Well, here I go again - I hope you guys like this story, and if you do, tell me! And, if you don't, hey, I'm not that fragile, tell me it sucks too! Just know that all feedback is definitely welcome and most appreciated. It isnt' related to any of the other stories I've written before. It basically stands alone. SM belongs to Naoko and DIC and TOEI and all those people the scouts and Darien and Reeny and all the other characters are thiers - but the new ones are mine (obviously) BIG THANKS - I have so got to thank Laurel Anne for being one of the coolest people I know and for her help telling me what changes I needed to make, although, I'm not sure how well I followed her advice. Also, massive thanks to Jenn, who also proof read this. And, gotta thank the cool people I know - the omnipotent Lianne, Kelly, school girl 5 - and anyone else I'm forgetting you know who you are and if I haven't talked to you in a while, just EM me - sorry, I've been a stressed out airhead this last month. Another HUGE thanks goes to archive administrators. And, most importantly: For my Dad - the model for Dustin, who is the only reason I even write at all. 'Love you lots, and you so know it, where ever you're watching me from.' - Love 'The Whiz' The Ties That Bind Serena smiled contentedly, staring out over the breathtaking view of Tokyo, the bright city lights dancing in the violet dusk. She leaned back against Darien, and held Reeny in her arms. The girl was asleep, mumbling something softly and incoherently. Serena stroked her pink hair absent-mindedly. She really loved this strange little girl, who had miraculously seemed to drop into her life unexpectedly. She didn't know who she was, or where she was from, but she felt a bond with the girl, and bond that seemed to grow when they were around Darien. Even if Serena called her names, or was inconsiderate of her, she had to admit she liked having the kid around. And, she didn't feel so strangely jealous of Reeny now that Darien was back. It was almost as though she was afraid of losing him to her, a mere child. But now, once that rivalry had been settled, it was almost as though they were like a family. As though Reeny was her own daughter. Maybe, later, much later if her father had anything to do with it, she would have her own someday, maybe a kid like Reeny. "Darien?" Serena asked, suddenly worried. "Uh hmm." He said softly, his eyes closed, his body at ease. He was resting, enjoying the calming effects of time away from fighting Rubeus, away from the bustle of the city. He seemed so peaceful. "What're you thinking about?" she asked. "Nothing really." He said. His mouth turned upwards into a slight, closed smile. Serena scrutinized every aspect of his face, trying to figure something very difficult out. "Darien?" she asked again, uncertainly. She wasn't sure if she should say anything. After a moment's hesitation she began again. "Do you think I'll be a good mother?" she asked quietly. She stole another glance at Reeny. "Or course. I wouldn't want my children to grow up with anyone else." Darien said. Serena beamed at him and his heart seemed to smile too. "Really. You don't think that I'm too stupid to be a mother, or that maybe I'll drop them on their heads or anything?" "Serena.!" he said disapprovingly. "Of course not. You're going to be a wonderful mother. You will teach your kids how to be kind and thoughtful and loving. That is the most important thing a child can learn, and that is something that you are an expert at." He lightly tapped her small nose, causing her to giggle. "How many would you want to have?" she asked. "Maybe two or three, I guess." "How about 2.5. Isn't that how many people are supposed to have?" she asked, wondering how on earth a person is can have a .5 of a kid. "Sort of. But it's not something I'm planning on right now. Your father can be pretty -" "Scary?" Serena offered. Darien shook his head. "I was going to say intimidating. Especially when it comes to you. He'll make a wonderful grandfather though. And I could just see your mother - " "In a rocking chair telling them stories and knitting." Serena said, getting excited just at the thought of her future. Darien smiled down at her beaming face. "You have good parents to teach you how to be a good parent yourself." Darien said. Serena thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, I've got great parents." She smiled brightly. Glancing down, she noticed her watch. The long silver hands were pointing at the 8. Serena immediately jumped up, dropping Reeny on the floor. Reeny woke up startled and rubbed her eyes. "What is it Serena. An attack?" Darien said, getting up as well. Panic shone in Serena's eyes as she gathered her purse. "I'm so late. Daddy's gonna kill me." She wailed, grabbing Reeny's hand. Darien paled. 'No, Daddy's gonna kill me.' he thought and quickly retrieved his things. The trio ran towards his car and raced for Serena's home, trying to escape her father's over-protective glare. She stood on the edge of a cliff, smiling, calling to him. He could hear her voice, low and husky and familiar, see her long black hair swaying behind her. Her features were obscured by shadows. And beside her, a man, tall, his face hidden as well in the afternoon sun. Striking blue eyes shone out though, an island of cerulean in a sea of blackness. He reached out for them, for the hand he knew like his own. But it fluttered out beyond his reach, falling backwards, into an unknown abyss. He screamed out, stared over the edge, on his knees crying, but he couldn't reach them, could never reach them. And he was alone, and they were far away, and he could never change that. Never. Darien woke from his dream, a dream that he had been having off and on for years now, ever since he had been a child, scared and injured, alone in the unfamiliar hospital. It was a dream like the remnants of the taste of old wine on the tongue, a familiar flavor, yet he couldn't remember the details, and soon, the dream had been completely forgotten, and only the atmosphere surrounding it, the terrible sadness and emptiness was left. He rolled over and looked at his clock. 6:30. Time to get up and face the day. Just enough time for a morning jog before work. Darien threw on a black tank top and gray sweats and headed out the door of the apartment. He started out slowly, pacing himself, but about 20 minutes into the run, he began to pick up the pace, testing himself, trying to strengthen himself. He reached his resting point, where he usually stopped to reflect on whatever he wanted to think about, and stared out over the bridge into the river running through the park. He rested his elbows on the wooden railing and lost himself in his thoughts. "Wonderful view, isn't it?" Darien turned to face the voice. A man, in his mid-fifties, faced him, his hair a dark gray and his eyes a shining blue. He wore a green warm-up suit, and the sheen of a light sweat covered his face. "Yes, I love this bridge." Darien said. The man nodded, as though he could comprehend exactly how Darien felt completely. "It's just so calming here." The man agreed, and joined Darien in his observation of nature. The two stood there in a peaceful silence, a silence not filled by awkwardness, but one of mutual understanding. Darien wasn't sure of how long he had been standing there with the man. But, he was aware of the growing bustle of the city, of the increasing amount of people rapidly moving through the streets. The sun had risen higher in the sky, and shone down with more intensity than when Darien had left his apartment. He knew that it was probably time to stop thinking about things that eluded his memory, that frustrated him to the point of near insanity, and shower for work. Darien turned towards the man, and smiled at him, then began to jog back the way he had come. The man watched his form disappear over the horizon, then turned his thoughts back to their previous