Blueedyeddevil06, thank you for being my beta. Also, thank you for chatting with me last night and working out future plot points on this story! You're a huge help.

"So tell me if I have this straight," Rick said. "Darien's father is evil and teamed up with Beryl in their first life and now she's bringing him back, somehow. The good news is that Darien controls the Golden Crystal and not his father. Is that right?"

Molly trailed her fingers over his bare chest and smiled at him. "Yes. You know, you have very strange pillow talk."

"I'm just trying to understand. The cat was trying to explain it all to me last night."

"Artemis?"

"No, Luna. She seemed in favor of making sure I understood. I think it was mainly because it annoys Artemis. She might have forgiven him, but she seems to still like to mention that there shouldn't be secrets in front of him. His ears lay down every time."

"So, did you learn anything new?"

"Yes, apparently there is a massive blobby energy thing named Metalia."

She giggled, "Now, I know Luna didn't call it that."

"No, but she was vague and horrifying at the same time about it. I was bummed that I missed the meeting yesterday, but I couldn't skip my lecture."

"At least you have a cat who can fill you in on things. Although I would have been more than happy to."

He smiled at her and said, "I know, but I like the oddity of learning things from Luna. She tries to be so proper when she's explaining things to me. I feel like I'm getting a lecture from Professor McGonagall in her cat form. I loved those books when I was younger."

Molly burst out laughing, "Oh my gosh, that's so true!"

"Plus, when I'm with you, I don't have youma on my mind." He pressed her to her back and nibbled her neck.

"Oh, and what's on your mind now?"

"Getting you to outshout Raye again, and probably make Lita beg the two of you to not bring your boyfriends back to the house on the same night. I guess Jadeite and I are both equally competitive."

"I have to say I'm loving your competitive side."

Rick thrust into Molly, making her arch her back and moan in pleasure. "And I love proving I can bring you all sorts of incredible pleasure."

Jadeite had Raye wrapped in his arms and his nose buried in her sweet-smelling hair. He loved the feel and smell of her while she slept with him. She'd surprised him last night by showing up and asking to stay the night. It had thrilled him.

He pulled her into the room and kissed her passionately. "Now," he asked, "What's wrong?" She'd never come to him before. He had always chased her. However, she wasn't ever hard to catch. It was just that he initiated things. When she said that she wanted him and that she missed him, he tightened his hold on her.

This Raye, he was discovering, hadn't grown up with love other than her grandfather's. She hadn't had a devoted friend in her princess until recently. It caused an odd combination of a hard shell and, once you got past her walls, the deep desire to be wanted and needed. She craved any type of intimacy.

Now, with him declaring his undying love, he'd effectively put himself at a disadvantage with her, and that made her feel safe to be uninhibited with him. After all, he loved her, and she didn't know him well enough yet to feel that deeply. It meant that when she wanted to see him, she understood he wanted it even more. She didn't have to worry that she was overdoing anything.

And that meant, for the first time in memory, she would come to him. It thrilled him that she could admit wanting him back. It was a precious thing for him to learn. He also learned that Molly's boyfriend Rick was competitive, and they spent the night trying to fuck their girlfriends so well that they outscreamed the other. He was more than a little cocky that he'd won that.

As he laid there, he heard Molly moan in pleasure. "Oh, hell, no," he said and woke Raye. "Darling, we have a record to maintain right now."

She rolled her eyes, pulled him on top of her, and spread her legs. "You boys are so competitive. You won't hear me complaining, though."

He sucked on her neck and then said, "Those weren't complaints I heard tumbling from your lips last night." He then spread her legs and sucked on her clit, getting her to moan out loudly in pleasure.

Nephrite bowed before Queen Beryl, "My queen, I have prepared the youma for my next attack. They all contain barbs and will be able to impale the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, killing them. You need not bother with Elis. I will serve you well."

He hadn't taken word of her working on waking Elis well. He thought he'd proven to her that he could serve her well, and now she looked for another. One that would share her bed, which meant he would take a higher position than Nephrite would.

