A Family Affair By Amy Bridger (ami@full-moon.com) Story Copyright by Amy Bridger 1997, Characters Copyright by Toei. Alternative ending to the Dic Dub. Takes place after CheckMate. Serena ran up to the group, Rini and Sammy in tow. She was late as usual. "Sorry I'm late but mom made me bring these two and Rini took ages to get ready!" Serena explained breathlessly. "Only because I had to wait soooooo long for _someone_ to get out of the bathroom!" rebutted Rini. "It takes ages to look _this_ good," Serena said, ignoring the laughter of Sammy, Rini and Rei in the background. "If you two are finished, maybe we can go buy our tickets?" Amy suggested. "Yeah lets go! I heard the haunted house here is amazing!" agreed Mina. The girls, Sammy, and the 2 cats joined the queue to get into 10ban Land. Rei and Rini fought with Serena all the way to the ticket booth. Sammy soon got sick of the three of them. He thought he and Serena were bad but it was nothing compared to Rei and Rini. Maybe he would see someone he knew and he could go off with them. Serena wasn't that bad for an older sister but he was old enough now to explore the amusement park by himself. The line moved slowly but was thankfully short. Most people had come early to avoid the crowds. About 10 minutes later the group was through the gates and into 10ban Land. Just inside was a man selling balloons. "Can I get one Serena?" asked Rini. "Anything to stop you whining!" Serena gave Rini some of the money her mom had given her for the day. One advantage of being the oldest, she got to control all Rini and Sammy's spending money. Rini smiled happily as she bought a Tuxedo Mask balloon. Serena's face fell as she saw it, the balloon reminding her of Darien. Mina noticed and whispered, "Cheer up, Serena. We're here to have a fun day out remember?" Serena nodded and attempted to smile. "Atta girl," encouraged Mina. "What are we going to do first?" asked Lita. "I want some cotton candy, and a hotdog and some hot peanuts.. ohh and a doughnut!" said Serena. "If you eat all that now, you're going to be sick on the rides!" cautioned Amy. "Ohh yeah. Thanks Amy, I just wont go on any fast rides. They're waaaay too scary anyway." "Only for a wimp like you Serena!" Rei saw an opportunity and went for it. "And whats THAT supposed to mean?!?" "Hey cool it you two! This is meant to be a fun day out, remember?" Lita intervened, stopping a major fight from breaking out. "Tell that to Miss Up-N-Tight over there," muttered Serena. "I wanna go on the Merry-Go-Round," said Rini. "I'll go with you Rini, since you're my responsibility and all," Serena paused then confessed, "And I want to ride one of those really cute bunnies!" Sweatdrops appeared on everyone's head. "Anyone else wanna come?" invited Serena. "Yeah I will, the operator looks really cute!" enthused Mina. "Sammy you're coming too 'cause mom said to stick together." "Do I have to? The Merry-Go-Round is for babies!" "Yes, come on! The ride's just stopping," Serena grabbed Sammy's hand and began to pull him over towards the Roundabout. She glanced over her shoulder and yelled, "Meet you guys later at the food stands!" The Merry-Go-Round was brightly coloured, with pairs of animals to sit on. Mina stayed by the entry to chat to the cute guy. Luna and Artemise stayed with her, fairground rides not really being their thing. Rini climbed onto a pink rabbit. Serena climbed onto the one next to her. Sammy choose to stand next to Serena rather than to sit on a babyish animal. The ride filled with happy children and a few mothers. The music started playing and the ride began to rotate. Above the fairground a figure appeared, floating in thin air. She scanned the grounds below, the dark crescent moon on her forehead gleaming darkly. She spotted her target and disappeared, reappearing as few seconds later above a brightly coloured round-a-bout. Mina stopped abruptly in the middle of her conversation with the cute ride operator noticing the strange figure in the air. "Serena!" she yelled, pointing. Serena looked in the direction of the shout and seeing Mina, smiled and waved. "It's Prisma!" Mina tried to get her to understand, "Get Rini!" Serena looked up and saw the dark moon citizen preparing