blueeyeddevil06, thank you for going through and editing this.

Chapter 14 – First

Darien sat on his stool at the Arcade before he had to head to class in an hour. Andrew smiled and asked how it went with Serena. Darien told him a brief description of their conversation up to and including the kiss. Andrew poured him a cup of regular coffee.

The doors slid open and Andrew looked up sharply. Darien turned to look at what he saw, and Jadeite waved to Andrew, sitting down on the stool next to Darien.

Jadeite didn't wait for Darien to speak, "You talked to Serena. She told us the gist of it."

"I did," Darien replied. Andrew began cleaning the counter. He didn't want to miss this conversation.

"You had some balls last night with the kiss. I was impressed. It was the first time I have seen you act like Endymion."

Darien decided being compared to Endymion must be a good thing. "Thank you."

"Don't fuck this up."

"I won't. I have no choice but to make this work. Without her, I'm not me. More importantly, I would do anything for her. I'm completely overjoyed that means being with her, and I won't give that up."

"Good. That is what I wanted to hear. Are we good now?"

"I should be asking you that question. I honestly thought you would be the last to forgive me."

"Well, you were operating without all of the information."

"I tend to do that."

"True. I will be blunt about this. When Serena brought us all back and saved us, I was fucking furious to learn how you treated her. Then, hearing how Raye treated her nearly put me over the edge. The scouts were not well liked by any of us four. When she needed them the most, they weren't there for her. Raye was the worst. I decided then and there that I would be Serena's biggest defender. At the time, it was to make up for Raye's failure; I felt responsible for Raye in a way. It changed over time. She has become a sister to me in everything but name and blood."

Darien listened, "That makes it seem even more likely you would be the last to forgive me."

"You're still missing it. I will be the easiest to reconcile with. The only work you must do to get my friendship is to work things through with Serena. She was the happiest I have ever seen her this morning. That makes us okay in my book."

"Really?" Darien asked, wanting it to be true.

"I'm sure."

"Then, we are okay." He was glad to be on his way back to a friendship with one of his generals.

Jadeite chucked, "Good. I'm not sorry I hit you though. Just so we're clear."

"Don't worry. I never apologized for hitting him either," Andrew spoke up.

Jadeite smiled and said, "I knew I liked you."

"You're both bonding over punching me?"

"So?" Andrew asked.

"Just pointing it out," Darien stated.

Jadeite asked for some coffee, and Darien spoke again, "The coffee is really strong today. I feel it kicking in. Can you pour me one to go? I should leave a little earlier than planned. I want to get something from the store for Serena before class."

Andrew did just that, and Darien walked out the sliding doors.

Andrew chuckled, "This morning was the first day I gave him regular coffee. I have been substituting decaf out of spite for over a year."

Jadeite laughed at that, "We're going to be great friends."

Sapphire walked out of the Arcade with the knowledge that his plan was finally back on track for the first time in months.

That evening, Serena was home with the guys, and the doorbell rang. Zoisite stood up and answered the door. He came back into the living room and handed a package to Serena.

She read the note out loud, "Dear Serena, I hope these chocolates are half as sweet as you. With deep and abiding love, Darien." She opened the package, pulled out a box of chocolates, and smiled. Then her eyes got large, and she took off running. She made it to her room, ate one chocolate, then hid the rest of them. She breathed a sigh of relief and went to join the guys again.

Nephrite was laughing when she entered the room. "Good thinking, Serena. Zoisite would have finished them off with that sweet tooth of his!"

"Hey, I still want to know who finished my ice cream. Whoever it was better buy me a new gallon soon. Next time, I'm going to hide a surveillance camera in the kitchen then kick their ass."

"Language," said Kunzite, very aware Serena was in the room.

Jadeite quipped back, "Okay, Steve Rodgers." He looked at Serena. "You're just beaming right now."

"It is the first gift I have gotten since that horrible break up. I never thought this would happen, and it is really sinking in."

Serena had decided to give her and Darien a real shot. She wasn't going to hold out her feelings or curb her actions. They would be tempered by his and reflect his, though. Not as a tit for tat, but she was afraid of showing more affection than he did. She realized the week before their breakup that he was avoiding her, and she missed all the signs since she was working on restoring the generals. Deep down, she knew she was still afraid of being burned again. Hence her decision to let his actions guide hers.

