* * *
	Darien was on his way to work when he felt the jolt.
	Oh, no, he thought, now what? It feels like trouble. . .bad trouble. .
.and it's focused completely on. . .
	"SERENA!" He swung his car around and started heading for the arcade. . .
* * *
	Raye and Amy were buying sodas at a small grocery store when Raye froze in
her tracks.
	"What is it?" Amy said. "Raye, what's happening?"
	Raye slowly opened her eyes. "Get the communicator and contact Lita and
Mina. The Negaverse is about to attack Serena."
* * *
	She was calmly walking down the road, halfway between her house and the
arcade, when it happened.
	The thing snuck up behind her and grabbed her so fast that she couldn't
have transformed if she wanted to. And transformation quickly became
completely impossible, because the thing grabbed her brooch with one of its
tentacles, tore it roughly from her blouse, and flung it away.
	Shrieking, Serena twisted and turned, trying to get out of the monster's
grasp. Oh, Darien, she thought, please, please come. . .
	But her efforts were useless. The tentacles were tightening, tightening,
and she couldn't draw breath anymore. . .she was being squeezed to death
like a rat in a snake's coils. Her vision was growing dim, her mind fading
away into nothingness. . .
	She wasn't aware of the rose which landed in front of the creature, and
the creature was totally unfazed by it. It was too late for Sailor Moon,
anyway. She was just seconds away from death. . .
	Darien and the others arrived on the scene just in time to see a strange
light, seemingly from nowhere, suddenly envelop her, and she vanished into
thin air. The creature gave a start, and made a funny noise.
	"NO!" Darien shouted. "SERENA! DON'T GO! DON'T. . ." Then, suddenly, he
turned white and dropped to the ground in a faint.
	And before the Scouts' astonished eyes, he was enveloped in the same
strange light, and vanished just as Serena had.
* * *
	She came to lying in a fetal position on a stone floor. She was naked.
	Am I dead? she thought. Is this some kind of way station between lives?
	"No, my child," said a voice. "You are not dead. But we had to get you out
of there, or you would have been."
	Serena slowly looked up, and saw two figures standing before her, both
women, both dressed in white. One had the same "meatball head" hairstyle
she did. The other had long, dark hair and wore a headdress that looked
like a full moon between a pair of cow's horns.
	She recognized the first one immediately - Queen Serenity, her mother in
the Silver Millennium. The other seemed familiar, but she couldn't place
it. . .
	"Mother?" Serena said. Slowly, she got to her feet, and Queen Serenity
embraced her. They held onto each other for a long moment. When she pulled
away, Serena saw that she was dressed in her Moon Princess gown.
	"You have done well, my child," Queen Serenity said. "You have surpassed
all expectations I ever had for you."
	"But Mother. . .I just failed. That monster got me before I had a chance
to transform. . ."
	"There is no way you could have known it was coming," the other woman
said. "Hematite planned it that way. He is very dangerous to you, Princess,
and to your fellow Scouts."
	"Who. . .who are you?"
	"We met before, Serena, although I was in a different form then. Do you
remember when Darien was suffering from what Queen Beryl did to him, and
someone came to your room at night and told you how to heal him?"
	"You're. . .you're the Moon Goddess!"
	"One of my less powerful forms. You see me here in my highest form, as the
Goddess Isis."
	"Isis chose you back in the Silver Millennium to be her priestess and
champion, my dear," said Queen Serenity.
	"As my consort chose your consort to be his champion and priest," the
goddess said.
	"My. . .do you mean Darien?"
	"Yes, my child. In fact, I believe he is having an audience with his
patron deity at the same time we are speaking with you."
* * *
	Darien awoke in what looked like the hall of a great castle. Slowly, he
dragged himself to his feet. Where was he? What had happened?
	And did any of it matter at all, if Serena was gone?
	"She's not gone, Prince," said a voice behind him. "She was merely removed
from the field of battle for her powers to be restored and increased. She
has many trials ahead of her, as do you."
