Luna changed into her human form and took on the responsibilities of the queen until Princess Serenity was ready to step up. Before she had done this, she spoke to the council and then the people of her kingdom, of the death of their Queen, Serenity. Similar speeches were being given in each kingdom at this time, and to its people; for months it was a time for mourning, soon it would be a time to move on. It was necessary for the princess to step up and take her place as the Queen of the new Millennium. But she was in grief and had not wanted to be seen by any one, and to ensue this she had locked herself up in her room, with only Luna and the occasional servant allowed entrance.
Darien's guardians took over his kingdom as he stayed on the moon to recover; they all agreed that he would get the best treatment there. Neither him nor Serena had yet awaken from their slumber, Serena lie peacefully in one room, Darien in a cryostasis chamber on the other side of the palace; the chamber was keeping his body intact, as well as healing old wounds.
Luna sighed as she glanced to where Darien lay suspended in midair, his mind in deep mystic abstraction; she wondered briefly how much longer it would be before either of them would awaken. Her eyes then focused on the other occupant in the room.
"How's the baby sitting going?" She inquired with a weary smile, attempting to lighten the mood as she brought him a glass filled with a cool blue liquid.
"Still unconscious..." He sighed as he took the drink appreciatively. "What is this?"
"We like to call it Blue Mountain...it will relax you." She paused in step before looking towards the door.
"Thanks...Mina sent you didn't she?" She laughed at his intuitiveness before continuing.
"She's a bit worried about you not sleeping." She began. "She says, and I quote 'I swear he takes his job too seriously!'"
"Did she wrinkle her nose as she said that?" He chuckled as he downed the liquid in one fell swoop, its affect already beginning to take place. "Give her this." He slipped a piece of paper out his pocket and scribbled a note atop it.
"Do I look like you and Mina's go between...I'm a royal advisor for pete's sake" She laughed, her brow arched . "Kids." She muttereed as she abruptly changed the subject, her face taking on a knowing look. "I have heard repeatedly of some unnamed senshi slinking away from her post at the door to Lady Serena's bedroom." She held the handle for the door in hand with a knowing look. "We checked her own room, but she has never been discovered there...yet her voice is found always fleeting and flighty, barely noticeable I might add and slightly muffled, but from behind the doors of another's bedroom chamber...If I may ask this of you Malachite, if you find wherever it is that my charge keeps running off to, make sure to tell her that she keep her mind more on her post." She finished firmly and winked at him before stepping out the room; he smiled sheepishly at being caught.
Idly, he turned to the window and glanced at the way in which the sun rose; it was definitely different from the way in which it rose on the Earth; the size was much grander here on the moon. Until now, he had never really came to grasp with just how big it really was. His revere was disrupted when he heard a scratchy voice whisper.
"Serena..." Abruptly yet slowly, he looked towards the clear chamber that was already beginning to dissolve, to see Darien sitting up, his body no longer suspended in air. With bandaged hands he reached out to feel the bandages on his head. "What, what happened? Where am I? Where's Serena?"
"You're on the Moon, we decided that you should stay here for a faster recovery."
"James?" He croaked, concern etched in his voice.
"Dead, Queen Serenity killed him."
"Serena?" He hoped against hope that perhaps there was a chance...
"She's fine too, but Darien, there's something you should know."
"What?" His breath came out haggardly; he placed a hand on his chest to hold it in place. He was still attempting to come to grasps with everything that was happening around him.
"The both of you have been out for a couple of months. You've been in a coma, and she's been in a trance."
"Where's Justin?" His eyes went wide when he considered what the child must be going through, considering his mother had been apart from him for so long.
"Galen has been watching over him, don't worry, he's fine."
"I thought she was...was." He sighed as he looked at his hands and gripped them tightly to cease their staggering, his mind finally coming to terms with what had occurred.
"Dead?" He finished for him. "Queen Serenity revived her, but..."
"But, but what?" Malachite was silent, unsure of whether or not he should tell his friend the news. "But WHAT?" Darien asked sternly.
"She, she...she lost her own life in return." He quickly sputtered out.
"She what?" He inquired hoarsely.
"She's dead."
"Why did she do it, why...I don't understand. What about the Princess?"
"Luna told us that she was in mourning and doesn't want to see anyone."
"I have to go see Serena." Darien resolved sternly as he began to get up from his bed. There were a lot of things he had to do, but seeing Serena was the foremost on the list.
"She hasn't awaken yet, and Serenity says that she will need not be disturbed if she is to recover."
"I am going to see her!" He replied determinately, already removing the covers that were over him to reveal silk pajama clad legs; as soon as he stood up, however, he fell down. "What, what happened to me?" he asked.
"Your legs, they aren't well yet."
"It doesn't matter!" He struggled to get up and Malachite could only watch dumbstruck as he arose and limped towards the door. Malachite hurriedly went after his friend, attempting to subdue him; with barely any strength at all, Darien shoved his body against the far wall. "I said...it doesn't matter." Blazing blue eyes looked down upon him before walking towards the door once more.
"Darien, there's something you don't know!" Malachite shouted when he had composed himself, arising immediately to chase after his friend once more, but Darien did not heed his words, choosing rather to ignore him. Knowing that his power alone would not stop him, Malachite ran down the hall in the other direction to get the other senshi and guards. He knew that when Darien was in this state of mind it would take several people to take him down, even if normally he shouldn't even be able to walk.
Darien followed his link to Serena in order to find her. When he reached his destination four senshi and two Royal Earth Guards blocked it off.
"Endymion, you can't go in there." Mina alleged boldly. They were all scared for the fact that most of them had never seen him like this; he had a very determined look in his eye, a look that said that he wasn't going to give up.