The next morning, she was in front of Andrew at the Arcade asking for two to go cups of coffee and Darien's schedule. Andrew was happy to tell her that Darien was soon to have a break after his Bio lab and what door he exited the building from. He handed her the coffees, and she thanked him.

She made her way to campus and waited under a tree outside for class to end. Secretly, she hoped he would kiss her again like he did the night he showed up at her door.

Darien finished his lab and thought about Serena's call last night. She had loved the chocolates and the note. He closed his bag once class was over and said goodbye to the professor. Some of his fellow classmates caught him at the door. They wanted to compare notes from the lab and asked if he would join their study group.

He agreed to meet them to study for the next test. He was trying to be more outgoing to please Serena. He also knew he needed to get to know his fellow classmates better. Now that he was happy, it didn't seem so hard to make the effort to get to know some more people.

He racked his brain for their names. Rick, Stephen, and David. He was pleased he remembered them.

They talked about the lab and the conclusion they all came to. There were smiles from the other guys when they realized he came to the same conclusion he did. It amused him when he noticed that.

They stepped out of the building, and he heard Rick shout, "First!"

"What?" Darien replied.

"I saw her first. It's like dibs. Look! She's walking over here," Rick said, sounding excited.

Darien turned to look, and Serena was there with two travel cups of coffee walking towards him, smiling. "Nice try," he stated and walked over her, sliding his hand behind her head and kissing her deeply.

She smiled up at him when he broke the kiss and handed him one of the cups.

"Thank you," he said to her. "It's such a treat to see you here."

"Andrew was nice enough to tell me your schedule."

"I knew there was a reason he was my best friend."

"Do you have to study before your next class, or do you have some time?"

"I absolutely have time for you." He heard shifting behind him and saw Serena's eyes glance that way. He really wanted to call her his girlfriend, but he knew he couldn't do that.

He turned to the guys to introduce them, "This is Rick, David and Stephen." They all nodded their heads when he said their names. He turned to Serena and said, "and this is Serena."

She smiled and added, "his girlfriend." She gave them all a sweet wave.

Darien's eyes opened wide, but only Serena saw it. They really had something to talk about now before his next class. He was so afraid to get his hopes up. This was what he wanted with all his being.

Darien looked to his classmates and said, "I'll meet you at the back-corner table in the library tonight at six to study." They all got the hint and headed off.

David was just loud enough for him to hear him call Darien a "lucky S.O.B.".

Darien mentally agreed. He then took Serena's hand and led her to an outdoor table to sit down. He never let go of her.

"Girlfriend? Don't get me wrong. I want that, but you specifically said that wasn't what we were."

"Sorry, I should have asked."

"No, don't apologize if you mean it. If you don't mean it…"

"No, I mean it. I have decided there has been enough damage from lies. I don't really want to just be your date Saturday night. I want us to be an us again."

"I love the truth."

"Good, then stick to it," she mock warned.

"I will, and the truth is I'm ridiculously happy right now." He smiled then leaned and gave her a kiss that made her toes curl.

Serena and Darien sat there for the next forty minutes talking about his schooling and her lessons at the dojo. He was impressed and made a note to himself that they should probably train together. He bet she would look hot in her workout clothes.

When it was time for class, they split up after he kissed her lips sweetly. She smiled the whole way home.

That evening, Serena was in her room when Jadeite knocked on her door.

"Come in," Serena said. Jadeite stepped through the doorway with Kunzite trailing after him.

"Can I talk to you and Kunzite in here? I want this conversation to stay private."

"Absolutely. Go ahead and close the door."

They all sat down, and Jadeite took a deep breath, "I don't know how to say this, so I am just going to start talking. Feel free to interrupt me if I'm not making sense."

Kunzite quipped, "This is going to be a late night then."

"Shut it…. Actually, what I meant to say is that was funny. You know you're the funniest of all of us, right?"

"What do you want from me? I'm not lending you money or giving you one of my kidneys."

"Nothing like that. This has to do with Molly. I'm interested in her, and I think I need to talk to both of you before I ask her out."

Serena asked, "Isn't she going to have the same problem with you that she had with Kunzite?"

