Married Life Chapter 8: New Arrival All pertinent information from the previous 7 chapters still applies, including disclaimers, credits and acknowledgements. This chapter is dedicated to Lianne Sentar. I haven't talked to her that much, but her "Usagi and Mamoru's Love" universe has been a great inspiration to my own story. ---- February 24, 1999 Serena woke up to an unfamiliar feeling. Of course, she thought, being nine months pregnant is a whole host of unfamiliar feelings, but. . . OW!!! She suddenly realized what was happening. *That was a contraction! It's time!* She shook Darien. "Huh?" "Darien? It's time!" "For what?" Darien wasn't exactly a sharp one before his first cup of coffee in the morning. "I just had a contraction - our baby is coming!" "Omigod! I am NOT ready for this!" "Neither am I, Muffin, but it's happening!" After almost an hour of Darien rushing around trying to get everything together while Reenie watched anxiously over her mother, the father-to-be ran into the living room with a suitcase packed for Serena. His other half gave a wan smile and said, "Darien. . . Take a few deep breaths - I'm not getting into that car with you until you're calm enough to drive to the hospital without killing all four of us." After doing so, the family made the trek to the hospital fairly uneventfully. "DARIEN, SLOW DOWN!!" "Slow DOWN, Dad!! I swear, you haven't driven this recklessly since. . . Oh." She had been about to say: Since Daniel was born but remembered that her parents had never known about her little brother before his birth. The boy was six, and in training to succeed his father as Tuxedo Mask. In fact, he fought alongside his sister and cousins as the powerful young warrior Moonlight Mask costumed as a cross between Moonlight Knight's Arabian robes and Tuxedo Mask's European finery. Darien consciously made an effort to ease up on the gas pedal. "Watch out for that CAB, DAD!" shouted Reenie. "Darien no baka," said Serena. Amy's class was there for a tour when Serena was taken into the delivery room. "Hi, Amy, bye, Amy!" she shouted. Another student nudged Amy and whispered, "Who was that?" "That was my best friend," said Amy proudly, "She's having her baby today." Four hours later, Serena's daughter was delivered. When the doctor slapped her, she proved that her lungs worked as well as her mother's as she was dried, weighed, and measured, and finally given into Serena's waiting arms. Darien beamed proudly next to his wife at the tiny girl and they both gasped when she opened her eyes and quieted down. They were the clear, beautiful blues of a summer sky. The wispy frizz of hair on the girl's head was dark, and her tiny, chubby hands waved clumsily in the air. She didn't understand the huge, cooing things around her, but as Serena held the baby girl to her breast, she could feel the steady, soothing, familiar rhythm of Serena's heartbeat. February 25 Less than twenty-four hours after delivering her daughter, Irene Alexis Chiba, Serena was on her feet and looking at her image in the mirror. Not bad at all. Probably not even any stretch marks. Her doctor was slightly surprised that she had regained her figure so extremely quickly. February 27 Serena left the hospital. Both she and Irene were in perfect health, and ready to be sent home. Darien pulled up with a new car, a family sedan, and a baby seat in the back. "Since neither of our cars had a backseat worth speaking of, I traded mine in for this. I admit it isn't as sporty or as cool, but we're gonna need it, especially if Reenie keeps coming back to the past." Serena sat Irene down in the car seat. The baby Princess' black hair was growing very quickly - only three days old and already the fuzz she'd been born with was a definite black cap on her head. She carefully strapped the baby in, and then sat down in the passenger seat. Reenie sat in the seat next to the baby happily reading the latest issue of Nakayoshi. The car ride home was mercifully uneventful, and Irene burbled happily at the bright colors streaming past her three-day-old eyes, not yet with even enough muscle control to focus on distant objects. At the Chiba home, the Furuhatas (Andrew and Reika) and the Asagiris were getting the welcome-home party ready. Andrew tossed his wife a streamer of crepe paper while their first child, a lively three-year-old boy named Hikaru, raced around the room at top running speed. . . and right into Rei's legs. He plunked down as Naoko toddled into the room. The two-year-old went over to hug Lita's leg. The six foot tall woman picked up the baby and lifted her high in the air. "Ohaaayo, Naoko-chan!" The toddler said back, "Ohaaayo, Lita-chan!" and giggled madly. Lita gave Rei a bemused look and said, "`Lita-chan'?" Rei shrugged, "Sorry, but she copies everything I do. When she's not busy trying to destroy half the temple, that is. She tore right through a shoji the other day and scraped