"Darien, you have to listen to us, its best this way." Malachite commented.
"Don't make me have to do this, I will fight you if I have to." He was already sweating from the pain he felt in forcing his legs to stand, but he was so unwavering, he became numb to the pain.
"Endymion, we do not want to fight you." Lita replied. They became fearful as they saw him get in his fighting stance; they knew that he was serious.
"I don't want to fight you either, but if I have to, I will." His body surged with power and became a ragingly vivid blue.
"Look, Endymion, don't do this, we know you love her, and if you ever want to see her awake again" Rei began.
"She's already awake." He interrupted. "Now let me through."
"She's not awake Endymion, you're just imagining it" Ami replied.
"Yes she is." Darien began. "She awoke about the same time as me, why do you think I called out her name?" He looked coldly at Malachite as he revealed this information.
"Endymion, I don't know how to tell you this but." Jedite began.
"Let him through." A weak hoarse voice whispered, ceasing all movements. They all turned slowly to see the door slightly ajar, but no one stepped out of it. "I have been awake, I just didn't step out of my room...I awoke at the same time as Darien" She continued.
Slowly they stepped aside from the door; Darien's power fading away as he slowly limped by them, once inside, the door shut with a bang.
She was seated on the edge of the bed quietly, a soft white cotton robe covering her form and a fluffy pillow resting over her abdomen. Long wavy yet curly golden tendrils glowed in the light of the sun and draped over her like a silk sheen. There was something different about her, he noted. She looked radiant, like...like a glowing angel as she sat facing the balcony of the bedroom.
And then she turned her face to him; she was crying.
"You know." He sighed as she nodded her head in response, patting a spot on the bed next to her so he could sit down; slowly, he came to her. "How did you know...no one could have told you as of yet...yet you know."
"I know what she did for me, and I also know what she told you." Serena continued. "We need to talk."
"OK" He sighed as he watched her fiddle with the edge of the pillow before looking back up at him.
"There's a lot you don't know." She began. "I don't know where to begin." She clutched the pillow softly to her before continuing. "I guess I'll start by telling you how I knew what she did." She sighed. "I was awake and yet immobile throughout the whole thing. She just kept on...kept on pouring her power in me and I couldn't stop her, she wouldn't..." Serena choked on her sobs and almost started to cry.
"Serena..."He said comfortingly, his arm coming round her body and over the pillow to hold her close; though he wasn't sure, he could have sworn he felt a tightness in her hip and that it was of slightly a larger size than he could recall.
"She wouldn't let me stop her...she kept comforting me throughout the whole thing, telling me how she told you the first part, and that I was to tell you the rest. And how it was going to be all right." She cried. "I told her that I couldn't do it, and she told me that I had too, that it would free my soul of everything I harbor inside...but it's been so hard. For so long, the only thing I could think was that here I was, 21 years old with a 3-year old son and another baby on the way...both from separate men. I became everything I despised, everything I'm against. I felt like...I felt like a whore...Justin doesn't...Justin doesn't deserve that." She gripped his chest, holding him for support as she choked on her tears. "He needs a daddy, and I so wanted you to be his daddy Darien, I've never seen him so happy than when you were there. I mean, what kind of example was I setting for him? How can I teach him to be responsible, when I, when I..."
"Shhh love." He whispered into her hair, holding her still. He pulled back from her somewhat, his thumbs reaching up to wipe the tears from the side of her face. "Sweetheart calm down, I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you anytime soon." He placed a light lily kiss on her lips before continuing. "Just answer me one thing..."He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then opened them once more. "Did you say, another baby on the way?" She paled slightly with the realization of the fact that she had never told him the news.
"Um...yes, I did." She closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the awkward reaction that she was sure would come. When it hadn't, she peaked open one eye, to see him grinning widely at her from ear to ear. Hesitantly, she opened the other eye to clarify that she was not seeing things.
"Why didn't you tell me?" His reply was soft and gentle, with a touch of love in the mix.
"I didn't want you to think you had to commit to me...because you...because you thought it was your duty." She turned away in shame, wondering how she could have ever thought that of him. His hand shakingly reached for the pillow that rest on her abdomen, suddenly understanding why it had been so strategically placed there, as well as understanding the signs he had seen before. Once removed, he reached for the knot on her robe, and after releasing it, he slipped his hand inside to fell the round bulge.
"How many months?" He quickly asked.
"Six I think, depending on how long we've been ou-"
"Boy or girl?" She could tell by the incessant way in which he began asking his questions, that he was very excited about the prospect of it.
"Girl I thi-"
"You feeling okay?"
"I'm fi-"
"We're going to have a girl...with your pretty blue eyes, and your hair...and my, she's mine rig-"
"Darien!" She huffed, surprised that he would even ask.
"Just checking!" He beamed enthusiastically before continuing. "I didn't really know, after all I haven't-" He paused mid-sentence, as if suddenly remembering something; he removed his hands from her body, he couldn't face her any longer, knowing that he was sleeping with another while she was going through so much turmoil.
"Darien...what's wrong?" She turned his head to face her, her hand on his cheek, but he refused to look in her in the eyes. "What were you going to say?"
"It's just that...I don't deserve you...Serena."
"What are you talking about?" He knew that his words were going to hurt her, put a wedge in their relationship that would never go away. But he could never lie to her; he could never keep such a thing from her.
"While you went through what you were, I...I wasn't keeping one side of my bed cold...god, I was unfaithful to you Serena...unfaithful to what we had together, to what we 'have' together."