reverie. Darien tugged at his collar, trying to loosen the tie a bit. He wore a suit today, instead of his usual casual and comfortable jeans and black shirt. Today was an important day at THE CURRENT newspaper where Darien wrote. The new editor in chief, Dustin Areta was arriving and all the employees had to look impeccable. He only hoped that the new chief wouldn't enforce a strict dress code. He waited at his desk patiently for his new boss to arrive, staring at Serena's picture. He knew that he would marry her, that they would have a family, that he would finally have a family. A bustle at the front of the office caused him to look out above the tiny cubicle that he called his office. A cluster of people surrounded the new arrival, and Darien couldn't see much of the new editor, except for a mop of gray hair. He could hear a calm yet resounding voice order the people to sit down, and immediately the crowd dissipated. A familiar face greeted him, although now he wore a gray business suit instead of jogging outfit. The boss looked at Darien for a moment, then beamed at him with recognition. "Well, we meet again." The man said, offering his hand. Darien was at first confused by this informal attitude from his boss, but shook his hand vigorously anyway. "It's a pleasure to see you again sir. I'm Darien Chiba, staff writer." Darien said in a business tone. The man laughed heartily. "We're all friends here. There is no need to be so stiff Chiba. Lighten up." Dustin said. Darien looked at him quizzically for a second, then smiled. Dustin returned it. "Good. Perhaps I'll even see you around jogging." "Maybe si- Mr. Areta." "Dustin. Please, everyone calls me Dustin. I just hate formalities." Dusitn winked at Darien, then moved on down the row of cubicles to meet another staffer. Darien watched the man, marveling at his exuberance and energy. The man seemed to practically glow with enthusiasm for life. Darien liked the guy already. "I want you to write an article on that new plant, the one with all that chemical wastes. Focus on the effects this thing will have, both good and bad. You know, examples from the past with plants like this, how it will affect the environment, the pros and the cons. You see what I'm getting at?" Dustin asked. Darien was still scribbling in a small notebook, his big, scrawling handwriting flowing across the page as he tried to keep up with Dustin's suggestions for his article. More and more he found himself spending time in the gorgeous office, with it's antique wooden tables and chairs and desks. His lunch was spread out on the low glass table, getting cold as he listened to Dustin. "Should I call Fukikami on the Board of Directors?" Darien asked. Dustin paused, thinking, and leaned over to his desk to grab a greasy french fry. "Of course. You can never have to few quotes Chiba. Always interview, interview, interview. Now, if only we could get an interview with the Sailor Scouts, we'd be set." Darien laughed nervously at that prospect. "I uh, doubt you'd have much luck with that." Darien said. He took a bite of his sushi and chewed it slowly. Dustin started to say something, but the buzzing of the intercom interrupted him. "Mr. Areta?" a high pitched nasal voice floated up from the speakers. Dustin hit the flashing button and began to speak into the receiver. "Yes Betsy. What is it" he asked. "Um, there's a girl on her way in to -" the rest of Betsy's comment was drowned out as the doors to Dustin's office slammed open forcefully, banging against the walls. Dustin stared at the girl a moment then began to laugh. Darien just stood there, too shocked to move. "May I help you miss?" Dustin asked. The girl shook her head and began to cry. From the looks of her red eyes, she had been crying before she had entered the office. "Serena, what are you doing here?" Darien asked, finally regaining the use of his vocal cords. He walked up to her and embraced her. She began to cry harder and buried her head into his chest. 'Help me' Darien asked with his eyes as he looked at Dustin. Dustin shrugged his shoulders as if to say that he didn't know what to do either. "Serena what's the matter?" Darien asked. Serena sniffed, her tears beginning to subside now. "I lost Reeny." She said meekly. Her eyes began to water at the very thought of losing the girl. "I'm so sorry Darien. Please don't hate me." she began to cry again. Darien stroked her hair comfortingly, then turned to Dustin. "Would you excuse us for a moment?" he asked. Dustin looked at the girl. "Take care of her, and when you're done, see me." Dustin ordered, then softly left the room, closing the door behind him. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble Darien. But I didn't know where else to go." Serena said. Darien put a hand under her chin and tilted her head up, forcing her to look him straight in the eyes. "Don't worry about that Serena. I'm not in trouble, and I could never hate you. But, you have to tell me what happened." Serena watched his face. She trusted him, and believed what he said, but how could he not hate her for losing Reeny. But he had to know. "We were in the park, by the bridge, and she wanted ice cream. But I was talking with Molly and told her to wait." Serena began. She took a breath and then continued, acutely feeling the glare of Darien's eyes on her. "She didn't want to wait around for me and yelled at me. So I yelled at her too." "What did you tell her?" Darien asked. Serena lowered her eyes in shame. "I told her that I didn't care what she did, and that she could go get it herself, and that her mommy probably wasn't a good mommy if she raised such a, a . . . such a stupid spoiled brat." Her eyes began to fill with tears and she clutched at Darien's shirt. "I didn't mean what I said, but I was angry. And she ran off and didn't come home. Please don't be mad at me. I'm so sorry. I'm such a bad person." Darien jerked his head up at that last comment. It clearly startled him. "Serena, you are NOT a bad person." He said reassuringly. "But I said all those mean things to Reeny and she's just a little girl all alone and lost and scared." Serena slipped out of Darien's arms and looked out the window that overlooked the city. She could see almost all of Tokyo from the immense height. It was such a big city and she was such a little girl. And she had a habit of getting into trouble. If she wandered into a bad part of town, or if the nega-moon was still a threat and found her . . . well, Serena would never forgive herself. There were just so many threats out there that it was overwhelming. Serena shuddered at the thought. "Don't worry," Darien said, noting the slight tremor that raced through her body. "We'll find her. I'll tell my boss that there was an emergency and then we'll look for her together. All right?" Serena turned a sorrowful face towards him. She nodded in agreement. "Thank you." she said softly. Darien smiled and went to find Dustin. "REENY!! REENY WHERE ARE YOU!!" Serena yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Serena, that's not helping." Rei said. "How do you know?" Serena retorted, and continued yelling even louder than before. "I don't think she's here." Darien said, looking around a moment longer. It was already dark and most people were either at home, or on their way there. The area of the city they were looking in, a small residential district, didn't have many people roaming the streets and there was no sign of the conspicuous pink haired girl anywhere. "But we've looked everywhere." Serena whined. "Don't worry. I'm sure Ami and Lita have had better luck." Darien said. "Yeah, Reeny's probably too mad at you to even be on the same street as you." Rei said. Serena opened her mouth to wail, but Darien stopped her. "Why don't you call to them on your communicator to find out." Darien suggested. Serena reached into her bag and pulled it out, hitting some buttons. Darien shot an annoyed glance at Rei, then turned