	He whirled around and saw a handsome, rugged-looking man in ancient
Egyptian garb - a kilt, a jeweled pectoral, a conical crown with golden
feathers on either side.
	"Who are you," Darien said, "and how do you know about my past life?"
	"My son, I have kept a careful watch on you ever since I chose you for my
champion and priest in the Silver Millennium. My name is Osiris."
	"Wait a minute. You're the *god* Osiris?"
	"Yes, I am."
	Darien's mind reeled. He knew about Raye's relationship with the god Mars,
that a Moon Goddess had helped Serena heal his psychological wounds from
his captivity by Beryl, that the god Mercury had guided Amy to the
mountaintop where her Eternal Love had been sunk in an endless sleep. But
he thought that only the girls, the full-fledged Sailor Scouts, could have
patron deities. . .
	"I know what you're thinking right now, Darien," the god said.
"Technically, you *are* a Sailor Scout. You bear a Star Seed within you,
just as they do."
	"What's a Star Seed?"
	"A crystal which bestows magical powers upon its bearer. You carry the
Star Seed of Earth. And so far, your Star Seed has been underutilized. You
have done well with the rose magic, but there is more you can do. And you
will need to do more. Because great trials are ahead. . ."
	"What great trials? Is something going to happen to Serena?"
	"There is danger ahead, not just for Serena, but for your all. First,
there is this matter of Hematite. He is relentless and ruthless. You *will*
need increased powers to deal with him. And then, in the future. . .I
cannot tell you. But you will face challenges like you had never dreamed.
There are new enemies to face, more secrets to be revealed. There will also
be other allies, allies you've yet to meet.. . .allies who may look like
enemies at first."
	"I don't understand."
	"You will. And you will need all your wisdom and psychic sense to deal
with it all. . .not to mention the strongest power that you bear. . .the
power of love. Because your love for Serena is the strongest power in the
universe."
	"You said I was going to need increased powers. . .what does that mean?"
	There was a flash of light in front of him, and a weapon appeared,
spinning around and around while suspended in midair.
	"Do you know this dagger?" the god said.
	"It's the Moon Blade. . .but it's changed, somehow." It looked longer, and
the symbols inscribed on it were different. The original symbols had looked
Celtic, but the current ones were Egyptian hieroglyphics.
	Then, there was another burst of light at the hilt, and Darien suddenly
saw something mounted there. . . "My Golden Crystal!"
	"The weapon is entirely yours now, Darien. It has been renamed the Earth
Blade."
	"But. . .Serena uses it!"
	"She is receiving her own new weapon now. A weapon more powerful than any
that the Scouts have wielded before. . ."
* * *
	"It is time to give you your new powers, my daughter," Queen Serenity
said. "You will need them to defeat your current enemy." She held out her
hands, and a new brooch appeared in the air in front of her. "Within this
transformation clasp is the Silver Crystal. You will now use it to
transform, with the words 'Moon Crystal Power'."
	"But I usually have the Crystal on my Crescent Moon Wand."
	"You will not need the Wand anymore, nor will you need the Blade. The
Blade belongs to the Prince of Earth now."
	"But without the Wand and Blade, how will I. . ."
	"With this," said the Goddess. She stretched out her hand, and a long rod
with an ornamental top appeared in it. "It is the Moon Scepter, and its
powers are mighty, both for destroying enemies and for healing. The words
you need to activate it for either purpose are 'Moon Scepter Elimination'."
	"But remember," said Queen Serenity, "your true power comes not from your
weapon, but from within you. . .from your soul, your courage, and your
love."
	"And now," said the Goddess, "it is time for you to go back, for your
friends are in trouble. Look. . ." She formed a ball of light with her
hands and held it out to Serena. The girl gazed into the light and saw an
image of the other Scouts, battling the monster. . .except now the monster
had been joined by others like it, and they were outnumbered, overpowered,
and getting squeezed like she had been. . .