"Oh...it's, it's okay." Her hand dropped from his face to curl around her belly. "We weren't...we weren't together at the time anyway." The silence that grew between them was deafening before she finally decided to voice the question she really had not wanted to hear the answer to. If he answered yes, it would mean that what they had was not what she had thought it was. "So, did...did you...did you love her?"
Silence.
"You're supposed to...you're supposed to answer now." She continued shakingly, her hands clenching at her sides. He stood up and walked away from her, his body facing the window. "Damnit, you're supposed to answer now! Tell me the damned truth Darien!"
"I don't know!" He leaned towards the window, bracing his weight against long extended arms; his back facing her.
"Do you...do you love me?" Her lips quavered as she released the words.
"Of course I love you! I love you with all my heart and soul but I-"
"But you love her..." She barely whispered.
"I don't know why but...yes, I...I think I do." He paused. "Serena I don't understand what I'm feeling, but you have to believe me when I say that for four years I remained celibate, saving myself for something I didn't know of. It's easy to allow everyone to assume that you are the playboy that they have always assumed you to be but I...I hadn't been with anyone til I met you...that's why it hurt...it hurt like hell when you rejected me, Serena."
"Don't you dare throw that in my face you bastard! You can't love me and love her! You can't!" She cried out, fresh unchecked teas falling from her eyes. He fliched at her words.
"I don't understand why I love Serenity but I-"
"Wait a minute..." She interrupted him, her hand coming up to her face to wipe the salty droplets away. "Did you...did you say...Serenity?"
"Yes." He replied solemnly, unsure of where she was going, but knowing it was anywhere but good.
"Goodness, and all this time I thought you were speaking of someone else." She sighed exasperatedly, blowing her bangs from her eyes as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "What a waste of tears and effort...you almost gave me a heart attack, crying is not good for the baby and it-"
"Excuse me?" He turned incredulously towards her, surprise evident on his face; if he had been expecting a reaction, this was definitely not the one.
"Don't feel guilty Darien. I must admit that I was a little green-eyed and angry at first..." She paused. "But really, how long can one be jealous and angry at oneself?" She giggled. At a loss for better words, he continued with the former.
"Excuse me?" As if on cue, Serenity, the subject of the conversation, and the other love of his life, entered the room and closed the door behind her. For the first time since Darien had met either woman, he realized that they hadn't shared just a few similarities; they looked exactly alike.
"See, I told you that you would come back to me." Serenity winked with a smile.
"Need to breathe, need to sit, need to relax." He fell haphazardly into a chair nearby as he looked from woman to woman, blonde to silver, big to slim, blue to gray; this was just too much.
"You okay Endymion?"
"You okay Darien?" Both women looked at each other and laughed as they approached him simultaneously.
"What the hell is goin' on here...is this some kind of sick joke." They both giggled at his confusion, it upset him more. "What are you...twins?"
"No." They both replied.
"Okay stop doing that!" They both said to each other, slightly annoyed.
"You stop!" They both continued.
"You're the one who keeps-" Darien rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly as they continued to argue with each other.
"This is getting annoying." They both spoke once more. "Ugh!" Frustrated, they both turned away from each other and looked in opposite directions.
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" He bellowed.
"We're not-" Before they could argue about their simultaneous speaking once more, he interrupted them.
"Serena, speak." He sighed once more, his fingers passing roughly through his bangs.
"We're not twins...otherwise we wouldn't be able to say the same thing like this...we're two parts of the same person." She replied.
"Hey! You're pregnant!" Serenity suddenly acknowledged.
"As you can see, I got the brains of this outfit." Serena lamented as she rolled her eyes.
"No fair! You get pregnant and I get the morning sickness??" Serenity shrieked.
"Wow really? I was wondering why I didn't get sick this time." Serena beamed.
"How...how come no one ever noticed you two look alike?"
"We were never ever close enough really for someone to tell." Serena began, realizing that her hormonally charged counterpart would not provide any knowledgeable information on this part. "Besides, you never saw it for the same reason that those who see the senshi never realize that they are the princess's of each solar planet...the glamour spell prevents you from seeing the truth."
"Are you guys going to be apart like this forever? Serenity." He called out her name immediately after voicing the question so that he wouldn't have to break up another argument.
"Not unless you want us to be..." She smiled silkily as she walked towards him.
"Stand back you hussy." Serena placed her arm before her, preventing her from going any further. "And now you can see who has all the sexual hormones of this outfit." She revealed.
"You're just jealous cause I got more out of him than you did." Triumphantly she replied, tossing her head high in the air, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"That would explain a lot of things." Darien mumbled to himself as they continued to bicker.
"Explain what?" Serena arched her brow as she looked on him in wonder.
"Ugh...nothing...so when can you guys get back together, I really rather prefer you that way...no offense."
"Non-taken." They both replied. They looked at each other before Serena continued, once again providing information that she knew Serenity did not understand. "It's simple really, we need only stand here and touch palms, gradually, I will begin to absorb her into me until we fuse as one once more...as time passes through our fusion, I will begin to see everything she has gone through as though they were my own memories, as if I had actually done those things..."
"Oh?" There was a lot of things, he realized, that she was going to find out that may shock her; he decided that perhaps it was more fun to wait and see her reaction.
"Let's get this thing over with." She walked up to Serenity, her eyes closed, and pressed her palms against hers; five seconds later she drew back quickly as if she had been burned, turning accusing eyes towards Darien.
"Oh my god! You are scandalous!" He only arched his brow in wonder at her.
"Excuse me?" Serenity giggled as realization dawned on her.
"She knows about the um...sundae, Endymion." He leaned back a little in his chair, and evident smirk on his face as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Sundae my ass, there wasn't any ice-cream!" Serenity's face became beat red as she turned away.
"And it was delicious." He replied huskily, making Serena shiver; Serenity merely licked her lips before turning back towards her.
