"Impossible"

Soft laughter filled the room, bubbling gently in the otherwise quiet night. It was dark, save for the light of the Earth filtering in through the windows. Two forms writhed on the bed, tumbling and rolling, the blankets twisting into knots.

"Endymion, p-please…" Serenity gasped, "stop! I can't… I can't breathe!"

The wicked grin on the prince's face widened as he finally ceased his attack, the hands that had previously been tickling flattening and caressing instead.

Serenity caught her breath in quick, dragging pants, blue eyes glaring half-heartedly in her lover's direction. Endymion merely widened his crooked smile and pulled her against him so that her back was pressed to his chest. He held her tightly against him, listening to her breathing slow down gradually.

He pressed his lips to the back of her neck, the curve of her throat, her shoulder, gently touching every inch of skin within his limited reach, his fingers entwined with hers. Serenity's eyes fluttered closed, and she scooted herself backwards, as close to him as possible.

"Do you understand how much you mean to me?" Endymion asked, his lips still pressed against her flesh. The warmth of his breath on her skin was a new, different tickle. "I can think of nothing other than you. Day and night, you are always in my thoughts. I am in torment when I am not with you. I feel as though I am on fire." He released Serenity's hands. "Come here."

Serenity turned over to face him, and Endymion placed his hand on the small of her back. They stared into each other's eyes, both feeling the depth of their love.

"Run away with me," Endymion said suddenly, his eyes desperate.

She arched a brow in surprise. "What?"

"Run away with me," he repeated. Caught up in the adoration in Serenity's eyes, his lips spilled out the secret dream he'd been imagining since the first moment he'd laid eyes on her. "We'll go somewhere far away, far from duty and titles. Somewhere no one will recognize us. We'll live on a farm, live off the land, and spend the rest of our days together. We'll never be apart. It will be heaven."

For a moment, Serenity's blue eyes filled with wonder and light, and Endymion could see the scenes playing out in her mind as they had in his. A whole lifetime of happiness danced across her face. But then a wince contorted her pretty features, and Endymion saw the exact moment when reality stabbed through the dream. Tears spilled over Serenity's cheeks, and she bent her head to hide them from him as silent sobs shook her body. Endymion swore under his breath and gathered her tightly against him.

"Forgive me," he whispered, hating himself for ruining their tender moment with useless chatter. "Please, please, my dove, forget it. I know it cannot be. I don't know why I said it. Please don't cry."

Her arms wrapped around him, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I hate this," she cried. "I hate it."

"I know," he soothed, hands rubbing her back. "I hate it, too."

When she finally stopped crying, she pulled back far enough to look into his eyes. "Can't we just tell them, Endymion? We love each other; that is not a crime. If we tell them how much we love each other, maybe they will understand. Maybe they will be happy for us."

He wanted to believe the hope in her eyes. He envied and desired her faith in humanity, her belief in goodness, but he could see the faces of his father, her mother, their people. He could see the distrust, the fear, and he knew their love would not be welcome. Brows knit together in sorrow, Endymion shook his head. "No, love, they won't. Our love is forbidden. It is a crime."

He expected more tears, but Serenity just looked away. "So it will always be this way. We will never be able to share our joy with anyone. We will never be able to marry, to have children. We will never be able to truly be together. We will always lie to our friends and our family, always sneak around as though our love is something to be ashamed of. It will always be stolen midnights, never long, sunny days."

He wanted to tell her she was wrong, wanted to tell her that he would find a way. That they would be together, forever, just as they dreamed. But he himself feared that their time together was stolen, only a brief chapter in their lives, one which would end when duty placed a crown upon their heads and wedding rings upon their hands - rings that bound them each to another.

So instead he hold her close and whispered once again how deeply he loved her, how he would always love her, and he hoped it would be enough.

.

Author's Notes: I'm so sorry that after almost four months of not posting, I'm uploading something incredibly depressing. I actually wrote this scene around the same time I wrote Inevitable but decided not to post it because, c'mon, hadn't I done enough damage already? So much time passed that I actually forgot about it, and I found it while going through my files. I decided it was time to polish it up and post it. I'm sorry I'm such a downer. I really do love Serenity and Endymion, and I hate the idea of them not ending up together, but I just can't logically accept that the future rulers of two different planets could ever actually be together. Which is why most of my Serenity/Endymion writing is alternate reality. Then I get to end it on a high note. Anyway, I'm going to try really really hard to write something fun and happy next.