to attack. "Rini!" Serena grabbed the pink haired girl while jumping off her bunny, amazingly managing not to klutz out. Keeping a firm hold on Rini, she grabbed Sammy with her other hand and pulled them off the Merry-Go-Round. "What gives Serena?" Sammy asked. Serena, ignoring Sammy, yelled to Mina, "Call the others! I'll get Rini out of here." In the background Prisma shot energy at the round-a-bout, causing it to burst into flames. "Where are you, you little brat?" Prisma yelled, "I'll destroy this whole fair if I have to." "Lets go Rini," Serena said, tugging on Rini's sleeve, "Come on!" But Rini was frozen. Prisma turning, spotted her. "Ahh there you are! Prepare to die!" she yelled, bearing down on the girl. Rini screamed and shot out a beam of energy from her forehead. Across the other side of the park Amy, Rei and Lita saw the moonbeam. "Looks like trouble! Let's go!" said Lita. "I hope Rini is ok," Amy said as she reached for her power stick. "Should be, Serena and Mina are with her." Lita replied. Rei's smart comment was cut off by Lita yelling, "Jupiter Star Power" "Mercury Star Power" "Mars Star Power" The three girls were surrounded by the glow of their respective colours as their transformations started. Their regular clothes disappeared as magical sailor suits appeared. The three ordinary girls were replaced by the Sailor Scouts. "All right, lets get going!" Sailor Jupiter said. "This way," Sailor Mercury said, looking at readings on her small computer. Serena picked Rini up and ran. Sammy wisely followed. "What is going on here?" he asked bewilderedly. "No time to explain, just run!" Serena puffed. For all the exercise she got running to school each morning, she was surprisingly unfit. "Venus Crescent Beam SMASH!" A yellow beam of light headed for Prisma, who dodged just in time. "Thanks Sailor Venus!" Serena yelled as she ran by. "The others should be here soon!" she yelled back. 'I cant hold back Prisma all by myself,' she added privately. Prisma shot energy at Sailor Venus, who dodged successfully the first 3 times. The 4th time however caught her in the back. She fell to the ground. Serena stopped running to shout, "Sailor Venus!!!" She started to head back towards the fallen Sailor Scout. Venus summoned her strength to wave Serena away and say, "Get Rini out of here! I'll be ok." Serena nodded and began running again. "Look! A shed, we can hide in there," Sammy said looking ahead. "All right!" agreed Serena. The door opened easily. Inside was a variety of garden products with just enough room for 3 people. "Now it's your turn rabbit!" Prisma yelled. Sammy reached the shed first and dived inside. Serena and Rini were still a few yards away, Rini's little legs not being able to keep up with Sammy. "Die rabbit!" Prisma shot a wide field of black energy at Rini. Rini turned at the same moment. She screamed as the black energy advanced. A man in a black tuxedo jumped to the ground from a nearby building and began to run towards Rini. He knew it was useless, Rini was just too far away. "Rini!!!" Serena dived for the girl, hoping she could push her to the ground before the energy hit. Her jump was a split second too late, the energy hitting Serena in the back. A crescent moon began to glow brightly on Rini's forehead in the presence of such evil force. Serena screamed, the energy scorching her back, burning through her clothes and through to the flesh beneath. She had taken hits before, but that was as Sailor Moon. Never until this point had she realised how much the Sailor Suit protected her. "Noooo!" cried Tuxedo Mask as he ran towards the scene. "Serena!" Sammy yelled. Serena collapsed on top of Rini. Rini tried to hold the older girl up but she was too heavy. Tuxedo Mask reached the scene and took Serena. Turning her over onto her back, he placed her head in his lap. Rini sat at Serena's side. Sammy came out of the shed and crouched opposite Rini. He took Serena's hand. "Serena!" he cried. "Do something Tuxedo Mask!" Rini urged. The 3 Sailor Scouts, from the other side of the park, appeared. "What happened?" asked Sailor Mars. Mercury crouched by Serena and taking her wrist searched for a pulse. Sailor Jupiter went to help Venus. *** Serena's mind had