end sooner. Finally when he was waiting for his last patient of the day, he heard the door to the office open, and Serena's greeting that broke off immediately. That couldn't be a good sign.

Darien strode from his office and was shocked when he saw Haruka and Michelle staring in shock at Serena sitting behind her desk.

"Haruka, Michelle," he said drawing their attention.

"Darien," they said in unison.

"Wait, Haruka?" Serena asked drawing the blonde woman's attention again.

"Yes, that's me. Now, who the hell are you? And why do you look like Serenity?" Darien tried not to wince along with Michelle. They both knew how abrasive the woman could be, but in situations like this, she shouldn't be. Serena was in a delicate state, especially now that she was meeting the woman who got her sister into the business of contract killing. The job that had gotten her killed. Crap, Darien thought and tried to intercede.

"I'm her sister," Serena said. Haruka and Michelle's mouths popped open even more than they already had, and Darien couldn't help but wonder if he had had the same expression on his face the day before when he had found out who she was. Most likely, he thought. "And if you're really Haruka, then you and I need to have a serious and long conversation about what happened to her."

The only thing the blonde woman did was nod her head, completely mute and Michelle couldn't help but smile. "I have never seen Haruka be this quiet before, ever. This should be really good." She turned to Darien. "Are you sure I have to have a check up today? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

As much as he wanted to agree with the woman, he shook his head. It would probably be best if they weren't involved in the conversation that those two were about to have. He didn't know how much Michelle knew about what her partner did for a living, but he was pretty sure that the conversation that they were going to have would not be for her ears.

"C'mon back, Michelle," he said and looked at Serena. "You're going to be okay?" The blonde only nodded, not even looking at him. He frowned as he went back to the patient room. The good mood from earlier that day was gone. Whatever they were going to talk about could not bode well for the conversation he wanted to have with her later on that night.

As soon as Darien left the room, I watched the blonde woman whose name was Haruka with an inspecting eye. I knew who the woman was, I had witnessed the scene where Serenity had been propositioned to become a contract killer to help pay for her mom's hospital bills. Haruka would have done anything for Serenity, and as I looked at her, I could tell that she was waiting for me to lay into her for getting my 'sister' into the position that had gotten her killed.

But I wasn't going to. No, instead I was going to tell her the truth. The real truth. I sighed and got up from my seat to get rid of the barrier that my desk provided us. I ushered her into the waiting room and we sat down on two chairs next to each other.

"Look, Serena, about your sister," Haruka started but I waved her off.

"Haruka, please, I don't blame you for what happened to her," I said and took another breath. "If anything, there are things that you need to know about what happened after that night to my 'sister.'" The confused look that she gave me was expected. She was probably going to think that I was insane. But I needed another confidant while I was here, and who better than the woman who had helped Serenity with her secret life?

"Serena, what are you talking about?"

"Before I go any further, I have to know, how open is your mind?"

"Pretty open, why?"

"Because, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound pretty damn insane. So insane, in fact, that you might want to have me locked up in a loony bin. But please, believe me when I say that everything I'm about to tell you is true."

"Okay," she said hesitatingly. "I'm all ears."

When Darien and Michelle came out of the offices, they found Haruka and I sitting and talking like we were old friends. I had told her everything and I was shocked to see how well she had taken it. She gave me a hug and told me that my secret was safe with her; the only thing she wanted was permission to tell Michelle. Apparently, they didn't keep secrets from each other. Besides, she had been really torn up about Serenity's death. She had felt responsible because she had told Haruka about Serenity. I nodded my consent and she and I had been talking about things that she believed I needed to know about men in the twenty-first century. She had also warned me that even though things between Darien and me were going well, they probably wouldn't continue that way if I didn't tell him soon about my secret life.

"You weren't around after Serenity's death," she said. "But, Darien was really torn up and there were days that I saw him where he looked like he didn't understand why she had lied to him about what was going on with her. He's the kind of man who doesn't like people keeping secrets from him. So, the sooner you tell him, Serena, the better." It was a good warning, one that I intended to take to heart, but I just had to figure out how to tell him everything that I had just told Haruka. I also was cringing at the thought of how he was going to react. It ranged from completely pissed to… well, completely pissed. There was no way he wouldn't be mad at me after I told him everything.

