Author's Notes: Okay, so I know it's been awhile (eep, December, really?) and I seriously apologize for that. But I'm going to be a hundred percent honest with you. It wasn't because of school or anything that kept me away, it was because I had absolutely no idea where to even begin with this chapter. But a few days ago the answer hit me and I started writing furiously. I think I finally know how the next few chapters are going to play out, and I'll try to get those out to you as quickly as I can, since I am majorly procrastinating on writing the final chapter of a certain other story of mine. Haha. Anyway major thanks go out to: ARABELLA VIOLETTA, mangamania, kireisnowtenshi, Fedski, Jessie F. Babi, stephumz, Brizzy, serenityalexis, SailorMoonLvr, and angel 313 for reviewing the last chapter. I think I've left you guys in suspense long enough, yeah?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. Also the content warning from the last chapter still applies. Not enough for an 'M' rating (not yet anyway) but definitely for older teens. Enjoy!


On the Road

By: afallenblackrose

Day 11 & 12:

Finally Coming Clean


It all happened so fast, Darien couldn't help but muse later, that he didn't really remember what exactly had happened. One minute he was telling that bastard Alan to leave Serena the hell alone, the next he was punching him out and the paparazzi had descended like birds. The flashing of hundreds of cameras made him almost blind, but the adrenaline from his fist hitting someone's face was still pumping through his veins, so he didn't pay it much mind. They were asking questions and he didn't dare give them any answers. No one really spoke, he remembered hearing Sapphire's voice screaming over the reporters, saying something along the lines that they shouldn't say anything. Then the next thing he knew, someone was pulling on his hand and leading him away from the reporters and cameras, at a brisk run. When the noise finally began to subside, he realized that whoever had dragged him out of there, had taken him outside the Royal Oak Music Theater. As Darien got his bearings and everything came rushing back to him, he finally began to question who had gotten him out of that mess. He looked down to the person who was still clinging to his hand.

It was Serena and they were running back to the hotel, some reporters hot on their heals. He was able to keep up with her easily, even though it floored him that it was Serena who had gotten him out of there. He would have thought that after everything that had happened that day, she would have been too shocked to do anything but stand there until security escorted her safely out of the building. He wanted to say exactly that to her, but as they were running and she didn't seem to be in the mood to talk, he didn't. He'd save it for when they were back in the private and safe rooms of the hotel.

But Serena had other plans. He hadn't been expecting her to stop, but she did, in the middle of the sidewalk and began to pace. He checked behind them and was surprised to find that there weren't any signs of paparazzi following them. She must have taken a lot of turns that lead them away, he couldn't help but muse to himself.

"Let me guess," he broke into her concentration. "You've been to this city before?" She looked up at him startled, but nodded.

"I used to always come down here to see my favorite bands and just to escape from my house. Back when I was in high school it was the city to hang out in."

"Well, that came in handy tonight," he said offhand, but it was the wrong thing to say for she started pacing again. He watched her, wondering what exactly she could be thinking about. Then again he should probably know what she was thinking about. Or more specifically what he had done back there. What had possessed him to punch Alan? A flash of light interrupted his thoughts. He thought it was the flash from a photographer's camera and his whole body went rigid, getting ready to grab Serena and run. But she just looked up from her pacing and to the sky.

Clash!

"Figures," she muttered as rain began to fall steadily and there was another flash of lightning. Darien took her hand and began to run in the direction of what he could only hope was the hotel. She let him drag her along as she wondered how much he seemed to understand about what had happened tonight. Hell, she herself knew every little detail about the background information that led up to tonight's events, but she was still having a hard time understanding what the hell had happened backstage. And she didn't have that long to process it before the paparazzi had 'smelled the blood in the water,' so to speak.

But Darien…god…what had he been thinking punching out Alan like that, and why had he done it? Was it because he had been defending her honor? Or…she trailed off and looked up at him, no. She would be a fool to believe that Darien had punched out Alan to just defend her honor. He punched that jerk because he knew what Alan had done, something that Serena should have seen coming. Sure, when she was informed that she would be coming here, she had a vague suspicion that it might come out. But when Darien had come with her to her parents' house, well, he was bound to figure out that something was amiss. Then Nick and Paul probably confirmed his fears, not exactly telling him what had happened, but alluding to it. And she, herself, had put the pieces together for him with that damn song at the end of her set that night.

