Disclaimer-Sailor Moon and Beauty and the Beast do not belong to me. The song for the chapter title is I'm About to Come Alive by Train.


Chapter 11:

Diamond paced furiously. His plan was not unfolding the way he wanted. Yes, the rain had stopped long enough for everyone in the diner to scurry back to their warm homes, but by the time the light haired man had gathered everything he would need to drive out and get the woman of his affections, the snow had started and the roads were entirely too icy to be safe to drive on.

"Goddamn this fucking weather!" Diamond swore under his breath as he clenched and unclenched his fists in anger, his fingernails leaving crescent moon shapes indented in his palm.

"Diamond, please stop overreacting," Sapphire insisted from where he was sitting on the couch. The younger man had been watching his brother pace for what seemed like hours, even though it was only five minutes at most. "You'll get her once the snow stops. Everything will work out."

"I need to get her now!" Diamond shouted, still incensed that he didn't have Serena in his arms at that moment. He wanted, no needed, for the blond to be pressed up against him, her sweet voice whispering into his ear, telling him how much she loved him and how grateful she was to have him in her life. And she would, just as soon as he was able to rescue her from that barbarian, Darien Shields.

"Who the hell is this guy anyway? I swear I've heard the name before, I just can't place it," Diamond quizzed as he stopped moving and turned to stare his brother down.

"What's his name? I wasn't really listening before, just nodding along," Sapphire yawned. The hour was late and Diamond understood why the younger man was getting tired, no matter how agitated it made him feel.

"Darien Shields," he ground out. The name wouldn't leave him alone. It plagued his every thought, nagging at him. He knew he knew the man who had his Serena locked up in some mansion, the lucky bastard, but he didn't know how.

"Shields," Sapphire muttered thoughtfully, his eyes going wide as he realized why the name was familiar, a look Diamond was more than happy to see. "Alexander Shields was father's business partner nearly two decades ago. Shields split from father when he found out that daddy dearest wasn't the cleanest of businessmen. Of course, father wasn't pleased, but it didn't matter. Only weeks later, Alexander and his wife, Caroline, lost control of their car and went skidding off a cliff, into the ocean. Darien's their only child. We used to play with him when father and Shields Senior were doing business.

"I remember we went over there for the funeral, but Darien refused to see us. We visited a few times after that because father felt bad about the whole situation, but the boy never would come out of his room. A few months later, that truck hit father and we never went over there again. I always did wonder what happened to that boy," he finished, his thoughts presumably on the past that he, his brother and Darien had shared. His brother's thoughts, on the other hand, were focused on something else entirely.

Diamond was thinking about his opponent. Now he remembered the dark haired boy who used to play cards with him when they were nothing but children. Of course, Darien must have grown up, just as he had. He was probably tall and broad in order to intimidate anyone, which would make things a little difficult for him in a fight, but he would win of course. No one could beat him in a fight, that much he was sure of, not even the beast of a man Molly had described earlier that night.

"Diamond, maybe you should get some sleep. I'll keep watch and let you know when it's safe to go outside and get Serena," Sapphire offered, his tone serious.

"Yes, perhaps that'd be best. I'd hate for Serena to see me when I'm not at my best," Diamond muttered to himself as he paced his way into his bedroom, the door slamming loudly behind him.

"Dear lord, he's a moron," Sapphire muttered to himself as he got off the couch and moved to the window to watch the snow fall. He had seen the redhead home while Diamond had returned to their not-so-humble abode to prepare for his journey. Not that it was much of a journey. While the younger man remembered the friendly boy who had apparently turned out to be a sullen adult, he also remembered the people who lived with him. They would never let Shields harm Serena.

No, Diamond would prance in there and make a right fool of himself, just as he usually did, and Sapphire would let him. As the younger brother, he was automatically less talented, less intelligent and less important. At least that was the older man's assumption. But the truth was truly something else.

If Diamond could see beyond his egotistical, self-centered personality, he would know just what his little brother had to offer. He would know that Sapphire was wise beyond his years, and that if asked, he could help woo Serena in a matter of minutes. He would also know that going over to the Shields manor would only get him into more trouble than he could handle. The lonely man pent up in that house, surrounded by people who loved him would be more than capable of handling a stupid, vain, pretty boy. They would chew him up and spit him out, even if the petite blond had any interest him, which the dark haired man greatly doubted she ever would.

