I don't own sailor moon just the story.

This is what happened before the first chapter.

Thirty minutes earlier

The T- Room, located in downtown London, featured various jazz bands on Wednesday nights. Darien hadn't seen the Keynotes a four part jazz band since his days at Oxford. They were the opening act for big names now days and he wanted to catch them before they went out on tour.

He was sitting at a bar table with his current girlfriend Allison. They had been dating just over six months and although he had come to care a lot about her, he knew he wasn't in love. She was a good lay, held a decent conversation and she liked Soccer, but he was with her (even though he would never admit this to himself) because she reminded him of Serena.

He was taking a sip from his beer, enjoying the music when his attention was drawn to the door. Between the dim lighting, crowdedness and the cigarette smoke, which hung heavy in the air, it was difficult for him to recognize the woman who had just sauntered into the bar

That can't be' Serena' Darien thought to himself. He shook his head slightly trying to dismiss the possibility. But as the golden-haired figure started to make her way through the crowd, he found himself straining his neck trying to make out her face.

That can't be Serena! She's in Italy. Besides, Mina would have told me if she was in town. He thought to himself, but immediately questioned if that was true.

He was about to take another sip of his beer when the cigarette smoke cleared momentarily and the woman's face became visible. It was Serena.

"Fuck!" Darien blurted out as he dropped his beer bottle knocking over his girlfriends drink as well.

"Shit!" Allison yelled as they both jumped up.

"Oh, damn! I'm sorry!" Darien apologized reaching for napkins, trying to clean up the spill.

His eyes kept darting from Allison's shocked, annoyed expression back to Serena as she continued to make her way through the crowd. He noticed for the first time that she was holding on to the hand of a tall blonde haired man.

"Are you alright"" He shouted over the music. Allison looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, fine," She grabbed a handful of napkins and started wiping the front of her dress. "It's a good thing I wore black, otherwise!" She trailed off.

"I'm really sorry!" Darien apologized again.

"Its okay." She spoke into his ear. "Just order me another drink. I'll be right back." She patted his arm as she walked past him and headed towards the loo.

"Damn!" He mumbled to himself and waved a waitress over to his table. He was still keeping an eye on Serena as she and the blonde haired guy continued to struggle through the crowd. What the hell is she doing here? He thought.

The waitress, who was close by, made it over, and by the time she walked off to retrieve his order, Serena and the guy she was with were only a few feet away. Darien saw the guy lean over and say something in Serena's ear causing her to laugh. As she turned, stepping aside to avoid getting bumped by some guy, she looked up and saw his face stopping dead in her tracks.

My God' she's beautiful. His mind acknowledged like it was the first time he had every laid eyes on her.

Although it had been four years since he had last saw her, he was astonished at how little she had changed.

They stood there staring at one another for what felt like an eternity. Darien was barely conscious of the fact that the band had stopped playing, which made it possible for him to hear the guy ask. "Did you spot a table for us to sit at, babe?" The question jarred them both out of their uncomfortable silence.

Serena opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Darien spoke up instead. "Hello, Serena." He stuffed his hands in his pockets trying to mask his sudden nervousness.

Finding her voice, she said, "Darien, wow! It's been a…it's been a while."

"Yeah, it's been a really long time." He replied, voice cracking slightly.

The guy, Darien noticed, was eyeing their faces with mild suspension. He didn't wait for an introduction. "Hello, I'm Patrick Drake." He stuck out his hand to shake Darien's and possessively placed the other around Serena's waist. Darien disliked him immediately.

Acknowledging the awkwardness, Serena turned and looked up at him. "Oh, I'm sorry Patrick. This is Darien Shields…"

"Pleasure to meet you," Patrick interrupted.

Darien reluctantly extended his arm to shake his hand. He didn't know why, and he knew he had no right to feel this way, but all of a sudden, this guy touching Serena bothered him. But more than that, he was bothered by the way Serena had played down their acquaintance.

"Nice to meet you," Darien responded dryly, diverting his attention back to Serena. "So how have you been? You look...you look great." He gestured his hand out towards her.

