AN: Hello, lovelies! Hope you're ready for another installment of O&D! The response to this soap opera has been SO overwhelming, and I can't thank you enough for your reviews and encouragement.

My usual and eternal thanks to my beta FloraOne, who is the reason this story is still going, because if I was left up to my own devices, we'd still be on chapter 2 lol love you so much, friend!

Enjoy, and let me know what you think! xoxoxoxo

oOo

"What are you doing here?" he choked out, frozen in place and grateful for the chair that separated the two of them, as the large sitting room they occupied seemed to close in around him.

Beryl smiled sheepishly at him. "Endymion, aren't you glad to see me?"

She moved one step forward, but stopped when he flinched at the movement.

"What are you doing here?" he asked again, allowing himself to look over her form fully, surprised when he felt nothing but a deep fondness towards the woman standing before him. There was not a trace of the love he'd fought so hard to keep.

He blinked slowly, and a sense of guilt rose in him at the realization that the love was gone.

It had seemed as if it had been years since he last saw Beryl, but in truth, it had only been a matter of weeks. He swallowed thickly, as more guilt overtook him.

The smile didn't fade from her face, but he knew her well enough to sense the fear that was beginning to creep in.

"I've come back to you. We can be together. Just like we always wanted," she told him softly.

Endymion looked away from her, finally feeling that their proximity was too much, and he moved swiftly towards the roaring fireplace, his hand reaching out to grip the mantle.

He took in a shaking breath trying to calm his spinning mind.

"Beryl…" he began, not sure at all of the words that would come after. "I'm...I'm married, now. You know this. That's why...why you left in the first place."

A rustle of skirts could be heard behind him, and he wasn't surprised when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"But it doesn't matter, now, love," she cajoled, his eyes flying to hers nervously at the endearment that slipped from her lips. "Your wife brought me here."

His heart stopped at her words.

Serenity had….

"W-what?" he asked, and he knew there was no mistaking the pain in his voice.

Beryl's smile faltered slightly. "Serenity brought me here. To be your mistress. She's fine with this, with us. Blessed it, even."

He was frozen, again. Eyes staring past Beryl towards an unknown point in the room, unseeing, while his ears rung with the pounding of blood through his heart.

Endymion had long known Serenity wasn't in love with him. He had come to accept this, convincing himself that perhaps in time, she would come to love him as he did her.

But if what Beryl was saying was the truth, not only was Serenity not in love with him, she was casting him aside to his former lover, even going out of her way to find Beryl and bring her back to the palace.

He was surprised at the depth of pain he felt at the thought. It surged through him, clouding any and all sensations, almost causing him to forget where he was. Who he was with…

"Endymion? Are you alright?" a voice rang through his thoughts.

He shook his head, finding his voice again. "No. No, I'm not."

And he moved away from her, again, moving back towards the chairs seated in the middle of the room, and he collapsed in one, running shaking fingers through his hair.

He nearly jumped when he felt warm, soft hands on his, pulling them away from his head, to rest softly in his lap. Opening his eyes, Endymion saw Beryl kneeled before him, the endless pools of her green eyes pleading.

Those eyes...the very ones he used to become lost in daily. The eyes he used to think were the most beautiful he'd ever seen. But these eyes were the wrong color, belonged to the wrong person.

"Darling, I know you're a man of moral principles, it's one of the many reasons I love you so. But don't you see? We can be together now! Serenity has given us her blessing!"

"But I have not."

The words came without a second thought, and even when she gasped, and pulled her hands away from his, hurt apparent across her face, Endymion could not bring himself to regret them.

Beryl's eyes registered a realization, and he knew without a doubt that she had discovered his truth.

"You...love her?" Beryl whispered, after long moments of silence where only the crackling of the fire could be heard within the room.

A tortured expression took over his face. "I tried. I tried so hard not to, Beryl. I fought against it. I was horrible to her! I did everything I could to push her away. But she was too good. Too loving. And she found a way in. I couldn't stop it. Didn't want to stop it."

Endymion hung his head, hands threaded through the dark locks, once more. "I'm so sorry, Beryl."

The silence returned, hanging thick and heavy in the air between them, and he didn't dare to look at her, until he heard a little puff of air escape her.

HIs head shot up, and was shocked to see a knowing, half smile on her lips, even when her eyes betrayed her, revealing an intense pain.

He hated himself for putting it there.

"I told you, you would love her, did I not?"

The same sad smile graced his lips. "You always did know me better than I did myself."

Endymion watched her rise from her place on the floor, as she brushed off her skirts, straightening herself. She walked briskly towards the door, and he found himself jumping up after her, grabbing her hand and turning her gently back towards him.

"Beryl, I'm so sorry, but I just can't-"

She reached up, placing her hand to his lips to silence him.

"I know," she breathed. And she stood on her toes, placing the barest of kisses to his lips, before whispering. "Goodbye, Endymion."

oOo

The scene before him made his blood boil unlike anything he'd ever known.

He was willing to accept that Serenity felt nothing for him. At least, he was certain he eventually would. But this? This was beyond anything he'd believed her capable of.

There she was, right in front of his eyes, laughing, smiling at his general. His closest friend and confidant. The man who, up until this very moment, Endymion was sure would never betray him.

He tried to be rational. Perhaps it wasn't what it seemed! He knew he was prone to rash judgements. But the moment he saw Kunzite kiss Serenity's hand, as she stood to leave, and her cheeks blush so bright he could see it even in the darkness of night, when she bent to kiss his cheek, Endymion knew there was no mistaking it.

His wife was seeking to have an affair. And not just any affair. One that would cut him deeper than any blade could.

