Well, here it is... You're all very lucky that I'm posting
this, especially since I haven't recieved ONE little email,
except from the super duper, wonderful SuperKate, saying
ANYTHING about what you peoples are thinking... even if
you're thinking it's taking too long!

But try not to worry too much, 'cause we're almost at
the end... at least for this story... I believe I mentioned
before that the saga WILL be continued... I know I said that
somewhere...

Okay, so read on, enjoy, and PUH-LEASE! E-MAIL ME!!!!!!

luv ya! Andrea Readwolf

**************************************************************************

I'll Be There For You
Part 7 - The Battle For Serenity

"Send them away!" Mina screamed.

"Sailor V--"

"No, Darien, send them away!" she cut him off.

"Mina--" Kunzite tried lifting a hand to her cheek. She pushed
it away angrily.

"No! Send them away!" she repeated. "It's suicide to risk their
lives like that!" They looked at her in silence... with sympathy.

"I agree," Lita said in a hoarse whisper. She looked up from her
hands in her lap. Her auburn hair hung limp; her bangs fell unnoticed
into her eyes; her fiery green eyes that flashed with anger and pain.

"They're a handicap to us if they stay." She pushed herself to her
feet and repeated Mina's words. "Send them away. We will go the
rest of the way on our feet."

Prince Endymion started to protest, but he was interrupted from
whatever he was about to say.

"We have trouble," Jedite called to them. He pointed to the sky
and their eyes followed.

An unnatural storm was gathering in the southeast. Mercury whipped
out her computer and began to analyze it. Mars was already stretching
her senses towards the phenomena.

"Please, Darien!" Mina cried, tears pooling in her large blue eyes...

She has eyes the same color as Serena's, he thought. And then shut
his eyes tight against the pain that welled up in his chest with that
thought. He suffered a moment of indecision... It was all the enemy
needed to attack.

A tornado funneled down into the center of their group, startling
them all, and sending them to the ground, flat on their backsides.
Laughter filtered through the swirling winds, making them sick. The
winds died down into nothing-ness, revealing two young women.

They were tall, even hanging fifteen feet above the ground. One
was dark skinned, tan; the other was pale as porcelain. Both women
smiled, their red lips stretched wide.

Surya hissed at the intruders. Aldebaran roared in fury.

Their smiles faltered.

"Darien! Please!" Mina tried again.

He reached for the golden crystal that hung at his chest. It
began to glow even before his hand neared it. The two creatures
began to protest as their bodies began to dematerialize. Aldebaran's
words hung in the air where his body had been...

"Be safe..."

Laughter filled the stunned silence that followed the two
creatures' disappearance. Furious eyes turned to the two women.

"We're Sailor Scouts of Love and Justice!" Mars called out.

"I believe you have something of ours," Venus added.

"Tell us where our friend in and we won't hurt you," Mars finished.

The two women laughed at her. The woman with the long purple/red/
black pony tail in the red and black vinyl bodysuit floated forward
until she hung in the air above Mars. She smiled down at her.

"How convenient," she said. "I believe you have something of ours
too." Her eyes slanted towards Jedite and she gave a little pout.
"It's been terribly lonely without you, Jeddy." A wicked glint sparked
her reddish purple eyes. "Tell me, was it truly *awful* in that crystal
prison?"

"'Jeddy'?" Mars asked, turning to look at the fiery general.

Jedite frowned. "I never did like that name," was all he said.

"You never complained before," the woman replied, shifting her hips
and looking at him seductively.

"Oh really?" Mars asked, looking back at him.

"I was lonely!" he shouted in defense. "It's not like you were around
you know!"

"I seem to remember being around!" she shouted back.

"Good gods!" He whirled around. "You were fourteen!" And then as
an after thought, "And it's not like we were talking at the time!"

"Like that's supposed to be significant?"

"I seem to think it is!"

"Well then it's plain to see who's the fool, huh?"

Jedite saw red...

Silence filled the void as everyone watched, shocked.

"You could always come home, Jeddy," the woman suggested, moving
closer to the very angry general. "I am sure the princess will welcome
you back."

She had moved to his side, still looking at him seductively. He
looked at her, completely disgusted.

"Get a life, Delvina," he said, taking his fist and shooting a ball
of energy into her midsection. She went flying back, landing some
yards away.

"That wasn't very nice, Jedite," the other woman replied. She still
hung in the air.

"I don't hear her complaining," he answered.