filled with pain when she was hit. It lasted an eternity. Then it was gone as she sank into unconsciousness. Her mind slipped into a dark cool place, without sound, where time no longer existed. She was there, for how long she didn't know, until a pinprick of light appeared. The light grew until it was blinding then receded, revealing the Moon Kingdom. "Queen Serenity!" Serena said as the 10" mote appeared, "But how?" "I'm here whenever you need me Serena." "Rini! Is she ok?" "She's fine, thanks to you. You were very brave Serena." "That crescent moon on her forehead... Can you tell me who Rini is?" Serenity smiled and said very gently, "She is your daughter." "What? But... but.. that's impossible!" "She is from the future and needs your help." "And the father?" Serena had not heard Serenity's last comment. "Is Darien, yes." "So he still loves me?" "He never stopped Serena. He had his reasons. But enough of this. Rini needs your help." "With what?" "Tokyo of the future is being attacked. You must stop them. Rini will explain more." *** "I've got a pulse! It's faint but definitely there," Mercury announced, to everyone's relief. "Serena, please pull through this," Tuxedo Mask whispered to her. Serena uttered a sigh and her eyes flickered open. Her hand reached out and touched Rini on the cheek. Rini held the hand. Serena's eyes closed again and her hand fell back to her side. "Her pulse is gone!" Mercury yelled. Everyone's reaction was immediate. "Princess," Luna said softly, tears flowing freely. Tuxedo Mask bent to place a soft kiss on Serena's lips. "No Serena! No!" Rini begin to cry, a single tear dropping from her eye. The tear fell through the air, shining unnaturally. It bloomed into a crystal, which gave off an unearthly glow illuminating Rini's face. She reached out to take it, her face closely mirroring that of those around her with it's expression of amazement. "Help Serena, please!" Rini whispered to the crystal. She shut her eyes and concentrated, like her mother had taught her. *** A shimmering caught Serena's eye. She turned and saw Rini. The girl smiled and ran to Serena, hugging her tightly. When the hug ended Rini noticed the small glowing form. "Who are you?" she asked. "I'm Queen Serenity, your grandmother Rini." "Where are we?" "This place exists only in your mind. Rini there is much I must tell you and I only have a short amount of time. Trust Serena for she can help you. Be careful for you have many dangerous enemies who do all they can to stop you returning home. Believe in yourself and those you can trust. I must go now." Serenity began to fade, "Farewell my daughter." "Mother don't go!" Serena cried. Serenity smiled then faded out completely. Rini gazed at Serena thoughtfully, "If that was my grandmother and you called her mother..." "Yes." A single word was all that was needed. Rini and Serena looked at each other for a long moment before Serena opened her arms. Rini ran into them and the pair held each other. *** The group, except for Sammy who didn't know what the heck was going on, focused on Rini. She held the silver crystal in hands, her eyes shut in concentration. It was only a few moments later a golden glow surrounded her. The glow spread to cover Serena. It grew to a point where it was dazzling to the eye, causing everyone to cover their eyes. The light receded, leaving Serena and Rini in their princess form. Rini opened her eyes and stated, "It is done," before collapsing on Serena. Her and Serena's princess clothes faded away. "Rini!" "She's ok, just exhausted. Using the crystal is always like that," Serena explained as Tuxedo Mask helped her sit up. She smiled up at him. "You came." "Yes." "Uhh I hate to interrupt but was anyone keeping an eye on Prisma?" Mercury asked. For the first time the group noticed the mass destruction around them. "You two go, I'll stay here with Serena," Tuxedo Mask said. Mercury and Mars nodded and ran off to help Jupiter and Venus, Luna and Artemise at their heels. Serena shivered and put her arms around herself. Tuxedo Mask looked down and saw most of the back of Serena's shirt had been burnt away. The flesh underneath though was unmarked. He placed his jacket around her shoulders. She looked up at him. He