* * *
	And at that same moment, Darien was being shown the same vision by Osiris.
	"I will send you back right now, my son."
	"And Serena. . ."
	"She will join you on the field of battle, stronger than ever before. Take
your new weapon, and remember. . .the greatest power you have is your
love."
	Darien removed the Earth Blade from the light and fastened it to his belt,
where it would remain. And then, the god was bidding him a last farewell,
and the room was fading from sight. . .
	. . .just as Serena cried "Moon Crystal Power!" and began her first
transformation into her more powerful form, a transformation that would end
back in her own world.
* * *
	It was not going well for the Scouts.
	The four of them were fighting to get their arms free, so that one of
them, any of them, could unleash her power. . .but it was useless.
	Yet Raye refused to give into despair. Because her psychic senses were
definitely telling her that something was about to happen. . .
	Then, a voice above her yelled, "It takes more than a couple of Negacreeps
to get rid of SAILOR MOON!"
	And another voice from the same area, this time male, yelled, "If you
think I'm just Sailor Moon's boy toy, something to be bashed around by
monsters. . .you've got another thing coming!"
	There, atop a lamppost, was Serena. . .and on the post directly opposite
her was Darien. Raye's heart leapt with joy.
	Darien wasted no time in getting to work. He quickly spun his weapon to
charge it, saying "Earth Blade. . ." Pointing it at the closest Negacreep,
he shouted, "EXECUTION!" Instead of the shower of sparks it had emitted
before, it shot out a quick burst of a golden beam, which hit the monster
holding Raye and vaporized it. She fell, pivoted, and shouted, "Mars Fire.
. .IGNITE!" destroying the one that held Lita captive. Lita unleashed a
Thunder Dragon to free Amy, and Raye blasted the Negacreep that had Mina.
But suddenly, another monster, this one bigger than the others, was looming
behind them, ready to strike with lighting quick speed. . .
	Fortunately, Serena had already begun spinning her new weapon above her
head. "Moon Scepter. . .ELIMINATION!!!" The beam shot at the monster, and
the Scouts stood in awe at its power. . . the explosion that resulted as
the thing was destroyed was bigger than any they had managed with even a
combined attack.
	Serena and Darien leapt down from their lampposts, and the others rushed
to them, drawing them into a group hug.
	"We thought you were dead," Amy said.
	"So did I," Serena replied.
	"What happened?" said Lita.
	"Where did you get the weapon?" said Mina.
	"Let's just say I went home to Mother," said Serena.
	"Huh?" said Mina, but Raye instantly understood. . .
	"Queen Serenity?"
	"And another. . .old friend," said Serena.
	She reached over to clasp Darien's hand. Their eyes met, saying silent
volumes to each other. . .
	The others got the message. "Come on," said Lita, "why don't we go to
Crown Cafe? I think I worked up an appetite fighting. . ."
	"Sounds like a good idea," said Raye.
	"We may be along later," said Serena, knowing full well that they wouldn't be.
	They said their goodbyes and the others left. And as soon as Serena and
Darien were alone together, they rushed into each other's arms, and both
burst into tears, covering each other's faces with kisses.
	"Oh, darling," he said, "I thought I'd lost you."
	"And I thought I'd never see you again."
	"I wouldn't want to live without you, Serena. You're my everything. . ."
	"Oh, Darien. . .I love you so much. . ."
	They kissed and kissed, holding onto each other like they thought they
would vanish into thin air. Then, they broke apart slowly. . .
	"I told you before that you looked dashing with that blade," she said.
	"Not half as good as you look with that scepter. Did Queen Serenity give
it to you?"
	"Well, not exactly. . ."
	They detransformed, and as they walked home, arms about each other, they
shared their stories. Both felt filled with wonder and awe.
	"I don't know what Osiris meant when he talked about other trials in the
future. I wish he could have told me more about what they were. . ."
	"Darien. . .does it matter? Because whatever it is, we'll get through it.
