CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Sailormoon were not leaving you alone with him" Uranus stated crossing her arms over her chest in a movement that suggested that she meant what she said and that she wasn't budging.

Darien smiled at Sailormoon coldly "It seems to me that if you can't even get your own soldiers to obey you than your not fit to rule this planet."

Sailormoon flushed and for a minute looked uncertain. But it wasn't what he said that caused her uncertainty but the way he was looking at her. As if she were some stranger or even worse an enemy. It was as if the incident in the cave never happened. She looked away from him. She couldn't bare to see him looking at her as if he'd never held her never kissed her. It couldn't have all been a pretense. She wasn't the only one who had been affected by that kiss she couldn't have been. It had been to explosive to needy.

"Go" she commanded the others. "we don't have time for this you have to stop those yoma's."

"Theirs 7 of them and only six of us" Neptune pointed out "we need you." She looked over at Zosite who was still kneeling on the ground where Malachite had vanished from. She didn't trust her. As far as she was concerned she was still in Beryl's service. Since they didn't get the chance to determine whether she was a threat to them or not they couldn't take any chances on her. And until they knew for sure they would have to watch her closely. She turned back to Sailormoon knowing that she had to convince her that staying here and taking the Dark Prince on alone was not wise. "Theirs nothing left for us to do here Sailormoon. Malachite is gone. Theirs no one left here for you to protect."

Sailormoon didn't say anything. She was to busy looking at Zosite. Even after all she'd done seeing like this was heartbreaking. Zosite had done some terrible things but even she needed to be loved and the one person who loved her had just been taken from her. Taken to God knows were just because he chose to put her before his Queen. She must be devastated.

"Well Sailormoon are we going to do this or not?" he asked impatiently. He wanted this fight over with already. He wanted to destroy her so that everything could go back to being normal. So that he could return to normal. He wanted to put an end to these disturbing thoughts and feelings she seemed to inspire in him once and for all. But damn she was beautiful. Why did she have to be so beautiful? Maybe before he'd destroy her he'd take one final kiss? Remembering their last kiss made another one sound appealing. Very appealing.

When Sailormoon's eyes meet his her heart skipped a beat. His eyes were no longer cold but burning. He looked at her with a heat that was achingly familiar. Unconsciously she took a step towards him towards the fire in his eyes that reached out to her and promised her heaven. But she stopped when the fire faded from him eyes to be replaced once again by a chilling cold.

Sailormoon bit back a cry. She didn't know what to do. She was so confused. It was as if he were two different men. One who wanted her as she wanted him and another who only wanted the Crystal and the power that it promises. Was he the enemy? She didn't know any more. And the question she really had to ask herself was could she destroy him if it came to that.

…………………

Nephlite looked at Jedite in shocked disbelief. "I can't believe it Tuxedo mask is really the Prince of the Earth and Sailormoon is the moon princess."

"Tell me about it" Jedite snorted the both of them were nothing but trouble. Good or evil they were bad news.

"They were right under our noses the whole time" Nephlite said in stunned amazement

"I know believe me I know" Jedite sneered "who would have thought that the moon princess of all people was that pesky little Sailormoon brat."

Nephlite looked at Jedite out of the corner of his eye. "Well If I'm not mistaking you once had the hots for a certain Moon Princess."

Jedite flushed a bright red before shouting. "I did not" He jumped up and approached him. Raising his right hand he held up one finger "I said she was beautiful once. Just once. And your never going to let me forget it are you?"

……………………..

The Scouts were torn. They needed to take care of the yomas before they caused too much damage but they couldn't leave Sailormoon alone with the Dark Prince and not to mention Zosite who they still weren't sure of. The only thing to do was get Sailormoon to come with them. After all Malachite was more than likely back at Beryl's palace. They couldn't help him now. They had to form some sort of plan than hopefully if they weren't to late find away to rescue him.

"So what's it going to be Ladies?" Daren asked spreading his hands out in front of him. "One on one or an all out brawl?"

"We'll fight you together." Jupiter snarled "Your going down buster." She took up a fighting position and the others followed suit.

Sailormoon swung around to face them angrily "I said leave him to me and that's an order." she didn't know why it was so important to face him alone she just had a feeling. A feeling that she was the only one who stood a chance against him. She knew that they had him outnumbered and he couldn't miss that either but it didn't seem to phase him. She just couldn't shake the feeling that he was toying with them.

The Scouts looked at her in shock. She couldn't be serious.

