A/N - Fluff in this chapter. His version. More talk between his father and him.

Please read and review. They are much appreciated

Enjoy!

~Munchkin1978

Chapter 15 – Him

Crystal

I watched her smile and talk with my father. Not really hearing what they were saying but I saw the letter exchange. She never did tell me what was in the letter. I don't think she knew really herself. Kunzite also gave Mina something who in turn provided it to the King from the Queen of the Moon. He did not open it right away I saw and had slipped it in his robes. Diamond had inched his way down the stairs as I shot glares at him. He wanted to take her right then and there. I could feel it radiating from him. I watched as Serenity did her royal duties without complaint. She was handling this much better than I.

I joined my knights at the bottom of the steps and sent them to walk with the ladies. I had to walk with my father. Serenity took my father's arm again and Diamond was behind them. I brought up the rear. Keeping my eyes on any sudden movement from Diamond.

Entering the dinning hall our seats had been arranged already. I thought for sure that Diamond would have been seated beside her but it was I that was seated beside her. I was pretty sure my chest was doing a dance but I had to hide it from the world.

My father waited for the ladies to be seated before he himself sat. I was standing beside Serenity and decided to help her sit. I could see the anger boiling over on my brother's face. As she sat gingerly in the seat she looked at my father and smiled.

"Thank you kindly Prince Endymion."

After my father sat, I sat and my brother and then the remainder of the table. Since dinner was being served there was not much time for talk until all the plates had been placed down. I was only half listening to her talk with my father. I had more thoughts of what to do in case certain things happened. I shifted ever so slightly brushing my leg against her thigh. Letting her know I was here and would be here always for her.

"Well my dear it sounds like she has the Moon Kingdom in great hands. I am sure you will be sorely missed with you being here."

"I know I will be your majesty. But I will make my mother proud and if the time comes I will rule both my kingdom and your earth kingdom with pride and just."

Once the meal and all the courses had been served we rose from the table and continued to walk around the palace. Serenity's court excused themselves and so did my knights. I knew where they were heading. I would find them in the southern wing which is where I am sure we would be heading with my father shortly. Kunzite had his arm out for Mina who had already curled into him with out a question asked. The others walked side by side not really hiding that they wanted to be like Kunzite. I had an errant smile that I knew what they would be doing tonight and in future nights.

I knew the moon had risen into the sky as Serenity had started to glow in the moonlight. She was tired and the slower pace had told the king that as well. I was about to speak but my father had done so for me. We were down the corridor already and outside her door. I knew the room she was in. I knew it had the balcony on the outside.

"Serenity my dear you must be exhausted. All this travel and no real rest. Come I will take you to your room. Your court will be with you in the southern wing. If you should need anything please just ask the staff there. They will get it for you."

"Thank you it has been quite the day." She paused and took a breath turned and looked at all three of us. "Thank you very much your majesty. If you will have it we can continue this conversation tomorrow when I have rested." She curtsied as we bowed to her in formality. I could see her shadow as she closed the door.

"Well my Princes you both did well today. I am retiring as well. Please do not cause any havoc."

"Yes father."

"No father." I said. I had other plans. I had to be quick and not be seen. I waited till father was out of the corridor before I turned to go.

"Poor Endymion no bride for him. She is mine. The kingdom will be mine. I will rule the world when father hands it over." He was gloating.

I didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer. I just glared at him and left him standing there. I headed down the hallway and listened as he followed me. He went a different way and I doubled back making sure that no one had seen me.

Entering the secret hallway off of the southern corridor was second nature to me. I used to play in the secret rooms without father's knowledge. I rushed into the one that was beside her room and exited out the window and swung over to her balcony.

I could see her pacing inside. She was fretting over something. Something she may have heard? I slipped into the shadows of the doorway as they opened. She came out in her silvery white dress she had on from earlier. Her crown a top her head of silver locks. The curves of her body evident under the moonlight. Her dress shifted in the slight wind making me want to reach out and just take her in my arms and hide her. My body was reacting and the bulge that had formed was pushing against my pants. I was aching for her and her touch. She looked like an angel. If she had sprouted wings she would have been.

"Your glowing Princess. Someone will steal you away if you look like that." She quickly spun around as her eyes lit up as she saw me. She watched me as I looked her up and down.

"Only if it is you." I pried myself from the shadows for her to enter my arms. "Endymion." She whispered. I wrapped my cloak around her as she pressed herself into me.

"Serenity you must be careful."

"I will. The moon is not full. The king can not disobey the Moon Kingdom's tradition."

"That won't stop Diamond. He will draw you to the core. It changes time and space there."

"Well I think I may have something on that." She looked up at me her eyes wide. She had something to say and I wanted us to be in the enclosed room before we were found out.

