Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', no point suin'…

The song for Serenity and Endymion I chose is Loreena McKennit's "The Dark Night of the Soul"

…Transforming each of them into the other…

Her eyes snapped open on a gasp. Serenity sat straight up in bed, the sheets clutched to her chest. Her heart pounded and her whole body trembled with unexplainable energy.

"Endymion?"

She looked around wildly, as though the Prince would somehow be in her bedchamber. Her eyes flickered from her mirror to her wardrobe, from the door to the bath to the high window, almost without recognition. She was alone in the room.

"What?"

Serenity swallowed hard, trying to bring her breathing back under control. A hand rose to her forehead, and she let out a little sigh. Her shoulders slumped in relief.

"I thought…"

Her hands rose to her ears. Her eyes closed, savoring the echo from her dream. The echo of a voice, whispering her name.

"Endymion… what are you doing now?" she whispered, opening her eyes to gaze longingly out the window. "Are you thinking of me? Do you still call me your love? Or am I just a strange memory, a dream better forgotten?"

Her head fell forward, the ever present tears gathering on her lashes. She was so tired, of crying, of hurting, of explaining herself, of looks of pity, of being alone. She wanted to hold someone, to be held by someone, to be needed, to need.

She wanted…

"What would you do, Mama?"

The answer came to her, blinding and clear. She could see her mother's face, so happy and so sad at the memory of her dead husband. She could hear her voice, always saying the same thing.

"Little princess, when you are in love, truly in love, nothing can keep you apart. Not time, not space, not disapproving nobles or gossiping maids. I faced them all when I fell in love with your father, and I rode them all down, and I never regretted it. Not for a second."

Nothing will keep me from you. I will never regret you…because I will be at your side.

She was out of her bed and moving across the room before she knew what she was doing. It took her more time to choose a dress than to decide to break every law and reason she knew. She would go to her prince. She would argue, shout, weep, kiss him until he relented.

She would love him till she died.

White silk, soft as a whisper and light as moon glow, encased her slender form. She brushed her hair, tied it up high, and wrapped the soft ribbons of her slippers around her ankles. She stared into the mirror, holding her breath.

I'm coming, my prince.

Joy and light, and she was surrounded by warmth and the smell of roses. She opened her eyes to stare into beautiful azure.

"Serenity!"

She laughed, and without giving him a moment to think, leapt into his embrace, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Either too surprised or too pleased to wonder at this sudden appearance, Endymion eagerly returned her kiss. She felt his hands at her waist, in her hair, stroking up and down her back. Her own fingers twisted in his black locks, holding on for all she was worth.

"Oh, Endymion."

"NO!"

Serenity reluctantly opened her eyes as he thrust her away, his breathing ragged, his face pained. He kept his hands on her shoulders as he glared.

"We agreed we could not do this, Serenity."

She laughed again.

"I changed my mind."

"But…Serenity…we are both in danger if you stay here!"

She looked hard into his eyes. "Are you afraid for yourself?"

"No, of course not! That's not—"

"I'm not afraid for myself, either. So don't worry."

"Serenity, I hardly think—"

"As Venus would say," she rose onto her toes, "you think too much."

No man can argue when the only woman he ever loved is in his arms and attempting to kiss him senseless. Endymion decided to pick his battleground better for his next attack, and was willing to bide his time by lifting Serenity off the ground once again and answering her passion with his own.

They were lost in their embrace, in the feel, taste, scent, sound of one another. Serenity could not have said how she wound up on the bench again, the bench where she had said goodbye to her prince what seemed an eternity ago. She did not care, so long as those warm arms were around her, those lips tracing every feature of her face with the lightest of caresses.

"I love you," he breathed. "I should not. It is against everything…we are breaking so many laws… you are so far beyond me…"

"No. I am right here. I will always be…right here. And I will always love you."

"Serenity."

"Endymion."

"Sh! Be quiet!"

Both jumped, heads whipping around. Endymion caught her by her wrist as he rose hastily, pushing her behind him. Serenity gaped, mouth working, trying to form words as her lover looked around with suddenly fierce eyes. He shook his head uncertainly.

"I don't recognize that voice," he murmured. "Serenity, stay here."

His hand went to his side, then reappeared with a sword. Serenity gasped, grasping his arm.

"No! Endymion—!"

"Stay here!" he ordered firmly. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not! It's just that—"

Two voices filled the night, a slightly familiar man's, and a very, very familiar woman's.

Tangled together, two forms rounded the corner, locked in some kind of struggle. Endymion stepped back, forcing Serenity further behind him, and raised his weapon.

"Halt!"

Both sprang away from each other and spun around. For a second laughter hung on their faces, and eagerness in their eyes. Then something like embarrassed guilt took its place.