"Let me help you" he said softly from behind her.

Sailormoon turned back to him intending to ask him what he meant when the surprised cries of her friends had her swinging back around. He had released more dark energy and she watched in horror as one by one they fell through a dark hole that had suddenly appeared at their feet.

"No" Sailormoon cried as the last of her friends disappeared giving her what she asked for. She was alone with the Dark Prince. But at what cost to her friends?

……………….

"Calm down" Jedite Nephlite chuckled "I'm sure after getting beat by her and her friends on a regular basis your no longer obsessed with her."

Jedite growled softly but didn't respond instead he sat back down to brood.

"Alright" Nephlite cried out laughingly "I'll behave but why don't you finish telling me what's been going on. Their has to be more to the story.

"Well other than the fact that Prince Darien now works on the side of the Negaverse and is out for my blood" Jedite stated sarcastically "no theirs nothing more to tell"

………………

"It's Darien. I know it's Darien" Luna said anxiously as she waited impatiently for word from the scouts. "They should have been back by now."

"Calm down Luna they haven't been gone that long" Artemis stated soothingly "although you may be right about Darien. He seems to be getting more involved lately. I wonder what happened to Jedite?"

"Who cares" she cried hysterically "right now I'm more worried about Serena. The more time she spends with Darien the more dangerous it could be for all of us. If she starts to remember-"

"Would that be so bad" Sammy asked suddenly cutting her off. He swung around from the window he had been starring out of every since Serena had left the house as Sailormoon. He had been listening to Luna and Artemis without saying a word but now he had something he wanted to get off his chest.

"Well would it?" He asked his voice earnest now and his eyes full of a desperate kind of hope "I mean if Serena remembers than she can help Darien remember and than things could go back to the way they were."

"We don't know that for sure Sammy. And we've been ordered never to tell her the truth." Artemis remarked sadly not wanting to dash the young mans hopes. He could only wonder why the conversation had never come up before.

"I can understand that you have to follow Darien's orders" he said with a trace of desperation "but what if I tell her than you wont get into trouble right and then we can work on away to get Darien back."

Luna hung down her head at his words. How easy it would be to just let him do it relieving them of all responsibility and freeing them from the every day strain of carrying this heavy burden.

"No you cant do it" Artemis said desperately "theirs a reason that Darien didn't want us to tell her. He felt the risk involved was to great. He almost destroyed her the last time Beryl had him under her control and this time he knew it would be worse since he went to her of his own free will. If Serena were to find out who he really was she would never be able to destroy him and he just might destroy her because of that weakness.

Sammy shook his head at the image of Darien destroying his sister. He couldn't conceive it. Darien loved his sister more than anything he could never hurt her.

"You have to remember that he's not the same man he used to be" Artemis pointed out as if reading his thoughts.

"So theirs nothing we can do?" Sammy asked quietly looking down at the floor.

"No I'm sorry I wish their was I want Darien back as much as any of you but it's just not possible."

Luna looked up at Sammy with tears streaming down her face "Maybe I was cruel in giving you back your memories. I'm sorry to put you through this Sammy I know how much you care for Darien

"He's….he's my brother" he whispered brokenly and swiped at his eyes

"When this is over I'll erase your memories. Luna said sadly knowing it was her fault that he was suffering now. It had been her idea to give him back his memories so that he could help them keep an eye on Serena. She never should have put him in this situation. It was her and Artemis job to protect Serena from the truth not Sammy's. She never considered how he'd feel about what had to happen. But she should have.

"No" Sammy shouted angrily surprising both Luna and Artemis with the intensity of his anger "your not going to erase him from my mind like he never existed.

Seeing how angry he was Artemis tried to calm him down and explain why Luna thought it was for the best "Sammy she was only trying t-"

"No" he shouted "I don't want to forget him. He's my brother and I love him. And I never want to forget him" he yelled and with anger burning in his chest and tears streaming down him face he stormed out of Serena's room slamming the door behind him.

Luna and Artemis stared at the closed door in shock

"Maybe we should think about removing his memories now" Artemis said with some concern

Luna disagreed "No I think we should allow him to keep his memories. All of them. Even when all of this is over I don't think we should remove them."

Artemis started to protest "but Luna-?"

"He's excepted what has to happen Artemis. He doesn't like it and it's eating away at him but he's excepted it." She sighed "besides I don't think I could live with myself if I took away his memories now."