smiled. "Darien," she said softly. He placed his arms around her and kissed her on the lips. "Ewwwww gross!" exclaimed Sammy. Serena swung her head around at the comment to see who made it. "Sammy!" she exclaimed, realising she had forgotten about him and he'd seen the whole thing. "What just happened?" "Ummmm errr..." Serena stuttered, trying to think of something to say. A couple of hundred meters away Sailor Mars fell to the ground, her sailor suit smoking from Prisma's hit. On the ground nearby were the other Sailor Scouts, looking pretty hurt. Luna and Artemise lay near Sailor Mercury. "Did you sailor failures really think you could really stop me?" Prisma yelled in victory, "Now to get the rabbit." Tuxedo Mask leapt to his feet and drew his cane as Prisma came. Behind him Serena stood slowly. Tuxedo Mask twirled his cane to deflect the numerous energy beams Prisma shot at him. Looking back over his should he yelled, "Serena, transform!" "But Sammy..." "Just do it!" Serena glanced nervously at Sammy, then back at Tuxedo Mask. He groaned as one of the beams hit him. She nodded. "Sammy look after Rini," seeing him nod she continued, "Moon Crystal Power!" Serena's clothes disappeared, her body pulsating with multi coloured lights She flipped the crystal down onto her chest. Turning and stretching out her arms, wings appearing behind her, as pink ribbons wrapped themselves around her chest and solidified into her sailor suit. Next her gloves appeared, then her boots and finally her tiara and jewellery. "I am Sailor Moon. I stand for love and justice. And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!" 'No way! My sister can't be Sailor Moon!' Sammy thought watching Serena transform, 'She's so clumsy and a baby and whines. She just can't be Sailor Moon.' Rini began to wake up. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and asked Sammy, "What's going on?" 'I have no idea!' he thought, but not wanting to scare Rini, replied, "It's ok Rini. Uhhh Serena had to go away for a while so I'm looking after you." "No! Serena wouldn't leave me. Where is she?" "We've got to get out of here," Sammy said as he dodged a bit of wood, "Come on." Rini followed him as he ran away from the fight. Sailor Moon dodged several of Prisma's energy beams, eventually tripping and falling on her face. A sweatdrop appeared on the back of her head. "That's it! I've had enough of your bad dress sense," she yelled, pulling a large sceptre from behind her back. "Moon... Rubeus's face filled the sky behind Prisma. "Sceptre..." "Return at once Prisma," he commanded. "Elima...." "Yes Rubeus," Prisma disappeared. "She's gone!" Sailor Moon stated the obvious, then looked around, "Sailor Scouts! Are you guys ok?" She ran over to her fallen friends. "Luna, Artemise," she picked up Luna. The Sailor Scouts began to rise. "I think we'll be alright after a rest," Sailor Mercury answered. Venus picked up Artemise, "Hey, are you alright?" "Nothing a few days of soaking up sun wont fix," he said. *** Prisma reappeared in front of her mirror in the control room. "Is my hair alright?" she anxiously peered into the mirror. "So you still couldn't get the kid, huh sis?" Avery asked in a superior tone. "Everything was going according to plan, then that Sailor Moon brat turned up. Still I did manage to find who she is." "Ahhh Prisma, there you are," Rubeus faded into the room, "I see you failed me once again." "But I know who Sailor Moon is now," she tried to redeem herself. "That's of no matter since they will soon be no more. Look! They are still weak. If we attack again they will stand no chance." "Send me Rubeus. I would have finished them off if you hadn't called me back here," pleaded Prisma. "You have proven yourself unworthy Prisma," Rubeus reached behind his back and pulled out a dark instrument, "Avery this strobe will increase your power tenfold. Take it and use it to destroy the Sailor Scouts! Then bring Rini back here." "Yes Rubeus, you can count on me," Avery added, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Tough luck sis." *** "Where's Serena?" Rini asked Sammy again. "I can't tell you," answered Sammy. "Fine then," Rini shrugged. She bounced her floating ball and yelled, "Luna