"I've uh…I've been well, real good," She replied nervously. "And you…you look really good yourself." He noticed her biting the side of her bottom lip, and for a second he thought he caught the slightest hint of want in her eyes.

"So, Oxford University, huh? " "Toe Head", as Darien thought of him, refusing to be ignored, interrupted again. "It's funny, Ena rarely talks about her days there," His tone laced with disdain towards Darien.

Serena must have caught his tone also, because in that brief moment, he saw her jaw clinch slightly. He wasn't sure if that was due to "Toe Head" using a nickname, which she had always hated, or the thinly veiled contempt in his statement. She looked back up at him, forcing a smile on her face. "Did you two major in the same field because she rarely talks about her time there? "

He allowed a moment to pass before he replied. Where in the hell did she find this asshole? He was suddenly angry with her. And why am I allowing this guy to get under my skin? Why should I even care? Me and Serena broke up years ago. He thought bitterly. But, despite the logic, a part of him wanted to tell this dick, that he and Serena had definitely shared something major, but it had nothing to do with school.

The warning look in Serena's eyes made him re-think the idea, which only made him angrier. Darien scratched at the beard he was growing out, twisted his lips in a half smile and replied. "Well we, uh we did have a few general classes together," His gaze shifted back to Serena, "But our majors they just weren't the same."

Serena recoiled, glaring at him angrily. It was a low blow she didn't deserve, he knew, but "Toe Heads" comment had riled him and because she was with him, she made herself the easy target.

In typical Serena fashion, she recovered quickly plastering a murderous smile on her face. "Yeah, we did have a few general classes together." She put her arms around 'Toe Heads' waist. "But Darien, didn't you end up failing a few of those classes" She looked at him, smiling sarcastically.

Darien's lips pursed into a tight line; her remark had cut.

Thankfully, Allison chose that moment to return from the loo. "You know it's a good thing you're…" She stopped as she realized someone else was standing there. "Oh, hello." She looked from Darien to Serena and Patrick.

Hoping the feeling of relief that came over him didn't show on his face, he made a display of kissing Allison to get a reaction from Serena. "Hey baby, I hope I didn't ruin your dress."

She placed her hands in his, smiling. "Oh, don't worry; I'll be sure to give you my dry cleaning bill."

Darien turned back to Serena whose sarcastic smile had faded into a slight frown. "I'm sorry, Allison this is an old college mate, Serena Tsukino and her"" He gestured towards "Toe Head" unsure of what he was to Serena.

"Patrick Drake. Pleasure to meet you." He responded blandly sticking out his hand. Serena slowly stuck out her hand too.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Allison stated. Serena, Darien noticed, was regarding Allison with a skeptic gaze. She kept her expression even when she looked at him. "Have you been in London these past years? "

"I did some interning in France three years ago but it was only a six month program after I finished with Oxford."

He saw her face brighten. The corners of her lips curling into a brief smile.

"Darien's incredibly respected in the Hospital. He has so many awards for his contributions it's impossible to count." Allison endorsed. "Did you know he discovered a plant in Singapore that has slowed down the degeneration of childhood Locemia?"

"No, I didn't, I rarely read the tosh that would report such a thing," 'Toe Head responded snidely.

Serena who was still staring at Darien, responded slowly. "No, I hadn't." Her smile grew wider. "Is sounds like the kind of thing Darien would do. He always had a thing for rescuing children."

"Yes, that's almost as interesting as what you do babe," Patrick said.

"Oh, where do you work"" Allison asked excitedly.

"I'm a fashion designer for Channel. I'm in different countries all the time, I've been working in Italy for the past four years" She flashed a genuine smile.

"Oh, I bet that is so exciting!" Allison grinned.

"It's more glamorous from your point of view. But I feel very fulfilled with what I do," She looked at Darien again, the private smile returning to her lips.

"I'm glad to see you doing what you always wanted to do Serena," Darien commented.

"Thank you, and the same to you,"

She cast her eyes down, unsure of what else to say. "Well, we really should find a table." 'Toe Head' stated.

