Again, Thanks for the reviews and support.

As always: Thanks to Naoko Takeuchi and Angel Raye!

Always Me

Chapter 7: Desperate Hour

Dark Venus' eyes widened in shock as Celine fell across Tiffany. Why Celine? Why? I wanted to punish you for trying to abandon me... But I didn't want this! Why did you sacrifice yourself for this ungrateful child?...

"You caused this!" Dark Venus screamed at Tiffany, who was in near shock at seeing Celine fall. "Why won't you just die! Dark Venus raised her hand. Killing Crystal Venus with her 'Shards of Hate' or 'Chain of Despair' attacks would be too quick and painless for this bitch, she thought. I'll use my 'Misery Whip' and strangle her slow and painful...

"Misery Whip!" Dark Venus screamed and cast the dark lash tight around Tiffany's neck. Tiffany clawed desperately at the whip around her neck as Dark Venus pulled it slowly tighter. Dark Venus smiled vindictively as she pulled ever tighter. Take a look at me Tiffany, I'm going to be the last thing you see before you die!

"Venus Love Arrow!" Cosmic Venus cried as her attack severed the lash. Crystal Venus collapsed, gasping for air.

Dark Venus turned to face Cosmic Venus, who was standing very shakily before her.

"Well, mother... Still trying to save your precious Tiffany I see.

"Give up!" She urged Cosmic Venus. "You can hardly stand! ...Let alone fight me!"

"She doesn't have to." A voice spoke with authority.

Dark Venus; her eyes brimming with hate, turned calmly to face Sailor Venus and the majority of the Sailor, Cosmic, and Elysian Senshi.

"You always did have a knack for showing up to protect your dear Tiffany." Dark Venus spat in ire. She looked coldly at the assembled senshi.

"My! Are you sure you have enough help, grandmother?"

"Enough talk Celine!" Elysian Uranus shot back.

"It's time we took out the trash!" Elysian Jupiter added.

"NO!" Sailor Venus commanded. The other senshi looked at her stunned. Elysian Uranus having a stubborn look of rebellion in her eyes.

"No!" Sailor Venus said again. "As Scout Commander, I order you all to stand down!"

"Sailor Mercury, Cosmic Mercury, and Cosmic Saturn, take care of our injured!" She ordered. The rest of you are to form a perimeter, cover the others."

"This is my battle." She declared.

As most of the senshi followed her instructions, Sailor Venus felt Sailor Jupiter's concerned hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure about this, Mina?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, Lita." Mina told her. "It has to be this way."

"All right..." Lita said reluctantly, seeing the resolve on her friend's face.

"Just remember... I've got your back if you need me." Jupiter said as she stood back.

Venus nodded solemnly. This nightmare has hung over my family for a hundred years... It ends today!

Dark Venus smiled in cold satisfaction. "I've been waiting a lifetime for this!" She said.

"I've waited two lifetimes." Sailor Venus answered. "You've torn at my family for a hundred years and now it's going to stop!"

"Not before I destroy you, grandmother." Dark Venus sneered.

"I don't know who or what you are, but you aren't my granddaughter." Sailor Venus said as she eyed Celine's still form on the ground in front of Tiffany. While Cosmic Mercury was taking care of Tiffany, Sailor Mercury was tending Celine. Amy's face was grim.

"And how would you know?" Dark Venus shot back. "All these years! We've hated you! Even more than that miserable brat, we've hated you. You and the rest of the sanctimonious Sailor Senshi!"

"You did this, didn't you?" Mina accused. "You twisted an innocent little girl against her family! You twisted her on her own child!"

"It didn't require much effort you know. You and the others all made it so easy!

"You were the ones who abandoned her. You would protect Tiffany to the death, but not one of you stood up for Celine when Tiffany and her friends were doing their best to make her life a living hell!

"All the time and effort you went through to save precious Tiffany, but you gave up on Celine! You threw her away!

"So there she was when I came along... Alone, forgotten, filled with sadness and hopelessness ... and a growing anger and hate that she tried to suppress because she still wanted to please you somehow...

"I helped show her to release that anger and hate. I made her see that you would never accept or love her.

"And you all made it so easy!"

"You practically GAVE her to me!" Dark Venus goaded.

"And yet in the end, Celine was too frightened when she saw me. She wanted to destroy me because she was afraid...