her arms pretty bad on the wood. That in and of itself wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't for what I was doing on the other side of the door." "And that is?" inquired a new, familiar voice. "Serena! Welcome home!" cried Rei. She rushed over to hug her friend. "`Reena-chan! We'come home!" echoed Naoko. As everybody crowded around Serena and Irene, Imbrium walked in with a new guy. "Rei-san? We're here!" "Serena's back early, Imbri-chan," called Rei back. Then, replying to Serena's question, she said, "A couple came in wanting some help. The man had done something very stupid and his wife was having a hard time forgiving him for it." Serena respected her friend's calling enough not to press further, and besides, confidentiality wasn't foreign to her. "Fortunately, they weren't terribly offended, not even when Chad rushed in a couple of seconds later - we could hear him yelling, `Naoko-chan! Don't go in there - that's Mommy's private office!' all the way down the hall." Mina called out, "The cake's done!" Serena reacted in horror, "You let MINA do the cake!?" Kevin poked his head out of the kitchen and said, "No, I'm doing the cake; she was just watching the timer. I know you and Darien. Between the two of you have a major thing for chocolate cake, so I made a humongous devil's food cake." As Darien's eye took on a decidedly unhealthy gleam at the mention of his favorite cake, Kevin trailed off. Serena cuffed her husband on the shoulder and said, "Stop it, Darien, or you'll hurt something." "So how's my namesake?" asked Imbrium. "She's in perfect health," responded Serena, "And believe me, after being woken up in the middle of the night because the hospital staff couldn't quiet her crying, I can tell you for sure that she has a *very* healthy set of lungs." "And who's this new guy, Imbri?" Lita asked Imbrium. "Tim Drake's a classmate of mine. He's in my one o'clock Shakespeare class." Imbrium's Shakespeare class was a Theatre course, not an English course. "Tim's playing King Lear in `Shakespeare in the Park' next month." Amy entered putting a biochem textbook in her backpack as she did so. "DON'T say a word," she growled as Serena appeared about to tease her, "I've got a test on Monday, and I'm still running at about half-speed on two of the concepts they're going to cover. I've got a VERY good reason to be studying." Then she saw Irene and forgot all about being indignant. "She's beautiful, Serena!" "Of course she is - she's my daughter." The baby reached out her hands and grabbed Amy's finger tightly. "Strong little squirt, isn't she?" Darien returned from putting the diapers and baby supplies by Irene's crib. "You bet, Amy." Serena gratefully handed Irene off to Darien, and the newborn instinctively cuddled up to her father. Kevin brought the cake out from the kitchen. It was huge, as promised: an 18-by-10 inch triple-layer rectangular monstrosity cut into small pieces. Serena got two: one for herself and one for Darien. The Negaverse General Coprolite was absolutely steaming. Six months since Quartzite's defection; six months and he'd barely seen action. Sure, his youma were slowly but surely wearing the Senshi down, but it was taking far too long. "General Coprolite, present yourself." "Yes, My Master?" "Stop butt-kissing, General, it's unbecoming of a man of your rank. Or a woman, for that matter. One thing I hated about General Zoisite was the way she'd skulk about behind Mother's back while whining and trying to curry favor in front of her face. "Anyway, I want you to personally lead this attack against Earth. Succeed and I will make you the Baron of the Earth Prelate. Fail and at least I won't have to bury you." "WHAT!?" "Give me your Wormhole Crystal." Coprolite handed the dark gem over. Roxix opened the portal and said, "You will signal when and only when you have defeated the Sailor Senshi, and General Quartzite. Now go!" Earth 3:30 AM, the first night. Serena heard Irene start to cry and was out of bed and halfway to the crib in a single move. She picked up the baby, put her on the changing table, and opened her diaper. Yep. She changed her daughter and watched as the baby's huge blue eyes softened and her crying stopped. Serena crooned a soft, slow lullaby to her daughter as she rocked her. When Irene fell asleep again, Serena gently laid her in the crib again and pulled the blanket up over her, feeling fatigue wash over her like a tide. She made her way back to her own warm, inviting bed and her husband's arms. Crawling into bed, she curled up to Darien again and felt his lips brush her hair in a very deliberate way. "I love you, Usako," whispered Darien. "I love you too, Darien." The last thing Serena's memory recorded before she fell fast asleep was pulling the covers up over herself and Darien. Eight o'clock the next morning found Serena rocking Irene in her arms. Eight-fifteen found her running toward a very