When Darien and Michelle walked back into the room, we could clearly see that they were shocked to see us talking and laughing. This was not what they had planned on walking in on. They probably thought that I was going to bitch Haruka out about what had happened to my sister. But what they didn't know…

"Haruka?" Michelle asked from the door.

"Hey," she said and got up from her seat. "Did everything go okay?"

"Yeah, I've got a clean bill of health," she said a frown still on her face as she tried to figure out what had gone on while she was getting her check up. Darien was throwing me the same look. I only smiled at him serenely as I got up and made my way back to the computer. I checked my screen and smiled at Michelle.

"You're all set for the day, Michelle," I said. "We'll see you next year."

"Well," she said trailing off. "Since you two seem to be connecting, maybe we will see you sooner than that?"

"I would like that," I continued to smile; ignoring the questioning glances that Darien was throwing my way. I would handle him later while we were discussing what the night before had meant. Or had he forgotten that we were having dinner after these two left?

"Well, we'll be in touch," Michelle said and took Haruka's hand in hers. She nodded good-bye to Darien and walked out the door. As soon as the door closed, Darien was trapping me in my chair again. I looked up at him startled by the invasion of my personal space.

"One day," he said his voice low. "You're going to tell me what you and Haruka talked about because I honestly was expecting a different scene when I came back into the room."

"And what sort of scene were you expecting?"

"Oh, I don't know. A murder, probably," he murmured his lips tantalizingly close to my ear. I tried not to smile, but I completely failed.

"Do you really think a person my size, could take on Haruka?" I asked. "She's a trained killer. She could probably take me out in five seconds."

"You forget, I don't tend to underestimate people anymore. Not since…" he trailed off and stood back. My smile disappeared, the mood instantly shifting again at the mention of my sister's former secret life. Haruka hadn't been kidding. Serenity's secret life as a contract killer had really shaken Darien up. "Anyway," he said shaking himself out of his mood. "Now that they're gone, we're done for the day. So about dinner…"

I tried not to have my eyes widen as we walked into Darien's apartment an hour later, our arms full of groceries. How was it that Darien and I had practically the same apartment, and yet his looked grander than mine? I looked around and my eyes zeroed in on the view from his windows. I stood there staring at the view of the city that seemed to roll out from his balcony. I was so enraptured by it that I didn't hear Darien come up beside me.

"I know," he said taking the bags of groceries from my arms. "The view is pretty breathtaking." He turned and walked into the kitchen to start on our dinner. We had chosen to make a simple meal of chicken with potatoes and steamed vegetables. He started busying himself with preparing the chicken that he didn't seem to notice that I had come in behind him. I didn't mind. I got to watch him without him watching me back. He moved with such grace through his own kitchen, if I hadn't known better I thought he'd been cooking his whole life. Darien finally seemed to realize that I was watching him and he turned and smirked at me.

"Enjoying the view?" He asked.

I smiled at him, "Yes, both of them." I turned back to the window and heard him chuckle as he continued to cook our dinner. I wandered out of the kitchen and closer to the window, and just continued to stare at the city below. Haruka had warned me about Darien's short tolerance for secrets and I had seen it for myself a few times already in the last day and a half. This stumped me. How was I supposed to tell him the biggest secret that he would ever know and not have him hate me? There was just no way…

A glass of red wine entered my vision and I looked up to see Darien standing behind me with a smile on his face. "I've been calling your name for the last two minutes. What are you thinking about so hard?" He asked and handed me the glass. I took it gratefully and took a small sip.

"I'm just thinking," I whispered. "Seeing Haruka today brought up a lot of things." He offered me a seat on his couch, one that I gratefully took. I sat down and he sat down next to me taking my hand in his own.

"I'll be honest, I was worried when I saw her come in with Michelle today," he said. "I had completely forgotten that she was even supposed to come in, but you seemed to handle it with ease. I'm still curious as to what you two talked about."

