"Mommy scratch my head! Please!" Serena jumped on the couch and laid her head on her mom's lap as she read a newspaper. She looked down at her daughter, who looked up at her with big crystal blue eyes.

Irene smiled. "'Mommy?' Huh? I haven't heard that in a while." She threw her paper to the side opposite of Serena and started rubbing her head. "I can't remember the last time I scratched your head." She looked up at the ceiling. "I think it stopped once you started wearing your hair in those ball things." She looked down and smiled. "I loved that style on you."

"You don't like my hair now?"

"I love it." She leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love everything about you." She started rubbing her head and running her nails against her scalp. "You know what else I love?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Seeing you smile with your friends. Seeing them all here today with you, the spark it brought to your face. I kinda missed the loud cackles and yelling."

Serena let out a sigh. "Do you ever wish that you could have one them over me?"

Irene stopped running her finger through her hair. "Serena what are you talking about?"

"Just asking they are all so great, and I am just barely getting by. They have poise, and I'm a klutz. They have bright futures. We don't even know what is going to happen to me next year."

"Serena... I have to say you were not the easiest, and I know that sometimes you can try harder. But I would never change you for the world. You have the purest of heart. Your spirit is contagious. And yeah you may not be the easiest, but you always seem to find away. So I know you will."

Serena popped up and looked at her mom. She smiled at her. "I am tired of being the one who let's everyone down."

"Is this why you stopped talking to your friends? And changed your look? And begged to do home school?"

Serena just shrugged.

"Baby. One you only let people down when they count on you and you don't show up. I know most the time you show up late...but that's you. You at least are always there. You are special my little bunny, and your friends obviously know it too, if they are still going out of their way to be with you." She tapped her little nose.

Serena laid back down on her lap. "Mom...?"

She let out a little chuckle. "Yes Serena."

"Thanks for scratching my head..."

"No problem Sere."

She popped up again. "I think I am going to head up to bed." She hugged her mom and got off the couch. She ran up the stairs and headed up to her room.

With a little smile on her face she opened the door. Turned on the light and jumped back in surprise. She looked back behind her to make sure her mom or anyone was not behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Where have you been? The girls have been calling you!" Tuxedo Mask held his side with one hand and her communicator with the other. "I thought you were trouble I rushed over here."

Serena closed her door.

"What happened to you?" Serena pointed at his side.

"Don't worry about me. Are you okay?" He flinched. "I saw Zoicite leave when she saw that you were not picking up their call. I thought she came here. "

"Here sit down." Serena walked over to him and eased him to sit on her bed.

"You guys were attacked?" Serena asked concerned.

"Yeah, but you weren't there. So it is okay."

"You left the girls?"

"To check on you." He flinched again grabbing his side.

"Here lay down." She slowly laid him down. "Can you untransform?"

"Yeah as soon I am healed I will." His head was thrown back. His breathing was fast and deep.

She rubbed his head. "Are the girls okay?"

"I am not sure."

She turned to her communicator. It was beeping again. She finally picked up.

"Moon!" Jupiter called. "You are okay?"

"Yeah." She forced a smile. "Are you guys?" She started to tear. She could see Venus supporting Mars in the background.

"A few scratches. We are fine." Mercury interrupted. "We just wanted to make sure you are okay."

"We are checking out! See you tomorrow!" Lita shouted before she turned off the communicator.

She sighed and looked over at Tuxedo Mask. He was starting to fade back to Darien and kneeled next to the edge of the bed. "The girls are okay." She whispered. "No thanks to me."

She watched as he became more and more Darien and less Tuxedo Mask. Until finally all was gone and he was just Darien laying in her bed. His eyes opened wide to see her looking back at him.

"Have you just been staring at me the whole time?"

"No, I called the girls for a minute."

"They called you over and over again during the battle." He ran up his hand down her cheek. "They really do need you."

Serena faked a smile. "Are you sure? Klutzy. Ditzy. Unreliable Serena?"

