I am taking this moment to thank a very, very special reader who has literally saved this fic from extinction. Crystal Dream Keeper was the first who was able not only to find transcripts that will allow the story to flow on, but was able to find the mirror (I am guessing at this mind you) site for the very website I have always used. I know that the best ideas were to grant a few new special characters to this fic, but this time I am bending my own rules. After all, don't all of you think that Crystal Dream Keeper deserves this? Plus, it gives me a hot new idea or two. But, do send in some ideas people.

And, seeing as I have rudely went and ignored Molly and Nephrite for so very long, let us begin with the two of them. Enjoy.

Sailor Moon is copyright © 1992 Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation. English Language Adaptation © 1995 DiC Entertainment

Hearts and Hopes

Chapter Eight

Shattered Dreams

As the group prepared to go after Serena, Molly wondered about what poor Darien was feeling right at that moment. She was certain that now he fully understood how she had felt the night that death had nearly taken Nephrite from her. Goddess, the young mother still had nightmares about it. In fact, the last one had only happened the night before and it chilled her so deeply that she couldn't shake it off until well after sunrise.

In her memory, Molly went back to that night. Had the attack only happen a year before? In her heart, it felt like lifetimes before. The only difference was in the ending. She hadn't gotten the damn thorns out of her dearest love's shoulder. Instead of the Scouts showing up as interference when they did, the youmas attacked. Nephrite took the full brunt of the explosion to his back in an effort to save Molly, but it further damaged his weakened body. There was nothing for Molly to do but hold him as he died. Slowly he faded in her arms, changing into some form of dust that drifted upwards into the early dawn sky.

She ended up with Melvin of all people. In addition, she wasn't a Scout yet was seemingly always under attack by the monsters she and the girls had already faced. Molly ended up marrying Melvin who became a scientist who never had time. In the end, Molly ended up alone after Melvin died – eighty years after Nephrite. This left Molly alone with no beautiful daughter, no title, and no proof of her past! Molly was all alone!

It made her scream so loud that the entire house woke in fear. Even the feel of her precious daughter against her chest along with her husband's arms around them both did not calm Molly right away. She had been thankful to not know how life might have been if she had lost her love.

Nephrite watched as his wife loose herself in her nightmare again. What might have happened that night haunted them both, but it was harsher on his Molly. He just never knew how deeply it affected his wife. Quietly, he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Molly, I'm here."

"I know. It's just so hard knowing that if things had been different ..."

"Molly, things are not ... that is what is important. I am alive, we are married, and our daughter is with us again." Nephrite hoarsely said. He too at times dreamt of seeing his love go on without him only to end up alone near her death. Yet, he would wake and watch her turn over towards him in her sleep. Watching over her at times was all that kept him sane after such a horrid dream.

Serena groaned as she twitched in that box she had been locked away in. Even with as plush and sweet smelling as the creep made it, she was panicked and wanted out. Her blood felt so very cold and her heart hurt physically as well as emotionally.

She was alone now. She had willing given herself to the enemy. Why would Darien come for her after that?

Even with her mouth parched, Serena swallowed hard. Her stomach cramped as if she really was starving. Was it so long ago that she had eaten anything? Was it all that long ago that she used that excuse to bribe food from her friends? God, what kind of friend was she.

A knock on the lid startled Serena silent as a muffled voice called to her. "Oh wife, are you ready to join the party?"

That wasn't Darien. Who … oh, no! Anyone but that! "I am not your wife, Dowan!"

"Oh, but you soon will be. I know that you already feel the hunger in you veins. Soon it will drive you so mad that you will feed. I know mortals too well. They cling to life so desperately." Dowan chuckled.

Serena shuttered as tears poured down her cheeks. Darkness enveloped her and it became hard to breath.

There was blackness and grey fog chilled her to the bone. She heard chuckling that seemed to surround her.

'Why did we ever waste our time with her?' Molly? Whom was she talking about?

