"Solstice"
by
Jenn and Tenshi

Part 3


	Darien was bedridden for the remainder of the week.  Erica hadn't
hit him many times, but where she did hit him, she hit him HARD.  Every
so often, one of the inner scouts stopped by to see how he was doing.
When he was finally able to get up, he went straight to his place to
finish recovering.

*****

	Serena, meanwhile, was still seeing Paul.  Every afternoon they
went to the ice rink for a skating session before going either out to
dinner, or for a walk in the park.
	She was also having a little trouble sleeping.  Always, as a
last resort, she pulled out a lovely quartz crystal that Paul had given
her as a reward for doing so well in a competition they had entered.
They didn't win ... mostly because the judges felt that something had
been missing.

*****

	Again, a dream came.  "Hello, Serenity!"
	Serenity curtsied to her older brother before rushing forward
to embrace him.  As always, it was impossible to make out his features.
"Apollo ... the scouts have been acting so ... STRANGE lately!"
	"They conspire against you, my beloved little sister!  They meet
with Endymion and talk about you behind your back!  They mean mutiny."
	"The scouts would NEVER do that!"  Serenity protested, then
whimpered as images of the time they had told her they didn't want her
for a leader anymore filled her mind.
	"They did once before!  Mars wants to be leader!  You can't even
trust Tranquility anymore!"  He showed her an image of Travis and Darien
re-establishing the blood-brother bond.  "Even HE has sided with
Endymion."
	"But Endymion LOVES me!  He would never hurt me!"  She then
screamed as her memories of him fighting her were forced into her mind.
"They never meant to!  I KNOW they never meant to!"  She started sobbing.
	"Oh, Serenity!  Shhhhhhhh ... don't cry.  Forgive me, but you
HAVE to know the truth, before it's too late!  Be wary of Mars, Serenity,
she has ALWAYS wanted Endymion for herself."
	She felt Apollo's arms tighten as images of Raye and Darien
drifted through her mind.
	"You can only trust the outer scouts.  True ... their tactics
have never been the best.  Pluto attacked once, but didn't see you, so
didn't know who you were.  Uranus and Neptune were only putting on an act
to help you get your so-called 'protectors' back."  He stroked her hair
in a soothing motion.  "There there, Serenity, it wouldn't hurt so much
if what I said WASN'T the truth!"
	Serenity saw the images, and slowly began to believe that what
she was seeing was true.

*****

	The inner scouts were starting to get worried about Serena.
	Amy noticed a change during lunchtime.  Usually Serena ate with
the rest of the group that attended the high school.  Instead, she headed
to a secluded spot under a tree, and sat down.
	Amy approached Serena, pausing only when Serena gave her a 'what
do YOU want?' look.  She nervously cleared her throat.  "Um ... Serena?
Is something wrong?  Why aren't you sitting over with the rest of us,
like you usually do?"
	"I want to eat alone today ... is that okay with you?"
	Amy nodded and rejoined Mina and Lita.  "We gotta talk ... later,
at the temple.  Call the guys by phone."