"But we still hate you!

"And I am going to destroy you for both of us!" Dark Venus declared.

"Celine finally saw you for what you are." Mina answered. "As for destroying me... You're welcome to try..."

Meanwhile; as Ariel took care of Tiffany, Tiffany anxiously watched as Amy tried to help Celine.

"How is my mother?" She asked.

Amy looked at her grimly. There was no point in trying to hide the truth:

"I'm sorry Tiffany. There's just too much damage... She's dying and I don't think I can save her."

Ariel put her arm around Tiffany in comfort as Tiffany wept for her mother...

With the assembled senshi as witnesses, the aggrieved battle between Sailor Venus and Dark Venus began:

Driven by all the fury and hate her dark power could muster, Dark Venus attacked, an angry tempest. She drove fiercely down on Sailor Venus. Her entire being, a force of pure hate and darkness unleashed...

Sailor Venus met the onslaught. Her spirit fused with a fury of it's own. And whatever the strength of her opponent's dark power, Mina had three lifetimes of experience behind her.

Frustrated by an inability to overwhelm Sailor Venus with her fury, Dark Venus made her mistake.

"Misery Whip!" She screamed out drawing forth the dark scourge, but she had failed to realize that she should have been closer to Sailor Venus with this attack.

In an instant, Sailor Venus saw her opening.

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!" She shouted casting out the golden chain...

But it had not been aimed directly at Dark Venus, rather it entwined around her Misery Whip. Sailor Venus began to pull on the entangled cords. Instinctively, Dark Venus began to pull back. As soon as Sailor Venus felt her opponents resistance on the line, she released her chain as she leapt forward into the air. With the tension removed from her whip, Dark Venus suddenly fell backwards. She chanced to look up as Sailor Venus brought down her orange heel.

"Sailor V Kick!"

Dark Venus was knock back by the blow. Angry and wounded, she got back to her feet. Sailor Venus spared her not one instant as she continued her attack.

"Crescent Beams, Smash!"

Dark Venus struggled to get back to her feet.

"It's over." Sailor Venus said.

Hunched over and breathing hard, Dark Venus shook her head. "This will... Never... Be over... 'For hate's sake'..." she smiled.

"So be it." Sailor Venus answered solemnly.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

The world spun madly as Dark Venus reeled under the blow and fell.

Strangely as Dark Venus turned her head for the last time, she could see where Celine lay dying of her own injuries. How far they had traveled together. Now it ended.

Celine... She thought as she felt her powers failing, We almost had... Eternity. With that thought, Dark Venus closed her eyes and faded back into the dark cloud from which she had come. The cloud quickly dissipated and Dark Venus was gone.

Sailor Venus turned from the spot where Dark Venus had vanished to where Celine lay stricken. Cosmic Venus held her arm around Tiffany, a tear running down her own cheek as Tiffany cried for the mother she had never known. Minako and Brooke were also awake and gathered with them. With tears welling in her own eyes, Mina went to her daughter's side.

Desperately fighting the pain and darkness, Celine managed to open her eyes and looked to see her daughter crying.

"Tiffany..." She said weakly. "I'm sorry... I was never the mother you deserved.

"It seems even now, all I can do is bring you tears..."

Celine turned to her mother and grandmother. "I'm sorry I disappointed you both so much... Please keep taking good care of Tiffany." She smiled a fond gaze at Minako. "If you do as good a job with her as you did with Minako... She's going to do great things. I'm sure of it."

"Tiffany... I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too, mom."

'Mom' Celine smiled at the thought and then closed her eyes.

Tiffany burst into tears.

"No Tiffany. This is not the end." A voice spoke gently.

Tiffany looked up to see Queen Serenity and Sailor Pluto standing there. Princess Rini and Princess Chelsea behind them.

This is not the end." Serenity repeated as she held up the Silver Crystal. "Only a new beginning." She added.

At Serenity's mental command, the Silver Crystal began to glow and a warm light enveloped Celine in its loving embrace.

Sailor Pluto smiled as she watched time fulfill its promise at last.

Four generations of Venus Scouts watched in wonder as the light faded and a young girl opened her eyes...

Okay! Dark Celine/ Dark Venus maybe gone, but the story isn't quite over yet. There are still some explanations to be made and a tenuous new start in Chapter 8: New Dawn...