"No, she really isn't. You don't remember my relationship with Raye in the past, and if even you did, you never had the full story back then. I was close to breaking up with her before the Beryl mess started. She was passionate, felt everything out loud, and I never wondered where I stood with her, which was great. The problem with it was that it was exhausting too. I couldn't be Darien's general and make her happy as her boyfriend at the same time."

Serena looked concerned, "Did you talk to her about this?"

"In a way, yes. Well, we argued a lot. The arguments mostly centered around me not being attentive enough. If I'm being very transparent here, she was never your most devoted scout. We didn't have a phrase for it then. Nowadays, she would be called 'high maintenance.' That hasn't changed, and my role with Darien is heading back to what it was then."

Kunzite was shocked, "you reconciled with him already?"

"Yup. You shouldn't be shocked really. We talked yesterday morning, and we're good. Once he made things right with Serena, that was enough for me."

"He's okay with you punching him?"

"He's okay with Andrew. He punched him and has been switching out Darien's regular coffee with decaf for over a year. To be fair, he doesn't know the second part."

Serena and Kunzite chuckled at that and Serena asked, "Why did he punch him?"

Jadeite gave her a look and said, "Do you really even have to ask?"

"Oh."

"Back on topic. I wanted to, in a way, ask for permission to ask out Molly. Convincing her will be on my shoulders, but I don't want any hurt feeling from either of you. Kunzite, you dated her first,and I wanted to know if it was okay to ask her out. And Serena, she's your oldest friend. I want to assure you that Raye is in no way a possibility for me if I date Molly or even if I don't."

Serena said, "It's alright with me. The decision is obviously up to her. Just be kind to her. Melvin really shook her confidence. We talked and Kunzite helped restore some of it, even with the one date. He was kind to her."

Kunzite smiled, "That is good to know. Molly is a wonderful woman, and I respect her a lot. You won't have any problems from me. Be careful though. Raye doesn't know you were going to end it. She may be a problem for Molly."

"Very good point, and thank you. I will take that into consideration, and it will actually change my plans. I'll have to have a talk with Raye before I go out on a date with Molly. If she will go with me."

"That sounds like a prudent idea," Serena said.

"Well, thank you both for listening to me and the advice. I really do appreciate it." Jadeite sighed and stood up, "Well, I'll be back. I have ice cream to buy."

"It was you!"

"Surprising only to you, Serena," Kunzite snorted.

Friday night, Serena headed out the door to Lita's house where she was meeting the scouts for a girl's night. The youma attacks had stalled for the time being, and they were hoping to be able to have that continue through the weekend.

She arrived at the same time as Amy, and they knocked on the door. Lita greeted them, and so did the smell of delicious food as they stepped into her apartment. Lita ushered them into the main living room, and Raye and Mina were already there.

This was the first girl's night Serena had attended with her scouts in over a year, and she felt odd. She sat on the couch and tried to settle her nerves.

She was trying to reconnect with them, but she thought about what Jadeite said. She didn't remember that much from her past at all. His current opinion of Raye was colored by Serena's perceptions. She knew that. It interested her that now her opinion of Raye in the past is colored by his perceptions. Oddly enough though, their opinions seemed pretty on point with each other.

Several things happened that night that she was prepared for, and one that she was not. Or, at least one thing happened that took her by surprise.

She was prepared for the questions as to how she revived the generals and why she didn't tell them what she was doing. She was prepared for the questions on what she had been doing and her time training at the dojo. She was also prepared for the questions about each general, what they were like now, and their feelings for the girls.

She answered a lot of the questions, but for some of them, she changed the subject. She knew the girls had to get some of their answers directly from the guys. Serena didn't want to be caught in the middle.

What she was not prepared for was every time Raye looked at her and began to speak, Serena flinched. It was imperceptible to others but startled her nonetheless. It had been a year since she had really talked to Raye, and yet her body still reacted that way.

She quickly realized the worst part of it all. Her instinct wasn't all wrong. Her cutting comments were given out to Serena a minority of the time, but they were still there. She learned, according to Raye, she had 'flaked out on them and left the city', that she had only come back to 'chase a man', she had gained weight, made sure she had the generals at her beck and call, and didn't value her scouts anymore. Each was said with a smile and a laugh. She knew if she challenged Raye on them, she would say she was only kidding.

Serena stayed quiet every time.