'Wonder how to get her hand print off the door.' Nephrite? What was going on?

Serena started shivering as Jadeite's voice rang out. 'She has always been such a cry-baby. No way is she the Moon Princess.'

'Yes, I am so glad that we don't have to attempt to drag her through school anymore.' Amy? No, Amy wouldn't say that about anyone … would she?

Lita chuckled, 'Better yet, we don't have to save her rear end anymore!'

'At least you didn't have to sleep with her. Talk about disgusting!' Darien? No, he said she had been perfect for him. 'Even worse I had to kiss the Meatball Head!'

Her? They were talking about her? Serena's heart broke harshly as the sneers and complains about her continued on. None of them cared about her … they were all happier now that she was gone.

A light shimmered from within her chest and quickly enveloped Serena. With the light around her, Serena sobbed as the pain grew. No one loved her, and she wanted something … oh she was so hungry!

'Moon Princess … weep not so.'

"Who's there?" Serena snapped. She was so close to giving up.

Twisting around, Serena glared when she saw a figure – not quite human. It was as if the light surrounding them came from and was a part of this being. 'I am the Crystal Dream Keeper.'

"Who?"

There was a tinkling laughter. 'I am the spirit of your heart … the spirit that drives you. I am the heart of every Sailor Moon and Moon Princess there has ever been and will ever be. I hold tightly the deepest and most sacred mysteries of the solar system as well as your future powers.'

Serena was startled. "My powers?"

'Yes, Princess.' The being nodded. 'I reside in and empower the Imperium Silver Crystal.'

"I am afraid." Serena sobbed out. "No one is coming for me and I can feel some change coming over me."

The Crystal Dream Keeper shook her head. 'How can you believe the lies the monster is feeding you?'

"Do you mean Dowan?" Serena started.

Her new friend nodded with a sweet smile. 'Princess, he poisoned you with his blood. That was why you went against your true nature. Your King knows this and your friends are preparing to come here in order to rescue you.'

In disgust, Serena began wiping her mouth roughly. The entity before her shook its head. 'It is far too late, Princess. It is changing you. Soon you will -need to feed on blood given and received in pure love and trust to prevent your death. If you take blood given to dominate and rule you in fear of death you will become his wife and the crystal will shatter into dust as I and your power die with you – the final Moon Princess and Sailor Moon.'

"I want to be me, human!" Serena shouted in fear.

'Only your true husband's blood will be able to save you now. You must keep faith with him … believe he will come for you and will feed you his blood. For the love the two of you share will give me the power needed to cleanse your body of the poison. Believe he will come, dear Moon Bunny.'

Serena gasped for air as her eyes opened and her body shook with hunger and cold. "Darien, where are you?" She groaned as the hunger grew and the pain seeped into her bones. Her baby blue eyes slowly turned dark and twisted into a deep and dark blood red. Her breathing came in wheezes and her muscles twitched in spasms. She felt sharp agony as her fingernails and eyeteeth all grew and sharpen. Soon she couldn't help the shriek that tore from her.

Miles away, Darien's body twitched as he heard her cry. His Serena needed him. "We need to go now."

Zoicite looked up at her husband and King in fear. Malachite very well could perish in this fight, leaving her alone as their unborn daughter would come into the world fatherless. He saw her fears and sighed. "Remember your vision, love. We still have more kids ahead of us. But, for our sakes, do not leave the house."

"Agreed. But why can't the girls stay with us?"

Malachite shook his head. "We will need them, seeing as they seem to be the only ones who are any match for Dowan."

Mists rose outside thick and fast. Malachite smirked as he recognized the spell. "Dear sister, you must always have a hand in the affairs of us mortals."

Glorianna looked up at her father, "Daddy, what do you mean?"

"Read the mists, Glori. What do they tell you?" Malachite taught his daughter.