familiar emanation. "Serena to Senshi - come in!" Rei, Amy, and Mina popped up on-screen in her communicator, followed a second later by Sonya, Alex, and Michelle. "We've got Nega-sleazes hanging about. Anybody feel up to taking out the trash?" Serena's voice sounded surprisingly gleeful to Rei's ears. "Serena - are you okay?" "Better than okay," she said as she gave a toothy smile, the grin of an adrenaline addict about to get a fix, "It's been months and I don't think there's anything that I've missed more than being able to do something about these scumbags. You guys better hurry up or there won't be any left!" Serena transmitted the location and signed off. "Okay. Moon Royal Make-Up!" At his job, Darien felt the familiar energy of Serena transforming. He sent up a silent prayer. Please, Lord, let her be all right. I know I ask for a lot, but she's my life - if I can't protect her, I'm counting on you to. Sailor Moon announced her presence in atypical fashion, "Moon Tiara Star!" The energy blast shot forth from her hand, slashed the arm off of a youma and returned to her, to transform back into her tiara and be set back on her brow. "Hey, Nega-Jerk! Up here!" Jumping lightly to the ground and pulling her rapier, she announced, "You know who I am, you know what I do, and you know what that makes you - Moondust!" Coprolite took that moment to shoot her in the back with a 9mm automatic pistol. The bullet entered her body just below the hard, protective armor of the fuku's upper body, before bouncing off of her ribcage. She burst into pain-filled tears and collapsed to the street. The wound would have been fatal had she been in human form. As it was, she whimpered as a wave of shock and white-hot pain wracked her body. Her hand clawed for her dropped sword, only to stop as Coprolite's booted foot crushed down on her fingers and ground them cruelly into the pavement. Fortunately for her, the tough gloves didn't tear. For if they had, her hand would surely have been "sanded" into uselessness, bloodied and with all sorts of street contaminants ground into them. With this new pain, she grunted. Darien was alone when he felt Serena's tremendous pain at the wound in her side. Serena! he cried out soundlessly. Sailor Mars rounded the corner just in time to see Coprolite step on Sailor Moon's hand. Her own hand ached in sympathy. Gods, Serena! To her total surprise, Serena looked up and she saw clearly the determination to not cry out, not give Coprolite the satisfaction of hearing her agony, and Rei felt the pain emanating from her cousin. It enraged her no end. Can't use a Flame Engulf - it'll hurt Serena as well. Time for the old standby. Coprolite's first clue that something was amiss was hearing a different female voice than Sailor Moon's shout, "Stop it!" He half-turned, to see Sailor Mars standing there, beginning her graceful pirouette. "Maaaars Fire, IGNITE!" she roared rather than sang the final word, feeding into the attack all of her rage and pain at seeing her beloved friend tortured so, and her fear for Serena. The fire splashed against Coprolite's body, conforming to him, and burning away part of his uniform. General Jadeite appeared. He nodded to Sailor Mars before running to Sailor Moon's side and helping her up. "Where do you hurt, Serena?" he asked, the voice that had once been filled with hatred now full of concern. "My hand and my back," she responded. Jadeite's eyes widened when he looked at the wound: her flesh and muscle had been partially cratered away, exposing the bone! "My god, Princess!" He plunged his hand into his own subspace pocket, calling to it a vial of a Silver Millennium healing potion. *The last one,* he thought. *I can't think of a nobler reason to use it.* He pulled the weakening Sailor Moon away from the fight and poured most of the potion on the wound, watching as it stimulated the young woman's physical regeneration a hundredfold. Noticing how she was favoring her injured hand, he ordered her to strip the glove from it. It was bruised and rapidly reddening both above and below, and he poured the rest of the fluid over the injured extremity. Gathering the rest of her strength, Serena picked up her sword. "Serena, you must rest - you've been badly injured." "Forget it - my friends need me." Sailors Mercury, Venus, Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune arrived just moments before Coprolite did something at six times the speed of sound. Rei's body was flung across space to crash into a phone booth. She fell back into the suddenly twisted metal and lay still, her right leg twisted unnaturally. "REI!!" two voices cried out at the same time, both outraged. Jadeite ran for the wounded Senshi while Sailor Moon charged the evil General, eyes burning with a cold rage, perfect pink lips twisted into a snarl. Serena had felt sorry for Negaverse beings that weren't fighting of their own choice. She had felt