"Come inside before someone sees us." I closed the door after I pulled her inside with me. I pulled the curtains closed and made sure they were tightly closed that not even the moonlight could enter. I gave the room a once over to make sure we were alone and I took her in my arms. I was aching for the touch of her skin. I kissed her as she melted into me. I took her crown off and slipped my hands through her silver locks. I dropped my pants as I picked her up and carried her to the bed. With a wave of her hand her clothing and the remainder of mine was gone. What ever she had wanted to say was forgotten in the kiss she gave me. I entered her without waiting and traced her back with my hands as she arched into me. The feeling of climax rushing in as we moved together. She cried out with me as I spilled everything I had into her.

"Serenity, my love." I whispered to her as she curled into my side. I kissed the top of her head and she just ran her finger tips across my chest. I felt her head move ever so slightly as she listened to my heart beat. I felt her skin cool slightly and her eyes close.

Oh my love I wish we could stay like this forever. Just you and I. Close out the world around us. Not have to be royal, not have to save the world.

I closed my eyes and slept for some time but awoke to find her in the same spot. Feeling her breathe and her chest rise up and down made me content. I unfortunately had to leave her. I could not be found here. I kissed the top of her head once more as I lifted her from my chest. I rose from the bed and covered her with the sheet. I left her a note and a rose. It will always be a rose. She deserved more. I dressed and with a final glance I moved onto the balcony and back to the secret window and corridor.

I reached my room minutes later and sunk into the chair. I pulled the crystal from around my neck and looked at it. This little crystal would save Earth and us. I wouldn't let her be in harms way. I put the crystal back around my neck and headed for a cold bath. Dreaming of her would only put what I needed to be thinking about on the back burner.

I changed my clothes and slept a little bit more. I awoke to Kunzite and Mina at my door. It was mid morning and I slipped my shirt over my head as they entered.

"Endymion, Serenity believes Diamond is the infiltrated prince. She confirmed your suspicions. She is with Diamond now."

"What?"

"She was listening to him gloat at you last night and she put two and two together."

"She did not tell me. I saw her last night."

"She tried to."

"Where is she?"

"Gardens I think that is where I saw them heading." Kunzite said.

"Don't let Diamond see you two together. He will automatically think we are all involved and I don't want that for you both."

"I will watch over Lady Mina."

I left them as I tucked my shirt in and put my coat on going down the corridor. I reached the core and they were still there. I waited in the shadows as he took her for a tour that I should be giving her. I entered the gardens moments later and saw them in the distance. I watched as he clutched her arm as she asked him questions. He was asking more questions and turning it to be about him. I could tell by the faces he was making.

It was more than a few minutes before they returned this way. I shrank back into the shadow of the doorway much like I had done the night before. I knew she had seen me as I brought just a slight part of my face from the shadow so she could see. She smiled and I smiled back shrinking back to the shadows as she entered the door as to not be seen by Diamond.

She was okay. She would be okay. The crystal would protect her if she was in trouble. I didn't follow them. I had to let her be for the time being. Diamond had to believe he was courting her or this plan would not work. I didn't like it much but I had to believe she would be fine.

I met up with Jaedite who happened to be heading to Rei's suite. I knew he would not have stayed away from her. I was pretty sure he had fucked her last night. He had that look.

"Where are you headed Jaedite?"

"To see if Rei wants to go for a tour of the palace."

"Uh huh." I looked at him. "Is this your first visit? Or second of the day?"

"How did you know?"

"You have the look."

"I ran into Princess Serenity this morning. She figured out Diamond was not your brother. Did you speak with her?"

"I did not but Kunzite came to see me with Lady Mina."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I have a plan. I need you to get everyone together. We need to make sure we have stipulations in place if certain things happen."

"Sure I will get them all together. Meeting at 2?"

"Yes."

I headed back to my room after I got something to eat. I had more thoughts of what was happening and the fact that Serenity had not returned to her suite yet worried me.

I met with my generals and each of them had a plan put in place if they had come across something that we did not ultimately plan for.

I left the room with my generals still there and headed to her suite. I went the secret room way so as not to be seen. She had not returned. Nothing had moved or changed. Her crown still on the table where I had laid it the night before. She had notes from her court wondering where she was. I was wondering where she was. I left a note myself and left her room.

I ran into my father some time later and he was very much like his old self. "Father."

"Endymion. How was being home?"

"Sleepless. Something is happening father. I can feel it."

"I can too. Where you able to find the crystal? Earth's golden crystal?"

I didn't want to tell him that I had been given the crystal by Serenity. I didn't know if he would provide the information to Diamond. I decided I would keep it to myself just in case. "No father. I did not."

