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Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon.

The Wager – Chapter Nine

Serenity awoke to bright sunshine pouring through a window, pooling onto the bed and spilling over the side in golden rays. She turned, to bury her face in the pillows and escape facing the morning. If one thing could ever be said about Serenity, it was this- she absolutely detested mornings. She never rose before noon unless she had to.

"Good morning!" A cheerful, male voice called. The bed sank slightly, under the weight of someone seating himself beside her. Serenity responded by grabbing a pillow and pulling it over her head to muffle the sound. It didn't work – she could hear his deep chuckle, and he gently tugged away the pillow. Her fingers curled, desperately searching for anything to ward him off and allow her more precious sleep.

"Time to get up, sleepy head." Endymion said, all too cheerily for Serenity's tastes. Finally, she succeeded in blindly locating yet another pillow, and shoving it back over her head, yelling,

"Go away!" as much as her face being buried in a pillow would let her. He laughed again, prying this pillow, too, from her fingers.

"Gods, I had no idea I'd married such a grouch! It's nearing eleven. Time to rise." Endymion insisted. Serenity yanked the covers over her head, and shouted at him again.

"Eleven? Curse you to wake me at such an ungodly hour!" The blankets muffled Serenity's voice, but Endymion still caught what she was saying. Extending his arms over her, he gave a light, quick prod to where he assumed her sides to be. He was rewarded by her body jerking, and a small "Eeep!" escaping her. But she simply curled the blankets tighter about herself and said,

"Don't do that! I'm ticklish!"

Endymion grinned wickedly, and leaned down to where he thought her ear might be.

"That's what I was counting on." he said devilishly, gently jabbing her in the sides again, causing her to squirm about to escape his attack.

"No, no, stop! I…I can't…alright, alright, I'll get up!" Serenity's jumbled words were punctuated by laughter, and her head soon emerged from beneath the tangle of blankets. Her silver hair was mussed, and she yanked it from the mountain of covers so it wouldn't get caught or be pulled, and her eyes were sleepy and slightly dazed, but Endymion thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" he piped with a grin. Serenity smiled…and hit him over the head with a pillow. He shielded his head, laughing.

"You dirty, rotten, low-life! I was SLEEPING!" Serenity cried, still chucking pillows at him as he rose off the bed. He caught every one, dropping them to the floor, still laughing.

"Is that any way to treat the man who brought you breakfast in bed?" He said, dropping the last pillow, and motioning to the tray of food that rested on his nightstand.

"Breakfast?" Serenity looked over at the food, and back at Endymion.

"Yes. The kitchens close at ten, so the cooks can prepare for supper. Since you weren't up yet, I figured it would be a nice gesture to save you some breakfast." Endymion said. He grinned. "And how do I get thanked for it? My wife throws pillows at me! What IS this would coming to?!" He threw his hands in the air, in mock defeat.

Serenity smiled. So maybe the man was a little rough around the edges…but she could fix that. And he had a sense of humor. He had brought her breakfast. Maybe this wouldn't turn out so terribly after all.



Endymion sat in his study, reading glasses perched on the ridge of his nose, and an open book in front of him. He hadn't read more than half a page in the last twenty minutes. He was more focused on his thoughts. Serenity might not love him yet, and of course she didn't know that he loved her, but they DID have fun together. She had taken to being able to beat him at cards again, memorizing his actions that told her what he had in his hand. She even schooled him on how NOT to give away his cards. Arranging his cards, she said, was the easy part to guess. Most people arranged their cards from low to high. She suspected Endymion would break that, and go high to low, and she was right. She would watch the position of the card Endymion played was in, and fold or raise her bet with an educated guess as to what else he had.

Also, Serenity had eventually convinced Endymion to take a few hours away from signing documents to come into the gardens, and help her navigate the hedge maze. Endymion knew the way by heart, and it took about 45 minutes to get to the center, walking, but Serenity wouldn't know that. When they came to an intersection of hedges, Endymion slipped back, taking the correct turn instead of following Serenity.

"Where do we go now?" Serenity asked, when the route she had been following turned into a dead end. "Endymion?" she asked…she hadn't heard a response from him. She turned. He wasn't there!

"Yes, Sere?" a familiar voice asked. There he was, leaning over the top of the hedge, right beside her.