"Will you hurry this up...I wanna have sex." She shinned. Serena rolled her eyes at her comment.
"Hello...I'm pregnant!"
"Pregnant shmegnant...the baby will be fine."
"I wonder if I got all the brains when we were split apart four years ago." She placed her palms against Serenity's once more. "Let's see what else you have done." She held them longer this time before pulling back. "Oh my Selene!"
"What did I do now?" He inquired with the quirk of a brow.
"I wasn't looking at you." She replied as she glared daggers at a blushing Serenity.
"I would seem that she knows about you and your...'chocolate, ventures'?" Darien grinned wickedly as he suddenly understood.
"Know about it?" Serena withdrew. "Like I said, I remember it like I was there...as if I was the one who..." She trailed off, a red tint staining her cheeks.
"Oh, well then, my little memory stealing rabbit...was it delicious?" He inquired darkly with slitted eyes, resting his elbow on the chair, his chin on his head; this time it was Serena's turn to blush really hard. She grabbed Serenity's hands hurriedly, her body feeling suddenly hot and warm inside. This time she kept her hands in place, and as time passed by, they both watched as Serenity slowly faded away.
"So..." He broke the silence, watching as she suddenly reached down to feel her abdomen.
"So..." She beamed as she turned towards him.
"Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with my dear?" He reached out his hand for her and she placed her hand in his own, coming towards him to sit comfortably on his lap. He sucked in a breath audibly, he had forgotten about the damage to his legs
"Usagi." She replied softly as brushed her nose across his.
"Usako." He smiled as she placed the palms of her hands against his thighs; he felt a slight tingling sensation before the pain he had felt before was relieved, his legs healed. "Thank-you."
"Your welcome." She slipped her palms up his chest and bent down to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Of course, I didn't heal you just for your health."
"I see that Serenity is definitely in you." He chuckled as they kissed passionately, he was about slip the robe off her shoulders when the door burst open and Justin ran through, followed by an exasperated Galen.
"Mama! Papa!" He exclaimed joyously before running over and jumping on Darien's other leg, his arms encircling his neck and cutting off air supply.
"Sorry your highness's, but as soon as I told him that you were awake and well, he insisted on seeing you." He hunched over and murmured in between breaths. "I am getting too old for this baby sitting job."
"Oh hush Galen, you know you never gained a year over 20 you overgrown child."
"Odango, I haven't the time for this...I have to go alert the kingdom that the queen and king are awake and well." He walked out of the room thereafter, closing the door behind him and leaving them alone.
"Justik...cakth...beath." Darien managed choked out.
"Let go of your father Endy..." He looked over to her in wonder at the name; she only smiled and mouthed an 'I'll tell ya later' towards him.
And then it sunk in...and finally hit home. His son. He had a son. Who looked like him. Who adored him. Who loved him. He wiped the tear that fell unbidden from his eye as he looked at the boy in wonder. He would have a baby girl in a couple of months, from his wife...but wait, they weren't married yet...why did Galen call him the king? He would ask her later, when his son was not there.
"Somethin' wrong papa?" His son asked with a toothy smile.
"No, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong at all."
"Guess what me and Uncle Galen did today?" He grinned.
Uncle? He mouthed to her.
Later. She smiled.
"What did you do?"
"We went to the garden and we looked for frogs in the pond and Uncle Galen said I could keep him and I named him Galen but uncle Galen said he didn't need to have a frog named after him and that I should name him Thomas so I named him Thomas and Thomas and I went looking for flies and I got to feed him the flies and he can do tricks and he can jump and jump." He made the motions with his hands to emphasize the words. "And he says 'ribbit' and he can-"
"Woe, woe sport." Darien smiled wondrously. "Slow down...instead of you telling me, how bout later I come over to your room and we can make a trip to the pond and you can show me Thomas and everything he can do? Does that sound good to you?"
"Really?" Serena smiled at the exchange between father and son.
"Really."
"Mommy too?"
"Of course mommy too." She added, kissing the down of his silky black locks.
"Okay, we're going to go practice now and then we'll have everything ready!" He jumped from his perch on Darien's leg and ran towards the door.
"Make sure you go to Molly and have lunch first!" Usagi called out as he exited the room, the door slamming behind him to leave them alone once more. "Before you ask, we're already married; we got married four years ago before I had Endy. Yes Galen's my brother and it's a loonngg story that I'll get into later. Our son's full name is Endymion Justin Wales the Second and as soon as Serena and Serenity bonded with one another everything outside this room changed as if we were never separated and as far as everyone in the Universe except my senshi, your guards, the royal guards, and the advisors, are concerned" She paused to take a deep breath. "Their king and queen were in an accident rendering them unconscious for two months and Queen Serenity the second, as well as the members of the previous council descended from their thrones four years ago."
"Your brother huh?" He grumbled. "No wonder he was giving me the third degree when I first met him." She giggled before continuing.
"You know...having all those...memories...of our, 'various rendezvous'...return to me, has suddenly made me no longer in the mood for talking." He chuckled slightly as she allowed the robe to slip away from her shoulders.
"Serenity...is definitely...in there." He chuckled, referring to her suddenly one-track mind.
"What do you expect? I'm in my sixth month of pregnancy and my hormones are all over the place, and I hear that during this time sexual intercourse is considered to be a great stress reliever." She arose from him softly, and pulled him up to follow her by the hand. He followed her willingly, allowing her to lead him towards the bed.
"Is this our room?" He asked suddenly, his mind stilling even as he the words 'our' registered in his head.
"No, our room is far bigger and much grander than this one...unfortunately, I can't wait to get to our room." She smiled sensually as she sat on the bed's edge and pulled his towering frame towards her. "So get over here."