She watched Mina not react to Raye's comments, and she knew they would have to have a talk soon. Yes, this was girls' night, but she was still the Moon Princess. She wasn't even being respected by Raye in a way a friend should be respected. This had to be stopped.

Serena knew that Mina was the one who needed to address the problem. It was her duty. More than that though, to Serena, she knew that Mina stepping in would look good to Kunzite. That pleased her. She knew Molly had been right. After all, she knew the two even better than Molly did. Kunzite and Mina needed to reconnect; they were perfect for each other. If Mina stepped in and was more protective of Serena, she knew that would go a long way to helping Kunzite reconcile with her.

When it was time to go, she decided that, overall, she had a fabulous time. She was happy with the idea of getting together again. That even included Raye and her comments. She grew strong enough that the comments had bothered her but didn't hurt her. That was a relief to her.

The next night was Serena's first date with Darien, or as Nephrite pointed out her, "second first date." She felt like a walking cliché. Her bed was covered in clothes, and she had changed her outfit three times. Her style had changed since graduating high school, and she wondered about Darien's reaction.

She stepped into the hall and saw Nephrite. His reaction was instantaneous. "Wow, you look sexy. Darien is going to choke on his tongue."

"Thank you. That answers my question. This is the outfit," she then twirled.

The doorbell rang, and she heard Kunzite answer the door. She knew he had been planning on it. She hovered at the top of the stairs, trying to listen to what he was going to say.

"She's literally a Princess and under your protection tonight. If you hurt her, I will kick your ass."

Darien replied, "Nothing you do could be would be worse than losing her. Trust me. I know from experience."

"Yes, and it was all your doing."

"Yes, and I won't ever lose her again."

"But, you didn't lose her. You broke her heart and walked away."

"I did, but I didn't walk away unscathed. You know the truth. You know I wasn't made to live without her. She's it for me. I was reborn into this time only because her mother wanted to give her a second chance to be happy. I know that now. I was so afraid she could leave like everyone else left me that I left her. I was a fool."

"Yes, you were. Good answer, by the way. Everyone in this house wants the two of you together. Honestly, not one of us generals wanted her dating other guys. Even when we were at our angriest with you, we still wanted you to get back together. We remember how amazing you were together. Don't lose the chance to be like that again."

"I'm trying to picture what it was like back a thousand years ago between us all. I hope to experience what it must have been. The honor and respect you have shown regarding your oaths has been humbling. To think I had four people that devoted to me, floors me."

"We'll get there. Jadeite is the closest. We spoke about it, and he's not wrong. We need to have a 'guys' night', as Serena would call it. Now, you're more like I remember you to be."

"Well, my princess awaits. Hopefully. Can you let her know I'm here?"

At that moment, they heard high heels clicking down the stairs. Darien didn't swallow his tongue. His mouth dropped open comically, and he was at a loss for words.

"I'm ready to go," Serena said.

There was no reply. Kunzite elbowed Darien, and he collected himself. "Wow, you look hot! Err, I mean you're beautiful."

Serena winked at him and smirked, "I know."

They walked out to his car, and he held the door for her. She kissed his cheek, slipped in, and put on her seatbelt. He got in, revved the engine and smiled at her, pulling away from the curb.

Darien said, "in the spirit of truth, this is the best day I've had in over a year."

"Since we are telling the truth, it is a close second for me." She laughed when Darien whipped his head to look at her. He was obviously hurt.

She shrugged and said, "I brought four people back to life and healed them of the dark energy poisoning them and making them harm people. And, I did it all in one day."

"Fair enough," he replied. "Wait, all in one day? All of them? I guess I need to be filled in on what happened. I assumed it took longer than that." He shook his head in amazement, "I already knew you were powerful, but wow. Just wow."

"Thanks. My uncle helped me figure out the final piece. The important piece of how to actually get them out and living."

"Gosh, you're amazing."

"I happen to think we're amazing together. So, let's go with that for now."

"I love you."

"I will never get tired of hearing that. I love you too."

The rest of the evening was everything he could have wanted and more for their date. Dinner was not only perfect, but the service was perfect also. Conversation never stalled, and he was enthralled with her. He caught up more on her year away, and he filled her in on his. He felt his sounded like it was lacking, but it had been. Straight A's and impressed professors were great, but that was all his life had been.

