Hey guys! Thanks for everyone who is reading, following, or favoriting this fic! But please remember to review. I need to hear your thoughts on how I'm doing. This is a shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Please review!

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Amelie

Star-Crossed Lovers-Chapter Fourteen

Within a few days' time, Serena received a letter from her mother insisting that Beryl's insults were just that and nothing more. In the Queen's eyes, there was no threat or cause for concern over the girl.

"She is only sixteen," Darien reminded Serena as they walked together in the rose garden. "She can say what she wants."

It came with the territory of being a royal, Serena decided. Not everyone was going to like what the monarchy did, and Queen Serenity's reign was no exception. Still, the insults had been harsh. She wished she could confront Beryl and make her take them back.

But, at the same time, she didn't want Beryl to ruin her time on Earth. Today was her last day before she had to return to the Moon tomorrow morning, and she planned to enjoy it fully with Darien. They stopped in front of a large marble fountain in the center of the garden.

"I've had a wonderful time with you," Serena said. "Thank you so much for having me." She smiled and placed her hand in his.

He smiled back, evidently not knowing what to say, as "you're welcome" might have seemed to be a bit shallow—not to mention, generic— of an answer. They stood there, awkwardly, for a moment, before Darien bent down and did something that Serena was not expecting. He placed his hands on either side of her face and brought her lips in for a kiss.

At first, she hesitated, not knowing how to react. It was surprising, to say the least. Darien obviously felt her reaction when his lips touched hers because he pulled away only after a millisecond.

"I'm sorry," he said nervously. "Are we moving too fast?"

Serena felt her cheeks blushing. "Of course not," she said. "It's just…I've never been kissed before."

Darien chuckled and brushed a finger against Serena's cheek. "Well, I'll tell you a secret, Princess."

He captured her lips with his and held on tight, a shocking wave of something Serena had never felt before coursing through her body. Was it love? Lust? Passion? She didn't know.

He let go. "I haven't, either."

"What?" she asked, incredulously. "You've never been kissed?"

He shook his head. "Not once. I've courted many women, but never before have I given any part of myself to them, and that includes my lips. I was waiting for someone whom I truly cared about and who cared about me. I knew from the moment we met that we had a connection, but I wasn't sure how much of one until you spent the last few months talking with me. We've really gotten to know each other."

Serena didn't know what to think. Did Darien really think she was special? Did he really love her? They had gotten to know each other over the past several months, that was for sure, but was it love? She still wasn't sure, but she couldn't ruin his moment.

Instead of responding with words, she smiled and pulled him in for another kiss. It was odd at first, with neither of them knowing where to put their hands (or their tongues, for that matter), but as they continued, it became smoother and Serena found herself dipped over the fountain.

It was not until they heard a loud voice not far away from where they were that they broke apart.

"Now, now! Before you do it, you must go through it!"

It was Zoicite's voice, booming out of nowhere like a bird with a grating call. She had been watching them!

"Go away Zoicite!" Darien admonished as he put Serena back on her feet. "This doesn't concern you."

"Au contraire," she said, coming around a tree of ivy with a bunch of fresh cut pansies in her hand. "It's my job to look after you, my Prince, and to let you know when you are heading into the danger zone."

Darien scoffed, and Serena had to giggle. "It was our first kiss!" he said. "We were nowhere near the 'danger zone!'"

"Sure looked like it to me," the older blonde woman retorted, although lightly. "Anyway, I was coming to collect the Princess. Queen Bianca wants her to pack her things to be put in the carriage first thing tomorrow morning."

"Of course, Miss Zoicite," Serena smiled at the woman and gave Darien one last peck on the lips, one more squeeze of the hand, before walking off to her room.

As she walked, she could hear Darien ask the woman, "Where did you get those ugly pansies?"

Michael couldn't help but watch with rage as Zoicite chatted with his brother in the rose garden, holding the bouquet of pansies that he had left outside her door in the wee hours of the morning. Of course, he hadn't given her any indication that the flowers were, in fact, from him, other than attaching a small poem that he had stolen from a collection. He had watched with jealousy as his brother kissed the Moon Princess and wanted nothing more for his lips to be touching Zoicite's. But what enraged him even more were Zoicite's actions herself. Why was she carrying the flowers he had given her out into the garden? Was she going to bury them?

There was a knock on the door.

"Your Highness?" Juanita's voice was almost muffled by the large wooden door, but Michael could still make out her accent. "You have a letter."

He rolled his eyes and walked toward the door, opening it with briskly. He snatched the letter from Juanita's hand and, without saying a word to her, slammed the door.

Dearest Prince Michael,

I just wanted to thank you for inviting me to the ball. Even though we left rather unexpectedly, I appreciate the gesture. I realize now that your brother wants nothing more to do with me, especially now that he has that little twit around. However, that isn't going to stop me from working my magic on him.

Michael scoffed. Working her magic? What a stupid bitch.

Yours,

Beryl

He crumpled the letter and tossed it behind him, not caring where it landed. He looked out the window again and noticed that Darien and Zoicite were gone, Zoicite having thrown the pansies into the fountain.

She must have known they were from him.

The ride back to the Moon was a blur to Serena. Her head rested on the window as she thought of Darien and what it would mean to have him really court her. He really did think that she was special and that she had something different from all the other women he had come in contact with. But, was he in love with her? She wanted him to be, desperately. She wanted to find the love that her parents had had with each other. It was all she ever dreamed of.

But, more importantly, was she in love with him?

The carriage came to a stop in front of the palace walkway and the coachmen held the door open for Serena and Luna, whom Serena had totally forgotten was even there. Her governess, Eileen, was standing at the threshold, waiting for her.

"Good morning, Princess." The older woman curtsied. "Her Majesty instructed me to meet you. She's meeting with the King and Queen of Jupiter today."

Serena smiled and nodded. Of course. Her mother was almost always occupied with matters of business and politics, but what else was Serena to expect when there was no one else with whom to share the Queen's duties?

"Thank you, Miss Eileen," she said. Eileen took her bag and they walked down the pathway to the palace.

"Where are the Sailor Scouts?" Serena asked, noticing that none of them had come outside to greet her.

Eileen didn't say anything. She simply opened the large doors leading to the palace foyer.

Serena's eyes widened in shock at what she saw before her. The entire hallway was covered in pink streamers and there was a giant chocolate cake decorated with thirteen candles in front of her.

"Surprise!" All four of the Scouts, wearing their lovely princess garbs, shouted in glee when Serena saw them.

"What—what is all this?" she asked, very puzzled. "My birthday was two months ago."

"We know," said Mina, bouncing towards her on her ballerina-like toes. "But, we never had the chance to celebrate properly, you know, with just the five of us. So, we thought we'd surprise you when you came back from Earth."

"How was it?" asked Lita.

Serena smiled. "It was…fun. I enjoyed it. Very much." She decided that she would tell them the details about Beryl later. Now was too happy of a moment.

"Did you…kiss him?" Mina asked, not missing the interesting smile on her cousin's face.

Serena grinned again, slowly. "Yes."