Without asking how, Glorianna shut her eyes and honed her magical senses onto the thick mist that hid her home from the world. Suddenly, her mind connected it all, "The mists of between the worlds! This way we spend less time trying to get going! Very cool Auntie Tor!"

The group all chuckled at this despite the situation.

Suddenly, the brat pack all landed outside the mansion – with an armada of dragons hovering just above. Cronan led the others in bowing before their godmother and rulers. "We have come to aid in rescuing the Moon Princess."

Malachite smiled, that his Queen's godchildren were the seven to come forward, "Our thanks, Cronan and all of you."

Dowan and some others laughed and celebrated outside of the coffin, all while the stubborn Princess slowly transformed within. Champagne flutes rose on his cue, "to my new mate. May she finish the process before we finish the century."

The party guests all chuckled at his wit. Ever hungry and cunning, Dextra rested her feet on the ornate casket. "We could all work the darling over."

"Yes, but that would not be as entertaining." Dowan smirked. "Besides, the rest will be here eventually."

"Which explains the early party," Uriah smirked. "We get to play."

Dowan nodded and raised his glass once more to emphasize his point. "What is a party without entertainment?"

Dextra snorted as she looked over Dowan's body hungrily, "a waste of my time."

"Would not dream of ever wasting your time, Dextra," Dowan knew that the creature would eagerly take a turn in his bed. Such was how he had made her, and intended on making the goody-goody still transforming just the same. He wondered how fast he could get the pair together as the entertainment for a future party - two ladies of the night eager for whatever they could get.

For a time he did not take note of the fog that set into forlorn cemetery, which had become an anathema in the disregard of the townsfolk near by, that is until there was nothing but mist outside of the windows. Magal found this disturbing, especially when the mist seeped into the run down chapel through every crack it could find - mist that refused to obey his powers. "Dowan, I believe the entertainment has arrived."

Suddenly, from their hinges an invisible force ripped the doors flung the pair of crumbling wood barriers at the vampires – who barely dodged the attack. This only allowed the mist to fill the room in the space of a single intake of breath. Darien stood in the bare frame, seen only by those who were there to grant him support and aide. He felt the room and knew exactly where his wife was. With the monsters held at bay, Darien went for the casket - solely focused on saving his bride.

Unfortunately, Dowan expected as much of the King of Neo-Elysian. The vampire mentally paced the boy and slowly drew out his long sword. Just as Darien made it beneath his position, Dowan attacked — dropping from above to lend weight to the downward descent of his blade. If only he had one more second, his control over the moon bitch would have been complete! Unfortunately, the three Generals saw the attack in time.

Malachite roared, "Darien! Above!"

Not waiting for orders, Nephrite sent a star blast that slammed Dowan into the far wall as Darien reacted to the threat. The Earth King drew his sword, at last ready to fight. They all knew it was a ploy to keep Darien from his wife, but he feared that the attack would harm Serena if he moved to close to her before making the area safe.

The dragons kept the shadows at bay, the Scouts and Generals did what they could to take on the other vampires. All there was left were the girls and Bryan.

Within the coffin, Serena was battling so much ... and in danger of losing all. The pain, cold, and grief were all staggering. The weight of it all left Serena abject as her soul shattered – her dark side, her innocence, her will, her amenity, her past self, the beauty of her heart – all of it was fighting her for their freedoms and for dominance!

'He's not going to come.'

'I'm scared.'

'Crybaby.'

'I refuse to give up!'

'He has never given up on us before.'

'Unless you count that time he dumped us!'

'That was only because he loves us so much.'

Serena felt like she was going nuts! "DARIEN!"

The Silver Crystal opened and shimmered on her chest, filling Serena with hope and warmth. 'Worry not, Moon Princess. Your King is here and will rescue you in time. Remember you must trust him, even if you do not trust yourself.'