We have each other. . ."
	They stopped to share a deep, lingering kiss, before heading into his
apartment building.
* * *
	Hematite was fit to be tied.
	"THAT BRAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!" he shouted, throwing anything he
could grab around his throne room. "WHY THE HELL IS SHE STILL ALIVE? WE HAD
HER, GODDAMN IT!"
	I'll find out who's been helping them, he thought. I'll find out the
Sailor Scouts' biggest secrets. And when I do, there'll be hell to pay. . .
* * *
	The first thing Darien and Serena did was take a nap.
	The physical and emotional strain of the day had taken a lot out of them
both. So they stripped down to their underwear, curled up in each other's
arms in his bed, and dozed off.
	When Serena awoke, the sun was going down and the light in the bedroom was
very dim. But she could still make out the features of her sleeping lover.
	Softly, she traced the outline of his lips with her index finger. How
precious he was to her. . .her biggest fear in the few seconds that she
thought she was dead was not that she had ended her existence as Serena
Tsukino, it was that she would not see Darien again.
	His eyelids fluttered open, and he beheld his beautiful Serena leaning
over him. He thought it was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen. He drew
her down, his lips seeking out hers, his hands reaching up to unfasten her
hair so he could tangle his hands in the waves of gold.
	Oh, this soft, sensuous feeling of all this satin, all this spun gold. .
.He inhaled her scent, coconut and vanilla and musk, and felt he was
breathing in the very air of heaven.
	The kiss broke, and he whispered, "Hi, there, Meatball Head."
	"Hi, yourself. Gods, you feel good in my arms. . ."
	"You are unbelievably beautiful." He stroked her hair, then reached
beneath it to massage her back. She let out a small "mmmm" of pleasure.
	"That feel good, sweetheart?"
	"Yes. . ."
	He continued to rub her back, and then his fingers encountered the clasp
of her bra. . .She brought her mouth to his again, opening her lips,
allowing his tongue access to hers. The snaps were quickly undone. She
pulled away only long enough for him to slide the straps down her arms and
toss the garment away.
	"Aaahh," he sighed, feasting his eyes on the white mounds with their dusky
rose nipples. His mouth began to water at the thought of sucking them. . .
	As if reading his mind, she leaned over so her right nipple was brushing
his lips. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew the offered bud into his
mouth and suckled. Her taste was so sweet, sweeter than she'd ever been
before. . .He released it, only to flick his tongue over it , feeling her
shudder in response. "Mmmm," she purred. "That feels good."
	"I want to please you, my darling," he whispered between licks. He
switched his mouth to the other hardened tip, and she moaned. He rubbed his
thumb over the right nipple as his mouth worked on the left. Her hips
jerked toward him, and she felt a dampness rising between her thighs.
	"I want. . ." she gasped. "I want. . ."
	He pulled his head away. "What do you want, honey?"
	"I want to suck your nipples. . .and I want you to put your head down
there and lick me. . ."
	"Now we can't do both of those at once, you little minx. It's impossible."
	"Who said anything about doing them at once? Let's make the pleasure last.
. ." And her head descended to his chest, and she took a nipple into her
mouth. Darien wondered if all men were as sensitive there as he was, or if
Serena was just particularly talented at giving oral pleasures. She tugged
on the hard knot, taking it out of her mouth to lick it as he had done to
hers before moving to the other side of his chest. He let out a deep groan,
feeling his erection pulse with pure desire as her lips and tongue worked
their magic on him.
	Then, she was reaching down, stripping off his underwear, and her hands
were caressing his manhood, and he was moaning, moaning, feeling himself
trembling on the brink between her mouth and hands. He didn't want to come,
not until they were joined. He pushed up on her shoulders slightly -
	"All right, minx," he said. "Now it's your turn."
	She lifted off him and gracefully turned over, lying on her back. He
grasped her panties and pulled them down and off, inhaling her woman-scent.
She opened her legs, exposing herself to his gaze.