"Nephrite!"

"My lord!"

"Jupiter!"

"Princess!"

The four stared at each other, breaking one astonished gaze only to form another. Heat flamed in both women's cheek, while Nephrite winced and Endymion flustered. Tension mounted in the still air.

"Um, oh dear," Jupiter whispered. "Serenity, I can explain."

"Please do," Endymion demanded.

"Oh!" Serenity cried. "Yes. Of course. Prince Endymion, this is the Princess of Jupiter. One of my guardians."

Jupiter, blushing even hotter, curtsied. "Hello."

"Um…hello."

He bowed, then raised his eyebrows at Nephrite.

"And what exactly are you two doing…together?"

"We…"

"Oh, well, we…"

Serenity leaned forward and gasped. "Jupiter, what's happened? You're bruised! There, on your neck!"

Her hand flew to her neck, and she offered nothing more than a squeak.

"Ah…haha…" Nephrite covered his face with one hand. "Is there any way to just make the Earth open up and swallow me?"

Endymion, however, looked suddenly more relaxed. He put his sword away and offered his friend a lopsided grin. "I see."

"You see what?" Serenity asked. "What's going on?"

He patted her shoulder. "I'll explain later. But it seems that our friends have met before."

"Well, you see," Jupiter began in a rush, "I was worried, Serenity, and I thought maybe I could speak with Endymion, and I came down here, and I met Nephrite, I mean Lord Nephrite, and we started talking, and he said he'd like to help, I didn't tell him who I was right away of course, just that I was your friend, but later, well, I felt like I could trust him, please don't be angry, and we talked more, and we were trying to figure out what to do to help you, and we talked...again…and—"

"Yes, thank you, Princess," Endymion interrupted. "So you and Nephrite have been meeting on the sly."

"Well, yes, but… oh please, Prince, Princess, don't be angry!"

"Angry that you were trying to help me?" Serenity asked.

"Well, that, and…" Jupiter looked at Nephrite, who looked back at her. Slowly, they both smiled.

"Oh!" Serenity giggled wildly. "Oh! I see! Oh, Mars is not going to like this!"

"Sweet Selene! Serenity! Jupiter!"

Both princesses turned, and their jaws dropped. In unison they cried, "Mercury!"

Nephrite and Endymion, equally shocked, shouted, "Zoisite!"

The new couple were too stunned to release each other's hands. They did not even seem to notice until four sets of eyes dropped to their linked fingers. Then they leapt apart, but too late.

"Unbelievable," Serenity breathed. Then she began to laugh. "Oh, Blessed Lady of the Moon! This is…just unbelievable!"

"Are you two…holding hands?" Jupiter whispered loudly.

"NO!" both shouted.

"You were," Serenity pointed out between giggles.

"Um…" Mercury looked quickly at Zoisite, who returned the glance with an equally intense one. "The roses are a maze. Zoisite, Lord Zoisite, that is, did not want me to get lost."

"Mercury, for a genius, you are a terrible liar," Jupiter told her. "You were holding hands! With a man!"

"Of course with a man!" the blue haired princess snapped back. "If I'm going to hold hands it is going to be with a man! I'm not Uranus!" She stopped, and shrugged. "Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm sure…well, I've held Uranus' hand before, and it's rather like holding a man's, but more like my brother than Lord Zoisite's and oh, dear, I think I'm babbling."

Zoisite smiled, touching her cheek. "Yes, love."

"Love?" Endymion and Nephrite shouted.

"LOVE?" Serenity and Jupiter shrieked.

"Who loves who?" Venus asked.

Silence.

Kunzite, slightly behind Venus, gave her a bemused look. "I thought you did not want to be seen, Orianna."

All three other princesses gasped.

"What…did you…call her?" Jupiter whispered.

Kunzite raised a single eyebrow. "Orianna. Is that not her name?"

"It is," Mercury murmured, "but…no one ever calls her that but us! And only when we are entirely alone!"

"Well, I couldn't introduce myself as the Princess of Venus right away!" the golden haired Senshi snapped. "And then it just kind of…stuck."

"What should I call you?" Kunzite demanded.

"Most call me Princess, or Venus," she said, looking up with a little smile. Her face softened slightly. "But…I don't mind if you call me Orianna."

"Does Adonis call you Orianna?" Serenity asked, frowning.

Venus started, her eyes frosting over slightly. "He's not here, is he?"

"What does Adonis have to say to anything?" Mercury asked Jupiter.

"Who in the hell is Adonis?" Nephrite cried. "What are we all talking about? And what are you two," he pointed between Mercury and Venus, "doing here?"