*****

	While Serena was at a skating session with Paul, the inner scouts
had a little meeting with each other, Darien, Travis, and the three guard-
ians.
	Travis shook his head.  "I'm telling you that SOMETHING about this
Paul guy nags me as familiar.  I feel like I SHOULD know him, but every
time I feel like I'm close to getting the memory, it slips away."
	"Kinda like when you know what word you're looking for, but just
can't get it to come out!"  Mina nodded.  "I get the feeling, too.  It
isn't really strong, just a feeling that he's not someone Serena should
be ..."  Mina cut off, glancing at Darien.
	"You can say the word around me, Mina.  I know she's dating him.
I think I remember telling her she should take an opportunity to date
other guys."  Darin stood up and winced.
	Raye started.  "You're not STILL in pain from Erica's pounding at
the ice rink, are you?"
	Darien shook his head.  "Nope ... I'm in pain from Erica finding
me accidentally following Serena into the malt shoppe.  I think it's safe
to say that I can't approach any of the outer scouts until this, whatever
THIS is, blows over.  Rick told me that if she ever caught me near Serena
again, she'll transform into Sailor Uranus and use her World Shaking at-
tack on me."
	Lita winced.  She had sparred with Erica once or twice.  "You
gonna be okay?"
	Darien shrugged.  "I've had worse, and survived."
	"Barely ..."  Raye mumbled to herself.  "And you usually got special
healing."
	Amy was using her computer to scan Darien.  She had adapted her
datapad to do medical scans shortly after the battle with Galaxia.  "I
suggest you lie down for a day or two ... and not be anywhere near Serena
for at least a week, UNLESS one of us calls you."
	"Or he senses something is up!"  Travis shook his head.  "I still
don't like it!  Serena's starting to act strange ... she's almost like a
stranger to me, rather than a twin sister."
	Luna sighed.  "Maybe the reason for that is her eighteenth birth-
day is exactly six weeks away.  I've noticed the change, too.  She's so
FORMAL all the time, and have any of you noticed that she's stopped using
contractions altogether?"
	Artemis nodded.  "Almost as if her old personality is taking over.
I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad one."
	"Bad!  She's going from the sweet, caring girl Serena to a formal
and very cold Princess Serenity."  Apollo ruffled his feathers.  "And
Serenity was never cold."
	A voice behind them startled them.  "Why was I not told that
there was a scout meeting?  And what ... pray tell ... is HE doing here?"
Serena had expected to only find Raye.  Instead she found all of the
inner scouts, and her own twin brother, in a meeting ... with Darien.
Something nagged her about this, almost as if she were told that this was
going to happen, but she couldn't remember where.  Her eyes were like
ice.
	Darien suddenly realized what Apollo meant by cold.  "I have to
leave anyway."  He got up, but Serena's hand stopped him.
	"What were you doing here in the first place?  According to
Erica, she made it perfectly clear that you were no longer welcome."  She
turned to Raye.  "Would YOU care to explain?"
	"Well ... we all figured that, despite differences of interest,
Darien is STILL one of us."
	"So you all went behind my back and snuck him into a meeting
about ...?  What new threat has appeared that I am unaware of?  Do you
all want to know what I think?"  She paused as she surveyed the room's
occupants.  "I think you all are butting your noses into something that
is NONE of your business.  None of you have any say over what I do or how
I act, and I think that frightens you so much that you begin to think that
some being from the negaverse has taken over my mind.  Did it ever ONCE
occur to any of you that I am acting differently because I know that you
are all on HIS side?  He dumped me with absolutely NO regard for how I
feel!  To make matters WORSE ... he never even told me the reason!  He
LIED to me!"  She backed away and spun on her heel.  "Luna ... YOU may
stay with Mina for a while ... do NOT expect a window open for you.
Everyone else ... stay AWAY from me ... that INCLUDES you, Travis!"  She
walked out of the temple, leaving nine very shocked individuals behind
her.  She started running towards home.  'How COULD they?'