	Darien kissed all over the soft folds, reveling in the feel of her most
intimate flesh. He had to have more. . .He licked her entrance, tasting her
honey, the sweet, sweet honey that was more luscious to him than caviar and
champagne. His tongue plunged into her, and he felt her hips jerk, heard
her gasp. . .In and out he thrust, wriggling it around, then pulling it
out, nibbling lightly on her nether lips, then putting his tongue inside
her again. . .Serena tangled her hands in his hair, moaning his name again
and again.
	He pulled his tongue out, eased his face away from her, hearing her groan
in disappointment and frustration. . .only to attack her passion-swollen
pearl, lapping at it hungrily, then pulling it in his mouth and sucking
gently, yet firmly. Serena cried out loudly, her hips jerking, then her
whole body locking up before everything exploded in blazing pleasure. She
let out a shriek as her body shook, as ecstasy flooded her.
	She fell back on the bed, panting heavily, still shuddering. . .He quickly
grabbed in the bedside table for a rubber, put it on, and lay atop her,
softly kissing her breasts, then her lips, then moving down to her breasts
again. . .He took one in his hand and began fluttering his tongue over her
nipple, and she let out a deep groan. . .part of her was saying no, not
yet, I'm not recovered from the first one. . .but the rest of her was
saying, yes, yes, yes!
	Then he was sliding into her, his manhood entering the wet, velvety sheath
that instantly gripped him as if welcoming him home. He began to pump,
slowly at first, then getting faster. . .his hands came up to her breasts,
and he rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. She smiled slyly up at him, and
reached between their bodies, her thumbs seeking out his own hard buds. .
.When she did to him was he was doing to her, he moaned and thrust deeply
inside her, and that touched off another climax. Serena let out a loud cry
as the luscious spasms wracked her, and before it could totally fade,
Darien began driving harder and faster, intending her to go over the edge
again and pull him with her.
	He reached his goal. She screamed his name as she came again, her hands
clutching at his buttocks, pulling him deeper into her, and the tugging and
squeezing of her sheath touched off an answering explosion in him. He cried
out, feeling the pleasure flood every bit of his being. . .
	Both felt totally drained, but totally happy. He withdrew from her, threw
away the rubber, and pulled her head onto his chest.
	"Sweet Serena," he whispered. "I love you."
	"I love you too, Darien."
	As the lovers drifted off to sleep, they didn't notice the pair of
unusually bright stars that seemed just outside their bedroom window. It
was as if their guardian deities were looking in on them, smiling approval,
and raining blessings on their love. . .
	As a matter of fact, that's *exactly* what was happening.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Putting the Golden Crystal on the Moon Blade is based on an
idea developed by my dear friend Mark Berger, who will be doing something
similar in his future Sailor Moon fics. (Be sure to watch for his original
anime-style fiction, "Rock Seven," this summer - plug, plug!)

This story is an "alternate universe" version of how Serena got the Moon
Scepter. I based the actual scepter scene on the one seen in the anime,
with some changes - most notably, the addition of the Goddess Isis to the
scene.

Thanks, as usual, are due to my buddies Mark Berger (official pre-reader)
and Jeffrey, Zero and Sally Wizard (builders and maintainers of the Sailor
Mac Shrine - http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/8344) and Molly Puthoff,
who never fails to make me smile and laugh; to Artemis and Luna and Sailor
November; to all the romance and "sweet lemon" writers who are a
never-ending source of inspiration to me - Jennifer Wand, Lady M. Harris,
Andrea Hui; Sexylyon, Lady Jupiter, Pandora Waldron and Ivana B. Anonymous.

This is dedicated to Chibi Ryuu, who sweetly mentioned me in the dedication
of her first fanfic (and did a pretty damn good job with it to boot) and
then wrote an equally sweet letter. Keep on writing, Chibi Ryuu!

Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply. These characters ain't mine, I'm
just borrowing them for a little while.