The next morning, Serena woke up dazed and confused. Slowly she sat up and stared at her alarm clock, that was currently blaring at her, as if she was trying to understand what it was and why it was making so much noise. Finally with a shaky hand she reached out and turn it off, sighing to herself as silence once again decended upon the room. She took a moment to look around the room and beside the light coming from her alarm clock, it was dark. Now she looked at the clock again, this time noting the time - 5:30 am.Carefully she threw her blanket back, got out of bed and made her way to her bathroom. Fumbling around she found the light switch and was immediately sorry that she had as she was blinded by the light. Covering her eyes, she walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror through one partially open eye. That's when she realized that she was still wearing the clothes from the night before. 'Last night?' she thought to herself. 'How did I get home? In bed?' She really didn't have any memory at all of getting home. As it was, she was having trouble remembering dinner. Shaking her head in an effort to clear it, she turned on the shower and stepped into the steaming waterfall. An hour later, Serena emerged and headed down to the kitchen where the smell of fresh brewed coffee awaited her. As she rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, she saw Marcus and Mina kissing each other over their morning coffee. 'Oh God!' she thought, 'I'm gonna be sick!' Serena stopped in her tracks and began to turn as a wave of nausea overtook her. But then she heard Marcus call out to her, "Good morning, Serena! How are you feeling today?" Slowly Serena turned around and both Marcus and Mina noticed how pale she looked. "Serena, you don't look so good, why don't you stay home today? I'll cover for you." Weakly Serena smiled at him and said, "No, that's o.k. Work is just what the doctor ordered." "But you look so pale!" Marcus said with concern. "I'm fine, really. I'm just a little tired." Finally, Mina said, "Well Serena, maybe you wouldn't look so pale if you wore something other than black. I mean, do you ever wear anything else?" "No." Both Serena and Marcus answered in unison. Mina, noting that Marcus always wore black to the office asked, "Why? Is there some kind of dress code?" Taking a sip of her coffee, Serena answered, "No." "Then why not?" Serena just shrugged and said, "It's just safer this way, I guess." Mina looked totally confused, but Marcus just waved her off as the remaining Scouts and their counterparts stumbled into the kitchen. Serena, taking note of everyone actually being there said with a mixture of sarcastism and disbelief, "Well, well the gang's all here! Looks like we had a little sleep over and I missed it." Raye as usual took offense to what Serena said and snapped back, "Well I can see that your attitude hasn't changed any since last night." But Serena just gave her a confused look and said, "Excuse me?" So Jason decided to chime in, "Yeah Serena, you were a real bitch last night. That is before you passed out." Serena stopped on her way over to the dishwasher and looked back at him, her long hair flying over her shoulder as she turned her head, "I passed out?" she asked incredulously. Everyone was nodding and Ami asked, "You mean you don't remember?" Serena shook her head. "Did you have a lot to drink last night? Black outs are common with alcohol." "I'm aware of that Ami." Serena said a little disgruntled, "But I would have had to have a lot more than a few glasses of wine to have blacked out. That is if I drank at all last night. I vaguely remember dinner..." she appeared to be thoughtfully as someone else asked, "You mean that you don't remember going to dinner either?" Again, Serena shook her head and then jumped as she looked at her watch. "Shit! I'm gonna be late and I have a meeting this morning with the bureau in L.A." Then she disappearred out of the kitchen and a moment later they heard the front door open and close. The group sat in silence as they all mulled over the conversation that just took place. Finally Greg said, "I don't like it. It's not like Serena to forget." "Well maybe she did have too much to drink last night." Lita said. But Jason shook his head and said, "No, I've partied hard with her before, numerous times, especially at Mardi Gras and that girl can put it away and tell you everything that happened the night before." He missed the dirty look that Raye threw at him and then Greg continued, "I have to agree with Jason. The three of us have seen the after effects of a night on the town by you two and this definately doesn't fit. Besides, I anaylized the readings the Ami took last night and there were small, but intense concentrations of negative energy." "What do you mean?" Marcus asked "Exactly that, Marcus. Somehow, Serena came into contact with extremely dark energy last night. And as near as Ami and I can figure, she somehow absorbed it." "But where would she come into contact with dark energy?" Mina asked. "It could be anyone. It could've been anyone at that resturant last night." Michael said. Then Marcus looked at Raye and asked, "Raye, could you do a fire reading to find out who or what we are up against? If it effect Serena, it could effect anyone of us. Besides, something in my gut is just telling me that this has something to do with all of the recent youma attacks." Raye nodded and said, "Yes, I can give it a try. But I think that we all need to be there...except Serena." "WHy don't you want Serena to be there? Don't you think that if you conjure up an image that she might be able to identify them?" Jason asked. "That's true, but I could still sense some negative energy on her this morning and I don't want her to interrupt my chanel." "Why didn't you say something last night?" Raye shrugged and said, "I did, but I didn't realize that it was coming from her. Besides, I was too pissed at her to make any sense of anything. O.k. someone call Darien..he should be there too and we'll all meet at the temple in an hour." An hour later, the group of nine assembled at the Cherry Hill Temple. They were all gathered around a large bon fire in the center of a room. Raye, garbed in her priestess robes, sat directly in front of the fire where she began to meditate and pray. "Oh great fire! Please show us the face of our new enemy!! The one who poisoned our Princess!" Sweat rolled down everyones face and back as the room grew even hotter. Then finally, the flames roared and a face appeared. Marcus gasped as he yelled, "My God!!! That's