Title: WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sailor Moon

Authors Notes: Okay, so I feel like I might be ending this story a little to abruptly, so there's going to be another chapter to smooth things outs. I really didn't think about how I was going to end this when I started it, so I hope you're not to disappointed in how it goes. Enjoy!

Previously in chapter six……………..

She walked away from them then, out into the night. The lights of the city seemed to glare at her, and she forced herself to walk towards home. Her tears blinded her as she pushed through the crowds of people all around her. She felt suffocated.

Somebody pushed painfully against her, and she stepped away.

She tripped off the curb, and into traffic.

The force of the hit seemed to take the wind out of her.

Then everything was completely silent.

Serena didn't feel like she had been hit by anything. In fact, she didn't feel really hurt at all. Slowly she opened her eyes.

Everything was bright pink

Serena looked around her, her head groggily pounding. She felt like she had been hit by a train. She didn't remember blacking out, so why was she suddenly back in her bed.

Serena opened her eyes in shock.

This was her bedroom. Not her bedroom of the future, her bedroom now, five years ago. She looked down at the frilly pink bed she was lying in, smaller then the one she had in the future. Her room wasn't a dull pink, it was bright and vibrant like she had remembered. What the hell was going on?

Serena ran out of her room, still in her pajamas, and took the stairs three at a time yelling for her mom.

"Serena, what's gotten into you?"

Serena came to such a screeching halt that she almost fell over. Her whole body went into shock as she looked at him. His dark eyes looking at her curiously and a light smile playing on his lips.

"Daddy?" She whispered.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He asked confused.

Serena vaulted into his arms. He laughed at the sudden bear hug and pulled her closely to him.

"Serena, what's going on?" He could feel her shake with tears.

"Oh daddy, I promise I'll never leave you not ever. I'll make sure that nothing happens to you I promise, and we'll be together forever."

Her father was confused, but he held her close regardless. He looked at her mother who had come into the room and she just shrugged.

Serena spent that whole day with her father and mother. She ate breakfast with them and then they took her to the park. It was a dream come true for her. She felt loved and safe.

Serena sat by herself looking out her window at the stars. What on earth had happened? She could remember every detail of the past couple weeks with perfect clarity and yet her parents had said she had been asleep only one night and it had all been a bad dream. How was that even possible? It didn't make any sense. What if this was the dream and tomorrow she would wake up back in the future?

"Serena?"

She looked at her father standing in her doorway.

"We need to talk about something very serious," he said.

"What is it?"

He came and sat with her on her bed.

"It's about your grades Serena, and how you're going to get into college." Serena went completely still. "Your teacher called as before summer started. Your grades aren't good enough right now and she needs you to take a make-up exam before you next year."

"Why?" Serena asked.

Serena's father started going into a long explanation of how she had to go to a good college and why her grades were holding her back. The more he spoke, the more and more scared Serena felt. He was explaining to her the future she had been in and all because she might not get into a good college. She felt her heart sink when he said the exam was going to be in only a few days and would cover everything she had learned so far in class. If she didn't pass it, she would never get into a good college let alone be allowed to go into her next year of school with the other girls. She would be held back.

The idea of being held back scared her more then she could believe. Being in a class every day with kids a year younger than her and watching her friends take the next year. She was to embarrassed to think about it.

But how would she ever pass that exam? She had failed almost everything that came her way since she was in grade school. Even Amy wouldn't be able to help her with this, she was sure of it.

Her future came at her again in a explosive rush and she squared her shoulders. Cheating was simply not an option.

Is this where it had all started? This one decision? If she hadn't seen her future, would she have right now decided to cheat? She furrowed her brow. This still didn't seem like her. She was scared right now, but she didn't feel desperate enough to cheat. Maybe that had all just been the worst-case scenario.

But why had she been show her future? She was so confused.

Serena slept fitfully that night, but because she was afraid of this exam and because she was afraid she would wake up back in the future again. But when she groggily opened her eyes in the morning, she was happy to find she was still in her time. She rushed downstairs again to make sure her father was alright.

Her heart leapt at her when he wasn't there.