a necessity to eliminate magical constructs as quickly and as humanely as possible. The Generals who were fighting because they were brainwashed, she felt sympathy for. Only very seldom when her family and friends had been endangered, had she ever truly wanted a being dead. Beryl. Wiseman. Pharaoh 90. Vadillanne. She wanted General Coprolite dead with a passion. "You've just made a big mistake, NegaJerk," growled the Soldier of Love and Justice. She slammed the Moon Rapier through Coprolite's chest, punching through armored flesh and bone as though they were tissue paper. The General's eyes widened, and he coughed purple blood. She lifted him up on his toes. "NOBODY. Nobody hurts my family and gets away with it." She focused her energy through the Silver Crystal, and again through the rapier. "Moon," she whispered. "Help me," gurgled Coprolite. Serena shook her head and grated, "Rapier." "No," whimpered the general. "Yes. ANNIHILATION!!!" The shout tore at Serena's throat continuing until Coprolite was free radicals and she was kneeling, her face mere centimeters from the blacktop and her chest heaving as she drew in and blew out great draughts of air. Sailors Venus and Mercury were carefully examining the inert body of Sailor Mars. Mercury screamed, "She's not breathing, Sailor Moon!" and bent down to begin to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "You have to live, Rei," Sailor Moon pleaded, desperate, "I can't live without you, any more than I could live without Darien, or Reenie, or any of the others!" Rei began to breathe again, and almost immediately woke up. "You. . . Meatball Head." She intended the words to sound gently mocking, but instead they came out simply gentle. She was just too tired to get any mockery into her voice. Serena hugged her friend tightly, and Rei gratefully accepted the warmth from her, both physical and emotional. "Transform back, Rei, and we'll get you an ambulance." "Serena, I'll be all right." "Rei, your leg is broken. You're not going to get better unless you get it in a cast." "Okay." "And you're out for a while. You're going to limp for the rest of your life unless you rest that leg, and that's a VERY long time." "No way - we just got back to full strength this morning. I'm not going to let us go sh. . ." "YES YOU ARE, MARS," Serena ordered. It was obvious that this was neither Serena nor Sailor Moon talking. It was Neo-Queen Serenity giving an order to one of her Royal Guard. Serena's tone of voice would brook no argument. "I will not have one of my most able defenders crippled for life because she couldn't see that she can better protect me by resting and healing up where she's safe, than by coming with me and putting herself at risk while she's hurt." There was only one way Rei could respond to that tone of voice. "Yes, Your Majesty," she said in a weary, but still respectful tone. Serena reverted to her normal self and helped Amy to straighten Rei's leg by holding her still. Rei screamed like a banshee, but managed to keep from thrashing about too much. "We'll get you fixed up, Rei." "I know, Serena." You would never tell by the girls' tone of voice that they had once spent large amounts of time annoying one another and the other Senshi. The Senshi made their way toward the hospital to get Rei's leg set. On the mind of each was one thought. The Negaverse would pay for this outrage. The end of the Dark Kingdom of NegaEarth was approaching. ---- Ending Theme: "The Power of Love," sung by Jennifer Cihi >From "Sailor Moon & the Scouts: Lunarock" There comes a time When you face the toughest of fights, Searching for a sign, Lost in the darkest of nights. The wind blows so cold, Standing alone, before the battle's begun. But deep in your soul, the future unfolds, As bright as the rays of the sun! You've got to believe In the power of love. You've got to believe In the power of love! The power of love! Blazing emotion Is a light that glows from your heart It's a chain reaction, And nothing will keep us apart, Stand by my side, There's nothing to hide, Together we'll fight to the end. Take hold of my hand, And you'll understand, What it truly means to be friends! You've got to believe, (You've got to believe) In the power of love! You've got to believe, (You've got to believe) In the power of love! It gives meaning to each moment, It's what our hearts are all made of! You've got to believe, (You've got to believe) In the power of love. (Power of love) The power of love (The power of love) You've got to believe (You've got to believe) In the power of love! You've got to believe (You've got to believe) In the power of love! It gives meaning to each moment, It's what our hearts are all made of, (just look inside) You've got to believe (You've got to believe) In the power of love, In the power of love, In the power of love. -- Next: Moon Storm Risen! The end begins here, and nothing will *ever* be the same.