Great, she couldn't help but think. So, not only does he know, but also the whole freaking world was going to know what had happened to her two years ago. Oh, hell, this was not what she wanted to happen tonight. Her head was pounding in time to the thunder that was echoing around them as Darien kept dragging her beside him. She eventually let go of his hand and began to run on her own. Her feet splashed through the puddles and she picked up the pace. By this point, the rain was literally coming down in sheets and Darien and her were both soaked to the bone. Luckily it was the beginning of summer or else they would probably come down with pneumonia the next day.

They finally made it back to the hotel and with a collected sigh of relief threw themselves through the front doors. The people who were still standing in the lobby gave them the strangest looks, but the pair didn't pay them any mind and made their way towards the elevators, knowing that they had to change and get out of their soaked clothes. They also knew, at least Serena knew, that there was probably going to be another serious conversation between the two of them once they were in dried clothes.


20 minutes later…


Serena was nervous as she sat on her bed, now dressed in gray flannel pajama pants and a white tank top. Her brown/blonde-streaked hair was almost dry, thanks to it being so short. But she was still rather chilled, and it was all because of Alan. With him showing up, he had lead to the unraveling of her long and complicated past. Well, okay, maybe it wasn't his fault…entirely, but he was still a major catalyst for what was about to happen now.

Darien was supposed to be meeting her here after he dried off and changed into some dry clothes himself. Afterwards, she knew that he was going to expect her to tell him what exactly had happened to her two years ago. Even though, she didn't understand why she had to tell him. He did punch out Alan backstage, and there was only one reason why he would do that. He knew what had happened, or at least, he had a slight idea of what had happened. But what did he want from her? For her to confirm his suspicion and to go into every dark, disgusting detail?

Well was he in for a surprise. The only people who knew the details about what had happened on that terrible night two years ago were Paul, Nick, Lita, her parents, Alan and their lawyers. Her high school graduating class only thought that they knew what had happened. But all of it was false. Serena would be damned if she was going to tell the story again. Even if Darien had defended her, she wasn't going to tell him. She wasn't….

Knock, knock!

Oh hell, she thought and got up from the bed to answer the door. She peeped in the hole and saw that it was the raven-haired pop star before she took a deep breath and opened the door. His arms were on either side of the doorframe and he was looking down at his feet. When he heard the door open he lifted his head only slightly and Serena found herself drowning in those deep azure blue eyes of his. It didn't help that his bangs were falling over them either. Damn this man, she scolded in her head.

"Hey," Darien said breaking the silence between them. He had been yelling at himself for punching out that Alan guy since he and Serena had parted ways at the elevator. What had he been thinking? He should have known better than to do something that scandalous while in the presence of the paparazzi But as he'd been contemplating ways of answering the questions that they were sure to have, Serena had opened the door and he had peered into those cornflower blue eyes. Screw it, he thought. It was worth it. She had been worth it. Now the only thing he needed to know was whether or not punching Alan had been too outrageous or too tame.

"Hi," Serena replied opening the door wider, wordlessly inviting him in. he accepted the invitation and walked slowly into her hotel room. Darien heard the light click of the door closing behind him and he turned to face her. But he almost stumbled at the sight. When she had answered the door he had only seen her eyes. Now he had the chance to take all of her in and couldn't help but stare. Her back was pressed up against the closed door and her eyes were closed. Her brunette - with her original golden blonde - hair streaking through was still slightly damp from their run in the rain, but some of it was curled, making her look absolutely breathtaking. She had changed out of her wet clothes into gray pajama bottoms that only reached halfway on her hips. The white tank top was tight on her frame and showed a pale expanse of her stomach. And…Darien couldn't help but stick on this point, she wasn't wearing a bra. He nearly groaned, but mentally chided himself. This isn't why you are here. Get your mind out of the gutter, right now.

Serena opened an eye to see that Darien was staring, his mouth slightly open. She couldn't figure out why until she felt the slight chill and remembered that she hadn't thrown on a bra. Wonderful, she sighed which caught his attention and he instantly stopped staring.