Serena worried if everything would be alright. The Crystal Dream Keeper seemed to believe so, but Serena herself was on the verge of giving up. No, she would not feed from Dowan. The Princess of the Moon Kingdom decided then and there that she would rather die than to ever do that.

Then she heard a giggle that was so like that child the Tree of Life hinted at. A tear pooled in Serena's eye, "who are you?"

'I don't have a name yet, Mama.'

"My baby? Why couldn't I see you before like everyone else saw their kids?"

The little girl giggled again, 'oh, Mama. I'm not made yet.'

"Then I'm not pregnant?" Serena had hoped that maybe their first night was enough to give her and Darien their daughter.

'Mama, if I were I would have died by now ... just to keep you safe.'

"No, baby," This was becoming increasingly harder on Serena.

Suddenly it was as if she felt a spirit take hold of her chest. Then there was the sweetest soft sigh that Serena had ever heard, 'I'd do anything to protect you Mama. I love you.'

Serena felt light fill the outer room and was frightened. The baby giggled 'Two of my Generals are here Mama! Yay!'

"Two of your generals?"

'Yeah, one isn't big enough to fight yet, Mama. And one is still in her Mama's tummy!'

That was when Serena put the pieces together. Jade and Glorianna – it had to be them! Despite the pain growing intolerable, that gave Serena hope. Tears fell from her eyes as the lid slowly opened. She had to keep on believing. "Darien?"

That sweet sound, despite the audible fear and pain, was music to his ears. Serena hadn't given up yet. "You got it, Meatball Head. I won't let him take you away ... unless that is what you want."

"You kidding? After everything that we've been through to be together? I am your wife and only yours!" Serena vowed, but in her blood red eyes was a deep fear, "I'm afraid that I'll hurt you, Muffin."

Even in her agony, his only love was more concerned about him. Darien just knew at that moment his wife had not been forced into their marriage nor had she only married him because of their pasts. Those fears left his heart, which filled with the deepest love for his bride and full trust in her feelings for himself. "Serena, do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Darien." Serena's eyes filled with bright pink tears as her tears were slowly changing from saline to blood. There was precious little time left.

"And you love me?"

Serena smiled at him, the answer shinning in eye that were not quite her own, "with all of my heart forever."

"Then you keep on trusting and loving me through this, while I trust and love you right back. That force Dowan will never be able to beat."

Darien took the tip of his sword and nicked his wrist just under his thumb deep enough to draw blood for his Princess. He would give all for his Serena because he did not want a life without her beside him. Instead of tearing into his wrist with her fangs like her darker instincts were demanding, Serena only took blood from the wound her had opened on his wrist. He trusted that she would not cause him harm, and she would never destroy that precious trust. In every swallow, she felt the warmth of his love fill her body, destroying the hunger, pain, fear, and cold as it spread. Slowly her eyes shut and her love for him flowed back into Darien's body in return. He felt that love and wondered whatever he had done right in his life to have that sweetness for his own. Darien knew that his Princess was fighting to return to him whole – he trusted that she would not hurt him.

Slowly, the immoral being Dowan had tried to create within Serena melted away and the Moon Princess began to emerge. Her nails returned to normal and he felt that the fangs had shrunk back into eyeteeth once again. In time, Serena and Darien both passed out for a moment.

In their minds the lighted being became solid. Serena was shocked to see a version of herself! "Crystal Dream Keeper?"

'Yes, dear Princess. The love you each hold for the other and the trust that first drew you both together has healed you and so has healed me.'

Then a new figure drew close to the Keeper, a figure neither Prince nor Princess figured on ever seeing again. Darien nodded in respect for the spirit of his love for Serena, "Moonlight Knight."

'Finally we are together again, thanks to both of you.'

"I don't understand." Serena couldn't believe her eyes.

'I told you once that I was the spirit created to fulfill Darien's place to guard you, Princess. I resided within the Prince even in the time of the Moon Kingdom. In that time, when the affections you each held for one another were only beginning to blossom into the love you now share, your inner spirits - who guide you as warriors and rulers and hold the keys to all your personal possibilities - grew attached as well.'