*****

	For the rest of the month, the inner scouts kept a covert watch
over their princess.  Darien still went to the ice rink, but always
transformed into Tuxedo Mask to hide in the catwalk above the rink.  He
watched Serena practice her skating.
	He jumped as someone gently tapped his shoulder.  He turned.
	"You know, Endymion, you always were one to go to extremes when
it came to watching over Serenity.  I gather you still haven't patched
things up with her."
	Tuxedo Mask stared at the woman next to him.  Her short brown
hair was pulled into a small bun.  The fact that she knew him was one
suprise, that she had WINGS was something else.  "An ... An ..."
	"Angelica.  Long time no see, Endymion.  We face a new threat."
	"ANGELA?!?"
	The face was the same, but glowed with an inner light.  "Yes and
no.  I am Angelica, royal nanny to the twins, and keep your voice down."
	Darien found his voice.  "But ... you DIED!"
	Angelica laughed softly.  "Do you honestly think that a simple
energy blast is enough to kill me?  You always underestimated me."  She
sighed.  "I met little Serenity while Rosalinda was in early stages of
training.  She and Princess Raye were playing tag on one of the fortress
walls.  Serenity tripped, and I caught her before she could get hurt."
She smiled kindly.  "I have no children of my own, you see.  Serenity and
Tranquility became the children I never had.  I always told you I was
older than I looked."
	"I know you from somewhere in THIS lifetime, too!"
	Angelica's face was filled with a brief pain.  "Yes ... I was the
one who brought you to the hospital after the accident.  Before that, I
was YOUR babysitter ... for a time.  I'm sorry you had to grow up without
a family.  I wish I had been able to prevent it."
	"Can you tell me about my parents from this lifetime?"
	"I'll tell you later.  Right now, our main concern is the little
princess down there.  She's in a heap of trouble."  Her wings vanished and
she sat down.  "Remember that old crush I told you about?"  She pointed to
Paul.  "That's him!  He's Serenity's older brother, Apollo."
	"What?"
	"Please don't interrupt me while I'm filling you in on the latest
person you have to fight."  She sighed and shook her head.  "Apollo ...
older brother to the royal twins.  You never met him, since you shut your
sister out.  Yes ... Rosalinda is the woman that Apollo was engaged to."
	"If he was born first, why wasn't HE the heir to the Sun Stone?"
	Angelica was grim as she answered.  "When your sister disappeared,
Apollo was furious, and blamed you for the entire thing.  He said that if
you had been there, she wouldn't have died.  A few months afterwards, he
saw that his sister was getting rather attached to you.  Let me tell you
that he started to get some sort of sick thing regarding her.  Anyway, he
decided he wanted Serenity for himself and made an attempt on your life.
While you were sick from being poisoned, Apollo tried to turn Serenity
against you.  Queen Serenity happened to be walking nearby when Apollo
actually hit on his sister.  I know ... it's disgusting.  She sent the
princess away, and had a little argument, in which Apollo actually admit-
ted to poisoning you.
	"Needless to say, her Majesty was NOT happy with her firstborn.
She sent him to the Sun Kingdom, with a note explaining WHY he was never
allowed to return.  King Apollo was also furious, and stripped the Prince
of all his rights, passing them to Tranquility."  She sighed.  "Serenity
loved her brother, and was never told just why he could never come back.
She thought he had died.  She begged Queen Serenity to have you brought
to the moon to finish recovering.  Poor kid was terrified of losing you
as well."
	"Shouldn't we tell Serena all of this?"
	Angelica shook her head.  "No, for TWO reasons."
	Tuxedo Mask shrugged.  "Which are?"
	"First, Serena would NEVER believe you.  Second, Erica would
pound you into lunchmeat if she saw you."  She pointed to where Erica was
standing.  "Otherwise, you wouldn't be up HERE!"
	"I have to admit you have a point.  So we can't tell the outer
scouts ... but we CAN tell the inner scouts.  Travis will be thrilled to
know that his old tutor is someone important from the Silver Millennium."
Taking one final look down, something occured to him.  "Paul would never
hurt Serena, would he?"
	"No ... he loves her, in a weird sort of way.  He would never do
anything to endanger her life."
	"Okay, then, let's go!"