"I aim to please." He smiled as he leant down and captured her lips in one passionate kiss. A moment into it, her relased her and spoke once more. "So when do I get to remember our past?"
"Later." She smiled.
The end!
Darien's guardians took over his kingdom as he stayed on the moon to recover; they all agreed that he would get the best treatment there. Neither him nor Serena had yet awaken from their slumber, Serena lie peacefully in one room, Darien in a cryostasis chamber on the other side of the palace; the chamber was keeping his body intact, as well as healing old wounds.
Luna sighed as she glanced to where Darien lay suspended in midair, his mind in deep mystic abstraction; she wondered briefly how much longer it would be before either of them would awaken. Her eyes then focused on the other occupant in the room.
"How's the baby sitting going?" She inquired with a weary smile, attempting to lighten the mood as she brought him a glass filled with a cool blue liquid.
"Still unconscious..." He sighed as he took the drink appreciatively. "What is this?"
"We like to call it Blue Mountain...it will relax you." She paused in step before looking towards the door.
"Thanks...Mina sent you didn't she?" She laughed at his intuitiveness before continuing.
"She's a bit worried about you not sleeping." She began. "She says, and I quote 'I swear he takes his job too seriously!'"
"Did she wrinkle her nose as she said that?" He chuckled as he downed the liquid in one fell swoop, its affect already beginning to take place. "Give her this." He slipped a piece of paper out his pocket and scribbled a note atop it.
"Do I look like you and Mina's go between...I'm a royal advisor for pete's sake" She laughed, her brow arched . "Kids." She muttereed as she abruptly changed the subject, her face taking on a knowing look. "I have heard repeatedly of some unnamed senshi slinking away from her post at the door to Lady Serena's bedroom." She held the handle for the door in hand with a knowing look. "We checked her own room, but she has never been discovered there...yet her voice is found always fleeting and flighty, barely noticeable I might add and slightly muffled, but from behind the doors of another's bedroom chamber...If I may ask this of you Malachite, if you find wherever it is that my charge keeps running off to, make sure to tell her that she keep her mind more on her post." She finished firmly and winked at him before stepping out the room; he smiled sheepishly at being caught.
Idly, he turned to the window and glanced at the way in which the sun rose; it was definitely different from the way in which it rose on the Earth; the size was much grander here on the moon. Until now, he had never really came to grasp with just how big it really was. His revere was disrupted when he heard a scratchy voice whisper.
"Serena..." Abruptly yet slowly, he looked towards the clear chamber that was already beginning to dissolve, to see Darien sitting up, his body no longer suspended in air. With bandaged hands he reached out to feel the bandages on his head. "What, what happened? Where am I? Where's Serena?"
"You're on the Moon, we decided that you should stay here for a faster recovery."
"James?" He croaked, concern etched in his voice.
"Dead, Queen Serenity killed him."
"Serena?" He hoped against hope that perhaps there was a chance...
"She's fine too, but Darien, there's something you should know."
"What?" His breath came out haggardly; he placed a hand on his chest to hold it in place. He was still attempting to come to grasps with everything that was happening around him.
"The both of you have been out for a couple of months. You've been in a coma, and she's been in a trance."
"Where's Justin?" His eyes went wide when he considered what the child must be going through, considering his mother had been apart from him for so long.
"Galen has been watching over him, don't worry, he's fine."
"I thought she was...was." He sighed as he looked at his hands and gripped them tightly to cease their staggering, his mind finally coming to terms with what had occurred.
"Dead?" He finished for him. "Queen Serenity revived her, but..."
"But, but what?" Malachite was silent, unsure of whether or not he should tell his friend the news. "But WHAT?" Darien asked sternly.
"She, she...she lost her own life in return." He quickly sputtered out.
"She what?" He inquired hoarsely.
"She's dead."
"Why did she do it, why...I don't understand. What about the Princess?"
"Luna told us that she was in mourning and doesn't want to see anyone."
"I have to go see Serena." Darien resolved sternly as he began to get up from his bed. There were a lot of things he had to do, but seeing Serena was the foremost on the list.
"She hasn't awaken yet, and Serenity says that she will need not be disturbed if she is to recover."
"I am going to see her!" He replied determinately, already removing the covers that were over him to reveal silk pajama clad legs; as soon as he stood up, however, he fell down. "What, what happened to me?" he asked.
"Your legs, they aren't well yet."
"It doesn't matter!" He struggled to get up and Malachite could only watch dumbstruck as he arose and limped towards the door. Malachite hurriedly went after his friend, attempting to subdue him; with barely any strength at all, Darien shoved his body against the far wall. "I said...it doesn't matter." Blazing blue eyes looked down upon him before walking towards the door once more.
"Darien, there's something you don't know!" Malachite shouted when he had composed himself, arising immediately to chase after his friend once more, but Darien did not heed his words, choosing rather to ignore him. Knowing that his power alone would not stop him, Malachite ran down the hall in the other direction to get the other senshi and guards. He knew that when Darien was in this state of mind it would take several people to take him down, even if normally he shouldn't even be able to walk.
Darien followed his link to Serena in order to find her. When he reached his destination four senshi and two Royal Earth Guards blocked it off.
"Endymion, you can't go in there." Mina alleged boldly. They were all scared for the fact that most of them had never seen him like this; he had a very determined look in his eye, a look that said that he wasn't going to give up.
"Darien, you have to listen to us, its best this way." Malachite commented.
"Don't make me have to do this, I will fight you if I have to." He was already sweating from the pain he felt in forcing his legs to stand, but he was so unwavering, he became numb to the pain.