"I was worried about the Princess," Mercury started, "so I came to talk to Prince Endymion—"

Endymion raised his hand. "Never mind, Princess Mercury. Princess Jupiter told us already."

"But I never told her that I was here."

"I think you were all here for the same reason," he muttered wryly. "Though I notice at least Princess Venus and Kunzite are not holding hands, or bearing questionable bruises."

"Bruises?" Mercury glanced curiously at Zoisite, who shrugged.

"I'm not bruised," he muttered. "Am I?"

"I don't see any." She raised on her toes to check him over. "No, but you do have a blade of grass in your hair."

Jupiter quirked a grin at Nephrite. "Wonder how that got there."

"There is no hand holding, and there will be no bruises," Kunzite interrupted icily, "because the Lady Orinna and I have merely been discussing business."

"Business?" Endymion shot back. "And here I thought you two might have been discussing Princess Serenity and myself."

"My lord," Kunzite gave him a little bow, "Lady Orianna is the head of Princess Serenity's guardians. I am the head of your guardians. You two are our business."

Endymion only laughed. "Ah, is that all we are?"

"Of course! I know you far too well to consider you a friend!" Kunzite rolled the word around his mouth, his face almost disgusted.

"Oh!" Serenity cried, eyes narrowing into a glare. "Ridiculous! No one knows me better than Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter, and we are the best of friends!"

"My love," Endymion murmured.

"Serenity!" Venus cut in. "Lord Kunzite was only making a joke."

Endymion began to laugh almost as wildly as Serenity only moments before. "This is madness! Absolute, wonderful madness! Here we all our, together as is absolutely forbidden to us all, talking as though we have known each other forever! Madness!"

"But where is Jadeite?" Nephrite added, also chuckling. He did not seem very shy anymore as he put his arm around Jupiter's waist. "Jadeite would never knowingly miss this!"

"Jadeite not take part in some form of chaos?" Zoisite shook his head and grinned. "If the fates have conspired to bring us all together thus, he must be here, too!"

"Well, then we are also missing one of our own," Mercury reasoned, "and there is no possible way Mars is here in this garden!"

Jupiter smiled around. "There's only one way to be sure."

"JADEITE!" Endymion shouted. "JADEITE, WHERE EVER YOU ARE, COME OUT NOW!"

There was a rustle of branches, and then the blonde guardian burst through. He wore his dark blue uniform, somewhat rumpled, tall dark blue boots, and a huge grin. He held out his arms in welcome, a distinctive red high heeled shoe in each hand.

"My liege!"

"Oh, you have to be kidding!"

Endymion, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite all suddenly had their hands full of hysterically laughing princesses. Their questions fell on deaf ears as each girl shook her head, unable to draw enough breath to even answer. Jupiter pounded her first on Nephrite's shoulder, Mercury buried her face in Zoisite's chest, Venus held on to Kunzite's arm for balance, Serenity wrapped her arms around Endymion, half-giggling, half-sobbing into his shoulder, and the men just shared a shrug.

"Well, that's a reaction I've never gotten before," Jadeite admitted, dropping his hands, and the shoes, to his sides. "What on Earth is going—ow!"

Something bounced off his head, falling into the nearest rosebush. He rubbed the sore spot with the toe of one scarlet slipper, glaring at the other missile.

"Just how many feet do the ladies of Mars have, exactly?"

"Mars! Stop it!"

"Give me the other one!"

Serenity managed to glance up, only to find Mars and Jupiter wrestling over the remaining boot on Jupiter's left foot. Nephrite finally leaned over and scooped his princess off her feet, holding her high out of Mars' reach.

"Now ladies," he began, "you are in the presence of the Crown Prince of the Earth. A little more decorum, please!"

"Decorum! That bastard—"

"MARS!" Venus shrieked, blushing.

Endymion grinned, steadying Serenity as she swayed dangerously to one side from lack of oxygen. "Please. That's hardly the worst thing we've ever heard someone call Jadeite. You should hear some of the things Kunzite calls him."

Venus gasped, looking up in surprise.

"Yes, well, now is not the time for that particular story. Any of them." Kunzite turned on Jadeite with a glower. "Will you please return the Princess of Mars' shoes, Jadeite?"

"Not bloody likely. That boot hurt enough! Have you seen the heels on these things? How do you walk on these things? These have to be the most impractical—"

"KYAH!"

Mars launched a bare foot at his middle, only to be left gaping in rage as he easily dodged around her.

"You bastard!"

"MARS!" Mercury squeaked.

"Hold still so I can—Argh!"

Slipping easily behind her, Jadeite wrapped both arms around her waist, dangling her shoes in front of her.

