A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are making me put this story at the top of the list for updates. Once again this is and SD fic for those who asked and that will become apparent by the end of this chapter I promise.

"So are you and Nathan officially a couple now?" Karen asked laughter dancing in her eyes.

Serena stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Well if you're definition of a couple is spending every free minute of the last two months together then maybe we are." Serena laughed as her friend groaned into the kitchen countertop.

"So seeing as you're all dolled up I guess he's taking you out tonight?" Karen asked looking dreamily at Serena's long black dress and waved blonde hair. She had to admit her friend was beautiful.

"Yes he said he had something special planned for dinner." Serena's eyes beamed as she thought about what it might be. It certainly had never been like this with Darien, they had simply spent time together he never planned out romantic dates and the such. He figured they were meant to be and he didn't have to woo her.

The doorbell rang and Karen jumped to get it. "I'll get it! That dress deserves a grand entrance." Serena once again laughed at her friend's antics. It seemed she laughed twice as much here than she ever did in Tokyo.

"Hi Nathan! Serena will be out in just a minute." Karen led Nathan inside and as she did, Serena walked out of her room with her head down. Her black dress shimmered as she walked and as she slowly raised her head, Nathan once again found himself gasping at her piercing blue eyes.

"Serena! You look beautiful! I believe I could spend the rest of my life searching the entire world and never see anything more beautiful than you are right now." Serena blushed more crimson than the roses Nathan was carrying. Seeing the red on her face reminded him of them. "Here Serena these are for you. Though they hardly seem to do you justice I think I should get a hundred more." Serena smiled as she took the roses and inhaled deep. A small tear came to her eyes as the image of Tuxedo Mask appeared before them. She pushed him away, Darien would not spoil another evening.

"Thank you so much Nathan they're beautiful!" She put them in the vase that Karen brought to her and then she took his hand. "So where are we going?" Serena asked happily, the suspense killing her.

"You know I can't tell you. You'll find out soon enough. We'll see you later Karen." He said the last absentmindedly as his mind thought about the surprise he had for Serena.

"Bye Karen! Don't worry I'll tell you all about it when I get back!" She called as they walked out the door.

Nathan led her to his car and together they drove for what seemed like eternity on the long winding back roads. But a look at the clock told it her had only been half an hour. They stopped in an area that Serena could tell was deserted

"Nathan I don't see any restaurant here." Nathan smiled at her response. He got out of the car and walked around to her side. Letting her out he opened the trunk of his car to reveal several blankets and a picnic basket.

"I thought tonight it would just us and the stars. I know how often you stare up at them at night, and up here in the mountains there's nothing to impede your view." Serena started at him. How could he be so sweet and know her so well after only two months.

"I don't know what to say." Serena said as she helped him carry the blankets and food to a spot over looking a forest.

Nathan helped her lay out the biggest blanket for them to sit on and then he spread out the food. She was quick to discover he had made it all Japanese, complete with sushi, curry and plenty of sake. He set the other blankets aside for now.

"They're for later he said, it'll be getting cold soon, that way we can stay out and snuggle together underneath them." Serena couldn't believe how romantic this all was. They ate their meal in their usual manner of laughter and telling stories of their childhood. They laughed and joked until the food was gone and the night began to grow cold. Then as promised Nathan pulled out the blankets and draped it over his shoulders and then pulled Serena close, wrapping both of them up in the blanket. He gently kissed her forehead as she looked upward to the stars.

The rest of the night was spent in almost silence as the pair didn't need to speak they could feel each other's hearts beating with joy at the beauty of the midnight canopy above them. It was well after one when Nathan finally broke the silence to say they should be getting home. They were both sad to leave but Nathan promised they would come back soon.

……………………………………………………………………

Serena looked anxiously down at the ground beneath her. Tokyo looked the same as it always had, but the old anxities about seeing everyone again kept her from feeling the comfort of going home for Christmas.

"Are you okay Serena?" She smiled as she looked to Nathan sitting next to her, she was glad he was coming home to meet her parents. She knew they would like him, and she had wanted to show him her home.

"Yes it's just a lot of old memories that I'm not sure I'm ready to face yet." Nathan nodded his head and put his arm around her to comfort her.

"Serena I just want you to know that if we go back and you find you still have feelings for him and that he's changed, I still want you to do what you want. I still mean what I told you the night I first met you, that this is your time to follow your own heart, and I'll support you no matter where it leads you." Serena looked at him a lone tear falling down her cheek. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful caring guy?

The plane touched down and Serena rushed to greet the family gathered there. To her surprise they were not alone, Ami, Raye, Lita and Mina were there. As soon as they saw her they rushed up to meet her.

"Serena we're so sorry, we weren't thinking, we just didn't want to lose you. We missed you so much." Mina blurted out. Serena looked at them warmly knowing that she could never stay angry at her friends.

"It's okay guys, I really missed you too. There's someone I want you to meet." It was then that she introduced the four shocked Senshi's to her boyfriend Nathan. They shared a look that obviously said "What about Darien" but neither of them voiced it to the happy Serena greeting her family.

That night at dinner her father was actually nice to Nathan, finding out that he was a lot closer to his daughter's age than Darien had been and also noticing that Nathan treated his daughter a lot more like a Princess than Darien ever had.

