Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters.

Return to Damnation

Thanks you to both my editors!!!!

Just to clarify.

' thoughts

"" speech

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Darien saw Serena standing they're starting at the temple. That's what she's doing.' He thought, She's saying goodbye to her life, her friends Oh Serena.' He was about to call out to her when someone beat him to it.

"Serena?"

A blonde haired girl was running up the path in Serena's direction. Clearly she'd spotted the Serena standing there while Serena's back was turned. He was looking at Serena as she turned and he saw the pure horror on her face. Apparently she didn't want them to spot her. He had a thought, it was stupid, but maybe it would work, just maybe.

Mina had almost reached Serena when Darien acted; he called out her name making both the startled women look. Serena had a look of pure horror on her face and Darien thought she might faint. Mina spoke first.

"Serena is that you? Where have you been? The girl and I have been worried sick about you. We called your apartment, when you stopped showing up for school, we reported you missing, but the police said we didn't have a case if you weren't family and you were your own guardian. We've been so scared for you." Breathlessly Mina grabbed Serena and pulled her into a tight hug. Serena looked utterly helpless, and that's when Darien spoke up.

"You're Mina right?"

Mina looked up at Darien quizzically, she'd forgotten he was there. "Yes, who are you?"

"I'm Darien, Serena's er husband." A plan was forming in his mind and he hoped Serena would play along.

Serena looked at Darien oddly, but then caught on to what he was doing and decided to play along, she'd work this out later, she could still sever her ties with her friends, and maybe it would be better this way

"Serena is this true?"

"Um, Yes. I'm sorry I made you and the girls worry Mina, but it all came about so suddenly. Darien and I had been dating secretly, his parents didn't really want us to, and then"

Darien picked up when Serena started to struggle, "And then when my parents found out that we were still dating they were furious. Rather then have them try to tear us apart I told them Serena was pregnant and that I was going to marry her, we had secretly been planning to marry already, but couldn't figure out how to explain it to my parents."

Then Serena chimed in again, "Well they were shocked to say the least, they planned a wedding for us in Europe right away. Darien's quite rich, and they didn't want people to find out I was pregnant, so the wedding was right away. I wanted to tell you all, but I was afraid things would slip out, you know how Rei is. Darien and I just got back from our honey moon."

Mina looked dumb struck. She looked back and forth between the two for a while and then at Serena. " You're telling me that since I last saw you you've gotten pregnant, married, without your friends being there I might add, and now you are back and you never found the time to call and tell us!"

"No Mina you don't understand. I'm not pregnant Darien and I made that up to make sure his parents would let us marry. His parents think I lost the baby. Yes Darien and I are married, and I didn't w ant you and the girls there I really did, but things happened so fast. Darien's mother was suspicious, and she kept such close watch I couldn't call you all. I'm sorry."

"Well damn Serena! You've managed to get yourself into quite a bit of trouble huh?"

"Yea I suppose so."

Mina looked at Serena thoughtfully, and then she turned and looked at Darien. He distinctly felt like he was being judged, and then Mina winked at him.

"Well now that I know what's going on you two are coming with me."

Serena's face paled again. A difficult thing for a vampire.

"Um, to where?" Darien asked.

"Into the temple, the rest of the girls are going to be so glad to see your back Serena, and they aren't gonna believe me if I tell them." Darien looked like he was ready to run when Mina said, " And you're coming to meet the girls. There gonna wanna know the guy who stole her from us and got her into this mess."

Darien managed to pale at that statement. He'd seen Serena's friends when he watched over her while she was alive, it seemed so long ago, but he could tell those girls were close. He feared they're wrath when they heard the story he'd just made up. What if Serena's friends didn't approve of him? Then what would he do?

"Come on you two the girls are having a get together at the temple, and now I'm really late."

With that the three headed for the temple, who knew what was ahead of them.

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The rest of the girls had been as shocked as Mina to see Serena, and once they'd all been calmed down enough to hear her and Darien's story they'd been speechless, for a while. Millions of questions came darting at Serena and Darien at once. Serena feared that Ami, smart as she was, would see through the lie she and Darien had concocted, but as the night wore on all the girls seemed to accept the story. When Darien noticed dawn was approaching he made an excuse that he and Serena were very tired from their flight back to England and that they needed to go home. After many groans of protest from the girls Serena and Darien did finally manage to leave, and they beat the sun.

They headed for Serena's apartment, and that's where they were now. Serena had plopped down on her couch as soon as she could, and Darien stood in the middle of her living room. A tense anticipation filled his body as he waited for her to speak. It had been a while, and after today he really didn't know what to expect her to think of him.

"You followed me," she said simply. She looked up at him from her place on the couch; there was no emotion in her eyes. For a moment she seemed like a stranger to him.

"As soon as I read the note you put in my hand I knew I couldn't lose you again, so yes I followed you. I had to see you."

"Thank you. For what you did tonight. I don't know where I'm going to go from here, but thank you for helping me out back there."

"Serena, I I've missed you. I've sat here in your apartment every day since you left. Looking at the pictures of you and you're friends, thinking about the life I took away from you. I'm sorry."

She stood up then and placed a finger over Darien's cold dead lips. "Shhh It's all right. I don't blame you for what you did. In fact I thank you. I love what I've become, and the life I had before I lost it when my parents died. I let myself waste away. Now because of you I get a little more time with my friends until I figure out a way to leave them. You've helped me more then you know."

"I still love you," he said.

Serena looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Yes vampires can cry, they can bleed, and they can feel.

"I love you too, I missed you Darien. It was so hard to be alone."

Darien leaned in and kissed her softly. And they stood there in Serena's living room. Just holding each other for a long time. When finally sunrise came Darien and Serena retreated to her bedroom, Darien had blacked out the windows while she was gone, and the two stayed there together. Holding and kissing each other they spent the next day catching up on all the misery they'd missed in each other's lives.

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Aren't you guys proud of me I wrote two stories in one day!