Ball, Kitty Magic!" The ball turned into a striped umbrella and fell into Rini's out stretched hand. She opened it and spun it around. Sammy's eyes turned into swirls as his mind came under Rini's control. "Now tell me where Serena is!" "She turned into Sailor Moon and went to fight the monster," Sammy droned. "What? Are you sure?" "Yes." *** "Where's Rini?" asked Sailor Jupiter. "She's ok, Sammy's looking after her," Sailor Moon answered, then realising added, "Oh no!" "What?" "Sammy! He saw! Prisma attacked and I had to transform in front of him." "Great way to protect your identity Sailor Moon!" Mars chided, "What's this, the 3rd time you've done it?" "Hey! The other 2 times were in front of Darien!" "Yeah but you didn't know who he was the first time!" "Stop fighting you two," Jupiter interrupted the fight. "We've got to think of a solution," said Mercury. "Luna, can't you just erase his memory or something?" suggested Sailor Moon. "No I can't," the cat answered. *** The umbrella in Rini's hand turned back into the Luna Ball. Sammy's eyes went normal as his brain returned to its regular state. He blinked his eyes a few times. "What just happened?" he asked dazedly. "Nothing," Rini answered, smiling sweetly. "What was that shiny thing you had before Rini?" "Can't tell you." "Why not?" "Stop asking so many questions." *** A strong wind knocked the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask off their feet and blew them a few yards backwards. Sailor Moon stood and gave Luna to Mercury. Avery floated in the sky. In her hand was the dark strobe. "You may have defeated my sisters but you will never get me!" she boasted. "I am Sailor Moon and I fight for love and justice. Something you would know nothing about!" "Enough with the speeches. I've heard it all before." Avery directed the strobe at the Sailor Scouts. They screamed as they were blown along the ground. *** Rini heard the screams and reached for the door. Sammy grabbed her and held her back. "You can't go out there Rini!" he asserted. "Whatcha gonna do about it?" she asked as she kicked him in the shins and ran out the door. "Owwww!" Sammy moaned as he limped out the door after her. *** "My friends!" yelled Sailor Moon, "You will pay for that!" She pulled the Moon Sceptre out. "You're going to stop me with that puny toy?" Avery aimed the strobe and the Moon Sceptre shattered into thousands of glittering pieces. Time slowed for Sailor Moon. What she could do? The Moon Sceptre was destroyed. The Sailor Scouts were in no shape to fight. Avery's maniacal laughter interrupted her thoughts. *** Rini ran blindly towards the sounds of battle. Her mind was too busy to watch where she was going. Serena, the girl who acted as though she hated her, was Sailor Moon, who had been protecting her since she arrived. Plus Serena was her mother! Was going to be mother, she corrected herself. Her father then... would that be Darien? She recalled Serena's comments that her and Darien were "destined to be together". A loud cracking sound made her look up. Sailor Moon's sceptre had shattered, leaving her at the mercy of Avery. "Mommy!" she cried then screamed as someone picked her up from behind. "Shhh Rini, it's me." Rini relaxed as she saw it was Tuxedo Mask and not some bad guy from the Negamoon. She hugged him "You shouldn't be out here. It's dangerous," he warned. *** Sailor Moon could feel concern for her friends and hatred against Avery welling up inside of her. Hearing a faint cry she turned her head and saw Rini and Tuxedo Mask. Love was added to the mix of emotions she was experiencing. Her feelings washed over her and she became Princess Serena of long ago. "Your evil can be tolerated no longer. You have terrified this child for too long." Princess Serena closed her eyes, reaching deep inside of herself. She held her hands in front of her chest, slowly opening them to reveal the imperium silver crystal. "Am I supposed to be afraid of that? It takes more than a rock to defeat me!" Avery yelled, raising the strobe. Light from the crystal met darkness from the strobe midway between the two combatants. Princess Serena concentrated hard, using all her energy to focus the crystal. Avery directed the strobe's energy with a light