"Oooh, when I find a way over there, I'll…" she seethed angrily.

"Oh, and I was going to tell you, too! Those who threaten me with bodily injury have to find their own way." He pushed away from the hedge, and Serenity could no longer see him.

"No, wait! Endymion, come back! How do I get out of here?!" Serenity cried. She tried standing on her tiptoes to see over the hedge, but was disappointed to find she could not; Endymion was considerably taller than she. His soft chuckle was heading away from her. "Endymion!!!" Serenity shrieked. A gentle tug on her hair made her turn around.

"Yes, darling?" he asked. He was right behind her. His midnight blue eyes held laughter, and his mouth was turned up in a quirky grin.

"Stop doing that!" Serenity cried.

"Doing what?" Endymion asked innocently.

"Disappearing like that! I'll NEVER find my way out of here if you keep going off like that!" Serenity moaned.

"Sure you will. Might take you a while, but I wouldn't leave you in here alone. Who KNOWS what horrors come out here after dark?" he suggested devilishly. Serenity sank to the ground.

"Stop it! You're trying to frighten me." She said.

"You're so right. Did it work?" he asked eagerly. She glared up at him, but her irritation eased when she saw his face. His ebony hair fell into his eyes in slight disarray. He was also smiling. He was just teasing her.

"You're incorrigible." she said. He put a hand to his forehead in a dramatic gesture.

"Dear me! I'm incorrigible! Perish the thought!" He gasped. His eyes danced merrily. Serenity giggled.

"Big baby." she murmured.

"A big baby! Me?! My dear lady wife, I believe I shall have to show you exactly who the big baby is." With that, he disappeared below the hedge, and Serenity could not see him. She stood, and began her way through the maze again. Several times, she took a wrong turn, and had to trace her steps back. She didn't hear anything from Endymion for the next half-hour or so. She had begun to get nervous, when she remembered that he said he wouldn't leave her alone in the maze. Something tugged on her skirt. She turned in time to see Endymion's retreating figure, but she couldn't keep up with him. Oh, it was times like these when she longed to be able to wear pants!

He kept it his game up for almost an hour, to when the sun slowly began to make it's descent below the horizon. This time, he got close enough to pull the ribbon from her hair, gaining time by surprising her, her calf-length hair tumbling down her back. Serenity gathered her hair, twisted it up into a topknot, hiked up her skirts, and took off after Endymion. She was sure she had followed him exactly, but she came to a dead end.

She cried out in frustration, and turned around. She gasped. Endymion blocked her exit.

"Found you." he said, smiling. He held her lavender hair ribbon in his right hand Gently, he reached behind her, and tugged her hair from her loose topknot. "I like you better like this," he said softly, gently running his fingers through her silky hair. There was some emotion in his voice that Serenity recognized, but couldn't place. She'd witnessed it before, but she simply couldn't figure out what it was that made his voice so soft and gentle. He turned her around, her back to him, and he expertly retied her hair ribbon. When he finished, he turned her back around to face him.

"Thank you." she murmured. Her voice sounded unsteady, even to her.

"Sere," he murmured, "would you hit me if I kissed you?"

Now it was Serenity's turn to tease him.

"Depends. Are you any good at it?" she responded. He chuckled.

"I like to think so. Guess I'll just have to find out, then, won't I?" he replied. Before she had a chance to answer, his lips were on hers, so incredibly tender and soft, and his hands found her waist, drawing her closer to him. Her hands slid up his chest, one curling around his neck, the other burying its fingers in his hair. She rose up onto her tiptoes, parting her lips, giving him free access to her mouth. He took her invitation, and slid his tongue inside, coaxing hers to follow his lead. One of his hands splayed across her back, holding her close to him, the other moved lower, cupping her rear, bringing her into intimate contact with him. When Serenity felt the hard ridge of his desire pressing hot against her stomach, she started. He pulled away, thinking he'd hurt her.

"Serenity, are you alright? I'm sorry, I-" He didn't get to finish. Serenity was not ready to give up the kiss. Her lips met his, and Endymion stood stock-still. He hadn't imagined she would ever have initiated a kiss! Serenity took the wrong idea, thinking she'd done something forbidden. She pulled away. He didn't allow her to.