END OF PART 3

"Solstice"
by
Jenn and Tenshi
Part 4


	Darien and Angelica gathered the group of inner scouts, Travis,
and the guardians for a meeting at Angelica's place.  Needless to say,
there was much surprise that Angelica had not only survived the holocost,
but had remained fully aware throughout the years, waiting for everyone
to be reborn.  Susan, never having died in the first place, wasn't
mentioned.
	"Erica was born first ... boy could she scream her little lungs
out.  She was a very violent little baby.  The first time I met her, she
punched me!  Then Michelle was born.  She was a very quiet baby.  At
first, I thought she was a mute.  With two of the outers born, and in
good hands, I set out to look for the rest of you."
	"What about Tara?"
	Angelica raised her eyebrows.  "I assume you mean Sailor Saturn.
I never knew she existed until recently.  I once asked Queen Serenity
about her, and was told that Sailor Saturn didn't exist.  I must have
misunderstood what she meant."
	"Oh."
	Angelica smiled.  "I met the Knights shortly after Michelle was
born.  Those were your parents, by the way, Darien.  Jonathan and Karen
Knight.  Wonderful people.  They had been trying for years to have a
child with no success.  Well I kinda latched onto them, knowing that
SOMEONE was on the way.  That's the tricky thing about reincarnation.
You never can tell who will be born when."  She noticed the look of im-
patience in Darien's face.  "All right, I'll continue.
	"They hired me as a sort of nanny-slash-babysitter.  A nanny for
the first few years of your life, a babysitter until you were old enough
to look after yourself.  Anyway when Karen went into labor early, we all
knew that SOMETHING had gone terribly wrong.  She was rushed to the
hospital, and gave birth to twins.  You, and a stillborn girl.  Apparently
Queen Serenity tried to send Rose's spirit with you.  You were kept in the
hospital for a month just to make sure you would survive.
	"You couldn't imagine my intense relief when you were allowed to
come home.  Your mother was the sweetest woman in the world ... which
reminds me ..."  Angelica stood up, and placed an extended forefinger on
Darien's head.  "As a child, this knowledge would have killed you, so I
took it from you while you were unconscious."
	Darien shook as memories came flooding into his mind, and a name
was whispered.  "Beryl ..."  He clenched his fists.
	"Yes ... she was aware, even then.  She had sent me off on a wild
goose chase.  She knew the princess' attachment to you, and wanted to
hurt the little girl.  She did that by causing the accident that resulted
in your parents' deaths.  You knew her, and you were very briefly aware
of who you were.  With that knowledge, you might have sought revenge.
That was something that I could NOT allow.  At that young age, with no
experience, you would have died.
	"So I removed the knowledge.  I kept an eye on you, and grew
concerned.  You weren't eating, and you had almost completely given up
on life.  You were happy for a time when you found little Fioret, but
when he left, I became worried that you'd sink back into depression.
Then the fates took a hand, and placed Mrs. Tsukino in the same hospital
to pick up Sammy.  I had been so busy watching you, that I had forgotten
to look for the others.  I sensed the little princess, and found her with
a bouquet of roses.  I nagged her sub-conscious a little, and sent her
off in the direction of your room."  She laughed.  "Oh how you two fought
when you met up again!"
	Travis was slightly depressed.  "So you never met the Atons."
	Angelica shook her head.  "No ... sorry.  I have a nagging sus-
picion that Beryl was behind THEIR deaths as well ... I wouldn't be at
all surprised if the Forresters were also victims of one of Beryl's
plots.  She had to be behind it, or I would never have found her and put
a damper on her abilities.  She still wasn't very strong at the time."
	"Then WHY didn't you kill her THEN?"  Raye asked, infuriated that
all the pain they all went through had been unnecessary.
	Angelica paled.  "Raye ... I will forgive you for that ONLY be-
cause you have no memory of my people and their beliefs.  I am a teacher,
and a life-bearer.  My people abhor violence in every form.  I went
against many of my beliefs by merely staying on the moon when the war
broke out.  To kill goes against EVERYTHING that I am.  The thought of
injuring another person sickens me.  I went against more beliefs to aid
