Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Takeuchi Naoko. I thank her for giving me this well developed world to play in.

I apologize to aanyone who was actually waiting for me to upload this weeks ago or last week at the latest. "Phantoms" and "As I Lay Me" snuck in there as being more appropriate for October so I wanted to get thim out first. I also wanted to give this one one more good proof read first. I hope you all enjoy it!

The following story is based on the manga, not the anime. In the manga, the only time Queen Serenity appeared was when the Inner Senshi visited the Moon Castle in the first arc, and in flashback memories in one or two other places. She did not appear at all in R like she did in the anime. This story also references my oneshot "Silver Threads, Crystal Bonds" although you do not need to know anything about that one to read this one. - Raya

Tsuki no Lullaby (Moon's Lullaby)

March, 1982

Mamoru watched with sleepless eyes as moonlight slowly work its way across the floor of his bedroom. It had been almost a month since the accident, and still he remembered nothing of his life before waking up in the hospital. He shivered as the questions came once more. 'Who am I? What was I like before? Is Mamoru Chiba really my name? Did I love my parents? Did I love my grandparents? Was Grandfather always this cold? Why doesn't he have any pictures of me? Is he really my grandfather? Why can't I remember anything?'

Around and around in his head the never ending questions went. As he reached up to hold his head, he wished desperately that the little girl from the hospital were here to distract him again. The rose she had given him had faded long ago, and the smell that lingered in his memory wasn't as much comfort.

At long last, the moonlight finally reached his bed and he found himself finally relaxing and becoming sleepy. He absently noticed a faint, reassuring melody just at the edge of his hearing. Imagining for a moment that it was the girl's angel singing him a lullaby, he fell asleep.

In the distant Sea of Serenity on the moon, a computer hummed an old lullaby. Inside its heart, the former queen of the Silver Millennium sent soothing thoughts and prayers to her reborn daughter and the prince she had chosen so long ago.

February, 2000

Usagi hummed happily to herself as she hung the tiny baby clothes she had just received into the nursery closet. Passing by the door, Mamoru heard the sound and stopped to watch her with a smile. For a long moment, he admired her beauty. She had matured and grown even more in the five years since Galaxia had been defeated. The clumsy, childish crybaby had mostly been overshadowed by strong, graceful woman. She still had her moments, to be sure, but they were fewer and further between. The important things such as her generous loving heart and her indomitable spirit were still there stronger than ever.

Her hair had lightened even more from the golden shade he remembered from their first meeting. Now, its champagne color more resembled very pale sunlight or golden moonlight. Soon, he believed, it would become silvery white once more just as it had been back in the Silver Millennium and as it would be in the future Crystal Tokyo. Unable to resist, he snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands went under her belly to help her hold her five month old burden.

"Mamo-chan!" she exclaimed happily as she turned her face toward him.

"I'm home," he said as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Welcome back," she said cheerfully as she snuggled into his arms.

"So, what do we have here?" he asked as he watched her pick up a lacy pink dress from the pile on the dresser. "Did you go out and drain my account again?"

His wife laughed as she shook her head and held the little dress up for inspection. "No, Naru-chan decided to hold another baby shower for me. Minako-chan got this for her. Isn't it cute!"

Mamoru smiled wryly as he looked at the three layers of dresses already in the closet. "Yes," he agreed. "It is very cute. That's the tenth one from Minako-san, isn't it?"

Usagi shrugged unconcernedly. "Something like that, I guess. Don't worry," she added with a smile up at him. "It's sized for an 18 month old. I told them that you were getting worried that she'd never be able to wear them all." She put the little dress into the closet, and then picked up a tiny kimono decorated with tiny flower blossoms. "And this one is from Rei-chan. Isn't it gorgeous?"

"Mm…" he replied as he gave her a quick squeeze and let her go. With a reassuring smile, he walked over to the half assembled crib and began to work on it once more. A companionable silence fell between them as they worked on preparing their daughter's nursery, and then Usagi began to hum happily once more.