"What happened? Is he okay?" She nearly screamed at her mom.

"Serena, what's gotten into you? It's Monday. Your father's at work."

"Oh, right," Serena sighed in relief. Of course her father was at work.

"Okay, I'm going to go and ask the girls to help me get ready for this exam," she started to walk away.

"Serena," her mother stopped her. "I'm sorry this happened, but I need you to realize how important college is. We just want you to have a future you can be proud of."

Serena couldn't help but smile.

"Trust me mom, this isn't the worst that can happen. I'll be fine."

She made her way quickly to the arcade, thinking about what she was going to do. She loved Amy like a sister, but could she really help her with this. Amy was smart, but she tended to talk over Serena's head. But maybe if she got Raye involved. Well no, Raye would get frustrated if Serena didn't figure something out. Lita was in the middle of a summer cooking class and she was really busy, and Mina wasn't the brightest of the group.

She sighed.

The arcade bells jingled over her as she walked in and her heart suddenly leapt into her throat. Just the other day everyone in this room had hated her.

"Hey Serena!"

Serena stood still when Lita called her name, and everyone else looked at her. She couldn't move. His eyes seemed to glue her to the spot. He looked younger, of course they all looked younger, and she for a moment couldn't tell if he still hated her.

"Hey meatball head!"

Serena looked at her, shock and confusion written all over her face.

Darien looked at her confused.

The girls all watched her.

"I think you broke her," Mina said after a moment. She walked up to Serena and touched her shoulder. "You alright Serena."

Serena shook herself.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I just had a little panic attack, that's all."

"Serena, do you mind waiting her a second?" Raye asked. "I just need the girls to help me fore a moment."

"Can't I help?" Serena asked.

"No," Raye said pointedly. "If you helped it wouldn't get done now would it."

Serena just rolled her eyes.

"Okay fine, I'll wait here."

The girls all happily left the arcade giggling at one another.

Serena stood a few feet away from Darien and Andrew, who both looked at her like she had suddenly grown another head.

"What's up with you today Serena?" Darien asked when Andrew was called away to help a guest.

"I had a really strange dream about you the other night," she said.

Darien's eyes seemed to grow big, but his face didn't register any emotion.

"What did you dream?" His voice seemed slightly rough.

"I dreamed that we were dating, and I cheated on you."

Darien slumped his shoulders. "Well that's not exactly a good dream then is it."

"No, it wasn't," she said.

There was a silence between them for a moment.

"You're smart right Darien?"

He looked at her confused.

"Yes, I guess I'm pretty smart."

"Do you think you could help me study for an exam I have to take in a couple of days? Apparently I didn't do so well last year and I have to take an exam to get into next year and I really want to do well but I don't think I can do it on my own. Amy would help me, but she's so much smarter than me that she talks over me and I don't always understand what she means, and Raye gets frustrated with me, and Lita is busy so I don't know who else to ask."

"You want me to help you?"

"Yeah," she said building up some nerve. "And then maybe afterwards we can go on a date."

"A date?" He looked at her in surprise. "You're asking me out?"

Serena nodded.

Darien looked flustered for a moment.

"Why are you asking me out?" He said after a moment. "Because of your dream?"

"No, because I like you. And that was just a dream. I'd never do anything like that in real life it's just not like me."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I'll definitely help you with your exam Serena, I promise you that. I'm not doing anything this next week so I'll come to your place and help you study as many hours as you want me to as long as it's okay with you parents. But I'm not sure about the date Serena. Don't get me wrong, I want to say yes, but you're a little bit younger than me."

"Not for long I won't be," she said.

Darien just looked at her seriously, his stormy blue eyes studying her.

"Let's do the studying first, then I'll think about that date."

"Okay," Serena smiled when the girls came back in. She turned around and hugged them. It was like nothing had ever gone wrong, and she loved it. But she felt nervous around them, like at any moment she might do or say something to lose them again.

Serena told the girls about the exam and that Dairen had agreed to help her, and after that she spent every day with him at her house going over all her old schoolwork.