"Why don't you two sit with us?" Allison offered. He and Serena exchanged a brief panicked look.

"No, that's okay, but thank you, we'll find a place to sit." Serena responded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm sure by the time they find two chairs they will be better off just staying where they are." Darien chimed in.

"Toe Head", who wasn't interested in sitting with them either, added. "Thank you for the invitation, but no, I'm sure we'll find a spot." He looked at Serena, immediately dismissing them. "Shall we""

"It was nice to meet you Allison...Darien, it was good to see you again. Maybe we'll see each other around," She smiled briefly; whatever anger she had from his earlier comment now gone, before turning to disappear into the crowd.

Darien watched as she walked away. "She seems nice, but that guy, eh!, not so much," Allison remarked bringing him out of his thoughts.

He laughed as they sat back down waiting for the music to start back up. "Yeah, he was sort of a prick." He ran his hand through his hair, looking around to see where Serena was seated. The waitress returned with their drinks.

"She's very pretty. Did you two ever date?" Allison asked, surprising him.

"Uh, no...Well we went out a few times, but it was never serious." He had no idea why he chose to lie, and as he took a sip from his beer, he hoped she would drop the subject.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing for me that it didn't because I probably wouldn't be here with you now," She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then started clapping as the band struck up.

Yeah, He thought, taking another sip of his beer. ...it's a good thing.

Currently

Their rhythmic breathing was slowing down.

Serena felt Darien kiss the hollow of her neck while stroking her legs that hung loosely around his waist. Carelessly she twirled the fingers of one hand in his raven mane, pulling his body in closer with the other, afraid to let go. But as the sounds of the bar: the music, people laughing, the sound of someone knocking on the door of the cubical next to them set in, she slowly untangled her legs, shamefully looking away from him, thinking that...

From where she and Patrick were sitting she had a clear view of Darien's table, which didn't help to keep her mind or eyes from wondering over. He looks happy, and lord help me, he looks good! She thought to herself over and over, but as she sipped her wine, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy that he sat with Allison across the room.

She tried to focus her attention on the stage; let the music wash over her, but each time she snuck a glance at him, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile. Between the surprise of seeing him after all this time, and the fact that he'd finished school and making the world safer to live in, stirred something inside of her. From experience, she knew that the wine wasn't making her feel this way.

So, when she got up and headed towards the rest room, a part of her knew he would follow. A part of her desperately wanted him to.

As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, oblivious to the noise and people around her, she closed her eyes, thinking. Of all the places in London. Why, here? Why, now? When she opened them, Darien was standing behind her regarding her intently, she immediately felt naked and vulnerable under his gaze.

"Hi," He said apprehensively.

She didn't move or respond immediately, she simply stared at him, desperately trying to make sense of the warring thoughts in her head. What's wrong with me? Damn it! I've moved on, He's moved on! I shouldn't still want him like this! The intensity in his midnight blue eyes made her shudder inwardly, and the realization of her last thought suddenly made her angry. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her lip-gloss, diverting her eyes as she spoke. "She seems nice."

Darien stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Yeah...she's very cool."

Taking a brief glance at the other occupants in the room, she was grateful of the fact that Londoners, even under the strangest of occurrences, minded their own business.

Darien moved in closer, and she inhaled the faint scent of his cologne. The dress she had chosen to wear provided no barrier, and his nearness was setting off a tingling on her skin. When he lightly brushed her shoulder, she felt her heart flutter. "He's good to me, you know"" Her voice was rushed.

"Yeah, he seems like a real gem," Sarcasm dripped from his reply.

They stared at one another's reflection in the mirror. Serena wanted to be offended but felt her resolve fading fast. He was standing too close. Her body was betraying her and she was having trouble breathing.

"You shouldn't be in here, I shouldn't be in here," Shaking her head, she tossed her lip-gloss back in her purse and turned to leave.

Darien grabbed her hand. "Bella," Serena looked into his impossibly blue eyes and melted. "Don't...don't leave, please?" He begged before pulling her into a searing kiss. From that point on, all rational thought ceased to exist.

Four years had done nothing to erase what came as natural as breathing.