"Listen," Uranus cut in. "Tell us what we want to know and your
death will be quick."

The woman rolled her entire head until she was looking at her.
"Sailor Uranus," she said in acknowledgment. "A pleasure this is not."
Her smile turned into a frown. She shook her head and silver cords fell
free. She smiled again. "Let's see if we can rearrange that."

The silver cords went flying out with electric speed.

Uranus saw them coming and was already gripping her space sword.
There was a wicked smile on her lips and a glint in her eyes.

"Waxing Moon Strike!"

The silver cords were sliced and diced, falling dead to the ground,
before they got within ten feet of her. Uranus frowned at the culprit,
ignoring the others as they made quick work of the woman.

"You can have your fun later," Sardonyx told her. "Now let's focus
our energies on finding Serenity."

"Serena," she corrected him, regrouping with the others.

They stood in a circle around the screaming woman. She was on her
hands and knees, laid low by the others' attacks.

"Tell us what we want to know," Endymion said, grabbing the woman
by her arm.

"I-- will-- tell-- you-- nothing," she hissed venomently. Her hand
clenched and then unclenched to reveal five very deadly, very long,
very sharp nails.

"Endy--"

Kunzite pushed the prince out of the way. He screamed as the nails
dug into flesh.

They closed the circle, tearing the woman from Kunzite, yanking her
arms back behind her. Endymion pushed off the ground, accepting
Euclase's hand up. He moved over to where Kunzite was laying on the
ground, his head cradled on Venus's lap. He held his stomach where
blood seeped through.

"Hold on, Kunz--" Endymion reached for his golden crystal, holding
his other hand over Kunzite's stomach. His eyes closed in
concentration; his lips sealed in a frown.

The woman laughed hysterically. "Can you feel it, Kunzie?" she
asked smiling madly. "Can you feel the poison burning through your
veins?" She licked her lips nervously when Uranus yanked hard on
her arms, but she dared to continue.

"It's the poison you gave me," she said breathlessly. "Do you
remember?" She licked her lips again. "How fitting it should be
the very thing that kills you... again."

She yelped when Uranus yanked harder on her arms. Endymion frowned
and pulled away. His eyes blinked open. He shook his head slowly,
helplessness pooling in his beautiful blue eyes.

"I-- I can't stop it," he said in a shaking voice.

Kunzite smiled at him. "I know," he said in his soft, deep voice.
"There is no cure." His breath came in short gasps, as though he was
suffocating. Venus held him, hovering over him, tears falling freely.

"No," she said in a choked little voice.

He gave a little laugh. "Had Zoicite make it one night. Was
supposed to use it to--" he cut off the sentence and gave another
laugh. "Fitting I should be the one to die for it."

"No," Venus repeated weakly. "Please, please don't leave me. Please,
please--" she choked off in a sob.

He raised a hand to her cheek. "I will always be with you," he
whispered, taking her hand and closing it over his chest. She nodded
dazedly. "Protect their love--" he sighed.

She shut her eyes tightly, falling forward, her hair falling around
them, breathing in deep, short, choked breathes. She pulled back,
pulling her hand away from his chest, away from him.

There was a bright flash of yellow light. Venus looked away
from it. And then, very slowly, she stood up and dried her tears.
She walked purposely over to the woman.

"You're going to tell me what we want to know," she said in a hard
voice-- a totally un-Mina/Sailor Venus-like voice.

"I don't think so," the woman sneered.

"Oh, *I* *do* *think* *so*," Mina said, pulling back her arm and
swinging her fist straight towards the woman.

***********************************************************************

Serena felt her way through the dark corridors. She was
light-headed. Her knees were shaking, threatening to buckle at any
second. Her heart jumped into her throat every time she heard the
slightest noise.

<They came for me. They are looking for me. They're here for me.
I must find them.> The words repeated themselves like a mantra in her
brain. A mystical chant that gave her the strength to keep moving.

<They came for me. They are looking for me. They're here for me.
I must find them. They came for me. They are looking for me. They're
here for me. I must find them. They came for me. They are looking for
me. They're here for me. I must find them. I must find them...>

***********

"My Princess," the small boy said, bowing low, fearing to look
into her face.

"Yes, what is it?" Alicia asked, not bothering to look up from the
precious bundle she held on her lap.

"The-- the girl," the boy gasped. "She is gone!"

