Pretty Reckless

A/N: This is just the next installment. I wanted to give you guys something. I'm still writing as we speak so I'm hoping for another chapter up by tomorrow afternoon.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Sailor Moon.

Chapter 10

Cinderella Man

Serena found herself back in the room of mirrors in no time. Rubeus was the only one there. She laid Rini who was fast asleep down on the floor and flew to Rubeus.

"I did it," she smiled devilishly. He took her into his arms and gave her a soft kiss.

"We still have to keep this a secret from Diamond," he whispered. She nodded even though she didn't want to. She stared into his eyes and felt lost.

"What is he going to do with her?" Serena asked.

"Probably the same thing I did to you,"

"He's going to turn her," she stated. Rubeus hugged her closer. He could feel the tension in her.

"We need her on our side darling," he whispered in her ear. She looked up at him to meet his gaze. He could see that she understood. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the mouth. He leaned in and kissed her harder. He let out a little moan as she giggled.

"Serena," he said, pushing her away.

"I'm only playing," she smiled sweetly.

"I know. We'll have our fun later, but right now we have business to attend to," he said stepping to the mirror.

Diamond appeared as soon as he was summoned. It was evident that he had been waiting on his toes. Rubeus had been lucky Diamond hadn't been watching.

"You have the girl," he grinned. Rubeus stepped aside so Rini was Diamond view. He stepped through the mirror and stepped toward Serena. Before she could do anything he pulled her closely and kissed her. Rubeus had to hold back from jumping on Diamond. Serena had to keep herself from squirming away from the Prince.

Once Diamond pulled away he conjured a single red rose, "for you, my Princess," he said offering it to her, "a sign of my affection and eternal love."

As Serena reached out to take it from him, it wilted and fell to the ground. She gasped. Diamond pretended not to notice and made his way to Rini. He scooped up the small girl. Serena was still shocked at the Rose. It had been her favorite flower. A flower that would bloom when it touched her finger tips. Now it lay on the ground, black and dead. She fought back the tears as they rushed to the surface. She couldn't help but think about Darien. Did this represent their fate or his? Was he still alive? The time must be up, the Doctors must have decided.

"Find something productive to do," Diamond ordered the rest of the group. Serena turned to watch Diamond disappear. A yearning feeling pulled in her stomach. She didn't want Rini to go with this horrible man. How could she trust him with a small child when she didn't even trust him with herself. She began to feel cold and alone as she held herself back from chasing after Diamond and Rini.

She could feel Rubeus moving behind her. "Did you hear that? He told us to do something productive," he said. She longed to feel the warmth in her touch. She found he made her feel a slight bit better but it was no comparison to Darien's touch.

She turned around to face him. A devilish grin was spread over his face. She could feel his hands over her body. She could help but melt to his touch.

When Darien looked down at the object in his hand, he wasn't sure what it was at first. His vision was blurry and his head was pounding. The crystal shed a dim light in the room.

"Welcome back," a friendly voice called out to him. The man smiled at him and put his stethoscope to his ears and reached down and placed the white patch covering Darien's chest, "you gave us quite a scare. You almost didn't make it." He stated in his calm voice.

Darien tried to speak but his voice cracked and nothing came out.

"You have some pretty good supporters. They were quite a handful and didn't want to leave your side. They've been waiting patiently to see you. Do you think you're up for it?" he said. Darien could only nod. The Doctor pulled the covers up to Darien's chin. He then left the room. Seconds later the Scouts burst through the door.

They all crowded around him, hands grabbing his and holding on tightly. He instinctively knew it was Rei. They sat as close as to the bed as was possible. He could feel the warmth fill the room. He knew they were so relieved, almost as much as he was. He didn't know how but he had come back to them.

"Oh Darien, we thought we had lost you," Ami stated. They all sat in silence, enjoying the moment they had together.

Suddenly, Darien began coughing uncontrollably. The girls tensed and Ami jumped up to get a glass of water. Darien drank it down, coughed a couple more times the rasped a single word, "Serena?"

The girls exchanged uneasy glances. Rei was the one to finally speak up "Darien, we've lost her."

Darien's face tensed and he looked out the window. He knew it, but it just hurt to hear it out loud. He almost couldn't bear knowing he was the cause of it. If only he hadn't pushed her away. He almost forced her into the clutches of the negamoon. He knew he shouldn't dwell on the past. He needed to find a way to get her back. He loved her, he knew that much and he would not give up on her. They all sat in an awkward silence while he pondered ideas of ways to go about getting her back before he finally decided to vocalize his thoughts and whispered "we have to get her back."

A/N: Sorry it's so short but I promise another chapter by tomorrow afternoon!