Jordan!!!" **************************************************************************** Meanwhile, across town, Serena was just emerging from her video conference as she met Jordan in the hall. "Hi Serena!" Startled she looked up and for some odd reason, her skin began to crawl and another wave of nausea overtook her. "Oh hi Jordan. Uh look, I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't feel well today, so if you don't mind, could we talk later?" By now they had reached her office and she was standing behind her desk, watching as he shut her door and began closing her blinds. "Excuse me, but what are you doing?" A low evil mocking laugh filled the room, "Oh I'm sorry Princess. I guess that my energy was too much for someone as delicate as you." Then before her eyes, "Jordan" melted and King Ares appeared. Backing up slowly, Serena looked frantically around the room for an exit. She didn't think that she could manage a transformation as she felt more nausea hit her like waves hitting a shore line. Reaching out to steady herself she asked weakly, "Wh-hho are you?" Slowly he decended upon her as he said, "I am King Ares, my Princess. I am Lord of the Dark Planets." Serena began to sway and she heard the mock pity in his voice as he continued, "Aww! It seems that you are not as strong as I thought. You obviously are getting sicker and weaker from the energy that I am slowly transferring to you now." At that, she managed to look up sharply at him as she comprehended what he had said. Suddenly her phone began to ring. Weakly she tried to reach for it, but she heard him say, "Uh, uh, uh! Princess! I don't think so." Just then, he threw a ball of black energy at her. She had no chance at all of repelling it in her human form, let alone this weak. Her only hope was to reach someone and as she felt her body take on the full energy that was thrown at her, she called out to the one person she knew would hear her....'Daarrriieennnn!!!!!!!' and she collasped unconscious. ***************************************************************************** Back at the temple, everyone was standing around looking at Marcus as he yelled at the portable phone in his hand. "Come on dammit!!! Pick up the phone!" Finally someone answered and Marcus cut them off in mid speach. "Where's Serena?" he yelled into the phone. But that was when Darien was hit with Serena's psychic message. He grabbed his head and doubled over as the full force of it hit him as if she bellowed it right next to him. 'Daarrriieennnn!!!!!!!' but worst of all, he could feel her pain and then nothing at all. "NOOOO!!!! Sereennaa!!!" he yelled. Marcus dropped the phone, and Ami came running to Darien's side. "Darien, what's wrong? What is it?" she asked. He groaned as he managed to get out, "Serena! She's..she's in pain. She been taken. She called for me." He groaned again. This time Raye came forward, grabbed Darien by the shoulders and yelled at him, "Where? Can you take us there? You've got to find her and lead us there!!" "I-I can't!" "What?!! Why not? Dammit Darien! You and your psychic link, you have too!!!" Raye said and she began pounding on his chest. Jason came forward and peeled her away and Darien sank to the ground and began to cry. "I can't because I can't feel her anymore! Don't you understand what that means???? If I can't feel her, then she must be...d-dead!!" He buried his face in his hands and sobbed as everyone else stood stunned. Darien felt as if his heart had just been ripped out of his body. 'No not my Serena! Not my Meatball Head! It just can't be!' he cried to himself. Slowly, one by one, they all began to cry. Each woman looking for comfort in their generals' arms. But no one could comfort Darien. The one that could comfort him was gone. Suddenly there was a blinding light as a silver portal began to appear in front of them. Slowly a female figure appeared in the portal and stepped through. She was a beautiful woman dressed in a black Sailor fuku with a blood red bow. She had long forest green hair and in her hand, she held a staff that resembled a key. Slowly the group realized that they were looking at a Sailor Scout...only one that they did not know. Finally she smiled sadly at the group and said, "Do not be afraid my friends. I have come to help you save Queen in order to restore the timeline." Once this was said, Marcus realized who it was that stood before them. "Pluto." he said breathlessly. She bowed her head and said, "It is good of you to recognize me General Malachite...so few do. I know then that my Queen must have told you about me." Numbly he nodded, but she noticed that everyone else was still confused, so she said, "I am Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time. I only appear when the timeline has been altered. I have come to give you access to the Dark Planet Kingdom where King Ares has taken our Queen." At this, Darien slowly looked up at her and said through his tears, "You mean that she is still alive?" She smiled tenderly at her King and said, "Yes, my King, she is. But you must hurry. In her human form, she cannot repell the dark energy that Ares is filling her with. It will consume and kill her soon. Quickly everyone transform and step through the gate. It lead you directly to Ares' throne room. That is where he is holding the Queen. But you must be fast, for you will have the element of surprise on your side, but not for long. Be warned my friends, King Ares is very power- ful. You must free the Queen in order to destroy him." Quickly, in a blur of colorful light, Scouts, Royal Guards, and Tuxedo Mask transformed. Pluto looked at TM and said, "My King, TM will be of no help to you in this battle. You must assume your Endymion form." Confused, TM asked, "But how? I don't know anything about that?" Again Pluto smiled softly at him and said, "Merely want to become him, my Lord. You will still have your roses for a weapon, but now, you will also have the power of the Earth with you as well. All you have to do is will it to happen. Now, my friends, you must go now! The Queen can not stand much more!" TM mask did as she said and in a moment Prince Endymion stood before the group. Then portal opened wide behind her and she stepped aside to allow them to go before her. The group of nine warriors stopped to look at each other for a brief moment and then Endymion lead the group through the portal. Pluto stood looking into the portal and watched as they entered Ares' throne room before she opened another portal that took her back to the Gates of Time and as she watched she said a final parting farwell, "Good Jornery, my friends!" and she too disappearred.