After a few minutes, Mamoru turned to look at her quizzically. "Usa, what song is that?" he asked as he put the waterproof mattress down into the belly of the crib.

"Hmm? What song?" Usagi asked absently as she hung a picture of a unicorn on the far wall.

"The one you were just humming," he replied as he lifted the side rail up into place. He glared at it when it jammed immediately.

Usagi looked at the picture thoughtfully for a moment, and then smiled. "Oh, that. I don't know. It's just some lullaby that I made up as a little girl. Why?" she asked curiously as she turned around.

Mamoru looked up from the side rail, and then shook his head. "It just sounded familiar, that's all. I was trying to remember where I heard it before."

A curious expression came over Usagi's face as she went to hold the side rail steady for him. "Maybe you've heard me hum it before?"

"Maybe," Mamoru said absently as he used a screwdriver to pry the rail into the track. A moment later, the side of the track bent, the end of the side railing near Mamoru dropped onto his foot, and the screwdriver flew out of his hand. All thoughts of familiar songs and old lullabies vanished.

December, 2000

Ikuko held her granddaughter as Usagi sorted through a pile of stars, angels, Santas, snowmen, and reindeer. "Ah, look!" the older woman exclaimed as she reached out to snag one of the little etched glass ornaments. "Sailor Moon as an angel. How cute!"

ChibiUsa reached out and tried to grab the shiny crystal. Deftly, her grandmother moved it out of her reach. "Do you like it, ChibiUsa-chan?" she asked in an amused voice. "It would look really nice in your room, wouldn't it?" She balanced the wriggling baby, and looked at it a little more closely.

Usagi looked up from her sorting to see a nostalgic smile on her mother's face. "Mama?" she asked curiously.

"It reminds me of your angel," Ikuko replied as she put the ornament to one side and began to dig again. "Except for the dress, of course."

"My angel? What angel?" Usagi asked as she picked up the flat glass ornament to study more closely.

"You don't remember your angel?" Ikuko asked sounding a little surprised. She shifted ChibiUsa to her other arm and then lifted a jolly red Santa out of the stack. "She was your best friend when you were little." When Usagi gave her another curious look, she continued. "You used to dream about her all of the time. An angel dressed all in white who lived in a big castle." She smiled as she reached out and touched one of Usagi's odangos. "That's where these little buns came from. You woke up one afternoon and insisted that you wanted angel hair." Her smile grew wider. "It took me forever to come up with these, and you were finally satisfied. Until you wanted a little brother that is…"

Usagi scrunched her face teasingly. "Silly me. Why on earth did I want a little brother?" Her face and eyes went blank as she tried to remember back that far. "I don't remember that… But I always did think of this as my angel hairstyle…"

Gently, she added the little ornament to her pile of decorations. "Ah, now this is cute!" she heard her mother exclaim. As she looked up, she saw Ikuko pick up a little stuffed snowman with antlers on its head. "And just perfect for you, too," her mother said as she nuzzled it into ChibiUsa's face. Usagi smiled as her daughter squealed with delight and tried to grab the new toy.

January, 2001

Usagi closed her blue eyes and winced as her daughter's wails became louder. Gently, she smoothed a hand down the six month old's back and hummed a little louder. She didn't know where or when she learned the strange lullaby, but its soothing melody helped her to keep her patience as her little girl fussed and complained about the pain in her mouth and her need to sleep.

For half an hour, she rocked her daughter, humming and soothing her. Finally, the little girl fell asleep. Usagi snuggled her face into ChibiUsa's pink hair with a soft sigh. Not wanting to put her precious burden into her crib just yet, she continued to rock and hum.

Slowly, the melody faded and the chair stilled. Through the Sailor Moon ornament on the nursery window, the light of the full moon fell on the sleeping mother and child.

In her dreams, Usagi stirred and sat up in the rocking chair, carefully holding her baby. She looked around curiously as she heard someone humming her lullaby softly. Not seeing anyone, she stood up slowly and carried ChibiUsa across the room.