"Stupid, naïve brother," Sapphire lamented as he turned from the window and went to his room. A nap would wash away the weariness of the night before quite nicely. He would just have to wake up before Diamond and rouse his brother, pretending that the snow had finished minutes before even though that probably wouldn't be true. It's not like his brother would know the difference.


"I can't believe you!" Darien exclaimed in disbelief as Serena put the book back on the shelf, where it belonged.

"What?" she asked incredulously. "I didn't like that last story, that's all. It's not very… fairytale-like, if you will."

"Why? Because the prince turned out to be a jerk and the princess cried herself to sleep?" Darien asked. It was his turn to look at his companion in disbelief. That had always been his favorite story, especially after his parents died. It was the only story in the entire book that portrayed life in a realistic manner. It was the only one that wasn't full of lies.

"If I wanted to read about real life relationships, I'd pick up one of those trashy gossip magazines. I read fairytales to lie to myself. They're fiction. They shouldn't have to be real," Serena complained as she returned to the couch and sat down opposite Darien, her legs tucked underneath her like a pretzel.

"I suppose, but it's still nice to have a little real life thrown in with the make believe. It keeps you grounded," he replied. He never could stomach pure, undiluted fantasy.

"When was the last time you acted younger than you actually are?" Serena asked curiously and seemingly out of nowhere, much to his bewilderment.

"I don't know. I don't even remember the last time I acted my age. I had to grow up fast after my parents died," Darien muttered softly and honestly.

"Well come on then," she insisted as she got to her feet and held out a hand for him to take. He eyed the proffered appendage hesitantly. What was she getting at?

"Where are we going?" he asked, verbalizing the unasked question.

"Darien let me tell you a story. It's true, and there's tons of reality in it, so I think you might like it," Serena smirked, her hand still outstretched, waiting for his. "Once upon a time there was a very happy little boy. This little boy had everything he could ever want until one day his parents got into an accident and didn't come home. After that, the little boy locked himself up in a tower and traded his smiles and laughter for frowns and disapproving grunts.

"One day, a silly, carefree maiden happened to come by with the key to the tower. She held out her hand to the boy, who was not much of a boy anymore, and offered him a brief relapse into the childhood he never let himself have. Now the bitter man was mean to the maiden at first. He refused her offer callously, but when she asked again, for she was never one to take no for an answer, he paused. For some reason he trusted her. For some reason his heart told him to run free even though his head kept telling him that the tower was safe and the maiden wasn't."

"What's the ending?" Darien asked breathlessly, his heart pounding in his throat as he waited to hear what the man would tell the maiden. He understood the metaphor, but he still couldn't predict what the answer would be. Would he leave the tower with her? Would he take her hand?

"I never had a chance to hear the end of that particular tale, but I'm pretty sure you know it. I'm pretty sure you can tell me the ending," she pressed, her voice soft and soothing, just as it had been the night before.

"I don't know," he mumbled sadly as he turned his face downward to look at his hands, if only to get away from the sight of her gentle face.

"It only takes one word, Darien. The only thing keeping the man locked up there is his own will. He can be free if he wants to be, it just takes that one first step and I promise I'll hold your hand the whole way through," Serena coaxed as story melded with reality. He could hear how much she wanted it and he also knew just how much he wanted it too.

"Okay," he said suddenly, his voice clear and strong as he straightened up and locked eyes with Serena, blue meeting blue as trust, care and understanding passed between them.

"Okay," she echoed proudly as Darien took her hand and allowed her to lead him out of the room.

"So where are we going?" Darien asked, returning to his original question.

Serena laughed. "You'll see."


A/N: Mystery loves company... or is it misery? Well, enough misery for Darien, time for something else.

So once again, I'd like to thank my reviewers and readers. I love hearing from you guys, so please please please keep leaving me those notes, whether positive or negative. If nothing else, reward my quick update! I set aside my social life tonight to get this chapter done well before I thought I would. Besides, I think this one's pretty interesting, especially Serena's fairytale and Sapphire's inner rebellion.

Anyway, the next bit should be out soon, maybe this weekend. It's going to get the ball rolling quite a bit, so get ready for something a little more fast paced! As usually, let me know if you see a technical error or a missing word (I'd love to fix it) and remember to check my profile for updates, just in case!

Love and Luck,

Gaby