The only good to come out of it in his mind was that it refocused his priorities away from that girl and back on the queen he served. He still needed to prove himself useful. He wanted to be her right-hand man. He hoped he could relegate this Elis to strictly someone who would warm her bed.

She stroked her ball and said, "Yes, yes, you will serve me. Do your best. I find I've already found a use for him. A rough fuck is just what I need sometimes, it gets my blood flowing and my heart pumping."

"But as for serving you to defeat the Sailor Scouts, I can do that for you."

Beryl sighed, "You're clever, but he's easier to control." She knew that Elis was genuinely evil, and she wouldn't have to worry about him abandoning her. He wanted the power, and to use her for her body. "I'll have him kill the scouts if you fail me."

"I have the perfect plan."

"Then go and see it done. Prove yourself to me before he joins my side. You only have that long."

"Yes, my queen," he bowed low and then exited the throne room. He was determined to prove he was more valuable than Elis could ever be to her.

"After last night, I snuck out this morning," Lita said. "I'm so glad I have earplugs."

Serena giggled and sipped her milkshake. "Probably a good idea."

"I can't believe you're having that for breakfast."

"Hey, it's more like brunch right now."

Lita gave her a fond look, "It doesn't make it much better." She then took a bite of her food, swallowed, and said, "Um… What do you think of Nephrite?"

"That he's beginning to remember you. I actually teared up when he bent down and healed you before facing us. He left his back exposed to Raye when he did. It was so romantic!" Serena said, sighing happily.

Lita fiddled with her napkin while staring at her food and said, "Do you think I'll love him like Amy loves Zoisite?"

"What?"

"When we were all resisting Mina's attempt to get us together with our soulmates, Amy and Zack were proof that she was wrong to Raye and me. Then Zack, the perfect man for Amy, turned out to be Zoisite after all." She crushed her napkin, set it down, and looked up at Serena. "Once the truth of Zoisite came out, Raye and I talked. We both believe Mina completely now about our soulmates."

Serena smiled, "That's why Raye gave in to Jadeite's advances so quickly?"

"Correct, she didn't want to fight against Mina anymore. She believed her, and shit, who doesn't want to rush into love when you're guaranteed it will be forever?"

"What about you?"

She took a sip of her coffee and then said, "I want to be loved, just like anyone else. I have so much of it in my life now with all you girls. The idea of romantic love that's epic and outlasts death is overwhelming and really attractive. I want to fall in love with him."

"Why do you sound sad about that?"

"I'm… guarded. Or at least I was..." She cocked her head and looked at Serena in shock. "I accepted Raye and Mina immediately. Since when have I been like that?"

"Oh, Lita, you aren't fourteen and lonely anymore. I think you changed without ever noticing it happening. I'm not surprised you welcomed them as part of our group. You grew up. Even I grew up. I'm not that crybaby I was anymore. If I can do it, you sure can."

Lita sighed, "Okay, I guess I've changed, but… what if that's a problem? Zoisite said that Amy is different but better. What if I'm different too, but he likes me less?"

Serena slapped both hands down flat on the table and stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over. Glaring at Lita, she said, "No, this isn't you. You will not self-sabotage. You're amazing and perfect the way you are. And if you don't think I would watch out for you and protect you every way I could, you're crazy. You sucked at cooking in your first life. Kunzite thought it was funny that you're such an amazing cook now. Zoisite mentioned you're warmer and less irritable. Your father back in the Silver Millennium taught you to be prickly with everyone, and you did that to please him. You are different. You're better. And if you can say you aren't absolutely amazing with how I feel about you, then you don't value my opinions very much."

She looked at her in shock. "I…" she blushed and added, "Thank you. Really, I needed that. I love you, Serena, and I hope you know I do value you. I didn't know that stuff about me in the past." She then giggled, "I was a bad cook?"

"So bad, he said you couldn't make anything, but you liked to try all the time. The generals would all hide a groan when you had them try something you made."

"They ate it?"

"Apparently, if they didn't, Nephrite would get pissed at them."

Lita smiled, "That's so romantic. He's going to be so surprised when I can actually cook now."

"He really is. So see? I know how competitive you are. You even beat yourself. You're better now than you were back then."