"Endymion, we do not want to fight you." Lita replied. They became fearful as they saw him get in his fighting stance; they knew that he was serious.
"I don't want to fight you either, but if I have to, I will." His body surged with power and became a ragingly vivid blue.
"Look, Endymion, don't do this, we know you love her, and if you ever want to see her awake again" Rei began.
"She's already awake." He interrupted. "Now let me through."
"She's not awake Endymion, you're just imagining it" Ami replied.
"Yes she is." Darien began. "She awoke about the same time as me, why do you think I called out her name?" He looked coldly at Malachite as he revealed this information.
"Endymion, I don't know how to tell you this but." Jedite began.
"Let him through." A weak hoarse voice whispered, ceasing all movements. They all turned slowly to see the door slightly ajar, but no one stepped out of it. "I have been awake, I just didn't step out of my room...I awoke at the same time as Darien" She continued.
Slowly they stepped aside from the door; Darien's power fading away as he slowly limped by them, once inside, the door shut with a bang.
She was seated on the edge of the bed quietly, a soft white cotton robe covering her form and a fluffy pillow resting over her abdomen. Long wavy yet curly golden tendrils glowed in the light of the sun and draped over her like a silk sheen. There was something different about her, he noted. She looked radiant, like...like a glowing angel as she sat facing the balcony of the bedroom.
And then she turned her face to him; she was crying.
"You know." He sighed as she nodded her head in response, patting a spot on the bed next to her so he could sit down; slowly, he came to her. "How did you know...no one could have told you as of yet...yet you know."
"I know what she did for me, and I also know what she told you." Serena continued. "We need to talk."
"OK" He sighed as he watched her fiddle with the edge of the pillow before looking back up at him.
"There's a lot you don't know." She began. "I don't know where to begin." She clutched the pillow softly to her before continuing. "I guess I'll start by telling you how I knew what she did." She sighed. "I was awake and yet immobile throughout the whole thing. She just kept on...kept on pouring her power in me and I couldn't stop her, she wouldn't..." Serena choked on her sobs and almost started to cry.
"Serena..."He said comfortingly, his arm coming round her body and over the pillow to hold her close; though he wasn't sure, he could have sworn he felt a tightness in her hip and that it was of slightly a larger size than he could recall.
"She wouldn't let me stop her...she kept comforting me throughout the whole thing, telling me how she told you the first part, and that I was to tell you the rest. And how it was going to be all right." She cried. "I told her that I couldn't do it, and she told me that I had too, that it would free my soul of everything I harbor inside...but it's been so hard. For so long, the only thing I could think was that here I was, 21 years old with a 3-year old son and another baby on the way...both from separate men. I became everything I despised, everything I'm against. I felt like...I felt like a whore...Justin doesn't...Justin doesn't deserve that." She gripped his chest, holding him for support as she choked on her tears. "He needs a daddy, and I so wanted you to be his daddy Darien, I've never seen him so happy than when you were there. I mean, what kind of example was I setting for him? How can I teach him to be responsible, when I, when I..."
"Shhh love." He whispered into her hair, holding her still. He pulled back from her somewhat, his thumbs reaching up to wipe the tears from the side of her face. "Sweetheart calm down, I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you anytime soon." He placed a light lily kiss on her lips before continuing. "Just answer me one thing..."He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then opened them once more. "Did you say, another baby on the way?" She paled slightly with the realization of the fact that she had never told him the news.
"Um...yes, I did." She closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the awkward reaction that she was sure would come. When it hadn't, she peaked open one eye, to see him grinning widely at her from ear to ear. Hesitantly, she opened the other eye to clarify that she was not seeing things.
"Why didn't you tell me?" His reply was soft and gentle, with a touch of love in the mix.
"I didn't want you to think you had to commit to me...because you...because you thought it was your duty." She turned away in shame, wondering how she could have ever thought that of him. His hand shakingly reached for the pillow that rest on her abdomen, suddenly understanding why it had been so strategically placed there, as well as understanding the signs he had seen before. Once removed, he reached for the knot on her robe, and after releasing it, he slipped his hand inside to fell the round bulge.
"How many months?" He quickly asked.
"Six I think, depending on how long we've been ou-"
"Boy or girl?" She could tell by the incessant way in which he began asking his questions, that he was very excited about the prospect of it.
"Girl I thi-"
"You feeling okay?"
"I'm fi-"
"We're going to have a girl...with your pretty blue eyes, and your hair...and my, she's mine rig-"
"Darien!" She huffed, surprised that he would even ask.
"Just checking!" He beamed enthusiastically before continuing. "I didn't really know, after all I haven't-" He paused mid-sentence, as if suddenly remembering something; he removed his hands from her body, he couldn't face her any longer, knowing that he was sleeping with another while she was going through so much turmoil.
"Darien...what's wrong?" She turned his head to face her, her hand on his cheek, but he refused to look in her in the eyes. "What were you going to say?"
"It's just that...I don't deserve you...Serena."
"What are you talking about?" He knew that his words were going to hurt her, put a wedge in their relationship that would never go away. But he could never lie to her; he could never keep such a thing from her.
"While you went through what you were, I...I wasn't keeping one side of my bed cold...god, I was unfaithful to you Serena...unfaithful to what we had together, to what we 'have' together."
"Oh...it's, it's okay." Her hand dropped from his face to curl around her belly. "We weren't...we weren't together at the time anyway." The silence that grew between them was deafening before she finally decided to voice the question she really had not wanted to hear the answer to. If he answered yes, it would mean that what they had was not what she had thought it was. "So, did...did you...did you love her?"
Silence.
