Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. That credit goes to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Bandai, DIC, and all the other companies (which I truly don't know). Btw, I said this in the character list, but in case you've forgotten, I also borrowed characters from Kaylienne and lady. The rest are mine, as is this story line. Oh, look. I rhymed.

AN: Please r/r. are thoughts. Italics were time and place changes, but my comp. won't keep the italics when I upload so, *shrugs* oh well. Happy reading.





Chapter 3: Wedding Jitters

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Serena's suite – the same night

Serena, somehow sensing what had just transpired on the moon, struggled unsuccessfully to wake up. Suddenly, a beam of white light hit Serena, engulfing her completely until entering her body. Shifting in her sleep, she turned to face the moon once more. Unbeknownst to herself, Serena whispered in her sleep, "You are not my aunt. I will defeat you, Kale." Then she mumbled towards the moon, "Powers of the Moon, hear my plea. Protect my mother from this evil. This is my wish so grant it for me." A small sliver of white light left Serena's body, and, after reaching the ancient moon safe, formed a protective bubble around the queen's spirit. Serena's satisfied subconscious gave in to the dreams, intent on teaching the rest of her mind all she could about her past.

Darien's apartment – the same night

Darien's dream self saw Serena's body convulse as a bright light surrounded her. He desperately tried to help her, but was unable to do anything except watch. He released the breath he had been unknowingly holding when he saw her body calm down as she shifted in her sleep. Darien heard her mumble something, but could only make out the words 'Moon' and 'Mother'. Suddenly a small beam of light left Serena's body and headed towards space.

Darien blinked awake and rolled over to look out the window. A streak of light tore across the sky like a shooting star, but Darien knew it was the same light that had left Serena's body. The light brightened for a split second before disappearing completely. Now fully awake, Darien was left to wonder what had just happened. By the time he had drifted off to sleep again, Darien was sure of two things: this event must have something to do with the moon and Serena's dreams, and there is a new evil afoot.

The Royal Gardens – The Moon, the past, Serena's dream

Tao smiled as he watched the scene unfold before him. They didn't know he was there because a tall Moon Lily bush hid him. Tao thought of that morning's breakfast. He had seen that Earth prince send loving glances to Serena, who in turn blushed slightly. Rhys had caught Tao's eyes after Serena had excused herself. The two men had exchanged a knowing look, both remembering similar scenes between Selene and Ashe when they had first met all those years ago.

An hour after breakfast, the queen had sent Tao to find the prince, for it was time for him to return to Earth. Tao had soon found the prince strolling hand in hand with Serena through the Royal Moon Gardens. The couple stopped and turned to look at each other. With a flick of his free wrist, the prince produced a beautiful red flower, the likes of which Tao had never seen, and gave it to the princess. Then, he brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it.

Hearing a slight sound, Tao turned and saw Rhys walking towards him. In answer to his question, Tao signaled for Rhys to follow him and pointed towards the center of the garden. Nodding his understanding and agreement, the younger man followed Tao into the heart of the garden, where the couple had resumed their stroll, this time with their arms linked. "There you are, your highness. The queen sent me to look for you. It is time for you to return to Earth. Your generals are already with her in the departure room." Tao said, after bowing in respect for the royalty in front of him.

Nodding his compliance to Tao, the prince lifted the princesses' hand just below his lips and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Princess Serena. I must say, the Moon is very beautiful." Bringing her hand up the rest of the way to his lips, he kissed it gently before releasing it. "And I hope you have a safe journey home, Prince Darien." Serena replied. Then, Darien left, following a smiling Tao to the departure room.

"Ah, Cara. I've seen this all before." Rhys said to Serena as she sat down by one of the many fountains in the garden to smell her red flower. Hearing the familiar nickname, Serena looked up and commented, "You have?" Then, realizing what she had just admitted, quickly asked, "Seen what, Uncle Rhys?" Rhys smiled and simply said, "Ask your mother about the Story of Selene, Cara. Then, you will understand my meaning."

With that said, Rhys walked out of the garden, leaving Serena to think about what he had just said. Then, a banging noise entered her head, and Serena woke with a start. Realizing some one was lightly rapping on her front door, Serena got out of bed to answer it. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see an exhausted Darien standing in front of her.

Serena's suite – February 15, 2005

Serena came into the room carrying two cups of coffee and joined Darien, who was sitting on the couch in her living room. Darien had just finished his explanation of what he had seen in his dream last night and gratefully accepted the cup she offered him. "Okay. Let me get this straight. You saw my body convulse as a bright light engulfed me. You heard me murmur something about the Moon and Mother, after which a small beam of the same light left my body and went into space. And we know all of this actually happened last night, because when you woke up, you saw the small light beam shooting through space until it apparently reached its target since you said it got brighter and then disappeared completely." Serena said before sipping her coffee.