The rage that filled him was nearly uncontrollable.

Thoughts of physical violence towards Kunzite fluttered through his mind, but as quickly as they came, they were gone, for that was a line he refused to ever cross. Even for this. Ever.

And although the thought of Kunzite's nose cracking underneath his fist was an appealing one, Endymion knew it would only be a temporary fix to a much larger problem.

And so, his attention flew back to his wife, who by now, was halfway down the corridor back to her chambers. Their chambers.

Before he knew what was happening, he felt his feet moving swiftly, following closely behind her. There was simply no way he was going to let this go, tonight.

Yes, he was a husband, but he was no lap dog, and he knew, with a large amount of certainty, that his wife could more than hold her own in a verbal sparring match. She had no need for anyone to protect her or speak for her.

Endymion was beginning to wonder if this had been Serenity's plan all along. To bring Beryl back in order to justify her own tryst?

She had already wounded him by bringing Beryl to the palace, and though he knew he would hand her the knife to do it over and over again, he needed to try and make her understand….

Understand what, though, he wasn't sure.

How much he loved her? Certainly not.

Of course he did love her, more than anything he'd ever loved in his life. But he wasn't stupid enough to hand her his heart on a silver platter. Not when she had already proven to him how little she cared for him by casting him aside to Beryl.

He hadn't told Serenity he'd sent Beryl away. His pride had kept him from it. And perhaps, if he was completely honest with himself, the prince was also angry, not only at Serenity, but at himself.

How incredibly fickle he was to have loved one woman so deeply, and barely a month later, be even more deeply in love with another.

And it was this anger that fueled him forward, reaching the door to her chambers only moments after Serenity had shut it behind her.

He banged loudly on the door twice, and without waiting for an answer, Endymion barged inside, slamming the door behind him.

Serenity whirled around at the noise, her face registering surprise briefly before a mask of calm. But he knew her face better than his own, and he didn't miss any emotion that crossed it, now matter how adept she was at hiding them.

"Is something wrong, Endymion?" she asked nonchalantly, as if they were having a normal conversation on one of their garden walks.

A sardonic laugh escaped him. "Don't insult my intelligence by playing these games with me, Serenity. You know full well why I'm here."

Her brow furrowed, and he noticed her hands clenched into fists at her side. "No, I don't, and I don't appreciate you coming in here, the one place you promised me was mine alone, and accusing me of something I haven't the slightest idea about."

Endymion moved towards her, until he was standing right before her, causing the princess to have to lift her head up to make eye contact with her.

"You thought you'd go and have a little fun did you? Now that you've got me taken care of, you believed you could do anything you wanted?"

"Endymion, what are you talking about?" she demanded, and he could feel the anger starting to rise in her.

"You think you have everyone fooled, don't you, pretty princess?" he said calmly, an arrogant smirk on his face.

Serenity's cheeks were flushed, her eyes wide and dark, and she straightened herself to her full height. Even though she only came to his chest, Endymion did take a step back from her intimidating form.

She was most certainly meant to be a queen.

"And why on Earth would it matter to you? You have what you want, now. You don't have any right to care about me!" she shouted back at him.

Serenity moved to walk away from him, but her foot caught on the edge of the rug causing her to fly towards the floor.

Endymion reached for her without thinking, his quick reflexes catching her, as he fell with her, twisting them so that he took the impact of the fall.

When he opened his eyes, she was hovering over him, eyes wide.

"Are you alright?" she asked, voice filled with genuine concern.

He'd nearly forgotten how intoxicating it was to have her this close to him. She overwhelmed his senses, and he found himself drowning in the sight and smell and feel of her.

If she had shown even the slightest indication of wanting to get away from him, he wouldn't have stopped her, no matter how badly he wanted to kiss her or bury himself so deep inside her, it would be impossible to tell where she ended, and he began.

But she didn't move away.

Instead, she reached her hand up, and gently traced her thumb over his bottom lip.

Every synapse in his brain was firing at her touch, his mouth running dry. "Ren, I-"

She crushed her lips to his, whatever thought that had been in his head flew away instantly at the feel of her.

Both desperate in their touches, giving and taking from each other with equal fervor with their tongues, teeth and hands, and they undressed each other with a swiftness born only from the most basic of needs, not even bothering to move from the floor.

Their clothes were gone, and any remaining barrier between them disappeared, and Serenity lowered herself onto him in one long stroke.

oOo

She awoke as the first light of dawn, trickled in through the window, an awful dream she couldn't quite remember still danced in her mind, taunting her.

Blinking a few times so her eyes could adjust to the day, Serenity realized she was not where she should have been, and worse, she was alone.

Sometime in the night, Endymion must have moved her to the bed from their spot on the floor, only covering her with a thin blanket, just before he had fled her chambers.

Surely, he was with Beryl, now. The one he wanted. The one she would never live up to.

It didn't take long for the sobs to come. Heaving, heartbroken cries wretched from her throat, and there was nothing the princess could do to stop them.

She had held them in for far too long, convincing herself she could be happy, as long as he was. But she hadn't counted on what his angry stares and cold demeanor would do to her. How badly his attitude would wreak havoc in her life.

Serenity had tried to be strong. Tried to put on a brave face. But the hurt was too much.

She found herself wishing for the days where she would cry at her mother's knee, and the beautiful, kind woman would brush away the tears, and whisper reassurances in her ear.

But her mother wasn't here, now. No one was.

Princess Serenity of the Moon was very much alone.

And the tears continued to fall.

AN: WHEW! These two exhaust me! But don't worry, you've got two more chapters after this one, and I promise there will be a resolution in there somewhere. At least I hope...