"Now, my love, calm yourself a little! While I approve of, and enjoy, such fire, such passion, as well you know, we are no longer alone."

Mars smiled coquettishly over her shoulder. "Jadeite…"

"Hm, darling?"

She snapped her head back, hard, right into his nose.

"MARS!"

"Ow! You bit'!"

"JADEITE!"

He stumbled back, a hand over his nose, staunching a sudden flow of blood with equally red material.

"Jadeite!" Mars snarled. "Don't bleed on my shoes."

She managed to snatch them to safety, unheeding to his groans. She rubbed at a speck of blood, growling under her breath, while Jadeite made a makeshift bandage of his uniform's sleeve.

"Mars, are you out of your mind?" Venus shrieked, digging through her subspace pockets desperately. "You can't just go around hitting men in the nose!"

"It's worked pretty well so far," the Martian princess shot back, slipping her shoes back on. "Now he's not touching me, is he?"

"That is no reason to—"

"Oh, muzzle it, Venus. I have no intention of playing nice with a wretch, a smooth talking viper, a lecherous fiend with some weird maid fetish—"

"Sounds like our Jadeite," Endymion agreed.

"And a liar!"

"Wai' jus' one damn minu'e!" Jadeite shouted, accepting the handkerchief Venus handed him without a glance in her direction. "I nevah lie!"

"Oh, really?" Nephrite said.

"You told me that you were—"

"Ta man you was lookin' for!"

"After I said I was looking for—"

"Tus' me, you gos a behha deal tis way!"

"Oh, thank you very much," Endymion muttered.

Kunzite, looking less amused, told Jadeite coldly, "You do realize that impersonating the Crown Prince in a diplomatic situation is considered high treason, don't you?"

Jadeite's response, while non-verbal, got the message clearly across. Mercury and Serenity stifled gasps, while Venus and Jupiter giggled. Serenity even caught a glimmer of a grin on Mars' lips. Kunzite's eyes became harder, colder.

"Watch where you put those fingers, my friend. They might suddenly find themselves broken."

"Enough," Endymion ordered. "Everyone quiet down a little. We seem to have found ourselves in a bit of a situation. The question is, what do we do now?"

"We," Mars snapped, gesturing to all the princesses, "will be returning to the Moon!"

"Not until this is sorted out, you can't," he argued gently.

"What is there to sort out?" Mars snapped. "You are the cause of all this! If you hadn't made her cry, none of us would have come down here!"

"Be that as it may—"

"Alright, you tell Serenity that she must return to the Moon where it is safe, we will take her back, and we will pretend these meetings never happened."

"I tried telling her to go back," Endymion insisted. "She did not listen to me."

"If her swollen lips are an indication of your persuasive attempts, I'm not surprised." Serenity hurriedly raised her hand to hide her well-kissed mouth. "But this is not the place for her! So we are returning to the Moon! NOW!"

"No."

Serenity glanced over, surprised to hear Mercury speak. She was again holding Zoisite's hand, and she looked fierce, yet almost desperate. Her Princess could not remember ever seeing her like that in all their years of friendship.

"There is more happening here than just the Prince and Princess, Mars. And I…and we…I can't leave! I can't walk away and never come back again!"

"Please," Jupiter added, clinging to Nephrite's waist, while he held her just as tightly. "Don't you understand?"

"Don't you care?" Serenity wailed. "Just once, Mars, try to understand!"

"Try to think with your heart instead of your head!" Venus cried. "It's hearts that are being broken here! Not that you would ever understand emotions."

Mars shot her a deadly glare, but it was not she who answered.

"A little harsh, my lady, don't you think?" Jadeite muttered, finally speaking in his normal, drawling voice again. "As you can see from her outburst of bloodletting, she has plenty of emotion."

"Don't help," Mars ordered. "As for you fools, would you try and think past this moment to what lays beyond, please? What is happening in the near future?"

Serenity, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus threw each other confused glances, then shrugged. "What?"

Mars sighed, shaking her head. "Eluves, Furor, Adonis…"

"The envoy!"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Envoy?" Endymion asked. "What envoy?"

"Mother is sending an envoy to Earth next week!" Serenity cried, throwing her arms around his neck in delight. "So after next week, there will be no need to sneak anywhere!"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Serenity," Mercury interposed. "It will take time before we ourselves are allowed freely to come down to Earth. But it does mean that we will, in due course, officially meet you all. And from there…"

Smiles were spreading through the ten of them, along with hope and joy. Even Mars smirked, and Jadeite chuckled. They would be together again, without fear of consequences, without breaking laws or trust.

"Until then," Jupiter smiled up at Nephrite and shrugged, "we'll just have to be careful."