"Right. Do you think we should tell the others?" Darien asked. His voice made Serena realize how worried he was for her. "No. I don't relish the thought of living under Luna's watchful gaze again. Don't worry about me, Darien. We already know whoever sent that light wasn't evil. If they had been evil, the light wouldn't have been white. Maybe Mother sent it down from the Moon. That would explain why I mumbled something about the Moon and Mother." she said warmly, though she felt anything but warm. Something is very wrong. I can no longer sense Mother's presence on the Moon. What happened last night, Mother? I know you didn't die. I would have felt that. Something must be shielding you from me. Please find a way to contact me, Mother! I desperately need your help!

Glancing at his watch, Darien stood up and commented, "Wow. It's getting late. I need to go if I want to get to the office on time." Rising from the couch, Serena led Darien to her door and gave him a long, passionate kiss. Then, she opened the door and watched as he walked toward the elevator. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Serena shut her suite door and leaned against it. Looking up at the wall clock, she sighed as she realized that she, too, should leave for work soon. Deep in thought about what Darien had just told her, Serena quickly showered and threw on jeans and a shirt (pink front and back, black sleeves and collar, with the word PRINCESS written in black on the front) before running out the door towards the elevator.

Fun For Tots Daycare – Feb. 15, 2005, 4:35P.M.

Walking towards the front door when she heard the bell, Serena rocked Jenny as she walked. The 2-½ year old was crying because she wanted her mommy. Seeing a strange woman standing by the front desk, Serena called out, "Can I help you?" The woman turned around. "Oh, yes. I'm here to pick up my principal's two kids. She gave me a letter that allows me to pick them up. Their names are Jenny and Lyndsay," the woman said. "And you are…?" Serena asked the woman. Looking a little embarrassed, the woman replied, "My name is Molly. I'm a Kindergarten teacher at Crossroads Elementary."

Shifting the now quiet Jenny to her other side, Serena said, "Molly. I can't believe I didn't recognize you." Before Molly had a chance to respond, Lyndsay came running up to Serena saying, "Serena, Ryann won't give me my doll back!" At that moment, Ryann came sniffling. "Ryann, are you okay?" Serena asked, putting down Jenny, who immediately latched onto her leg. Andrea, Ryann's mother and owner of the daycare, came out to join the small group. "She's fine, Serena. Now, Ryann, what do you say to Lyndsay?" Andrea said. Ryann held out the doll she was carrying to Lyndsay and said, "I'm *sniff* sorry, Lyndsay. Here is your *sniff* doll back."

Lyndsay took her doll and replied, "It's okay, Ryann. I wasn't really mad at you." Then, she turned to Serena and asked, "When is Mommy going to pick us up? We're the only kids left." Serena smiled at her and said, "This is Molly. She's a friend of your mommy's and mine. She is going to take you up to the school where your mommy is right now. Do you know her?" Turning to look at Molly, Serena asked, "Is she in a meeting?" Molly, shocked by the news that this woman was her old friend, took a minute before answering, "Yes. Serena, when did you come back? The last I heard, there was still no word from you. Our moms haven't talked since you left. You know how good of friends they are. Where have you been all this time?"

Serena smiled, picked up Jenny, and then explained to Molly, "I had a really huge fight with Darien and the others. I got so mad that I took my plane ticket, passport, and all of my money, and went to Canada. I stayed there for the whole time, minus a few vacations to the U.S. I got back in December, two weeks before New Years Eve. Now, can I see that letter?" Pulling the letter from her purse, Molly said, "Oh, of course. Here you go."

After approving the letter, Serena carried Jenny out to Molly's car while Molly held Lyndsay's hand. When the girls were in the car, Serena said, "Molly, why don't we get together sometime for dinner. I've got so much to tell you. What do you say?" Opening her car door, Molly paused before getting in to say, "That'd be great. How about Friday at 7 o'clock at Ashley's, a quaint little café two blocks from here?" "Sounds great. Well, bye. I'll see you on Friday. Bye, girls!" Serena replied as she waved goodbye.

Sighing as the car drove off, Serena went back inside, grabbed her things, and got into her car. She had so much to do before her wedding. Last night, she and Darien had decided to get married in the gardens of the Silver Millennium on March 21, 2005. That was a little over a month away. Stopping at a nearby deli, Serena bought herself a sandwich to eat in her suite. Then, getting back in her car, she drove the remaining 2 ½ blocks to the skyscraper, parked her car in the garage, and grabbed a few bridal magazines from the lobby sitting area on her way to the elevator. Once in her suite, Serena ate her sandwich while flipping through the magazines, carefully marking the pages she liked with a sticky-note.

When she was done, each magazine looked like her old school notebooks, having 5 sticky-notes on one side. Seeing that it was only 9 o'clock, Serena cleaned up her mess and treated herself to a luxurious bubble bath to relieve herself of all her stress. After her bath, she put on her pajamas, turned out the light, and climbed into bed. Just as she expected, she was asleep before her head hit her pillow. This time, however, when the dream threatened to invade her mind, she did not fight it. Instead Serena welcomed the memories of her past on the moon. One last thought remained in her head before her dream-self took over. Anything to help me find you, Mother, and get my mind off my wedding. I'm so nervous and I've still got 5 weeks to go!