"So, uh…" he cleared his throat. What was this? It wasn't like he had never seen a woman not wearing a bra before. For Christ's sake, he was Darien freaking Shields, the multi-platinum pop star! He practically had women throw their bras at him on a nightly basis. He mentally nodded and continued. "So, do you want to talk about what happened tonight?"

Both of Serena's eyes were open now and she sighed. "I don't think I have much of choice, do I?"

"Sure you do. But I would like you to explain, only so I can know who I punched out and why." He shrugged.

"I have a feeling you already know why you punched out Alan. Other than the fact that he's a supreme jack ass." She tried to joke but winced. It was still too soon to be cracking jokes about what had happened.

"I have my suspicions," Darien softly replied. "But I'd rather hear the truth from you. Something about this place has made you act differently and I'm not talking about Alan. I mean your set tonight and even your parents. What's going on, Serena?"

She sighed again. She had thought that she had hid it so well from him, but she should have known better. The way that she was able to read him since the beginning of the tour also applied to her. Darien could read her like an open book. So even though she didn't want to tell him about her sordid history, she felt that she had to. Not only because he had punched Alan in the face, but also because she couldn't lie to him. That wasn't how this relationship, if there was ever going to be one, was supposed to work.

"You don't know the half of it," Serena replied and walked over to the couch in the room. She sat down and Darien followed her, sitting across from her on the coffee table.

"So, tell me," he said looking deeply into her eyes.

"Well, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," she began, but felt his disapproving stare on her face. "Not going for that, eh? I guess I should have known that. Okay, seriously, as you know I've lived here before I went away to California. To tell the truth, that house that we were in, was my one and only home until I left. I grew up in Sterling Heights, but always knew I was destined for the big city.

"In high school, I wasn't always the straight and narrow girl that I am now. I met Paul and Nick in junior high and we've been friends ever since. We formed our band when we were freshman and started playing clubs when we were juniors. While in high school, our reputation preceded us, the incoming classes knew that we were serious about our music. Some even called me the badass leader of our trio. Seriously, there were times where my blonde hair had pink streaks or purple streaks. I was a little crazy."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Darien commented. "You sound like any other teenager out there."

"Not quite. Yes, I snuck out. Yes, I had a fake id, but how else was I supposed to get into these clubs and perform? Yet on top of all that, I was taking AP classes in school even though I had no plans of going to college. And also much to parents disdain, I was picking up these older guys at the bars we performed at."

Darien growled. He hadn't been expecting that from her. He thought that what Alan had done to her was, well, her first time. He hadn't thought her a slut until now.

"Oh, don't even," she snapped back. "I didn't sleep with these guys or anything. We went out, we kissed, I found something appalling about them and that was it. Still it pissed off my parents and people at school talked. With my rep, most people brushed it off knowing I was not that kind of girl." She eyed him meaningfully.

"So, what about Alan?"

"Alan," she spat out. "Alan was a transfer student in our senior year. He took an instant liking to the band and me. He started hanging out with us and at the time I thought he was cool. Before Christmas, we started dating and continued to date until graduation." She took a deep breath feeling the memories hit her full force for the first time since she testified.

"The week before graduation, the seniors had it off. We finished school on the twenty-first of May and the following week was all the events. Our Prom was on Wednesday and our band had been picked to play. The crowd loved us, we loved playing, but Alan was not too happy. Since he was my date, he didn't get a chance to dance with me since I played the whole night. So we fought the whole way home that night. We didn't speak again until the day before graduation…"

*Flashback*

Haruka Thames, the captain of the girls volleyball team, was throwing the second to last Senior bash at her house. Serena, Nick, Paul and Alan had been invited a long time ago and Serena and Alan were supposed to arrive together. But since the fight, Serena didn't want to go with him. Nick came to pick her up and they arrived an hour after the party was supposed to begin.

The party was in full swing and there were already people passed out on the front lawn. Serena couldn't help but smile as people greeted her and told her how awesome the songs were at Prom. She was popular and it was the last days of high school. The irony of it all was not lost on her.