Alicia lifted cold blue eyes to the quivering child. "What did you
say?" she asked, pronouncing each word very deliberately.

"I--Iwastobringherherfood," he rushed. "ButwhenIgottoherroomshe
wasn'tinthere. IthoughtmaybeIgotthewrongroomsoIwentbacktothekitchen
and askedagainandwentbacktotheroombutshestillwasn'tinthere!"

He sighed deeply and then dared a quick look at his princess. She
did *not* look happy, he thought.

"I see," was all she said. She stood up gently and moved towards
the small bed in the corner of the room and placed the swab of blankets
inside it. She turned around.

The boy almost dashed away, so frightened was he by the look on her
face.

"Find my guardian," she said in her throaty voice. The boy took off
before she could say more.

"Well, well, well," she said, lifting an overcoat to her shoulders.
"It appears our little mouse has more fight than I thought."

"You underestimate her a great deal."

"No one asked for your council, Mother," Alicia said, fastening the
coat at her chest.

"No one asked you to return to Nemesis," the dead Queen Beryl replied.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Someone had to clean up the mess you left
behind."

**********

She knew the moment her disappearance had been discovered. The very
air around her crackled with electricity. The very walls seemed to
grow ears, listening for any sound she might make. She felt eyes on
her at all times, though she never found the culprit.

<Please, please, please.> she begged herself. <Whatever you do now,
Serena, DON'T klutz out!>

She began to pray. She began to pray to everyone, to anyone. To
anything she could think of to pray to. She prayed to her mother, Queen
Serenity. She prayed to her Earth mother. She prayed to every god
she'd ever learned about. She prayed to Darien and the others...

Darien? Her mind stopped short. She could *feel* him, sense him.
And he was... stronger. What? That didn't make any sense! She could
always feel Darien. He was her soul mate. But... this... this was so
much... more...

The silver crystal began to glow softly.

She looked down at it, startled. No, no, no. This wasn't good.
Her hands flew up to cover the pulsating crystal. In the darkness,
the glowing crystal would draw attention...

**********

"We have something," Julia said, moving to a different control
station and tapping a few keys.

"Yes?"

Julia turned back to the other station, tapped some more keys and
then looked up at the display screen.

A map came into focus.

Julia hit some other keys and the map zeroed in on a specific spot.
Slowly, Alicia began to see the glowing little dot.

"This would be a hell of a lot easier if all systems were up and
running properly," Julia grumbled.

"These systems are over a thousand years old," Alicia replied, not
tearing her eyes away from the screen. "Be thankful they still work
at all."

"What I'm thankful for is that Earth is finally beginning to become
advanced enough to find repair parts," Julia sniped.

Alicia ignored her and instead asked, "What is that dot? Is that her?"

"I believe so," Julia answered.

"What do you mean, 'believe'?" Alicia snapped. "Don't you know?"

"Sorry Princess," she replied looking over her shoulder. "Until
all systems are up and running properly I can't tell you anything
definite."

Alicia cursed and Julia smiled.

"I can tell you this, though," she said, typing in some code or
another. "That section should be completely empty."

Alicia looked at her, a wild light in her eyes. "Is that the--"

Julia nodded with an equally evil, twisted smile.

Alicia began to laugh uncontrollably. Julia watched her patiently.

"Oh, my dear sweet little Serenity," she began to laugh again.
"Detention is in."

************************************************************************

"Nice right," Uranus said, bracing herself so she didn't fall
over. Venus ignored her.

She reached over, grabbing a fistful of mousy blond hair and wrenched
the woman's head back. A tiny trail of blood trickled from the side of
her mouth.

"I want information," she said in a deadly voice.

"Never!" the woman hissed.

Venus pounded her other fist into the woman. Both Uranus and the
woman grunted with the impact.

"Wrong answer," Venus said, wrenching her head back again. The woman
looked at her with hatred. Her face scrunched up and then she spit at
Venus.

She was startled, to say the least. She wiped a hand across her face
and then looked at it as though she had never seen it before.

They stood in a semi-circle. Sardonyx was standing beside Uranus,
read to offer an assisting hand at moment's noticed. Beside him, but
standing a bit back, was Meliphane, silent and watching, waiting for
some piece of information to jump on. Beside him was Mercury, also
waiting for some bit of information she could work with. Jupiter
stood back, looking... dazed, as though she couldn't quite comprehend
what was going on.