He was a good teacher. They went over everything she had learned the year before and he explained it all to her. After the first day, Serena actually thought she might be able to do well. But after the second day, she felt like her brain was full and she couldn't stuff anything else in there.

"This is hopeless," Serena said rubbing her eyes.

Darien tapped his pencil on the table. She was doing really well, but he could see the fear in her eyes. He hadn't really known her that long, but he had never seen her put this much time and effort into something. She obviously wanted this more than anything, and she was afraid she wasn't good enough.

"You want to take a break?" He asked.

She sighed. "I just haven't been sleeping well, I'm okay."

"More bad dreams?" He asked.

"Sort of."

"Are they about me?" He asked.

Serena couldn't help but smile. "Sometimes," she said honestly. "Mostly I'm scared of having another dream like the one I had before."

"Who did you cheat on me with?"

"His name was Seiya, I'm not sure we known him yet."

Darien looked at her confused. "Yet?"

"I just mean, I don't think we know him."

"But you're losing sleep over it?"

Serena looked at him. He was sitting close to her, close enough that she could smell him. He smelled great. She wished he would pull her close again, like he had in her dream, or future, or dream. She still couldn't decide what it had been.

"I dreamed my future after a didn't pass this exam, and it wasn't what I wanted."

"That's not good," he said.

"No, it wasn't. I need to do everything possible to pass this exam."

"Serena, you're going to do fine. We have another whole day tomorrow, and then it's on Friday. All you need to do is get some sleep, and then you'll be able to focus."

"I don't know if I can."

Darien thought about it a moment, then an idea came to him.

"I know what you need. You need some exercise."

She looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm serious. We're pretty much done for the day, so why don't you go and hang out with the girls and get Lita or Raye to show you some of what they practice. Then you'll be so tired that you'll sleep through the night and tomorrow you'll feel great."

Serena did what he said and it felt great. She slept right through the night and she woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready. After another long day of studying, she felt like she was closer to doing well. Darien would randomly quiz her on things she was already supposed to know, and sometimes she even got the right answer. That night she did the same thing with Lita and Raye, and then she got up the morning of the exam ready for the day.

Serena went to her school with butterflies in her stomach, and sat down to write the exam. It took her three hours.

Darien watched her come into the arcade and her nervously looked at her. He had sat her for the last three hours waiting for her to show up, wanting to know how it went. He really wanted her to do well so that she wouldn't have to live the future she had described to him. He could see in her eyes that she didn't want that either.

Her quickly stood up when she came in.

She smiled gently.

"How'd you do?" He asked, aware that the four girls she was friends with were standing behind him watching. They hadn't done any of their studying in public, so they didn't really know that they were becoming friends.

"I think I did well," she said honestly. "There were some things I couldn't remember, but I tried to answer them anyways. And I finished the whole exam."

"I'm sure you did really well."

"They said I would know on Monday," Serena said.

"Well then, we have the whole weekend to forget about it," he smiled at her. "So maybe I should take you on that date."

Serena smiled excitedly.

"Really?!?"

Darien nodded.

Serena sat by her phone chewing her nails. The girls all sat around her, a little nervous because of her actions. They had been sitting here for the last two hours watching her watch the phone.

"Is she not going to tell us about her date with Darien?" Mina whispered to Lita.

"Not unless we ask her through the phone I guess," Lita answered.

"But I want to know," Mina almost whined.

"Shhh, this is important to her," Amy said. "She studied really hard."

"I just wish it would ring," Raye said frustrated. "It's sunny outside."

"What happens if she doesn't do well?" Lita asked.

"She has to repeat last year," Amy answered quietly.

"Do you think Darien kissed her?" Mina asked.

"Mina, this isn't the time," Amy scolded.

Mina just crossed her arms and sighed.

The all jumped when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Serena answered before the ringing had stopped. Her mom came quickly into the room. "Yes, this is Serena. Yes………okay……..what does that mean?…………is that good?……………okay, thank you." She hung up.

"Well? How did you do?" Her mom asked nervously.

Serena smiled.

End of chapter Seven.

I changed my mind, there is going to be another chapter. It will be updated later today, I promise!