"No…do it again." he murmured. His voice was choked, almost as if he couldn't breathe. Serenity licked her lips nervously, and rose onto her tiptoes again, to brush her lips over his. She would have backed away, if Endymion had not insisted upon capturing her lips once again. This time, his lips were hungry and hot, demanding, leaving no opportunity for Serenity to be shy. She wasn't. He took her mouth as if he were a starving man with his first meal in years. He bent her slightly backwards, so he was leaning over her, and she was forced to hold onto him tightly. Serenity didn't mind. Even when his lips found their way from hers, down to her throat. He pressed heated kisses to her sweet skin, growing more and more passionate all the while, until at last, he stopped and righted her. Her breath was coming in short pants, and her cheeks were flushed prettily. He liked the way she looked when in the grip of passion. He kissed her bruised lips gently, and waited for her breathing to return to normal.

"Come," he said, "I'll show you the way out. Besides, my mother would KILL me if we were late for the ball."

"Ball?" Serenity gasped, "What ball? Why didn't anyone tell me about a ball?!" Endymion chuckled, and led his raging wife out of the hedge maze, and back into the palace.

Endymion waited patiently while Serenity put the finishing touches on her ball gown. She refused to allow him entrance to the bathroom while she was dressing. She had insisted it was bad luck for anyone to see her dress before she was ready to go.

"That's only for wedding dresses," he had sighed, exasperated.

"No, it's not, Mama used to tell me all the time that a man should never see a lady's ball gown before she was ready to be escorted to the ball. It's better for him to be surprised, and not bored of the dress before they reach the ball room." Serenity had called from the bathroom.

"That reminds me…where is your mother? I didn't see her at the wedding." Endymion had called back. There was a pause.

"She's dead." Serenity replied, her voice soft and low. She must've loved her mother a great deal.

"Oh." was all Endymion could think of to say. He'd put his foot in it this time.

Serenity emerged from the bathroom, arranging her skirts. Endymion stood, and walked towards her.

"You look beautiful." he said. He hesitated. "I'm sorry about your mother. You must have loved her very much." Serenity nodded.

"I did. She was a very beautiful person." Serenity replied (AN: I just thought I'd make a comment that 'beautiful' does not necessarily mean 'pretty' as some people might take it. I am NOT trying to make Serenity seem shallow).

"I'm positive she was." Endymion said. "She had such a beautiful daughter." (AN: see note above). He offered her his arm. "Shall we go, milady?"

Serenity smiled, and placed her hand on his arm.

"We shall."



Serenity and Endymion floated gracefully across the ballroom. Almost everyone noticed how beautifully they fit together. Serenity was light to Endymion's dark. She was radiantly beautiful, and he was devilishly handsome. They belonged together.

A cold pair of emerald green eyes glinted evilly across the room. The woman who owned them was also beautiful…but in a completely different way. She was dangerously beautiful, with flaming red hair, and fiery, long, curved nails. Nails that clenched into her palms as she watched Endymion and Serenity float across the ballroom floor. They were beautiful together, she would admit, but Endymion was hers, and she was here to claim him. The fact that he had a wife didn't matter in the least. He would be hers anyway. She started in surprise when she felt someone dab a handkerchief to her palms.

"Beryl, darling, you know you tend to draw blood when you're angry." a male voice said, tucking the bloodied handkerchief back into his breast pocket.

"I know, Demando…but you know how it angers me so to see that little bitch with her hands on my Endymion." Beryl nearly growled. For a moment, his hands on her shoulders hurt her, and she winced.

"You will not refer to Serenity as any such name." he spoke roughly, threateningly. Beryl smiled.

"I'll refer to the wench as anything I wish, thank you very much, and you can do nothing about it." she said. Turning, she walked towards a group of handsome young men, prepared to while away the time before she might be able to make her move. Her hips swayed seductively as she walked, but her smile clearly said 'poison'.

Serenity caught a glimpse of bright red hair, and immediately thought of her dream, but she shook it off. It was impossible. Dreams do not come true, she reminded herself. Dreams are simply dreams. Nothing more.



Famous last words, ne? Well, this is my longest chapter ever, so be happy!! Otay. I'll write more later. E-mail me, please, and tell me what you think!!! Oh, yes…you REALLY didn't think I'd make it so easy as 'fall in love with the handsome prince', did you?! For shame! Have I taught you nothing? Always expect the unexpected. Be prepared for an interesting, involved plot.