As she felt an unexpected drag on her legs, she looked down. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the floor length white gown that she was wearing. She quickly turned her eyes to ChibiUsa, and saw that the little girl was also now clothed in a long, white dress. She then looked around the room, noticing for the first time that while it was similar, it was not her daughter's nursery.

With an uncertain expression on her face and a bit of worry in her heart, she slowly began to follow the melody once more. She drifted out the door and down a long marble hallway. With every step, she became more and more convinced about where she was. And so, she was not too surprised to find herself in the minor reception chamber of the Moon Castle a short while later.

Shifting ChibiUsa gently to her other shoulder, Usagi looked around the small chamber. She frowned slightly when she realized that nobody was there. She was sure that this was where the melody had been coming from.

She looked quickly to her daughter as she felt the little girl shift and sit up. The little princess blinked blearily as she looked curiously around the unfamiliar room with her dark pink eyes. When Usagi bounced her gently, she quickly turned to look at her mother, who couldn't help but smile when her face lit up.

"Good morning, little princess," Usagi murmured gently. "You should be sleeping right now." ChibiUsa ignored her and looked around the room once more. Usagi's smile got a little larger as a sudden thought occurred to her. Quickly, she moved across the room and began to climb the stairs to the dais. ChibiUsa held on to her mother's neck and long, pale gold pigtail and grinned happily.

When she reached the top of the dais, Usagi dropped her skirt and brought her hand up to ChibiUsa's back. "See? You can see the whole world from up here," she said softly to her daughter.

"Well, one at least, little princess," she heard an amused voice say behind her. As she tightened her arms protectively around her daughter and spun around with a gasp of surprise, the voice continued. "Or should I say, young queen?"

"Queen Serenity…" Usagi breathed as she spotted the figure below. The former ruler of the Moon Castle stood at the foot of the dais dressed, as always, in a long white gown. The smile on her face faltered a little at Usagi's words, but quickly steadied. "But how?" Usagi continued as she relaxed her grip on ChibiUsa.

Queen Serenity's smile faded into a puzzled look. "'How' what…, Serenity?" Slowly, she climbed the stairs to join her daughter on the dais.

"How can I see you?" Usagi continued, still in shock. "Why are you here? Did you not… Did you not 'move on' after I restored the Moon Castle?"

Queen Serenity smiled once more as she came to a stop beside Usagi and tilted her head towards the baby. "No, my spirit is still residing within the computers," she said gently as she reached out to touch ChibiUsa's cheek. She gave Usagi a curious look. "Did you think that I had left?"

Numbly, Usagi nodded. "I am so sorry," she blurted suddenly. "I really did think you had gone. If I had known you were still here, I would have come to visit sooner."

Queen Serenity smiled and chuckled softly as she shook her head. "There was no need," she said gently. "You have a new life now, and it has been very full."

"But," Usagi protested, only to be interrupted.

"And it's even more full, now," Queen Serenity said with a brighter smile as she turned back to ChibiUsa. The little girl was staring wide-eyed at the silver-eyed woman. "Who is this lovely little princess?" she asked as her voice dropped to a coo. "How do you do, my name is Serenity. What is your name?" Realizing that she was once again the center of attention, ChibiUsa smiled suddenly and brought her hands together with a clap.

Unfortunately, she still had a handful of Usagi's ponytail. Her mother winced, and then reached up to patiently free herself. Queen Serenity swallowed a chuckle as she caressed ChibiUsa's cheek and waited. "This is our little daughter," Usagi said in a voice full of pride and love, "Usagi Serenity Tsukino. We call her ChibiUsa." Her smile became softer and shyer as she continued more tentatively. "Did… Did I use to do the same thing to you…, Mother?"

Queen Serenity's face lit up joyfully for just a moment, and then she chuckled again as she nodded. "Oh, yes. You loved to hold on to my hair and play with it," she said. "Even after…" Her voice trailed off suddenly as she reconsidered the wisdom of saying what she had almost said.

"Even after?" Usagi asked curiously. She was distracted by ChibiUsa who began to wriggle and reach for the long dead queen.