to see the monitor in the communicator as Ami's face appeared. "Hi guys. Any luck?" Serena asked. "No, we've looked all over down town. We just called Mina and she said that she and Luna and Artemis didn't find her either. I'm really starting to get worried." Ami confessed. "Me too." Serena said. "Do you think that Rubeus got her?" she asked. "Ooh, if he does, I'm gonna cream that little twerp." Lita said in the background. "Guys, I'm pretty sure she's safe. We haven't seen that weird energy beam that she makes when she's scared. And I haven't been feeling the same vibes I get when Rubeus is around. I'll bet she probably just wants to teach Serena a lesson." Rei said. "Hey! That's not fair Rei." Serena cried. "Well, we'll keep on looking until we find her. Ami out." Ami said, quickly cutting off to avoid another fight. "Girls, why don't we head back to town to look.." Darien said. Serena and Rei turned their angry stares away from each other. "Okay." Serena said. "I guess." Rei agreed. Rei took a last look at her surroundings. Large houses surrounded her, all of them at least three stories tall set in the middle of perfectly manicured gardens. "I've never been in this area before." Rei said, marveling at the extravagant homes. Serena joined her, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. "They're so pretty." Serena said, awestruck. "I guess there isn't a fast food restaurant here then." She said, as her stomach growled loudly. Serena blushed as Darien sighed. That was classic Serena and he wouldn't have it any other way. "Do you always think about food?" Rei asked. "No miss smarty pants. Sometimes I think about comics.. Oh, and my Darien of course." She said. Rei shook her head in defeat. "I think we could all use a break. We've been looking all afternoon. My boss lives here. I bet he wouldn't mind the company." Darien said. Serena began jumping up an down. "Here! He lives here? Oh this is just so majorly cool. You mean, he lives inside one of those houses and we'll actually get to go inside?" she said excitedly. "No were going to eat in the doghouse." Rei said sarcastically. "Of course we're going to eat inside meatball head." "I'll choose to ignore that comment. This is probably too much for your tiny brain to handle." Serena said. Then she turned to Darien. "Oooh, which one is it?" she said. "This one." He said, pointing to a three story white wooden home with four majestic pillars flanking the 9 foot high oak doors. Serena's jaw dropped so far that it almost hit the floor. "Wow." Was all Rei managed to utter. Darien walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell. Within seconds a woman with long black hair and friendly wrinkles surrounding her striking green eyes, answered. "May I help you?" she asked. ""I'm here to speak with Mr. Areta. I'm Darien Chiba, one of his reporters." Darien said. "Oh. Dustin has told me so much about you. You've really impressed him quite a bit. I'll tell him that you're here. Why don't you just come on in." The woman said leading them through the marble foyer into the comfortable living room. Serena and Darien sat on the wine colored velvet couch, sinking down in the soft cushions. Rei looked around the room in awe at the collection of fine artwork and antique nick nacks and a lone picture of Mr. And Mrs. Areta and two younger children. "This is really nice." Serena whispered. "I know." Darien said, then stood as Dustin entered the room. "Darien. This is a welcome surprise. SO what brings you to my neck of the woods?" Dustin said. "And who are your two beautiful friends?" he asked. Serena and Rei blushed. "This is Rei Hino and Serena Tsukino." Darien said, pointing to the two girls. "I seem to recognize you. I hope that whatever was bothering you earlier has been resolved." Dustin said, speaking directly to Serena. "Um not really." Serena said, a little embarrassed. "That's why we're here. We were looking for Serena's cousin and the girls got hungry." "I'm fine. Serena's the one who never stops eating." Rei interupted. Dustin scratched his chin as though thinking hard about something. "A lost little girl? Would she happen to have pink hair?" Dustin asked. Rei jumped. "Yeah, how did you know?" She asked. Dustin smiled knowingly. "Marie, could you and our guest come here for a minute." He called. From the hallway a girl's giggling could be heard. Marie came in, holding a smiling Reeny. When she saw Serena, Rei and Darien, she gave a squeal of delight and ran to Darien, jumping into his arms. "Reeny!" Serena exclaimed. "We were so scared." "She was here the whole time?" Darien asked. Dustin nodded. "She was very wonderful company. Although, maybe next time you should keep a better eye on her and not let her roam the park alone." Dustin looked Reeny in the eyes and said, "Reeny, don't you have something to say?" "Uh huh. I'm sorry Serena for making you guys worry." She said, her voice subdued with guilt. "If you ever do this again you lit-" Serena began. Rei looked at Serena reproachfully. "Just don't do it again, ok?" Serena finally said. Reeny beamed. "Dustin is really cool. You're so lucky you get to work with him Darien." Reeny said. "Thanks so much for taking care of her Dustin." Darien said. "It was really no problem. She's really a wonderful kid." Dustin said. "Actually, I wouldn't mind if you joined us for dinner. We were going to have it in about 15 minutes, if you don't mind waiting." "All right." Serena said, drool nearly forming in the corner of her mouth. "Get a grip Serena." Rei reprimanded. "But I'm hungry." Serena whined. "You're always hungry." Reeny chimed in. Serena glared at both her Reeny and Rei. "Oh yeah, tthhhbbbttt." She said, sticking her tongue out. Rei returned the sentiments. "Are they always like this?" Dustin asked quietly. "Always." Darien said in a similarly hushed tone. Reeny squirmed in Darien's arms and he gently let her down to join the girls in a tongue war. Marie stepped up beside Darien. "Could you help me in the kitchen for a moment?" she asked. "Uh sure." He said. He eyed the girls, who were still fighting. Serena and Rei fighting wasn't so bad, but all three of them was simply too much. Dustin laughed to himself before deciding to finally intervene. "Rei, would you take Reeny to the bathroom to wash up?" he said sweetly. Rei jerked her head up from the group, and took Reeny by the hand, leading her up the stairs. Darien followed Marie through the doors to the kitchen, leaving Serena alone with Dustin. "Thanks so much for finding her. My mom would have killed me if I lost her again." Serena bubbled enthusiastically. "She's a lovely girl." He said quietly. Serena looked around the room. "Wow, you have a lot of neat stuff." she said, picking up a crystal egg, nearly dropping it, but managing to keep a tentative hold on it. "Oops. Sorry." She said, placing the egg on the shelf beside a picture. Dustin, much younger, his hair dark, and Marie with a clear face, were sitting, between them a young boy with matching dark hair and blue eyes. The eyes seemed so warm to Serena, so familiar. "Is this your son?" she asked. He nodded. "Oh, the boy's so cute. How old is he?" "He, my son . . . he died a long time ago." He hung his head a bit lower, and spoke in a near whisper. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say, I mean, oh, I'm such an airhead." She stumbled over her words, trying not to blush at her stupidity. "It's all right. It was almost 13 years ago. We've learned to live with it." he said. "Oh. What happened?" she asked, then slapped herself in the head, "Sorry, dumb question." She said. "It's all right. There was a car accident. It was . . . " his voice trailed off. Serena bit her lip, angry at herself for her usual tactlessness. She embraced him, trying to comfort him the only way he knew how. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." she said. He coughed slightly, clearing his throat. "Don't worry Serena. It's almost time for dinner and Marie cooks a wonderful turkey." He said cheerfully. Serena brightened at the prospect of food. "Oh, I love turkey!" she exclaimed, dashing towards the source of the mesmerizing scent wafting from the kitchen as though it were the pied piper. Rei had already left for the temple since she was late for a fire reading with her Grandpa and two new students who would be working at the temple. Darien and Dustin talked in the living room while Serena and Reeny helped Marie out in the kitchen. Occasionally a crash could be heard from the kitchen, and each time he heard the chime of a falling pot, Darien flinched. "Serena's a bit clumsy, right?" he asked. Darien sighed an affirmative. "A bit doesn't exactly describe it." he said finally. "But I can't imagine her any other way." he added. Dustin smiled slightly. "Love perhaps." He commented. Darien nodded. "Well, I must say she seems nice enough." Dustin said, laughing at Darien's discomfort. "Although, she does seem a bit young." He added. "I know. Believe me, I know." Darien pictured Mr. Tsukino in his head. "But, she's special. I don't know if I can describe it." Darien said. "I understand completely. So how did you two meet?" He asked. "And don't spare any details." He asked, his eyes shining. "You're as bad as the girls." Darien laughed. Serena searched through the drawer in the kitchen for some tape. Marie had left the kitchen for a moment to finish cleaning the dining room and Serena accidentally broke a dish. She hoped that if she taped it up, maybe Marie wouldn't notice. "Who's that?" Reeny asked, peering over her shoulder into the depths of the drawer, where a picture of Dustin, Marie and his son was. "He kinda looks like Darien." Reeny commented, pointing at the boy with a soapy finger. Serena picked up the picture and held it close to her face, squinting her eyes. "Hey, you're right. He kinda does. Well, not much, just a little bit." Serena said. "Who is he? Their son?" Reeny asked, pushing Serena to get a better view. "Hey watch it. It's their kid, but he died." Serena said. "So don't go around saying anything." she added sternly. Reeny stuck her tongue out at the older girl, wiped her hands dry on her skirt, and grabbed the picture out of Serena's hands. "Hey!" Serena cried angrily. Reeny studied the picture, then turned it over. In scrawling handwriting, a sentence was written. 'Dustin, Marie and Darien Areta - 1985' "They're kid's name was Darien too. Isn't that weird?" Reeny said, looking at the picture. Serena thought for a moment. "Yeah, it is. He looks like our Darien, and is near the same age, and was in a car accident and . . . I'll bet it is Darien." Serena exclaimed happily. Reeny looked at her skeptically. "Don't do anything stupid Serena. It's probably just a coincidence." Reeny said. "I don't think so." "Yeah, well it doesn't matter 'cause you never think." Serena glared at the girl. "Oh yeah." Serena said angrily, almost challenging Reeny, and stormed out of the room. "Darien, I have to talk to you and Dustin." Serena called out, running into the room. Both men looked at her. "What is it?" Darien asked, getting up and standing beside her. "Dustin's yormmmphhfffur." Serena mumbled as Reeny's hand clamped down over her mouth. "Huh?" Darien said, puzzled.. "Ignore meat ball head over here. The fumes from the soap really messed her brain up more than usual." Reeny said, laughing nervously. Serena threw her hand off her mouth. "I am not messed up." Serena whined. "Come on, we have to finish the dishes." Reeny said, pulling on Serena's arm. "But I want to-" She began but Reeny cut her off. "Where's Maire, I need to tell her how many dishes Serena broke." Reeny interrupted. Serena glared at the girl angrily. "OH, I'm gonna get you, you little spore." Serena said. Reeny slipped away and ran into the kitchen, Serena following her, screaming insults. "What was that about?" Dustin asked, puzzled. "I don't want to know." Darien replied, containing laughter. "What's you're problem you flamingo head?" Serena said, She picked up Reeny and held her so they could stare each other straight in the face. "You can't go around blabbing your lame-brained theories. What if they're wrong and you end up getting Darien's hopes up and then he ends up hurt." "I would never hurt Darien." Serena cried indignantly. "You might not mean to, but you could accidentally." Reeny said calmly, hoping Serena would finally get a clue. Serena sat down in a chair, thinking. If she told Darien, and she was wrong, then she would hurt him. And, she would never hurt her Darien. So that means she had to keep her mouth shut." "All right. But, what if we found proof? Then could I tell Darien?" Serena asked hopefully. "How you gonna find that?" Reeny said. "I have my ways. Come on, it'll be fun." Serena said, her eyes shining. This could prove to be very interesting. Serena's head throbbed. She was surrounded by stacks and stacks of books, books on all sides. She thought she had a nightmare like this, after she had eaten pizza at 1 am. This was definitely not her idea of fun. "Melvin, can you hurry up. I think I'm allergic to the books." Serena whined. She stood behind her computer freak friend, staring at the computer screen. Attempts at undercover surveillance of the Areta's didn't yield the results Serena had hoped for, and her attempt to break into their house ended up with her running from the police. Her last chance had been Melvin. "Serena, you're asking me to hack into the police department files. It's not something I can do in a second." He said in a nasally whine. "Well, why couldn't we have done this at your house so I could at least watch TV. I heard the Sailor V movie's supposed to be on cable." She said. "Because that way, if we get caught in their files, they can't trace it to my house. This is illegal, ya know." Melvin typed something into the computer and pushed his large glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Oh." She said. She tried to make sense of the letters and numbers flitting across the computer screen. "What does that mean?" she asked. "We're in records - ID's and stuff. So why are you checking up on Darien? What did he do? Rob a bank?" he asked, pulling up the Chiba file. "No, nothing like that. I want to find out about his past. Listen, check the fingerprints from Darien Areta with Darien's - kay? See if they match." she asked. "Sure thing. That's not a bad plan actually." He said. "Who says Sailor V isn't educational." Serena said, smiling. Melvin clicked on a file and a younger version of Darien filled the screen. "I'm checking the two for similarities. Give me a minute or two." "All right." she said unhappily. She didn't want to be here much longer. It was a beautiful day outside and she had just gotten her allowance. The mall seemed to be calling her name at the moment. "Why didn't you ask Amy to help you out with this?" he asked. In the background the computer whirled as it tried to match the prints. "Amy's busy, and she wouldn't hack into the police files for me because she'd probably be afraid it's illegal or something." "Well, it is Serena. And I don't blame her. But, my ant festival got canceled so I didn't have anything else to do. Aren't you lucky that someone stepped on Artie?" Melvin said. Serena grimaced and shook her head. "Hey, isn't that Darien?" Melvin asked. Serena turned behind her and nervously scanned the library. There was Darien, looking for a book, his dark head towering above the other people in the library. Serena stared at him for a moment, just watching him in complete adoration, before remembering that Darien wasn't supposed to know she was here. She quickly turned away, trying to hide. "Oh no, what if he sees me." she whispered worriedly, trying to hide behind the chair Melvin was sitting in. Darien got up and walked towards her. She tried to shrink away, and curled herself into a tight ball behind the chair. "OH no. Go