Jedite and Mars were more or less facing the woman. Along with
Endymion and Venus. Saturn, Euclase, and Pluto stood on the other
side of Endymion. Pluto was quiet, almost unnaturally so. She had
hardly said a word since they had arrived at this place, and she
looked very sad.

"I will tell you nothing," the woman said.

"Oh, I think you will," Sardonyx said, wrenching her arm. The
woman yelped. "It could be very-- *painful* for you if you don't."

The woman paled until she was even whiter then she was originally.
"Wha-what do you mean to do?" she stuttered.

He grinned at her, showing off his pearly white teeth. She cowered
from him.

"Now," Endymion said, regaining some of his composure after the
shock of Sailor Venus's most violent display. "I believe you were
about to answer some questions for us."

The woman darted a quick looked towards Endymion before staring
fixedly at Sardonyx. She licked her lips nervously again. Her body
was trembling noticeably.

"Let's begin with 'where's our friend?'" Mars asked, also recovering
from her shock.

"I-- I don't--" she licked her lips again. "I don't know who you
mean," she said in a quivering voice.

"Wrong answer," Uranus said, sending a rather low blow to the woman's
belly. Her eyes popped out.

"Let's try that again," she suggested, pulling back from the punch,
and standing up straight. "Where's our friend?"

"In-- in the fortress," the woman gasped, still slightly doubled over.

"Good," Endymion replied. "Now we're getting somewhere. What's the
quickest way into this fortress?"

The woman stared with hatred towards him. Her lips sealed shut.

"Hmm," Mars said. "Maybe she *didn't*--" she pulled back her arm
and punched the woman on her cheek-- "hear the question."

Her head snapped back and then rolled forward.

"What's the quickest way to this fortress?" Endymion repeated.

"There is no way in," the woman said slowly.

Uranus punched her in the stomach again. "Better think of a better
answer," she said, standing up straight again. The woman coughed,
spitting blood onto the ground.

"It doesn't matter," the woman said, spitting more blood onto the
ground.

"Why not?" Venus asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Because in a few more moments you will all be dead!"

Venus went to throw another punch but a scream from behind stopped her.

"DIE!!!!!!"

Their heads shot up to see a raging fireball flying through the air--
heading straight towards them. They shouted, and tried to dodge out of
the way. Saturn threw up her Silence Wall, protecting Endymion, Pluto
and Euclase.

"Waning Moon Choir!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

Meliphane's and Mercury's attacks met and combined, flying out to meet
the fireball.

The ball fizzled into vapors, revealing the demon woman behind the attack.
Delvina stood, shaking, glaring at them all with hate filled eyes.

"Join the Negaverse or face Death!"

"You are the one who must face Death," a quiet voice said calmly.

A purple glow brightened. Eyes widened in shock as what was about to
happen suck in.

"Pluto!" Endymion cried out to the senshi closest tot he girl. "Stop
her!"

Saturn was already raising her power when Pluto tackled her. Hurt and
confused eyes stared into one another.

"Now is not the time," Pluto said softly. Saturn looked over the
timeless senshi's shoulder at the fight that had begun.

"They *will* die," Saturn said.

"So shall we."

Startled eyes looked up at Pluto. Tears threatened to fall. Sad eyes
looked down at Saturn. Understanding passed between the two powerful
senshi.

"Look OUT!!!"

***************************************************************************

Serena's head snapped up, her eyes wide with fright. In her chest
her heart was racing. She could feel it.

The fear...

The excitement...

The pain...

She took several deep breaths. She held her head in her delicate
hands. She shut her eyes against the ocean of feelings trying to
overcome her...

And she could see them against her closed lids. They were fighting.
All of them... no... there were some missing. Oh no! There was a
fireball! And it was heading straight towards--

"Look OUT!" she screamed, careless to who might hear her.

**********

Saturn's and Pluto's heads snapped up. A fireball was heading
straight towards them... but before it could reach them, it would hit
Endymion first, and his back was turned away from it as he fought Albonia.

Endymion looked towards the sky when he heard the cry. Others, too,
looked up, searching hopefully for the owner of that voice. And then
Endymion was knocked into the ground. Which left the fireball on a
direct path towards Saturn and Pluto.

"Oh no you don't!" Mercury cried. "MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"

The fireball fizzled.

Jedite rolled off of Endymion. "Gotta watch your back, man," he said,
rolling to his feet with a playboy grin.