"Maybe, one day, I'll tell you," I said and took another sip from my glass trying to ignore the look he was giving me. It was a look that said that he wanted to know what we had talked about, and he wanted to know it now. But he only sighed, realizing that I wasn't going to be telling him anytime soon. Besides we had other more important things to talk about.

"Okay," he sighed. "Then I guess we can move on to the other subject that we need to talk about tonight."

"Right," I turned to him. "So about last night…"

"Last night was amazing," he said automatically, his hand tightening around mine. "But I feel really bad that it happened so soon after us meeting each other. If I had any respect, I would have at least asked you out on a few dates first. Instead I show up at your door with a bleeding hand at two in the morning." He shook his head.

I laughed, "Yes, quite an interesting way to seduce a girl, I got to say."

His eyes caught mine with a piercing stare and his lips turned up into another smirk. "Seduction? You call what I did seduction? You were the one who was seducing me."

I spluttered. "What? How do you figure?"

"Really?" He countered. "You answered the door at two in the morning, you invited me inside your apartment and took care of my hand. Not to mention you were only wearing a pair of flannel pants with a white tank top, with no bra! If that's not seduction…"

"Hey! What else was I supposed to wear?" I asked. "As you pointed out, it was two in the morning, I wasn't expecting anyone to show up at my door."

We fell into silence and I wanted to curse him. Why was it we couldn't have a normal conversation without there being words unsaid or an argument? I took another sip of my wine, before the glass was taken out of my hand. I swallowed and stared at Darien who placed both our glasses on the table. What was he doing? Was he kicking me out? Had I really pissed him off? I bit my lip as I watched him with hesitant eyes. He turned back to me a thoughtful expression on his face, as he leaned in closer to me. I continued looking at him with inquisitive eyes. His hand reached out and curled one of my loose hairs around my ear.

"When you keep arguing with me like that," he seemed to breathe. "It's hard for me to even think straight around you. We should be talking about what last night meant. We should be talking about how much of an ass I am for taking you even though we'd only known each other for five minutes. But instead, here we are arguing about who seduced who at two in the morning." He pulled my chin towards him and I happily let his lips claim mine. I wasn't even sure how my body ended up fully horizontal on his couch with his body cloaking mine.

But when he pulled back, I saw the ceiling behind his ear. Holy crap, I thought to myself. "Serena, if you don't agree to be my girlfriend, I think I might have to do something drastic." His voice was husky with need, and I couldn't blame him. The space between my legs was dripping, how was it possible that he could make me feel this way?

"Darien," I said.

"Please, don't say no," he whispered his forehead on mine and his breath hot on my face. "Whatever you do, please don't say no."

"I'm not saying no," I whispered back my voice hoarse. "But…" I flexed my hips and felt something hard poking me just where I wanted it. I moaned and saw his eyes light up with understanding. He kissed me again, this time his kiss more heated than it had been earlier. I lifted my arms so I could plunge my hands into his hair and hold him to my face, but he wouldn't have it. He ripped his lips away from me and looked down on me.

"If I was an honorable man, I would take you to my bed," he whispered as he peppered kisses down my neck. "Especially after all the fantasies I had about you in it last night. But I'm not honorable." His hands trailed down to my shirt and ripped it open, not even bothering with all the buttons. I heard the ping that signaled the buttons had flown off into various directions of his apartment and I felt my body flush with heat and need. His eyes devoured me, lingering on the blue push up bra I had thrown on that morning. "And you thought this was appropriate for work?" He asked those eyes darkening into a color I was starting to know very well.

"You ruined my blouse," the only coherent thought that I was able to voice. He looked at me like I was crazy. "I liked this blouse." I said and he only chuckled as he pushed the ruined fabric off my shoulder.

"I did too," he whispered as he kissed my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll buy you a new one."

"Mmph," was my only reply as I felt him go lower. He lowered the cups of my bra to reveal my naked breasts and the already pebbled nipples. He hissed as he took one in his mouth and bit gently. My head snapped back as the pleasure coursed through me. I opened my eyes to look at him when I noticed a rift of gray floating from the kitchen. My nose than picked up on it. Smoke. Something was burning.