"Do you remember this?" Queen Serenity asked as she gestured at the expanse around them. Still struggling to keep a hold of her daughter, Usagi looked around curiously.

"A… A little," she replied tentatively. She gave the queen an apologetic look. "I am afraid I do not remember too much about my time in the Silver Millennium…"

Queen Serenity bowed her head slightly, and then moved to take the squirming child from her daughter. "As it should be," she said softly. "You have a new life now. The Silver Millennium is your past." Her voice grew a little louder as she smiled again. "And this is your future," she said as she hugged ChibiUsa. Happily, the little girl latched on to the older queen's white hair. Usagi didn't say anything, but continued to look a little guilty. "But, I wasn't referring to the Silver Millennium," the older queen continued softly.

Usagi gave her a curious look, and then looked more closely at the landscape around them. Lights sparkled like little fireflies below them, and a soft breeze brought them the scents of lilies and jasmine from the garden. They stood gazing out in silence for a few moments as Usagi tried to remember. As Earth rose on the distant horizon, her face crinkled. "I… I think… Something looks familiar about it… But…"

"It was a long time ago," Queen Serenity said softly with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I am not surprised you do not remember."

"I am sorry," Usagi replied again. She wished that she could remember even a little so that she could erase the sad look in the older queen's eyes.

"Do not be," Queen Serenity replied with a small shake of her head. "You were very young, not much older than this little princess here."

Usagi's expression changed from guilty to confused. "I… I was fourteen the last time I was here," she said slowly. "And before that, I was the Princess of the Silver Millennium…" She turned to look back at the distant Earth.

"What pretty hair you have," the older queen murmured to ChibiUsa. "It is as soft as your mother's." She smiled as she nuzzled it. "And it will make very pretty angel hair, indeed. Cotton candy angel hair."

Usagi turned to look at her in shock. "Angel hair? How did you… I never told anyone that I called it that…" Her mind raced as her former mother lifted one of ChibiUsa's hands to her face for a kiss. "Mama said… An angel… Were you…? Were you the angel I used to dream about?" she asked. Inside, her heart raced.

"Yes," Queen Serenity replied as she gave the younger queen a reassuring smile. "You used to come here in your dreams when you were very little. And you used to love climbing up this dais to look out at the world, just like you did back in the Silver Millennium."

As Usagi's expression grew even more sad and guilty, the older queen shook her head gently, reached out, and caressed her daughter's cheek. "You were very little," she said reassuringly. "When you stopped coming, you were no older than ChibiUsa appeared when she first came back through time."

Usagi reeled in shock once more. "You… You know about that?"

Queen Serenity smiled, proudly. "I have watched you," she said with a nod. Her smile faded a bit. "You have had some very difficult battles," she said sadly. And then, her smile brightened once more. "And you have overcome them all. I have helped where I could, some information here and there to Mercury's computer, a whisper of encouragement, prayers… But you succeeded by your own strength, integrity, and purity of heart." She paused, and then brushed a tear off of Usagi's cheek. "I am very proud of you, daughter."

"Mother…," the younger queen sobbed as she fell into her former mother's arms. Queen Serenity hugged her gently with her left arm and laid her white face on Usagi's champagne blonde head. ChibiUsa began to look worried and to frown as she realized that her mother was upset.

"Yes, very proud," the older queen said as Usagi slowly pulled herself back. She turned, and gave ChibiUsa a quick, proud, reassuring smile. "And I am proud of this little princess as well," she said as she jiggled the little girl to make her smile once more. "You both bring honor to our family."

Usagi wiped her tears away with a shaky smile. "Thank you," she whispered.

Usa…

Usagi looked around the reception chamber in surprise. "Mamo-chan?"

Hiding her disappointment, Queen Serenity turned and handed ChibiUsa back to her mother. "It sounds like it is time for you to go, Serenity."

Usagi blinked, and then realized what was happening. She cuddled her daughter close, and then nodded with a smile. "We will be back," she said softly. "Now that I know you are still here, we will come visit. Often." As the room faded out of her view, she saw Queen Serenity's face light up with joy.