Endymion pulled a rose from the air and sent it flying. Jedite looked
behind him, startled. Fragments of Albonia's steel band lay only feet
away.

"Gotta watch your back," Endymion told him with a smile.

Pluto and Saturn were fighting along side Uranus and Sardonyx, trying
to defeat Albonia. She refused to yield, however.

"You will never take me alive!" she screamed.

"We don't intend to," Sardonyx told her coldly, distracting her from
Uranus's attack.

"WORLD SHAKING!"

Not quick enough-- the she-demon jumped into the air, avoiding the
attack.

"Oh, no you don't!" Saturn cried, swinging her glaive high in the
air after the retreating woman. The sharp blade soared through the air,
sliced deep into alabaster flesh, before falling to the ground, the
blade buried.

Albonia screamed, losing her balance and falling to the ground. She
looked up dazed, frightened eyes searching for non-existed mercy with

in the deep maroon eyes of the Senshi of Time.

Pluto held her Time Staff to the woman's throat. "Your time is up,"
she said in her soft voice before whispering the words: Dead Scream.

The screams of death filled the air until the woman was no more. They
gathered around her, around the void the woman had left. The faintest
imprint upon the sand, the only remainder left of the woman. Sardonyx,
Uranus, and Saturn stood around that imprint, staring down at it.

"Well, it's nice to see that you haven't lost your touch," Sardonyx
said lightly.

Pluto refused to smile. Instead she looked the grinning general in
the eye, her frowning lips framing her words. "Perhaps one day, I will
be allowed to do so."

The shouts of the others drew their attention to the other fight in
progress.

****

"Oh, youuuuuu!" Mars fired up her attack, knowing it would do little
good on the fire demon, but to angry to do nothing. "MARS CELESTRIAL
FIRE SURROUND!"

Delvina held up a flaming hand, allowing the flames to soak up the
attack, smiling, laughing madly. "Puh-lease!" she said, returning the
fire.

"WANING MOON CHOIR!"

"Dammit, Mercury," Jupiter cried, dodging a stray fireball. "Haven't
you come up with a way to stop her yet?"

"I'm working on it! I'm working on it!"

"Work a little bit faster, will ya?" Venus cried, tumbling away from
another fireball.

Endymion and Jedite worked their ways behind Delvina and tried to sneak
up on her. No such luck. The woman whirled on the sand sent two fireballs
into their chests. They flew back; landing in heaps on the ground some
ten, fifteen yards away.

"Jedite! Why you--!" Mars rushed her, carelessly.

"I GOT IT!" Mercury shouted looking up from her computer. "Fight fire
with fire! Mars, Jedite--" and then the scene before her registered.
"Mars, NO!"

But it was too late. The fiery senshi was already tackling Delvina.
Fire exploded seemingly everywhere, engulfing both women. They screamed,
but neither yielded. Gripped, arm to arm, they rolled on the ground,
trying to ignore the burning pain of the flames licking their skin.

"You're- going- down," Mars gasped, struggling.

"I won't- be- alone!" Delvina hissed.

"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"

The attack fizzled into vapors before reaching the core of the flames.

"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"

"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"

"WANING MOON CHOIR!"

"WAXING MOON STRIKE!"

"WORLD SHAKING!"

The attacks only managed to phase the outer flames. Inside the two
women roasted, struggling, unyielding, determined to win.

Euclase moved to call upon his own attack but Pluto stopped him. She
shook her head slightly. "We can not risk Mars," she said softly. On
her other side, Saturn gripped her glaive tightly.

On the other side, Endymion and Jedite struggled to their feet. Both
looked up in horror. Jedite roared, making to rush towards the flames,
but Endymion caught him, held him back.

"Let me go, Eddy!"

"Jedite, no!" Endymion tried to reason. "You would only succeed in
killing yourself!"

"No! Let me go! I have to help!" Jedite yanked his arm free, racing
into the center of the flames.

They moved as close as the flames would allow. They squinted, trying
to see the center of the burning blaze. They searched, praying for the
best.

She was screaming in pain. She knew she was, but she didn't care. She
would not yield. She would not yield! She would not--

Someone broke her grip, pulled her away from her prey. She screamed in
fury!

And then she was thrown away! Someone threw her!

She knew the minute her body had left the flames. The sudden chill of
the air, free of fire, left her shaking uncontrollably. And then she was
coughing up smoke and charred sick stuff from her lungs.