away Darien. Not now, just go away." She pleaded. "Turn the screen down." She hissed at Melvin. "Well meatball head, never thought I'd see you in a library. What brings you here?" Darien asked. He looked at her, sitting on the floor. "What are you doing?" he asked, offering a hand to help her up. Serena took it and hopped to her feet. "Oh uh, we're uh, not doing anything. We're studying. Yeah that's it, Melvin's helping me study." Serena said, laughing nervously. Darien looked at her skeptically. "What are you studying? I don't see any books." He said, looking at the dark computer screen. "I'm finding something on the internet for her." Melvin said, trying to keep a straight face. He wasn't the best liar in the world, and he knew that they weren't fooling Darien. "Maybe I can help." Darien said. "No!" Serena and Melvin shouted at the same time. Serena inched in closer to Darien, trying to block his view. She impulsively hugged Darien tightly, causing him to look at her in surprise. "Do you want to go for lunch. I'm sure Melvin won't mind, do you Melvin." Serena said in her sweetest voice. Now Darien was positive that something was up. "What are you two trying to hide from me?" Darien asked sternly. "I'm ah, uh, well, not really," Serena stammered. Melvin just stared forward, his eyes glazed. 'We're in serious trouble' he thought to himself. Just then, the computer began to beep. "ID complete." A computerized voice said. "Serena. Don't lie to me. I want to know what's going on" Darien ordered, and stepped past Serena to lighten the screen. Serena tugged on his arm. "Please Darien, let's just go. You don't need to see anything. It's nothing really. I just wanted to make you happy." Serena said, tears beginning to well. Darien stared blankly at the screen. The luminated green phrase flashing across the screen etched in his mind. 'Darien Areta and Darien Chiba: 100% Print Match.' "It's true, I was right." Serena said happily, realizing what the words meant. "I don't understand." Darien said. He didn't look good. His face was pale and he looked like he was going to collapse. Serena pushed Melvin out of the chair and he crashed to the ground. "Hey!" he cried. But Serena was oblivious. She made Darien sit down in the chair and hugged him tightly. "I just wanted you to find your family and you and Dustin's son were so much alike. But I needed proof. All I wanted was to make you happy. Are you happy?" she asked, looking up at him. Darien still appeared a ghostly white. 'Dustin . . .my father?' he wondered. It didn't seem real, didn't seem like he was even sitting here and listening to Serena. No, this felt like some sort of dream, where everything looked fuzzy and everything felt so confusing. Serena still looked up at him, apprehensive. He was so pale. Hadn't Amy said something about people looking like Darien did when they went into shock. Or maybe, Darien was angry at her. Maybe he hated her for going behind his back and searching for proof that he was Dustin's son. He wasn't even looking at her, just staring blankly offinto space, thinking. 'I'm so sorry,' she thought, hating herself for causing him such pain. She slowly let go of him, sniffling. He didn't even seem to notice. His head was swimming as he tried to make sense of it, not even realizing that he was sitting now. He couldn't remember sitting down in the chair, but now he was sitting, not standing. He felt too far away from what was going on, like he was outside of reality. Or reality was outside of him. Because reality doesn't do this, reality doesn't play out like some cheesy soap opera - or maybe more like Star Wars. ' "Darien, I am your father!" ' He could just hear Dustin saying. Because Dustin WAS his father. 'My father!' Darien thought. 'God he's my father!' Darien smiled slowly, for a reason he couldn't quite understand, before he was even aware of doing so. He just wanted to smile, to laugh ridiculously, because something inside him felt warm, like Serena had touched him, but a different kind of warmth. He shook his head, snapping out of his reverie to look back down at her. She had the most sweetly worried look on her face. "Darien?" she whispered. She practically trembled, afraid of what he might say. "Thank you." was all he managed to choke out. He planted a kiss on the top of her head as the words failed him. Serena sighed in relief, then giggled. "Wait'll you tell Dustin, or uh, your Dad." Serena said. Darien again had to shake his head at those words, confused once again. "My Dad?" Darien repeated. He liked that sound of that. My Dad. The sound on his tongue just sounded right. My Dad. Darien smiled. "I told you so." Serena said harshly. Reeny glared back icily at her companion, then turned her gaze back to the family of Darien, Marie and Dustin. Reeny really was very happy that Darien was so content at being reunited with his family. She already felt close to the Areta's, and since she and Serena were a big part of Darien's life, the couple made an extra effort to include them as part of their family. That, unfortunately, included helping out to clean out the Areta's attic. Marie was organizing the smaller boxes. Darien and Dustin were lifting a huge trunk and carrying it downstairs, while Serena and Reeny dusted the think layer of dirt that had accumulated over the years. Reeny swept her duster towards Serena, enveloping the blonde's head in a cloud of dust. "Ah, ah ah chooo." Serena sneezed, sending her flying backwards, She tripped over a box and fell. "You did that on purpose." Serena said angrily, standing up and brushing the dust off her jeans. "Did not. It was an accident." Reeny retorted, waving her duster menacingly. "Yeah right you little spore. You wanted me to sneeze and get dust all over me and what is this stuff in my hair?" Serena shrieked, feeling something light and whispy and strange covering a bun. She instinctively ran a hand over the mysterious thing on her head, and grabbed it. She looked at the thin threads and promptly screamed. "Spiders. AHHHHHH. I hate hate hate hate hate spiders. Eww get it out get it out." She cried, crying. Darien and Dustin, their faces both red from exertion, immediately ran up the stairs to see what was the matter. "Serena, stop crying." Marie said, wiping the spider web out of Serena's hair. "Hold still a minute." She ordered, as she picked the final strands out. "I hate spiders." Serena repeated, grabbing a duster and bonking Reeny over the head. "Hey." Reeny cried and returned the blow. Soon, the two were engaged in an all out battle while the three adults watched, unsure of what to do. "When in Rome . . . " Dustin said, then grabbed a nearby pillow and whapped Serena with it. Serena stared at him wide eyes, then grinned mischievously as Darien and Marie joined in on an attack on Dustin. Serena didn't want to wake up the next day. She even considered canceling her date with Darien, but then decided that she might as well just wake up, face the day, and get on with her life, even if she felt like sleeping. And now, strolling with Darien, listening to him talk about something or other, she wasn't really paying attention, she wished she had stayed in bed, even if it meant not seeing Darien. "And what's really interesting about the cerebral cortex is that . . . Serena, are you listening to me." he asked. Serena, still holding his arm, smiled weakly. "I'm sorry Darien. But you know how all that smart person stuff is hard for me to understand. It makes my brain turn to jello or something." Serena said. Darien laughed. "I know that you are capable of comprehending 'smart people stuff' Serena. It's just a matter of you trying. You are a bright girl." He said. "But it's the weekend and you don't want to hear about school right now." He added. Serena nodded vigorously. "How about something to eat?" He suggested as the headed towards a row of restaurants. "I'm not really hungry right now." Serena said quietly. Darien stopped