They all stayed up late talking and when they all had decided to go to bed and shown Nathan to the guest room, Serena collapsed happily on her bed.

"Everything is going so perfectly with Nathan, Luna is it possible for my destiny to change? I mean the way I feel right now I don't ever want it to go away." Luna smiled happily at Serena. It had indeed be a long time since Serena had been this happy. Perhaps that trip to America had been good for her.

"Serena you are always in control of your destiny." Serena smiled at Luna's words and was about to get ready for bed when she heard a knock at her door. She went to open it and saw Nathan standing there.

"Wanna take a walk? I haven't had a moment alone with you since we arrived and I'm dying to kiss those lips of yours." Serena nodded and gave him a soft kiss on the lips before grabbing her coat and heading out the door. They headed toward the park but Serena made sure to keep clear of the rose bushes and the bench among them.

Beep

Beep

Serena looked down to see her communicator flashing, but as she looked for a place to hide to answer it she realized that the cries and flashes up ahead had to be the Senshi.

"What's that?" Nathan asked motioning to the beeping coming from the watch Serena always wore. In reply she put her finger to her lips and they silently headed toward the blast. In protection of some nearby bushes Serena watched the battle rage before her. The Senshi….and Tuxedo Mask were having a hard time standing up against the youma.

"Are those the Sailor Scouts you are always telling me about?" Nathan asked a little too loudly for it caught the youma's attention. She debated whether or not to transform in front of Nathan. Would it change things between them? Would he tell? What about the danger he would be in for knowing? While Serena debated in her head the youma lunged for them. Nathan grabbed her hand and tried to get her to run but even with Serena's fast speed they weren't fast enough and before Serena knew what happen Nathan had jumped in front of her to protect her from the youma's wrath. The long blades of what appeared to be a blue youma made from a pair of scissors, slashed through Nathan's soft skin.

"No! Nathan!" Serena screeched as he fell, she kneeled beside him and saw the blood already coating the grass beneath him.

Comic Moon Power Make Up!

As soon as the transformation was complete Sailor Moon took her Scepter and launched an attack none of them had heard her use before.

Moon Love Revenge!

Black hearts spun from the scepter and instantly dusted the youma before them. Sailor Moon didn't even wait for the youma to disappear before kneeling down beside Nathan, as she did she changed into her moon princess self and prepared to use the crystal to heal him.

"It's too late Serenity." Mercury said coming up from behind her. Tuxedo Mask looked to the other scouts for an explanation but none of them would do more than shrug.

"NO! I will not let him die!" She took the crystal and tried to push it's power to heal him, but not matter how much he glowed not even the crystal could bring him back to life. She changed back into Serena and leaned over his lifeless form.

"Why Nathan? Why would you do that? You deserve to live, you were the only one that ever made me feel special and loved. I love you Nathan, please don't leave me." Tuxedo Mask registered shock and sadness at Serena's words. He disappeared into the night as the other senshi transformed into their regular selves and tried to comfort the crying Serena.

………………………………………………………………………………….

Serena was inconsolable, and at the funeral she would talk to no one. She discovered that Nathan had had no family, which was why he had no trouble coming with her for the holidays. Her family decided to adopt him in name and bury him in Tokyo, so that he could finally have a family and be among them.

Serena was ever grateful to her parents for the small sentiment, and she spent days sitting on his grave after the funeral. She decided to take the next semester off from Juilliard and return to take summer classes. Karen said she understood and promised to come visit over spring break.

The scouts focused on trying to cheer her up while also trying to figure out who had sent the youma. It didn't make sense why weeks had gone by without another attack. Serena was not much help at scout meetings but her friends were understanding and whenever she left early she knew she was going to his grave.

"My life is supposed to be about protecting people Nathan. Why is it that I couldn't protect you? Why was I so afraid of showing you who I really was? If I had only transformed sooner you wouldn't be dead…" Serena felt her tears fall again, and this time a strong hand laid gently on her shoulder.

"Are you okay Serena?" Darien looked down at her. His eyes showed sadness and lack of sleep but yet he tried to smile down upon her.

"How can I be okay I just let the only man who ever truly loved me die." Darien felt his heart break at these words. Had he really pushed her away that much.

"Serena I love you, and I always will." Darien said softly his own tear falling down on the ground next to hers.

"But you never appreciated me or my dreams. You never took the time to show me how you cared. You never brought me flowers or took me to a picnic on a mountaintop under the stars. He looked after me and yet supported whatever made me happy. Even if it meant me going back to you…but now I don't know if I can ever be with any one else again. My heart is not strong enough to endure this pain, and right now it's filled with so much pain that there is no room for love of any kind." Serena got up then laying one rose upon his grave and walking off.

She didn't notice that Darien also took a rose and laid it upon his grave.

"I can never repay the debt I owe you for saving my Serena, but I promise from now on to always put her first and try and show her the love I feel for her. Thank you for making me see how wrong I was." Darien walked off then, looking back only once more to give a farewell glance at the grave and one of longing to the retreating Serena.

A/N: There Chibi Strawberry Neko I killed him just for you. ;)