"Um…Darien?" I asked. He muffled something against my breast. "As much as I want you to continue, I smell smoke." His head snapped up from my breast and he looked towards the kitchen.

"Shit. That's the chicken," He got up and ran.

Haruka walked into the former arcade the following morning feeling much better than she had in months. Serenity was at peace and having the time of her after life with the Devil down in Hell. Serena was here to take care of Darien's broken heart, and from what she saw she was doing a good job. The only thing that could have made this day better was if she had walked into the old arcade and not the stuffy café it had become since Andrew's death. But there was nothing that could have been done about it. She took her usual seat by the window and waited for her appointment to walk in.

Although she had looked for the last few months, she hadn't been able to find someone new to take on to replace Serenity's position. Because of that, she had been doing a lot of jobs on her own. Something that her girlfriend Michelle didn't care for at all. So when she got a call on her secure line the day before from someone who saw her ad, she had accepted to interview them today. The sooner she filled the position the sooner Michelle would forgive her and let her back into their bed. The couch was not a comfortable place to sleep every night.

A woman with auburn hair that went just slightly past her shoulders walked into the café. Haruka watched her carefully wondering if this was her interview candidate. She fit the description that she had out to a T. Small build so she could get in and out of places easily and sexy for those clients who needed to be seduced before they were killed. Haruka observed this all without even having to talk to her. Yes, she would do just fine. Now she just needed to find out what her experience level was, her intelligence level, and how well she could keep a secret. It wouldn't do to have someone who went around blabbing what she did for a living.

The woman spotted Haruka and made her way to the table. Before she sat down she looked at the blonde and smiled. "Are you Haruka?" She asked her voice lowered to a whisper.

"I am, and you are?"

"The name is Anne," the woman replied and took a seat across from her. "I'm here about the position you posted."

I tried not to laugh as I watched Darien's dejected expression as he took out his severely burned chicken. But it was impossible; the expression on his face and the way he was looking at the chicken was just too much for me. I let out a peal of laughter. He snapped his head up and looked at me, plain amusement on his face.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" He asked dropping the pan that held the chicken into the sink.

"You have no idea," I said gasping for breath after my laughter had subsided. "The way you were looking at that chicken, you would have thought it had been your dog." I wiped some tears out of my eyes. God, it felt good to laugh like that. When my gaze finally cleared, he was standing in front of me an expression on his face that I was too scared to name. In fact, I didn't have much time before he picked me up and hauled me deeper into the kitchen. "Darien," I whined as I pounded on his back. "Let me go."

"Okay," he said and placed me on the counter. I looked at him amazement in my eyes. Just who did he think he was carrying me like that? What was he a caveman? And I thought the men of the sixteenth century were bad. They had nothing on this guy. Now, why had he put me on the kitchen counter?

"Darien, why am I on the counter?" I asked.

He smiled at me, moving closer to me. "Don't you remember what I said last night?" He asked his voice husky again. I continued to look at him not understanding what he was talking about when a memory from last night replayed itself in my mind.

"Great," he said and looked with longing at the counter I was trapped in front of. "Too bad this is your first time or else I would have had you on this counter top, but that can also wait until later. Let's get you to bed."

My eyes locked onto his, as I realized that my blouse was still destroyed and my breasts were hanging out of my bra. I hadn't really done a good job of getting myself together before I had followed him in here. Oh, I thought as realization dawned on my face. He licked his lips and placed both his arms on the counter top beside me.

"The things I'm going to do to you," he whispered as his hands went around me. They touched the back of my skirt searching for the zipper. Once he found it he tugged it down gently, probably not wanting to also ruin my skirt on top of my blouse. Once it was down he grasped the fabric and slid it down my legs. He dropped it onto the floor, before he moved onto my panties. His fingers trailed around the waistband, feeling the fabric with the pads of his fingertips. They slid further downwards and I tried not to flex my hips to meet them.