"You're supposed to...you're supposed to answer now." She continued shakingly, her hands clenching at her sides. He stood up and walked away from her, his body facing the window. "Damnit, you're supposed to answer now! Tell me the damned truth Darien!"
"I don't know!" He leaned towards the window, bracing his weight against long extended arms; his back facing her.
"Do you...do you love me?" Her lips quavered as she released the words.
"Of course I love you! I love you with all my heart and soul but I-"
"But you love her..." She barely whispered.
"I don't know why but...yes, I...I think I do." He paused. "Serena I don't understand what I'm feeling, but you have to believe me when I say that for four years I remained celibate, saving myself for something I didn't know of. It's easy to allow everyone to assume that you are the playboy that they have always assumed you to be but I...I hadn't been with anyone til I met you...that's why it hurt...it hurt like hell when you rejected me, Serena."
"Don't you dare throw that in my face you bastard! You can't love me and love her! You can't!" She cried out, fresh unchecked teas falling from her eyes. He fliched at her words.
"I don't understand why I love Serenity but I-"
"Wait a minute..." She interrupted him, her hand coming up to her face to wipe the salty droplets away. "Did you...did you say...Serenity?"
"Yes." He replied solemnly, unsure of where she was going, but knowing it was anywhere but good.
"Goodness, and all this time I thought you were speaking of someone else." She sighed exasperatedly, blowing her bangs from her eyes as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "What a waste of tears and effort...you almost gave me a heart attack, crying is not good for the baby and it-"
"Excuse me?" He turned incredulously towards her, surprise evident on his face; if he had been expecting a reaction, this was definitely not the one.
"Don't feel guilty Darien. I must admit that I was a little green-eyed and angry at first..." She paused. "But really, how long can one be jealous and angry at oneself?" She giggled. At a loss for better words, he continued with the former.
"Excuse me?" As if on cue, Serenity, the subject of the conversation, and the other love of his life, entered the room and closed the door behind her. For the first time since Darien had met either woman, he realized that they hadn't shared just a few similarities; they looked exactly alike.
"See, I told you that you would come back to me." Serenity winked with a smile.
"Need to breathe, need to sit, need to relax." He fell haphazardly into a chair nearby as he looked from woman to woman, blonde to silver, big to slim, blue to gray; this was just too much.
"You okay Endymion?"
"You okay Darien?" Both women looked at each other and laughed as they approached him simultaneously.
"What the hell is goin' on here...is this some kind of sick joke." They both giggled at his confusion, it upset him more. "What are you...twins?"
"No." They both replied.
"Okay stop doing that!" They both said to each other, slightly annoyed.
"You stop!" They both continued.
"You're the one who keeps-" Darien rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly as they continued to argue with each other.
"This is getting annoying." They both spoke once more. "Ugh!" Frustrated, they both turned away from each other and looked in opposite directions.
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" He bellowed.
"We're not-" Before they could argue about their simultaneous speaking once more, he interrupted them.
"Serena, speak." He sighed once more, his fingers passing roughly through his bangs.
"We're not twins...otherwise we wouldn't be able to say the same thing like this...we're two parts of the same person." She replied.
"Hey! You're pregnant!" Serenity suddenly acknowledged.
"As you can see, I got the brains of this outfit." Serena lamented as she rolled her eyes.
"No fair! You get pregnant and I get the morning sickness??" Serenity shrieked.
"Wow really? I was wondering why I didn't get sick this time." Serena beamed.
"How...how come no one ever noticed you two look alike?"
"We were never ever close enough really for someone to tell." Serena began, realizing that her hormonally charged counterpart would not provide any knowledgeable information on this part. "Besides, you never saw it for the same reason that those who see the senshi never realize that they are the princess's of each solar planet...the glamour spell prevents you from seeing the truth."
"Are you guys going to be apart like this forever? Serenity." He called out her name immediately after voicing the question so that he wouldn't have to break up another argument.
"Not unless you want us to be..." She smiled silkily as she walked towards him.
"Stand back you hussy." Serena placed her arm before her, preventing her from going any further. "And now you can see who has all the sexual hormones of this outfit." She revealed.
"You're just jealous cause I got more out of him than you did." Triumphantly she replied, tossing her head high in the air, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"That would explain a lot of things." Darien mumbled to himself as they continued to bicker.
"Explain what?" Serena arched her brow as she looked on him in wonder.
"Ugh...nothing...so when can you guys get back together, I really rather prefer you that way...no offense."
"Non-taken." They both replied. They looked at each other before Serena continued, once again providing information that she knew Serenity did not understand. "It's simple really, we need only stand here and touch palms, gradually, I will begin to absorb her into me until we fuse as one once more...as time passes through our fusion, I will begin to see everything she has gone through as though they were my own memories, as if I had actually done those things..."
"Oh?" There was a lot of things, he realized, that she was going to find out that may shock her; he decided that perhaps it was more fun to wait and see her reaction.
"Let's get this thing over with." She walked up to Serenity, her eyes closed, and pressed her palms against hers; five seconds later she drew back quickly as if she had been burned, turning accusing eyes towards Darien.
"Oh my god! You are scandalous!" He only arched his brow in wonder at her.
"Excuse me?" Serenity giggled as realization dawned on her.
"She knows about the um...sundae, Endymion." He leaned back a little in his chair, and evident smirk on his face as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Sundae my ass, there wasn't any ice-cream!" Serenity's face became beat red as she turned away.
"And it was delicious." He replied huskily, making Serena shiver; Serenity merely licked her lips before turning back towards her.
"Will you hurry this up...I wanna have sex." She shinned. Serena rolled her eyes at her comment.
"Hello...I'm pregnant!"
"Pregnant shmegnant...the baby will be fine."