"She is quite like her mother."

"Who is father?" I knew he was talking about Serenity but I let him talk.

"The princess. She is very much like her mother. I met her when we all went to the moon. Your mother was quite taken with her as well. She was carrying your sister before she died."

"I don't remember that father."

"You were very young. I am surprised you would remember it. She was walking with the Moon Queen while you and Diamond where in the gardens. I was talking with the Moon King before we had left. They were having a party."

That part I remembered. Vividly every day I saw her as a young princess. Now I was trying to keep her safe.

"Father."

"Oh Endymion you were so young. Just a few years older than the Princess at the time. You never did meet her."

"Why is that father?"

"She was the key to everything. Her destiny was to be here on Earth and the moon kingdom was to keep Earth safe from the evil that had come from the moon. She was hidden so that no one would see her, to steal her away before she could seal the evil away for ever."

"Is this why she is here?"

"To marry the two kingdoms together yes."

"Will she repair the core?"

"I don't know."

My father was finished talking and excused himself. I knew even more now than before that I had to keep her safe. I couldn't let her get close to the core. She had to be safe.

When she didn't return later that day Mina and the others came to me. They were worried she never went far without one of them. I sent out a search party hoping she was not lost in a corridor somewhere not knowing where to go. I went through the secret passageways and couldn't find her.

Dinner was served and still no sign of her or Diamond. Mina had made up an excuse that she was not well. Diamond however had no excuse for missing dinner. As soon as it was done I rose from the table and did another search for her.

My mind was running over time. I knew she was still alive as I was still alive. The full moon was not till tomorrow. I waited in her room. Her crown still in the exact spot where I left it and seen it from earlier. No one had been here let alone her.

Where are you my love?

Please tell me you are safe. I won't have the strength to pull you from where ever. I stayed in her room not really sleeping but not really awake. Memories ran through my head. I just needed to see her touch her to make sure she was ok.

Her ladies came in and left notes again for her and left. They searched the palace with the assistance of the generals. It was early evening before I heard running foot steps. I slipped back into the shadows incase it was someone coming to check in. I waited and watched as she entered with tears streaming down her face. I moved from the shadows and took her in my arms as she cried.

"Serenity oh my love where have you been? We have been searching for you everywhere." She just sobbed into my chest.

"He changed time. We are to be married tonight." She cried harder as I smoothed her hair. "I don't know how but he changed time. Pluto has the only time keys. She controls time and space for the whole universe. I know because my mother put her in charge of it. He is from Nemesis. A dormant moon from deep in the universe that does not revolve around the sun. That is where my papa sent all the evil the first time. All the evil from the moon is there. He is going to destroy us all. He wants me to bring his world here. All of Nemesis. His true family. He was never your brother. He infiltrated your family. I was to marry you. It was always you. He knows. He knows everything."

"He controls everything Serenity. Time is different with the core. When you didn't come back last night we sent a party out to look for you." I wanted her to see my face. I was worried and needed to see her eyes. Her eyes would tell me everything. "I knew it was me. My father slipped a few times but he always corrected himself when Diamond was around. I have a plan. You are not going to like it." It was a continuation of the plan now that things had changed. She was the key to everything my father had said. She was the key to what I didn't know. I did know I felt the urge to just keep her here and we would run away but I knew I couldn't.

"Please don't let me have to marry him."

"No I don't think it will get that far." She just lay on my chest. Not moving but crying and breathing in heavy sobs. She was listening to my heart beat I think. I was worried but I was calm. I so wanted to take her away off planet. "Serenity as soon as I place the crystal piece into the core it will react. Diamond won't be happy. You need to be clear from the edge or it will take you in and you may be destroyed."

"What if I can't?"

"I know you will find a way." She was crying again. I knew she understood what she needed to do. I had to leave her. I couldn't stay with her. I had to prepare to put the crystal in at the very moment the wedding started. The moon had already started to rise as she was glowing. I kissed her head and her lips one last time before exiting the room. I didn't look back or I would not have left.

It was not my finest moment leaving her like that. She was the key and maybe I was the doorway to help her. Oh my love…I re entered the secret corridor and headed to my room. I changed and exited in a royal wedding uniform. As a prince of earth I had to be dressed for the occasion. I joined my father walking along the hallway and entered at the core where time held no minutes.

People were arriving that I had never seen before. Not that I had paid much attention before to the dealings that my father had anyhow. It was as the last guest was seated that I saw her. The dress meant for our wedding. The silvery white with the pearls. The crown atop her head again. She was hidden by her court but I could see her. She was waiting. Her eyes told me she knew what she needed to do. She was going into battle just as I was. The battle to get back to just us.