"Darien…" I whispered. He didn't say a word as those fingers touched that piece of fabric that covered the spot between my thighs. He chuckled as he felt the damp fabric and he hastily moved it aside. He stroked the already sensitive flesh and I balanced my head on the cabinet behind me. Darien whispered something that I couldn't quite catch because his finger had delved inside me. Even though the contact felt good – hell more than good – it still wasn't what I wanted inside me, and he must have known that. This slow tantalizing pace had to be killing him.

I had felt his erection when we had been on the couch, he must still be feeling the pressure. "Darien…" I whispered again and grasped for him. My hands found his shoulders and I flinched at the contact. His skin was on fire.

"Just let it go, Serena," he whispered back to me, his fingers moving faster within me, the pressure I knew from last night was building in my lower stomach again. His eyes found mine and I felt the pressure finally find its release. I moaned my hips rocking back and forth, when I finally felt some sense of sanity return, I saw him remove his fingers. He reached for a towel and wiped his dripping fingers off. I felt myself blush as I realized all that liquid had come from me.

"Don't be embarrassed, Serena," he whispered as his fingers touched my face. He dipped his head and kissed me deeply. I felt it in my toes. Speaking of toes, I drew my legs around his waist and drew him to me. His erection was still present and I pressed it to my damp core. He moaned into my mouth before he drew himself away. "Stop, are you trying to unman me?" He asked a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Of course not," I replied. "Just trying to help you." My legs tightened around him and he groaned. He looked at me shocked, before his hands were on my panties again. This time he ripped them off. There went another part of my outfit, I thought with a laugh. His hands then moved to his belt buckle, which he quickly undid. He popped open the button of his pants and brought down the zipper with such haste I had no idea, until his pants were around his ankles along with his boxers. Darien's erection popped free, and before I could take in a gasp of appreciation he sunk within me.

We moaned together, and I hooked my ankles around the curve of his back to bring him in even deeper. I knew one thing for sure; I was not going to be able to look at kitchen counters the same way again. Not after today.

A few hours later, Darien tried not to laugh as he heard my stomach grumble, but I could see the laughter in his eyes. I tried to glare at him, but it didn't work. I ended up laughing instead and pulled the covers over my head. Well, at least, I tried to, he pulled the cover back down and looked at me with a smile on his face that I could really get used to.

"Don't you dare hide that beautiful face of yours," he said pushing some of the hair out of my face. "Now, do you want Chinese food or pizza for dinner?"

"What? No chicken?" I asked with a smile on my face as Darien stuck out his tongue at me before covering my body with his own. Something hard was poking at me and I let out another peal of laughter. "Oh, c'mon you got to admit it was funny."

"I don't think I will ever live this down," he said and kissed my cheek. "But seriously, Chinese or pizza?"

"Mhm…Chinese sounds good," I replied as I flexed my hips up to meet the hard thing poking me. He hissed at the contact. "But it seems to me that you have other things on your mind than dinner."

He smiled but shook his head. "I'd better get some food in you before we go another round…" his gaze lingered on me as he got out of bed to place the order for food. "Or two." He muttered as he walked away. I giggled and buried myself deeper into Darien's bed. His bed was so much more comfortable than mine was in my apartment. Speaking of…I thought with a groan. I needed to go back to my place to get a shirt and another pair of underwear since he ruined the ones I had been wearing earlier.

I sighed and got up from his very comfortable bed with the sheet wrapped around me tightly. I heard his voice in the other room and knew that he was placing the order for the food. If I was quick, I could sneak out and go get some things before he even realized…Before I could even get out of bed though, Darien came wandering back in. He saw that I was sitting up and sent me a questioning glance.

"Any particular reason you're up?" He asked. "You don't have to worry about getting dressed and eating in the dinning room. We can eat in here."

"No, that's not it, I just…" I trailed off. "I was thinking about going back to my apartment to get some things."

"Like what?" His face had fallen from disappointment.

"Um… another shirt? A pair of underwear?" I retorted with a smile on my face. "Since someone ripped the ones I had." As soon as I said the words, the look of disappointment disappeared and a sheepish look appeared.

"I guess I did do that," he replied. "But can it wait until after the food gets here?"

"Why?"