And, that was when it really hit him. Those days of loneliness were over. He would still have the academic success, sure. He felt incredible joy that, now, he would have her too. Success and an epic love that spanned a thousand years, two lifetimes, and the solar system. That was when he knew. It was time to buy her a ring.

The art gallery opening was a bit of a reality shift for him. He expected to go in, talk to her about the art, and just have a pleasant time. He wasn't expecting what was coming.

Once they walked in, he saw that the artist was there, and he also noticed quickly that so was one of his professors. He mentioned both observations to Serena, and she just smiled.

Shortly after entering, his professor noticed him and came over with his wife to chat. He was a favorite among all his professors, after all.

What he then experienced was the full effect of the amazing woman he loved. She absolutely charmed his professor and his wife.

Serena had quickly fallen in love with the necklace that Lauren (he found out that was her name) was wearing. Lauren said that it was one of her own designs. Serena pulled out her phone and insisted she show her which website she could go to purchase one. Before the conversation could even move on, she had already ordered two. The pride in Professor Hart's face when looking at his wife was obvious to anyone looking.

Darien's success in class and his ability to retain information was brought up, and Serena had beamed with pride. He felt ten feet tall at that point. He felt he grew even taller when Serena spoke of his dedication and determination and how she admired that about him.

They moved on to discussing the art, and Darien was impressed with her knowledge. He was the first to admit he didn't know a lot about art. He knew what he thought was pretty, but the theory was not something he had time to study. Also, a lot of art is about evoking emotion, and he was not high on the emotional IQ scale. Still, she sounded knowledgeable to him, and that was enough.

Except, apparently, it wasn't "enough." The artist overheard her comments, and he came over to join the four of them.

He singled out Serena and pointed to one of his pieces, asking for her opinion. The group had not gotten to discussing that painting yet, and Darien was curious where this was going.

They all listened as she gave her opinion. She had quite liked that piece, and she said how it had made her feel joyful. She went on to discuss the colors used and the technique he used in the brush strokes. She asked for his motivation, and he replied that she should tell him what she thought it was. She told him she felt it was "true love." He looked thoughtful and let her keep talking.

When she was done, he smiled and thanked her. He then asked if she would give her opinion on the piece next to it. Darien was engrossed in what she was saying and wasn't paying attention to the artist anymore.

She finished, and he turned to look at the artist who had a tear in his eye. He said what a joy it was to hear what she had to say. He explained that so few actually "got" the true heart of his art. He then stated that everyone wants to feel heard and understood, and tonight, she gave him that. He thanked her and had to leave to talk to someone who was purchasing one of his pieces.

His professor clapped him on the back, said that she is amazing and that he was "a lucky dog", and escorted his wife off to a late dinner after they said their goodbyes.

Serena stepped away to use the restroom, and Darien went into action. He quickly went to the gallery worker, had him pull the "true love" painting off the wall, paid with his credit card, and said he would pick it up the next day. He gave him the information and asked that it be wrapped. By the time Serena got back, he just had to sneak his signature, which he did as she took a last look around at the artwork.

The kiss he gave her at the door that night blew all the others away. He realized he got a bit carried away when his right hand reached down and grasped her ass. She moaned, so he didn't move his hand away.

He drove away that night in a state of bliss he didn't know he could achieve.

Sapphire had kept Diamond in the dark regarding his movements for a long time now. He knew he had to continue to be careful. It would be foolish to slip up now so close to his goal. The question he needed to solve was a tricky one. Should he contact Endymion? And if so, how would he keep from being detected by Diamond?

He knew Diamond was keeping a close watch on Serenity. Contacting her was not an option. The five youma Diamond destroyed in an angry fit after seeing the end of her date showed him that. It was his own good planning that put those particular youma in his brother's path. They were Diamond's most loyal sentient youma. It was a good example to the rest of the sentient youma that Diamond could easily turn on them. It made Sapphire's job easier. Loyal followers don't get as suspicious and are less likely to report suspicions if they have them.

He knew Diamond made more mistakes when he was angry. He didn't act in even his own best interest when enraged. Now, his moves would be much harder to predict. Sapphire knew that all his moves would need to be triple checked from here on out.

And then, he made the decision. He would have to make first contact with Endymion. The princess was possibly in danger now. Diamond was now a wild card.