flick of her wrist. The darkness edged slowly closer to Princess Serena. Avery laughed maniacally, her face twisting evilly in the dark glow of the strobe. *** A strong wind blew outward from the fighting women. It was not quite strong enough to blow anyone away but Sammy wrapped his arms around a nearby tree just to be safe. Loose litter, sticks, rocks and other unsecured items went whizzing through the air. Tuxedo Mask raised his cape to shield himself and Rini. "You can do it Serena," he urged quietly. "I've got to help her!" Rini said. "It's too dangerous for you Rini." "I have to," Rini reasserted. Tuxedo Mask saw the determination in her eyes, the same stubbornness Serena had, and nodded. Rini held out her hands and the silver crystal appeared in them. She took and started to run towards the battle. "Rini," Tuxedo Mask called. She turned and looked back at him. "Yes?" "Be careful," he told her. She nodded and set off again. *** The stream of dark energy edged closer to the source of the light. Serena was using every ounce of energy she had to combat the dark energy and it wasn't enough. She shut her eyes, attempting to concentrate harder. It didn't help, she could feel the darkness coming closer. She opened her eyes in surprise as she felt new strength and more power against the evil, and warmth at her side. She saw Rini standing next to her, not the ordinary little brat who'd been a constant annoyance, but Princess Rini holding her own silver crystal. "Rini!" she said in surprise then turned her mind back to the more urgent matter at hand. The power of the two crystals combined. Rini and Serena together guiding the powerful energy of good. Together they pushed, willing the crystal to overcome Avery and the strobe. The light from the two crystals intensified and overwhelmed the darkness of the strobe. The strobe exploded, knocking Avery backwards against the trunk of a tree. She sunk to the ground defeated. Serena and Rini collapsed, their princess clothes fading away to reveal Sailor Moon, and Rini in the same clothes she wore that morning. Instantly they were surrounded by the Sailor Scouts, Tuxedo Mask, Sammy and the 2 cats. A million questions were fired at them. "So sleepy," Rini said softly before falling asleep in Sailor Moon's lap. "We're ok," Sailor Moon said, answering the most urgent questions. "Is that really you Serena?" asked Sammy. He couldn't believe his sister had actually done what she had in the last few minutes. He couldn't believe any of this! He half expected to wake up at any moment. Sailor Moon nodded. "No way! This is all some wongo dream isn't it?" Sammy reasoned, "Any moment now I'm going to wake up... aren't I?" Sailor Moon shook her head. Sammy thought of the silly Serena that was his sister and exclaimed, "If Serena's Sailor Moon then I'm a royal prince from the planet Jurai!" "Sammy! I told you watching too much Magical Girl Pretty Sammy would rot your brain!" "It is you!" *** Rubeus appeared floating in the sky. He looked disdainfully down at Avery's crumpled form. "Avery, I see you have failed me once again." "It was only because of that brat Rini," she said after standing. "You blame your failure on a small girl? Amazing," Rubeus shook his head and turned to leave. Looking back he said, "And by the way, don't bother coming back Avery. We have no place for losers." "You can't mean that Rubeus!" "There's a first time for everything Avery," he began to fade away, "Seeya." Avery buried her head in her hands and began to sob. "What have I got left now?" she cried. In the distance Sailor Moon handed Rini to Tuxedo Mask and stood. Avery dropped to her knees. "There is nothing but hate in the world!" She dropped her head to the ground and wept, "There is no such thing as love!" She looked up as a hand was placed on her shoulder. Sailor Moon stood in front of her. Avery straightened up so she look at her properly. "Avery, Rebeus used and abused you. Don't let him win, get on with your life. Forget about him." "Will you help me?" Sailor Moon nodded and took her locket from the front bow of her sailor suit. She opened it to reveal the imperium silver crystal. "Moon Healing Activation!" Avery was bathed in the healing light radiating from