The Crystal Dream Keeper smiled up at her Knight as he took her hand, eerily just as the couple that they resided within would at times. Then she went on, 'As your loves grew so too did ours. And now we are finally together once more. Your fears of forcing each other into your marriage held us apart, giving Dowan ample room to attack you Princess. Yet, your love, faith, and trust in one another was too powerful for him to overcome.'

'Your drive to reclaim your bride has also opened the powers of all in your court along within each of you as well, my Prince. Yet, a harsher test still lays before you both.'

Serena hated the idea of that, 'Why?'

'Because the fight for your world is only to become harder as time goes on, your love for one another must be strong as your faith in each other to get through the times ahead.'

The Moonlight Knight smiled, 'The only reason you two were not able to see your future child is that she was not yet conceived, my Prince. Yet the two of you will see her long before she grows within Serena. That we both promise you.'

A moment later, the Prince and Princess woke to the on going battle. Darien looked into those sweet blue eyes he adored and crystal clear tears of hope and joy. They were going to see their baby before they made her like everyone else saw their children before birth. Both had enough of this enemy. This was their honeymoon, and there were no party crashers allowed! For the first time, they both knew that they could merge their powers for brief moments of time. In doing so, Darien was able to empower his wife to full strength. Smiling at her husband, Serena allowed Darien to help her stand as she willed herself to turn the vampire wedding gown Dowan had put on her into her Princess gown. The girls cheered to see that their favorite adult was safe and well.

When Serena smiled and nodded to them, Jayde and Glorianna began the spell that they had used on Samar. Yet, this time Serena added to their attack with her own power. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

This ignited the spell the girls cast like a spark would propane! Instead of taking out only one enemy at a time, seemingly all of their enemies were wiped out! Dowan screaming the loudest in his agony.

Exhausted, Serena collapsed into Darien's arms and fell asleep. Three hours later, she woke to the sound of the girls laughing and playing outside and the steady beat of her husband's heart beneath her ear. A deep intake of breath told her that not only was Darien wide-awake, but he also knew she too was up. "Feeling better?"

Serena stretched a little as she snuggled closer to her only love. "Much. The rest didn't want to leave?"

"Not until they saw for themselves that you are you and safe." Darien reported as he tightly hugged his wife. He had come so close to losing her, and their fights were to grow only harder as time passed.

That meant the world to her, her friends and love cared about her. Serena beamed up at Darien before kissing his lips. They were still together, and only that mattered to her. Knowing the others would not leave until after they spent time with the couple (and smelling Lita's cooking) they regrettably got out of bed.

Two hours of being an extended family once again, having a great dinner, cleaning up, and socializing was enough to sooth the nerves of the group. Serena flaking out over the food did help tell them that their Princess was back and theirs.

After they left the couple alone, Darien made Serena forget the horrible images Dowan had flooded her mind with before they finally fell back into dreams. While hers was filled with the giggles of the child that she wanted to hold and see so much, Darien again fought through his nightmare. The voice wasted no time on pointed out that even with all of the precautions and friends Darien had failed to protect Serena. 'Stop being selfish, Darien! If you love her, then you have to keep her away for her own safety!'

Serena sighed in her sleep and cuddled close to him. It was as if she was telling Darien that nothing he could do would tear her away from him. Yes, Darien knew he was acting selfish, but he loved his Meatball Head and refused to push her away for a voice without a face.

Thus ends the arch called 'Hearts and Hopes'. It might be some time before I get on with Sailor Moon R part 2, I'll have to download the season from that cool Cherry Hill Temple site the day I post this chapter.

But, have no fear dear readers, I will go on. Loads of thanks to Asirainis - She sent me the DVDs for Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon Super S, and Sailor Moon Stars! Do I have a great kid sister or what?