mid- stride. "Not hungry! Are you all right?" he asked, placing a hand on her forehead. He was not a doctor yet, but it seemed a bit cool for his liking. "I don't know. I just feel . . . wrong." Serena said. As if to emphasize her point, she seemed to sway unsteadily, as if her balance was off. Queasily, Serena placed a hand to her head. "I'm taking you home Serena." Darien said. He was worried about her. She seemed to be getting paler by the second. "Don't feel right at all." Serena mumbled, her eyes falling shut and her head resting against Darien's chest. Panic rose, as did fear, in Darien. He began to call Serena's name, but she had fallen alseep. Laying her down on the ground, he tried shaking her, calling her, then knelt to check for a pulse. It was there, weak, but there. She was breathing shallowly as well. "Call an ambulence." Darien ordered an on-looker. A crowd of curious people had surrounded them. Darien held Serena until the medics took her away. "I thought we were finished with all this fighting? I mean, we already beat Rubeus." Venus shouted as she dodged a blast of light. "You guessed wrong." Mars said quickly. She pointed her index finger at the youma. "Mars Fire Ignite." She screamed. A wall of intense fire assaulted the monster, but it continued to throw deadly bolts of energy, in the shape of a wheels, at the Scouts. 'I wish Serena were here.' Mercury thought to herself as she tried to hide the scouts in her mercury bubbles. "Maybe if we all join our powers together, we can beat this thing." Mercury said, typing numbers into her computer. "We'd have an 87.73 percent of killing it." Mercury added, trying to boost their confidence. She wasn't used to doing that. Usually Serena did, with her unfailing faith and optimism. But she was in the hospital. The doctors said she'd be fine, but had suffered a major energy drain and needed her sleep. So the scouts were on their own now, and Mercury realized just how dependent they had been on their somewhat flighty leader. "Let's do it. It can't hurt." Jupiter said enthusiastically, welcoming the chance to rid the world of another youma. "Mars Celestial Fire Surround." "Venus Love Chain Encircle." "Mercury Ice Storm Blast" "Jupiter Thunderclap Zap." All their power combined into a giant beam of light, a mix of orange, red, blue and green magic. It headed towards the youma and surrounded it. The monster didn't stand a chance and screamed as it was disintegrated into moon dust. "They're here." Venus sang in a high pitched, little girls voice. The others just groaned. Click - black and white people on a black and white screen, one with a Hispanic accent. One with a whining voice. "Lucy, I'm home" - Click - No teenagers looked like these actors. But they were supposed to be high schoolers. Yeah right. Serena was glad she didn't live anywhere near a zip code that was famous - Click. TV thoroughly sucked in the middle of the afternoon. Serena turned off the TV and lay back in her bed. She missed her own quilt and her own house and most of all, her mother's cooking. A light rapping came from her door. "Come in." she called, hoping it wasn't that one scary nurse who Lita had dubbed Nurse Ratchett. Serena always did wonder where she came up with that odd name. "Feeling better?" Darien asked, walking through the door with a bouquet of roses. Serena immediately beamed at him and sat up in bed. "Darien! I'm so glad you came. This is so boring and the food here sucks." She said happily. "I know. But they only want to keep you here a little longer. They still aren't sure how you managed to get all your energy drained." Darien said solemnly. Serena grimaced. "Don't ask me. I'm just a tragic victim in all this." she said melodramatically. Darien laughed. He bent over to dig through a bag and pulled out a box. Opening it, Serena squealed in delight as the room was filled with the scent of chocolate. "Oh thank you so much." Serena said, stuffing the food into her mouth as fast as she could. "I'm surprised your not oinking." Rei said, standing in the door way with her hands on her hips. "What's that supposed to mean?" Serena said, pausing for a minute from her sweets. "She's just trying to bug you. She hasn't teased anyone for the past week and I think she misses it." Lita said, as the rest of the scouts, in civilian mode, stood in the doorway, bearing balloons and stuffed bunnies. "I did not miss the Meat ball head." Rei said angrily. "Rei." Mina said giggling. Rei merely pouted, then thrust out her hand. "Here." She said gruffly, handing a stuffed bunny to Serena. "Oh it's so cute. Thanks Rei, I missed you too." Serena said, jumping up to hug her raven haired friend. "We didn't come here for a social call girls." Luna said sternly as she leaped up on Serena's bed. Serena petted her cat and smiled at her motherly tone. Serena even missed Luna's nagging. "Serena your energy was seriously drained. You know what that means." Ami said seriously. Serena seemed to sink back down on the bed. The smile had fled her features. "Vacation's over, right." Serena said sadly. "Yeah. We had to fight a youma last night." Mina said. "Is everyone all right?" Serena asked, concerneed. "We're fine. We kicked some serious negaverse butt." Lita said in her usual loud tone. "A little louder Lita. Maybe the whole hospital would like to know." Rei said. "We need to find out more about this new threat." Luna said, trying to get the girls to concentrate on the problems at hand. "I agree with Luna. The sooner we can figure out what's going on, the sooner we can defeat them." Darien said. "If you say so Darien." Serena said, not really paying attention to anything but Darien. "WE don't really know anything. Except that they somehow got to you Serena. Do you know how they might have had the chance to drain you?" Ami asked. Serena shook her head. "I don't know. Nothing strange happened to me." she said. "Well, think about it, and maybe you'll remember." Luna said. "And please, try and- meow." "Meow? What's that supposed to mean." Serena said, confused. She looked behind her and noticed that they were no longer alone. "Visiting time is over. Out all of you." the nurse said in a menacing tone. The girls began to scurry to the door, while Darien lingered a moment to kiss Serena good bye. But, the nurse stopped him with a large callused hand. "None of that while I'm here. Now leave." She said. Darien got up and joined the girls who were waiting at the door for him. "I'll see you tomorrow Serena." Darien said. Serena waved good bye sadly. Then, Lita poked her head back through the door. "Later Nurse Ratchett." She said before running down the hall. The nurse glared unhappily, muttering something about crazy kids. "So how's Serena doing." Dustin asked. "She's glad to be home. I'm glad that she's home too. That one nurse - yuck." Darien said. Dustin laughed. "I'm glad she's all right." Dustin said. "Yeah, me too." Darien said quietly. He looked down at the floor. Dustin placed a hand on his back. "What's wrong.?" He asked. Darien faced him, his eyes shining. "I was wondering what I was like as a child. I know we pulled out those pictures from the attic, but I would really appreciate it if you could tell me about before the accident." Darien asked. Dustin sighed sadly, dredging up memories that always brought him sorrow. "I remember you always climbing things, and one day, you were trying to fly and broke your arm. That was the last time we let you climb up on the roof. And you always ran around the house like you were a superhero. You would wear one of my hats and your best suit and a little white mask made out of paper plates and run around with your baseball bat, saying that you would save the world." Dustin smiled, lost in thought. Darien could picture himself doing that, a little boy dressed like a miniature Tuxedo Mask. He wished he could tell his father who he was, what he did during the night. But he knew he couldn't, just as