Artemis looked like he was about to argue with her when he too sighed. "I guess your right Luna. I just wanted to spare him the pain that were going to be forced to live with."

Luna starred at Artemis teary eyed "He's not the same little boy that we knew before he's growing up and he has the right to make this decision for himself we can't make it for him.

Artemis nodded now all their was to do was wait for word from the Scouts and hope that everything was ok

…………

Sammy stormed into his room and went straight for his closet. He threw out clothes and shoes along with boxes until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled out an old used box and brought it over to his bed. Before he opened it he looked around suspiciously making sure no one else was could you never could tell about cats they were very quiet on their feet and he knew they would be upset if they saw what he had.

Only after he had determined he was alone in his room drew his shade and locked his door did he open the box. Inside the box was a huge white book and inside the book were pictures. Pictures of Serena and Darien. Most of them of their wedding. Nobody knew that he had them. He knew that if they did they'd wined up being destroyed. It would be considered to dangerous to keep laying around. That's why he never told them. He often wondered what would have happened if they didn't give him back his memories and he had found this book. What would he have thought? But he knew that It really didn't matter because whatever he would have thought Luan and Artemis would have made sure he forgotten but using that Luna mind meld or whatever they called it.

He also knew that they thought Darien had removed all the pictures that had him in them from the house before they went back to the past. He had come to the house one day after the wedding when Serena was still sick and he had asked for them. His reason was to remove all traces of their relationship of course but at the time he stated that his reason was so that he could decorate the apartment with them a surprise for Serena when she woke up. Now that he knew what was going on he could see for himself that that excuse didn't quite make sense because Serena already had plenty of pictures of the two of them already that she had taken with her. But at the time nobody questioned him their was no reason to. They really had no idea what was really going on. And all their thoughts had been focused on Serena.

And because Sammy didn't know what his real motives were he kept a few not out of spite but because he to wanted to surprise his sister with a gift. One that he had been working on before the wedding before she got sick.

Since Darien had so much money Sammy really couldn't think what to get him and Serena as a gift for the wedding. An idea came to him while he was watching his mom and his sister pouring over old pictures of Serena when she was a child. Than it came to him. What he could give Serena and Darien for their wedding day. A picture diary of their courtship. But since he didn't have any photos of their first meeting or date the book was filled mostly with drawings. Pictures that he drew based on what he'd been told.

On the first page was a picture he drew of Darien getting hit in the head with a crumpled up test paper. But that wasn't the one he was interested in. He moved through the pages until he came to the picture he wanted to see. It really hadn't been intended for the book but he had put it here with the others for safe keeping. It was picture of him with Serena and Darien. Serena was standing in the middle with him and Darien on either side of her. He took the picture out so that he could read the back although he knew the words by heart.

Dear Sammy

Serena and I want you to have this picture. And I want you to know that I always wanted a little brother and they don't come any better than you.

Love, Darien

Than their was something on the bottom although it was a little messier than the message on the top Sammy thought with a bitter sweet smile.

Sammy its me SEreNa I wAnt to Tell you SoMethING tOO. I didN'T KNow thAT Darien was going to write on the back he didn't tell me until wE WerE in ThE caR SO for-give Me I KNOw it's Messy but I JUST wantEd to TELL yOu that I lOve you And thAT eVen ThouGh I hAVE dArien I Still need YOU. Your Still My ChaMPIon ITS just ThAt Now I HaVE Two. wHat GiRl Could ASK for More Than The BoTH of YOU.

HUGGS and KIsseS

Love SerenA

Sammy put the picture back and then put the book away back in his closet. Sometimes life could be so cruel.

……………………

Sailormoon was still looking at the spot her friends had disappeared from with horror when he spoke from behind her

"That was too easy" he stated with a dark chuckle

Sailormoon swung around and came face to face to him. "What have you done with them?"

He looked at her with amusement "Their exactly where you wanted them to be. Out of the way."

"Bring them back" she cried clutching her staff tightly between her hands.

He shook his head. "I think I'll keep them for now or at least until I get what I want.

"And what is that?"

"A battle and the winner gets the Crystal."

"And my friends?"

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly "The Crystal is all I care about. And he slid a finger down her cheek "getting rid of you of course."

Sailormoon shivered at his words and his touch. She jerked away from him "Don't" she pleaded she couldn't bare for him to touch her. She had to remain focused her friends were depending on her.

He frowned at her. He didn't like her pulling away from his touch. Shaking his head he stepped back. "Shall we begin?"