She had a drink in her hand and had lost Nick and Paul in the crowd. Haruka who had been an acquaintance of hers, broke away from some of her friends to talk to her.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me," she replied and took a sip from her drink. "Kind of hard to believe that this is almost all over, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I know," Haruka said. "Hard to believe that I'm going to have bigger problems than meeting deadlines in Ms. P's journalism class."

"Yes," Serena laughed. "Even though, she could try and stalk us now that we're done. She seriously has eyes everywhere!"

They continued talking and were in the middle of a conversation when someone's arm clumsily slipped around her shoulders. Haruka glared and Serena turned her head only to find a tipsy Alan in her face.

"Serena, baby, I've been looking for you everywhere," he slurred. "I'm so sorry for what happened at Prom. Can we be okay again?"

She scowled at the smell of sour beer on his breath. Alan never could hold his alcohol, and she really didn't want to be in his presence if he was drunk. He was known for getting a little 'handsy.'

"No, we can't be okay again, Alan. Especially not while you're drunk," she shoved him away and walked into the crowd sending an apologetic look to Haruka before she went. It was time to find Nick and get the hell out of there.

But she didn't get far before someone pulled so violently on her hand that she stumbled back into a hard chest. She turned around to give this person a piece of her mind when she saw who it was.

"Alan, let me go," she seethed at him.

"I don't think so," he replied back, his voice hard. He was majorly pissed and he was drunk. This was not a good combination. Serena searched the people around her to try and find someone who could help her. Even Haruka, would be better than nothing. But she couldn't find anyone who wasn't a little bit wasted. "You're coming with me. I think it's time we had a nice long talk."

He pulled her through the crowd and into an empty guest room. He shoved her onto the bed, before he closed the door. Utter darkness ensued and Serena started freaking out, already knowing what Alan wanted to do.

"Alan, don't." Her voice shot out into the room, but it was too late. He was on top of her, his face so close to her own she could smile the sour beer on his lips.

"Ssh, Sere. It's going to be okay. I won't hurt you, I promise," his hand dipped below into the waistband of her skirt.

*End of Flashback*

Serena was crying as she came back from the memory. She stopped speaking as she felt the hot salty liquid run down her face in a constant stream. It's a good thing I don't wear make up, she sadly joked, trying to wipe them away.

"Paul, Nick, and Haruka finally found me, but it had already been too late. Alan had already left and I was crying when they found me. Haruka called the police and when they came, people were pissed. They were busting people for underage drinking, but forgot all about it when Nick, Paul, and Haruka led me out of the room. They took my statement and escorted me to the hospital to administer a rape kit. One of the guys they had busted turned out to be Alan. He was booked for statutory rape that night." She took a shaky breath and continued.

"The next morning was graduation, I don't really remember what happened. But I will always be thankful to Paul who sat next to me the whole time and poked me when it was my turn to stand up and get my diploma. The whole class had heard what had happened and were whispering about it behind my back. They even felt bad for Alan.

"My parents had been informed of what happened and had hired a lawyer. While everyone was celebrating at the All Night Party, I was being deposed. After I was finally released, I called Paul and Nick and told them to pack because we were leaving the next morning. I couldn't be there anymore. The way my parents were looking at me?" She shook her head.

Darien's hands hurt because he had been clenching them so hard while Serena had been speaking. His suspicions had been tame compared to her retelling. How could someone do that to her? She was an angel. No one should have ever treated her that way.

"But what happened with the trial?"

"The beauty of the Internet," she darkly chuckled. "The judge allowed me to Skype during my testimony and my lawyer called me a few weeks later with the ruling. Alan was sentenced to five years in jail, but apparently, he got early parole. Gotta love our judicial system." Her dark chuckle turned into a sob and Darien got up from the table and took her into his arms.

They stayed like that for a while, each not sure of what to say. He was thinking about how right it felt to be holding her in his arms, and all she could think about was how right it felt to be there. But how horrible was that for her to think about? She had just told him about her horrible past and now she was thinking of jumping straight into Darien's arms? This wasn't right. Besides they had agreed that this wouldn't happen until after the tour. Hadn't they?

"Serena?" Darien asked, breaking into her concentration. She had been too quiet. He had to know what was going through her head. Because what was going through his was…

She turned to look up at him, and those blue eyes of hers took his breath away and his train of thought went out the window. She had shifted her body to face him and places came into contact for the first time. A crackle of electricity sparked between them and Serena gasped at the shock of it. This drew his attention to her lips, and without consent from his brain, he found himself lowering his head to capture those lips with his own.