He looked back in to her hurt eyes. They were getting glossy. "I am sorry."

"For what?" She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"For everything I ever said to you that hurt you. For all the times I made you cry. You really are a big part of my life." He grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips. "And when you started to ignore me and when Zoicite dropped you...it was like I was losing a piece of me all over again." He kissed her hand again. "I am going to spend God knows how long making this up to you." He turned over on her bed so his body faced her. "I am in love with you."

"You think I can do it? Be their leader."

"Course I do. There is nobody with a bigger heart than yours." He pulled her up to her bed and wrapped both hands around here. He kissed her cheek.

"I am so scared to let every down."

"You won't. And I will be there with you to help make sure you don't."

Across town just a block from the temple, Raye hung with Amy, who was checking to see if she was okay. She let out a deep sigh. Zoicite got her good, but in her head she deserved it for pushing Serena away. With each step her ankle stung. It was getting late so she didn't want to stop and rest. The road was quiet not very many cars passed her by. She took deep breaths in between steps this last block and going up the hill were starting to feel like miles away. She started to tear but sucked it in.

Then suddenly she saw some lights coming behind her. She tried to ignore it and pay it no mind. It motivated her to try a little harder. Work through the pain to get to safety. The lights came closer and then they suddenly stopped moving. But didn't shut off. She took a breath. Balled her fist. If she was going to go. She would at least put up a fight.

"So a little bunny said that you would be needing a ride home." Shouted a familiar voice.

She shook her head. Thought the pain was making her delusional.

"Are you going to attempt another step and possibly fall or are you just going to get in the car?" He yelled again.

She finally turned around. "Jed..." She whispered.

"In the flesh."

"What are you doing here?"

"Like I said a little Bunny said you may need some help." He shrugged. "I thought you were a lot further than you down the road. Impressed you made it this far." He walked over to her. Leaving his door open. "Come on. Let me help you."

"Jed." Was all she could say.

"Just throw your arm over my shoulder and I will help you to the car." He grabbed her arm and maneuvered her arm over his shoulder.

The two started to walk to his car. He went back in forth in his head on whether or not he should pick her up, while she focused on not falling because the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was using her injury to get him to pay attention to her.

"Watched out. Uneven step." He warned.

She took one more step and misjudged the step and she started to go down. She braced herself for the fall but before she felt her legs being swept up.

"I got you." He whispered as he carried her to the car.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

They got to the car. He placed her down softly to open the door. He then held one hand while she got in to her seat.

"Are you okay? I can move the seat back a little more."

"I'm fine. We aren't too far anyways."

He nodded. Shut the door and walked around to his seat. He got in the car.

"Let me blast the heat. You are a little cold."

"Thanks Jed."

"Thank a little bunny for texting me."

"But you still didn't have to come."

"It was her or me." He just shrugged and started to drive.

Raye looked down at her throbbing leg. "Well regardless I am glad you're here." She looked up at him, only to see he was not looking back.

The ride was not that far. But two minutes maybe. He pulled up to her house.

"Anyone home?"

"No grandpa went to some friends."

"Are you going to be okay? Need help?"

"I think I will be fine." Without thinking threw her bad leg out of the car and stepped on it. She groaned in pain. She put her hand over her eyes to cover her tears.

"Raye."

"I am find. Just go." She put her hands on the door to support her up. She sniffed back her tears. She put all her weight on one foot and just hopped.

Not even a second hop and Jed was already next to her.

"Give me your keys. I will carry you in."

"I am fine Jed. You don't even want to be here." She had two hands on the open door to support her.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't want too. So the give me the keys and I will carry you in." He held his hand out waiting for her keys.

She looked at him. He wasn't going to move. She sighed. Dug in her bag and threw the keys in his hand.

"Thank you. Let's go." He took her arm again and threw it over her shoulder. And started to walk towards the house.

She didn't want him to see her cry because of the pain of not just her leg but the fact that she had no idea what was going on, so she looked away until he reached the door and opened it with her key.