the crystal. Her dark moon clothes were replaced by an outfit suitable for present day Tokyo. Sailor Moon collapsed, the effort of using the crystal so many times in the last few hours finally catching up to her. "Sailor Moon! Are you all right?" Avery yelled, shaking her, "This is all my fault!" "No it's not Avery," Sailor Moon said, slowly sitting up. The contingent from the other side of the destroyed round-a-bout reached them then. A confused babble of questions was asked again. "I'm alright, really you guys. I just need to rest for a bit," Sailor Moon asserted. "My apartment's near here, we can go there," suggested Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Jupiter and Avery helped Sailor Moon walk the short distance. As the group neared the apartment, they carried her more than helped. By the time they got to the bottom of the stairs, Sailor Moon was being carried on Jupiter's back. Looking up the many flights of stairs to Darien's apartment on the top, she said, "Do you think if I mentioned her weight she'd wake up? It worked last time..." "Don't worry, there's an elevator," said Tuxedo Mask. Jupiter looked rather relieved. The elevator arrived and 3 people walked out, looking rather surprised to see a group of Sailor Scouts, a man in a tuxedo, 2 cats, 2 children and one ordinary looking woman trying to squeeze into the lift. Somehow they managed it. The elevator slowed then stopped at their floor, everyone bursting out, glad since it was rather crowded in there. Tuxedo Mask led the way to his apartment. He handed Rini to Sailor Mercury so he could open the door. When he reached the door, he automatically reached into his pocket for the keys, only to find it empty. Looking down he remembered his keys were in his "other" pair of pants. The tuxedo faded away, leaving Darien standing in a green jacket, black shirt, and black pants. "Hey! You're Serena's boyfriend, Darien, aren't you?" Sammy asked. Darien ignored him and opened the door. Darien took Rini again and motioned for Jupiter to follow him. "You can put Sailor Moon on the bed in here," he said as he lead the way into his bedroom. Jupiter put Sailor Moon on the bed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Darien placed Rini next to her. Jupiter walked out and shut the door behind herself, sensing he wanted to be alone. Darien sat on the foot of the bed. Sailor Moon and Rini slept on, unaware of his presence. "Oh Serena, I am so sorry," Darien felt better just saying those words even though she couldn't hear him, "I had to stay away from you, but today when I nearly lost you, I just couldn't. I hope nothing bad happens. I just don't know what those dreams mean! But I do know I love you." Darien leant over and kissed her on the head. He stood and covered both girls with a blanket. He switched off the light and paused to look back at them before he left. Rini snuggled close to her mother. Darien was besieged with questions as he left his room. "How is she?" asked Mercury. "She's going to be alright isn't she?" Jupiter inquired. "How's Rini holding up?" Venus asked. "They're both fine. They're sleeping soundly and could be for a while," Darien explained. "Now we know they're ok, what about Sammy?" Mars' mind was on business like usual, "This is all Serena's fault. " "Hey lay off her, she had to make a snap decision," Venus said. "Yeah. What if you and Grandpa got attacked, what would you do?" added Jupiter. Mars fell silent, thinking about it. "I'll go talk to Sammy. He's probably wondering about a lot of things," said Luna. The small black cat jumped up onto the sofa where Sammy was sitting. He reached out and petted her. "Hey there Luna, did you follow us up here hmmm?" he wondered out loud then nearly fell off the sofa when she answered. "Yes I did," Luna answered. "No way! You can talk?" "Yes." "Would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went nuts now?" "I have a lot to explain. It'll make more sense then." "My silly sister is a superhero, her cat can talk, next you're going to be telling me she's royalty or something!" Luna nodded. "No way! No way can I believe any of this! I have got to be dreaming!" "This is real Sammy. Now I'll explain it all to you, but first you've got to