the Scouts couldn't tell their families their alter identities. "I'm glad we found you again." Dustin said. "I'm proud of who you've become. I couldn't have asked for a better son." Darien started at those words. He had never considered himself anyone's son before. He felt at peace though, happy, as though he were in a dream. His head began to swim for a moment, as he imagined his childhood that was lost to him. "Thanks . . . Dad." Serena screamed at the top of her lungs, adrenaline flowing through her veins. She grabbed onto Darien's arm and screamed again. She absolutely loved roller coaster. She shut he eyes tight as the rails began to curve upward and she was suspended upside down in mid-air. Finally she felt the car slowing down, and when she couldn't feel the rushing wind anymore, she tentatively opened an eye, checking to see if she had indeed stopped moving. Behind her, someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Let me get this straight. You go on those things for fun?" Dustin asked incredulously, his voice shaking. "Why else would we go on that thing?" Serena said as she got up from her seat, still clutching Darien and the two couples, Darien and Serena and Dustin and Marie, began walking down the ramp leading away from the ride. "Come on, it's not so bad. Or are you just getting old?" Darien joked good naturedly. "Watch it young man or I might just have to ground you." Dustin replied. Marie simply shook her head. "You'd think they'd have grown up by now." She whispered to Serena. "Instead they're like little boys." Marie glanced as the two men began to fiercely battle over a basketball venue. "But it's so cute." Serena said, smiling as Darien made a wonderful shot that didn't touch anything but the net. "They are, aren't they." Marie agreed as Dustin tired to match Darien's shot. He missed, the ball grazing the net, and Darien won the game.. Darien picked a purple stuffed panda as his prize. "Here you go Serena." Darien said, giving her the toy. Serena squealed in delight and gave Darien a tight hug. Darien blushed slightly at the impulsive display of affection, while Dustin and Marie smiled, remembering their own youth. "Oh thank you so much. Are you hungry?" Serena asked, hoping that he was and would give her an excuse to eat. As if to emphasize her point, her stomach chose that exact moment to start growling. "Why don't we go and get you something to eat. Would you two like me to get anything for you while I'm there?" Darien asked. Dustin and Marie declined politely, but found a table and sat down, waiting for the two young people to return. Fifteen minutes later, Serena and Darien were still waiting in line at the Pizza Palace in an obscenely long line. Serena stamped her foot impatiently. "Hello, I would like to get my lunch before the century. I wish something would happen already and we could go eat." Serena whined. Suddenly, Serena was knocked forward into Darien, who was struggling to keep his balance with both Serena and the strange disturbance. The crowd behind them began to shriek, as waves of energy rolled heavily over them, knocking people down on the ground. "What's that?" Serena asked in a panicked voice. Darien turned his head and squinted into the crowd, trying to see what was happening. "I don't know. But I think we need to find out." He said, reaching his hand into his pocket for his familiar rose. "I don't really want to know." Serena said in typical fashion. Darien looked at her sternly. "Oh, all right, I guess I should transform." Serena said, thrusting her hand up in the air. "Moon -" "Wait. You can't transform in the middle of all these people. They'll find out who you are." Darien whispered. "Oh yeah. I forgot. That wouldn't be a good idea." Serena said in an embarrassed tone. "Come on, let's go someplace more private." Darien said, taking her hand and leading her behind the concession stands. When they were out or view they both transformed and ran out into the midst of the battle. A giant teddy bear loomed over the fallen carnival-goers, whose energy seemed to have been drained. The thing was destroying the eating area that Serena and Darien had left Dustin and Marie. Tuxedo Mask scanned the place. People were slumped over in their seats, yet Dustin and Marie were no where to be found. 'At least they're safe.' He thought. "Oh, it's so cute." Sailor Moon commented. Tuxedo Mask arched an eyebrow quizzically. "Looks can be deceiving Sailor Moon." Tuxedo Mask said. "Come on, let's stop this guy and finish our day." Sailor Moon nodded and stepped forward in the midst of the fallen crowd. "Hey you, fuzzface." Sailor Moon said loudly as she stood in front of the youma. The creature slowly turned it's head to face Moon, it's ebony eyes shining dully. "Yeah, I'm talking to you." Sailor Moon continued. "People come to carnivals to be scared by rides, not by monsters, and I will not let you ruin their fun. I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon I will punish you." Sailor Moon's hands instantly reached for her tiara. She lifted her hand, bringing the glowing orb with it and threw it at the youma. The youma merely stood there and waited for the tiara to crash into it. The fur of the youma absorbed the impact of the tiara and Sailor Moon's weapon dropped to the ground, powerless, and completely ineffective. The youma took one big, long lumbering step towards Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Moon's eyes grew wide. It didn't work. Now what are we gonna do?" Sailor Moon whined. Tuxedo Mask stood in front of Sailor Moon protectively, wielding his cane defensively. "We try something else. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." Tuxedo Mask said, smiling reassuringly. He pulled out a red rose and threw it at the approaching bear. The rose darted through the air, but something was wrong. Mid way to the monster, the rose began to fade from red to a dull gray, and began to wilt, then fall to the ground, it's petals spread out on the pavement. "What happened?" Sailor Moon asked. "I don't know. That's never happened before." Tuxedo Mask confessed. He glanced at the youma and grabbed Sailor Moon around the waist as he jumped with her to the side, narrowly dodging a blast of energy. "Why don't you just give up now? We only want to steal your energy." The bear said in a strangely human voice. Sailor Moon stood up shakily, followed by Tuxedo Mask, who placed a hand on her shoulder. "I won't let you hurt anyone and I won't let you take anyone's energy." Sailor Moon said resolutely. The bear looked at her quizzically, then began to laugh a cold laugh. "You stop me? You're weapon's can't stop me and you're boyfriend's useless. What are you going to do, whine at me till I die?" it said, flinging it's arms in a wide circle, winding up a tight pitch and throwing a baseball at them. Sailor Moon was unable to dodge the ball, as it raced towards them at 200 mph. She cowered, pressing against Tuxedo Mask and shut her eyes. An intense flash of heat burst in front of her. "Hey Sailor Moon. Need some help?" Sailor Mars said, her hands still pressed together from the recent attack she had just executed. "Sailor Scouts! Man, I'm so glad you guys showed up." Sailor Moon exclaimed happily. Sailor Mars and the rest of the scouts surrounded the youma, who watched the girls with mild amusement. "Venus Love Chain Encircle." Sailor Venus called. A golden chain of hearts surrounded the youma, restraining it for the moment. It struggled but could not get free. "Your turn Sailor Moon. Use your scepter." Sailor Jupiter called out. "Sure thing." Sailor Moon said and reached into an invisible pocket and whipped out her scepter. "Moon Scepter Elimination." A beam of light crashed into the youma. It looked at Sailor Moon, then at the scouts, as though it were confused, then realization dawned on it and it began to form it's own defense. But, Sailor Moon's power was greater and the fur of