Serena didn't like to be clichéd, except in her song writing, but when their lips met for the first time she saw fireworks. Their lips felt so right together, and who knew if it was because they had been attracted to each other for so long that the anticipation had lead up to this moment or if they were meant for each other? It just felt right.

Darien had never felt this way when he kissed a girl before, and he had been with his share of women. He wasn't deemed a playboy for nothing. But this was different. Serena was different. And she proved it, when in a moment of clarity she realized what she was doing, and shoved him away. It startled the both of them and he almost fell off the couch. She, on the other hand, had leapt up and stood a distance away from him. She was shaking when he finally got his bearings back.

"I'm sorry," were the first words out of his mouth, even though he wasn't. He had wanted to kiss her for weeks now, but had kept his emotions in check.

"There's nothing to apologize for," she replied. "We got caught up in our emotions, but I think you need to leave." She turned away from him, but Darien didn't want to leave. This hadn't been just them getting caught up in their emotions. They had been attracted to each other since the beginning. He had to make her understand that this was something more. He stood up and stood behind her. She turned around startled at how close he was to her again.

"What are you - "

"I understand that the past few days have been emotional for you, Serena, and yeah, I probably shouldn't have kissed you, at least not like this. But don't insult my intelligence and your own by saying that it was just because we got caught up in our emotions."

"Then what, Darien?" She asked her frazzled nerves breaking down even more. "We've had this conversation already. We like each other, but we can't do anything until after the tour. My reputation as an artist is on the line here."

"Forget about your reputation, Sere. If I have to, I'll punch out any media guy that believes that you only made the tour because we slept together." He went to touch her, but she stepped away from him. Now, though, she was pissed.

"Forget my reputation? Darien, I can't do that! This is my career we're talking about! I'm not like those other girls you've been with. I actually care if my name gets slandered in the tabloids!"

He was momentarily stunned, but gained back his composure quickly and with a temper of his own. "I know you're not like those other girls, but I will protect you. If you don't want to take that chance then maybe you're not the girl I thought you were." He stomped out of her hotel room, now more pissed than before and wished Alan was around so that way he could punch him out again.

Serena stared at the door, before she collapsed where she stood and began to sob again.


Day 12


She hadn't slept that night and just when she was starting to that morning, the phone rang and she had no choice but to answer. It was Sapphire and he explained that the paparazzi were going nuts about what had happened last night. They had done their research and found the court case. They wanted interviews. She had listened as he listed off names, but one in particular caught her attention.

"Stop," she said. "Diane Sawyer, really?"

"Yes, she wants to do a one-hour special."

"Call her," Serena replied. She had always like Diane Sawyer when she was growing up. "And give her exclusive rights, I only want to talk about this once." She hung up the phone and it rang ten minutes later.

"Well?"

"She'll be interviewing you around eight tonight."

"Perfect," she replied and hung up again. She had time to do some thinking and knew what she had to do.


She had just finished telling her story about her past, and she was trying hard not to cry as she stared at Diane Sawyer, who was giving her a minute to collect herself before she moved on with the interview. It had been hard, but it was almost over. There were only two more questions to be asked, and Serena was waiting patiently for them. She knew the answers she was going to give, and she hoped that this would change things.

"So, then, Darien Shields picked you and your band out of thousands of auditions. The media has been throwing the two of you together a lot lately. Is there any truth to these rumors that the two of you are together?"

"I will always be thankful to Darien for giving my band and I a chance. As to the rumors that there is something going on between Darien and me, well, they are just rumors. However, Darien and I like each other and the only reason we're not seeing each other romantically is because I'm afraid what people might think."

"Think about what?"

"I'm afraid people are going to think that the only reason I was picked out of those thousands of auditions is because Darien is romantically involved with me, not because of my talent."

"But after seven shows, I think you would be safe from that now," Diane Sawyer replied and paused for a minute. "You care deeply for him, don't you?"

Serena paused feeling the answer bubbling in her chest. "It's more than that, Diane. I think I love him."