promise me that you won't tell anyone that Serena is Sailor Moon ok? Not even your parents." "I promise," Sammy said dutifully. "It all started a thousand years ago on the moon..." Luna started to tell the familiar story. *** Sailor Moon was nearly awake, she opened her eyes a crack and seeing that the room was still dark, attempted to get comfy and fall back asleep. She rolled over and whacked her arms against the wall. A wall? Her bed was in the center of her room. She sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room. She wondered where she was for a while then decided to get up and find out. She wriggled around Rini, who was still sleeping, to get off the bed. Rini? What was she doing here? She saw herself in the mirror on the wardrobe and realised she was in her sailor suit. Weirder and weirder. She detransformed, her normal clothes reappearing. Serena blushed as she saw, in the mirror, that for an instant she appeared without clothing on. She'd never noticed _that_ before. She shivered as a she felt a draft on her back. Looking at her back in the mirror revealed the back of her shirt had been burned away. She sat on the bed suddenly as she remembered what had happened. After healing Avery though her memory was vague. She did recall something about going to Darien's apartment. This must be his bedroom. Sure, she'd been in his apartment before but never in his bedroom. 'And Rini, she's my daughter... And Sammy! He saw everything,' Serena could hardly believe what had happened, 'And Darien still loves me!' Serena smiled, everything seemed so perfect. A delicious smell seeped under the door. Serena sniffed, it smelled like Lita's cooking. She hastened to go out but first she had to do something about her top. Her eyes went to the wardrobe. There should be something in there to wear. 'I'm sure Darien won't mind if I borrow one of his shirts,' she thought. She choose one of the many pink shirts in the wardrobe, pulled off the remains of her t-shirt and bra and put it on. After a quick glance in the mirror, she reached for the doorknob. Before Serena could touch the doorknob, the door was opened from the other side. Darien stood in the hallway. Serena flung herself into his arms. He held her tight. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Mmhmm," she answered in the affirmative and snuggled her head on his chest. For a long second they held each other. Serena looked up, gazing into Darien's eyes, and said, "I hope you don't mind, I borrowed your shirt." He smiled down at her and replied, "No, it looks better on you anyhow." "Oh Darien," she said. She stretched her face towards his and their lips meet in a passionate kiss. The kiss was interrupted when a small person ran full speed into their legs. Rini wrapped her arms around Serena and Darien's legs, as high up as she could reach. Serena crouched down to Rini's level. "Rini, are you ok?" she asked. Rini nodded then looked at Darien. She whispered to Serena, "Is Darien my father?" Serena nodded and stood back up. "Darien, I found out who Rini is. She's my.. err, our daughter from the future," Serena looked closely for Darien's reaction. He looked surprised then smiled. "That sure explains a lot of things," he said, then added, "Lets go out, the girls are really worried about you two." Rini walked between her mommy and daddy, holding their hands. She had finally found them and the silver crystal. Now she could go home. She smiled happily. Serena too was happy. Darien loved her still. Plus soon "that brat" Rini would be going home surely, since she had found what she was looking for. Still she had to admit that Rini could be an alright kid when she wanted to. And maybe, just maybe, she would miss the little "spore". Darien was thinking about Rini, his daughter. Like he had said, it _did_ explain a lot of things. Like the feeling he had of knowing her. And how attached he felt to her. He was glad to be back with Serena. It was a relief not to have to lie about his feelings and hurt her any more. He truly loved her, but the dreams were worrying. He looked in Serena's direction and their eyes met. He smiled and she smiled back. For now though everything was perfect. To be continued? (Maybe, if I get time!)