There was a surge of power, so familiar to her, followed by a scream.
Her own cried reached out and joined to it, before the darkness swallowed
her.

**************************************************************************

Mars was freezing- her whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Saturn!" Mercury cried out, rushing towards her friend's side. The
girl was already stepping forward, already powering up her energy. "Can
you-"

The small girl fell to her knees beside the Senshi of Fire. Black hair
fell forward, framing her petite face. Her eyes fluttered shut as she
began to concentrate.

They gathered around her, holding their breath. No one wanted to lose
another person...

The girl wavered, and then fell back. Strong arms caught her before
she hit the ground. She smiled up at Meliphane and thanked him softly.
And then she looked at the rest of them.

"She is weak--" Sailor Saturn said softly. "But she will survive."

A wave of relief followed that statement. The tears that seemed to be
at close hand of recent returned once more. This time, tears of relief.

Endymion pulled away from the group. He looked out over the field.
It was scorched near dry. Smoke smoldered up in ghostly fingers reaching
for the sky here and there. Slivers of silver cords were strewn across
the field. It looked like a war had passed through.

And on end of the field two charred corpses lay. And on the other end,
another body lay. Dead. Gone... again.

"I will miss you my friends," he whispered. "Thank you for your
help." He bowed his head-- for just a moment and then looked up.

The mountain ridge they had been heading towards stood before him.

"We must continue," he said, loud enough for his voice to carry back
to the others. "We must get to Serena. She is weakening with each
passing moment, I can feel it, and I don't know how much time she has
left..."

"No long," Pluto whispered, though only Euclase heard her and looked
at her with shock.

Jupiter stood up, fist raised. "Lets get going then," she said,
ignoring the tiny crack in her voice.

Endymion looked at her. Jupiter looked at him.

She pushed tears from her eyes stubbornly and walked over to where
Nephrite's body lay. She kneeled down beside the body and placed a
tender hand on his chest, clenched it, and then pulled away.

A brilliant flash of green light flared, and then died away. She
returned to the group, ignoring the tears that refused to dry. Venus
moved to her side and wrapped a reassuring arm around her.

"Let's go find Serena."

"Not yet," Endymion said, stooping down by Mars' side. He lifted her
head gently. Tired violet eyes looked up at him from half-closed lids.
"You know what you must do."

Her eyes watered and she nodded. He helped her up to her feet and
they watched with silent admiration as the proud senshi limped across
the ground separating her from the two burnt corpses.

She fell to her knees, tears falling freely. She lifted a trembling
hand up to one of the charred remains. There was a brilliant flash of
red blinding light- forcing the on-lookers to look away. When they
looked back, the Senshi of Fire was hobbling back to them, her fist
clenched tightly between her breasts.

"Call Surya and Aldebaran," she said hoarsely. "We have wasted too
much time already."

******************

Serena was trembling in a little ball on the group. The pain...
the pain... the pain...

It welled up inside her and choked her throat. Tears fell freely
from her crystalline eyes. Darien was okay. The girls were okay.
Everything was going to be okay.

And then she sobbed. But not everyone was okay. She had grown to
like the Earth Generals in the past several months. And now... now
they were gone.

She felt terrible. She felt bad for her friends who had given their
heart to these men... And she felt bad for her love. Darien had become
close to the four men. They had become- friends. And she knew Darien
did not keep many friends.

Darien-

There it was again. That- feeling. It was strange, and yet it was
familiar too. And it surrounded her love... her love... her only
love... hard armor...a flowing black and red cape... a handsome prince...

Prince?

Serena gasped. Could it be possible? But- how? Why? Darien normally
didn't transform until she did... and surely she would have sensed
something before now...

'Would you have?' Luna's voice asked her. 'It's not everyday you
have a baby, Serena. It's quite possible that all the stress might
have overloaded your meatball-headed brains.'

Could that be it? Could that be-- but no. No, yes, it was Prince
Endymion she was sensing now... but there was something else... something
more.

She looked down at her Silver Crystal. It was still pulsating, the
brilliant glimmering light passing through her slender fingers easily.

'You can't stay here Serena,' Luna's voice told her. 'You have to
get up! You have to get away! Now, Serena! Get up!'

She was sure she could hear the cat hiss in frustration, and Serena
smiled, reassured. She stumbled to her feet, leaning up against the
wall for support.

And then the wall gave out and she went falling through the gaping
hole into a mouth of darkness.

***********************************************************************

Continue Part Seven...