"Because I'll get them for you," he said his voice stern. "There's no way I'm letting you leave this apartment tonight. Especially with no shirt and panties on." As he said the phrase, his eyes darkened again. I squirmed in his bed and felt my mouth instantly go dry. How was it possible that he was still horny even though we had already done it twice?

"You're insatiable," I said and tried to move away from him. "C'mon, Darien, you said it yourself, you need food before we can go again. Besides, the delivery guy is going to be here soon." He closed his eyes and moved away from me in the same movement. I watched him as he approached his closet. He disappeared inside and I sighed in relief. As much as I craved him, there was only so many times I could do things without food in me. It was getting hard to even stay awake. He reappeared and handed me a blue shirt.

"This may be a little big on you," he said. "But it should cover you up, until I can get you some more clothes." He turned away and I slipped out of his bed to throw it on. The fabric of the shirt was so soft, and he was right. The shirt was a little big on me. The hem of the shirt fell to just above my knees, covering everything that needed to be covered. Forget going to get some more clothes, I could sleep in this shirt for the rest of my life. It was so soft, and not to mention it smelled like him. I gathered my hair out of the collar and threw it up into a quick ponytail.

"Okay," I said and he turned back around. His mouth dropped open, and I tried not to smile at him. "Close your mouth, Darien." I scolded with a smile on my face.

"How is it that you can even make my shirt look good?" He murmured as he approached me. "I know I ruined your blouse and your panties, and I said that I would pay for another shirt, but… do you think you could accept this one as payment?"

"I can definitely consider it," I said and let him draw my body to his. His hands wrapped around me and I placed my head on his chest. Was this really what I had been missing for the last five hundred years? Was this what it would have been like if Endymion and I had actually gotten married instead of… I sighed. It wouldn't do to think about the what if. That had been a former life, and unlike so many before me, I had the chance to relive it. I looked up into Darien's eyes, as I continued to think. Boy, was I ever doing something right.

Endymion and Serenity sat frozen as they looked at their friend. They exchanged looks and both knew that there was no need to check their hearing. They had both heard the same thing come from the auburn haired man's mouth.

"How?" Serenity was the first to speak. "I destroyed her. There is no way that she can be back."

"Zoicite," Endymion said his voice hard, and as Serenity looked at him she could tell that he was really close to losing control over his temper. "Explain."

"Beryl is back," he repeated and backed up when he saw Endymion take a threatening step forward. "But she's not back in Hell. She's in the land of the living. She's been reincarnated."

Serenity felt her mouth drop open, but as she looked at Endymion she could tell that she was the only one who was shocked at this information. "Endymion…" she said and he looked at her. He read her expression and with a wave of his hand dismissed his fellow master. Zoicite left with no other explanation. As soon as he left, Endymion turned to her. "How is it possible that Beryl has already been incarnated? It's only been eight days since I destroyed her."

"Serenity," he said with a reassuring voice as he held her hand in his. "There is something that you need to understand about the disposal of souls who have been in Hell." He sighed. "When a soul in Hell is dispatched permanently, they go back to the land of the living and attach themselves to their eldest living member of their bloodline."

"Wait, so…let me see if I can get this straight," she said. "I dispatched Beryl permanently from Hell, because of that her soul left and went back to the land of the living where she's attached herself to someone from her bloodline?"

"Yes, that's exactly how it works."

"So, if something happened to you or me while we were down here…" she trailed off.

"Nothing would happen to us, because our bloodlines ended with us."

Serenity bit her lip knowing that this would be the appropriate time to bring up that Endymion's bloodline hadn't been ended with him as he thought it had. Also, that if something happened to her, she would attach herself to Serena… She sighed and he turned his attention back to her.

"Serenity, you don't need to worry," he reassured her. "With Beryl and Diamond gone, there is no one who would dare hurt you while down here. We're safe."

"Endymion," she sighed. "There's something I need to tell you."

Author's Note: Sheesh, Serena and Darien really need to stop doing it like rabbits and actually have a conversation. Anyway, what did you guys think? Did you like it? Let me know in a review and I'll update soon!