"I wonder if I got all the brains when we were split apart four years ago." She placed her palms against Serenity's once more. "Let's see what else you have done." She held them longer this time before pulling back. "Oh my Selene!"
"What did I do now?" He inquired with the quirk of a brow.
"I wasn't looking at you." She replied as she glared daggers at a blushing Serenity.
"I would seem that she knows about you and your...'chocolate, ventures'?" Darien grinned wickedly as he suddenly understood.
"Know about it?" Serena withdrew. "Like I said, I remember it like I was there...as if I was the one who..." She trailed off, a red tint staining her cheeks.
"Oh, well then, my little memory stealing rabbit...was it delicious?" He inquired darkly with slitted eyes, resting his elbow on the chair, his chin on his head; this time it was Serena's turn to blush really hard. She grabbed Serenity's hands hurriedly, her body feeling suddenly hot and warm inside. This time she kept her hands in place, and as time passed by, they both watched as Serenity slowly faded away.
"So..." He broke the silence, watching as she suddenly reached down to feel her abdomen.
"So..." She beamed as she turned towards him.
"Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with my dear?" He reached out his hand for her and she placed her hand in his own, coming towards him to sit comfortably on his lap. He sucked in a breath audibly, he had forgotten about the damage to his legs
"Usagi." She replied softly as brushed her nose across his.
"Usako." He smiled as she placed the palms of her hands against his thighs; he felt a slight tingling sensation before the pain he had felt before was relieved, his legs healed. "Thank-you."
"Your welcome." She slipped her palms up his chest and bent down to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Of course, I didn't heal you just for your health."
"I see that Serenity is definitely in you." He chuckled as they kissed passionately, he was about slip the robe off her shoulders when the door burst open and Justin ran through, followed by an exasperated Galen.
"Mama! Papa!" He exclaimed joyously before running over and jumping on Darien's other leg, his arms encircling his neck and cutting off air supply.
"Sorry your highness's, but as soon as I told him that you were awake and well, he insisted on seeing you." He hunched over and murmured in between breaths. "I am getting too old for this baby sitting job."
"Oh hush Galen, you know you never gained a year over 20 you overgrown child."
"Odango, I haven't the time for this...I have to go alert the kingdom that the queen and king are awake and well." He walked out of the room thereafter, closing the door behind him and leaving them alone.
"Justik...cakth...beath." Darien managed choked out.
"Let go of your father Endy..." He looked over to her in wonder at the name; she only smiled and mouthed an 'I'll tell ya later' towards him.
And then it sunk in...and finally hit home. His son. He had a son. Who looked like him. Who adored him. Who loved him. He wiped the tear that fell unbidden from his eye as he looked at the boy in wonder. He would have a baby girl in a couple of months, from his wife...but wait, they weren't married yet...why did Galen call him the king? He would ask her later, when his son was not there.
"Somethin' wrong papa?" His son asked with a toothy smile.
"No, nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong at all."
"Guess what me and Uncle Galen did today?" He grinned.
Uncle? He mouthed to her.
Later. She smiled.
"What did you do?"
"We went to the garden and we looked for frogs in the pond and Uncle Galen said I could keep him and I named him Galen but uncle Galen said he didn't need to have a frog named after him and that I should name him Thomas so I named him Thomas and Thomas and I went looking for flies and I got to feed him the flies and he can do tricks and he can jump and jump." He made the motions with his hands to emphasize the words. "And he says 'ribbit' and he can-"
"Woe, woe sport." Darien smiled wondrously. "Slow down...instead of you telling me, how bout later I come over to your room and we can make a trip to the pond and you can show me Thomas and everything he can do? Does that sound good to you?"
"Really?" Serena smiled at the exchange between father and son.
"Really."
"Mommy too?"
"Of course mommy too." She added, kissing the down of his silky black locks.
"Okay, we're going to go practice now and then we'll have everything ready!" He jumped from his perch on Darien's leg and ran towards the door.
"Make sure you go to Molly and have lunch first!" Usagi called out as he exited the room, the door slamming behind him to leave them alone once more. "Before you ask, we're already married; we got married four years ago before I had Endy. Yes Galen's my brother and it's a loonngg story that I'll get into later. Our son's full name is Endymion Justin Wales the Second and as soon as Serena and Serenity bonded with one another everything outside this room changed as if we were never separated and as far as everyone in the Universe except my senshi, your guards, the royal guards, and the advisors, are concerned" She paused to take a deep breath. "Their king and queen were in an accident rendering them unconscious for two months and Queen Serenity the second, as well as the members of the previous council descended from their thrones four years ago."
"Your brother huh?" He grumbled. "No wonder he was giving me the third degree when I first met him." She giggled before continuing.
"You know...having all those...memories...of our, 'various rendezvous'...return to me, has suddenly made me no longer in the mood for talking." He chuckled slightly as she allowed the robe to slip away from her shoulders.
"Serenity...is definitely...in there." He chuckled, referring to her suddenly one-track mind.
"What do you expect? I'm in my sixth month of pregnancy and my hormones are all over the place, and I hear that during this time sexual intercourse is considered to be a great stress reliever." She arose from him softly, and pulled him up to follow her by the hand. He followed her willingly, allowing her to lead him towards the bed.
"Is this our room?" He asked suddenly, his mind stilling even as he the words 'our' registered in his head.
"No, our room is far bigger and much grander than this one...unfortunately, I can't wait to get to our room." She smiled sensually as she sat on the bed's edge and pulled his towering frame towards her. "So get over here."
"I aim to please." He smiled as he leant down and captured her lips in one passionate kiss. A moment into it, her relased her and spoke once more. "So when do I get to remember our past?"
"Later." She smiled.
The end!