the bear disintegrated into dust, a dark smoke rising into the air. "You may have defeated the shell Sailor Moon, but we will return, and when we do, there will be no one to save you." a disembodied voice, a mix of a woman's and a man's rang out, originating from the dissipating smoke. The girls stared at it in wonder. "What do you think this means?" Sailor Venus asked. "Yeah. Maybe they're from the nega-moon. Do you think they're the ones who replaced Rubues.?" Sailor Jupiter added. "I don't know." Sailor Mercury said, for once completely baffled. "What do you think Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Moon asked. Tuxedo Mask didn't hear her, and was staring off in the distance, not looking at any point, but just zoning out. "Darien, are you all right?" Sailor Moon asked again, worried when he didn't answer her first question. Tuxedo Mask was startled and looked at Sailor Moon and the Scouts, still a little confused. "Fine, I'm fine. Don't worry." He said quietly. Sailor Moon wasn't completely satisfied with his answer, but decided not to press it. Around them, people began to wake up groggily, police sirens sounded nearby. "We better get out of here." Sailor Mars said, turning on her heels to flee the scene. "Oh no. Where's Dustin and Marie?" Sailor Moon said in a panicked voice. She began to run towards the closest person by her and checked to see if it was someone she knew. "They weren't here when the youma attacked. Come on, let's transform before the police get here and look for them. Tuxedo Mask said. Sailor Moon agreed enthusiastically and they also left to transform into their normal selves. Serena and Darien emerged from behind the tent and were relieved to see that almost everyone who had been drained were beginning to get back up on their feet. From a crowd of confused people, Darien spotted two familiar heads and began to push his way through the crowd. "Dustin! Marie! Over here." Darien called loudly. Dustin's head jerked up and he looked in the direction of the voice. He smiled as he spotted Darien and began to wave. Darien tugged on Serena's arm as the went to rejoin the older couple. "Are you guys all right? That youma attack was serious business." Serena exclaimed while giving Marie a relieved hug. "Yeah, we went to the rest-rooms and when we came back, everyone was out cold We were lucky that we missed the brunt of the attack." Dustin said. "This'll make a great story." He added, shifting back into his reporter mode. "Did that thing hurt you?" Marie asked in a mothering tone. Her watchful eyes scanned the two young people, searching for any injuries. "No problem. The Sailor Scouts stopped that thing before it could hurt us." Dustin growled at the mention of the Scouts. "Ha, they'd end up killing us all with a stray blast. No good vigilantes." He muttered under his breath. But Serena still heard him, yet chose to ignore his comment. "We're fine, thanks to the scouts, right Darien." Serena said. Darien didn't answer her immediately, and stood staring off into space. Serena tapped Darien's arm to get his attention. "Darien?" She asked. "Are you all right?" she said tenderly, her voice hardly masking her worry. "Hmm?" He said, his voice still sounding dazed. He looked at Serena, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah, I"m fine, I guess." He said. But he didn't sound too sure. "Maybe you should go home Darien. It seems this thing took more out of you than we realized. Get some rest." Dustin said, placing a hand on Darien's shoulder. Darien stared at it for a moment, then broke into a small smile. "I'm fine. Really, don't worry about me." he said in his usual casual voice. But Marie shook her head. "You are going to march yourself straight home young man." She admonished good naturedly. "I have a lot of mothering to catch up on, and I'm not about to let this opportunity pass. Now Serena," she turned to face Serena, who stared her back straight in the eye, "You make sure he gets home and goes right to bed. Understood?" Serena stood stock still and raised her hand rigidly to her forehead, saluting to Marie. "Yes sir." She said through a fit of giggles. Serena snaked her arm through Darien's and began to pull him to his car. "Come on, you heard Sergeant Marie." She said. Darien watched her blue eyes dance, her light step, and couldn't help but join in her mirth, allowing himself to smile at her undeniable cuteness. "I'll see you at work then." Darien called out as he felt himself being pulled deeper and deeper into the crowd. He heard Dustin call out an acknowledgment, but Serena had already pulled him halfway through the park. When they at last had left the maze of people roaming about the carnival, and reached his car, Serena gave Darien a fierce hug. Darien wrapped his own arms around her, though he didn't quite understand her sudden impulse. "What was that for?" he asked. "You looked like you needed it." she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. She still hadn't lifted her face from the burrow in his chest she had made with it. "What do you mean?" he asked. Serena leaned back in his embrace so she could look up into his face. "Something's bothering you. Was it the fight?" she asked. Darien turned away, but Serena put a comforting hand on his face and tilted it until he again was staring at her. She wasn't going to let him get out of this that easily. "Come on. I know you too well to not see that something's bugging you. It's about your rose, isn't it?" she asked sincerely. Darien shook his head slowly, a wry grin played across his lips. "Since when did you become so smart Serena? Was it that obvious?" he asked, letting go of her. Serena dropped her arms to her side, but continued to stand as near to him as she could. "You can tell me. I'll always be there for you, whether you need me to fight, or to just talk with." "I know. But . . . " he said, trailing off. He thought of all the possibilities. What if his rose failed him again, and the results were fatal to those closest to him? He didn't like that one bit, and the fact that his weapon had lost it's power scared him. "Please Darien." She said firmly. Darien nervously fingered his rose and again stared off into the distance. "I don't know what happened. It's never done that. But it's almost like, like . . . like it got corrupted somehow. I don't understand what's wrong. But what if it ended up not working when you needed my help the most? What if I can't save you because my rose won't work? I could never . . . I can't . . ." he said, but trailed off, lost again in his own thoughts. Serena, her eyes filled with tears, hugged Darien tightly, trying to show her support. "Don't worry. I've got the Sailor Scouts around to protect me. We'll figure out what's going on and then everything will be cool. I'll fix everything." She said, trying to comfort him with enthusiastic words. Darien smiled. Her words, though he didn't believe them, still made him feel better, and there was no doubting the sincerity of them. And he knew that when Serena set her mind to do something, there was no stopping her. A few images came to mind, and he laughed inwardly at the mental pictures. "What's so funny." She asked. "I'm not so sure you should fix anything. Remember the microwave? Or the TV?" he asked. Serena stepped away from Darien as though he were a snake and pouted at him. "Well, no one ever told me you shouldn't nuke silver ware. And how was I supposed to know that when you cross the blue wire with the green it blows up?" she asked. Darien laughed and opened the passenger door for her. "I was only kidding Serena." he said. Serena's pout only deepened. "Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know. Aren't you supposed to warn people about that stuff or something?" she whined. Darien sat down in his seat and put the keys in the ignition, ignoring Serena's usual remarks regarding mean jokes, yet loving her for them more just the same.