Endymion that last day.  Had I not done so, he would have been killed,
and the Negaverse would have ruled."
	Amy, who had been quiet, whispered.  "What did you do?"
	"While Endymion was preparing to transport himself, someone aimed
an energy blast at him so strong, it would has killed him.  I merely put
myself between Endymion and the blast as the transport occured."
	Mina gasped.  "MERELY?!?  Geez!  You get hit with something that
could blast any one of us to smithereens, and you say you MERELY put
yourself in the way of that thing.  WHY?"
	"Because I loved Serenity!  All I ever wanted was for her to be
happy!  I have lived for over two thousand years, and I have never had a
child.  Serenity and Tran filled that void.  I can't exactly say the same
for Apollo ... he was more like a crush.  He was twelve when my people
arrived on the moon, and a very dashing young lad he was, too.  But his
heart was already taken by the princess Rosalinda."  She turned to Darien.
"Does she know I'm here?  I'm anxious to see her again, and to meet
Serendipity."
	Darien snapped out of his thoughts.  "What?  Oh, no, she doesn't.
Maybe I should tell her, and explain the danger to Serena.  THAT might
bring her."
	A voice from the door way made everyone turn.  "You could say
THAT again, lunkhead!"  Rose smiled.  "You were leaking!  You just HAVE
to get a grip on your mental abilities.  Hello, Angelica!  Long time no
see!"
	Angelica was on her feet, and had thrown her arms around Rose
before any of them realized what was going on.  "I can't tell you just
HOW pleased I am that you are alive, and that you've made peace with
Endymion."
	Rose's eyes widened when she saw a new, yet familiar, face
among the group.  "Tra ... Tranquility?  Is that YOU?"
	"It's Travis, and it's me!"  He stood up, bowed formally while
kissing Rose's hand, then hugged her.  "Serena will be so thrilled to see
you."
	Rose shook her head.  "I don't think so ... there's something ...
not QUITE right about her."
	"Mom?"  A young girl entered the room.  "Uncle Darien!  Hi!"
Dipi ran forward and hugged Darien.
	Angelica smiled.  "This must be Princess Serendipity!"  She went
down on one knee before Dipi.  "Greetings Serendipity, daughter of the
Princess Rosalinda, I am Angelica, royal nanny and tutor to the crowned
families of the solar system.  I had a hand in teaching your mother, and
eagerly look forward to tutoring you."
	"Wow!  What an introduction!  Ummmm ..."  Dipi curtsied.  "I am
pleased to make your aquaintance, Lady Angelica.  I hope that I prove to
be a worthy student."  She blushed.  "How'd I do?  I've never had to deal
with formalities before."
	"If that was your first time, you did splendidly."  Angelica
smiled at Dipi, and it was obvious to everyone else in the room that she
had been charmed completely by the teenager.  She turned to Rose, who was
giving Darien a comforting hug.  "I gather you have an inkling of what's
happening."
	"All I know is the moppet's in trouble, and that's all that
matters to me."  She turned back to Darien in concern.  **Hey, you gonna
be okay?  That was quite a mental shock you got!  Maybe you should lie
down a while.**
	"Thanks, Rose, I think I'll do that.  Angelica ... is there some-
where I can lie down for a while?"
	"Down the hallway, fourth door on the right."  She turned to the
rest of those gathered.  "I think you had all better rest a while before
I begin my crash course on history.  Even you, Amy.  The information I
will share with you is quite a bit more technical.  Go down the same hall-
way I just pointed Darien to, and you'll all find rooms with your respec-
tive symbols on the door.  I hope you'll find the accomidations to your
liking."

*****

	Lita walked to the door with the symbol of Jupiter on it.  She
opened the door, and gave a delighted gasp.  The room was decorated with
a butterfly theme, but not to the point where it would overwhelm her.  On
the small table beside the bed was a photo of her with her parents.  She
was surprised to see a few of the momentos she had had to sell when her
parents had died.  'Mom's jewelry box!'  She opened it, and found the
necklace and bracelet that went with the rose earrings she wore all the
time.  'Mom loved roses ...'  Everything in the room had either belonged
to her, or one of her parents, at one time.  She took a deep breath, and
sighed contentedly.  'I should ask if I can stay here.'

*****

	Amy opened the door with the symbol of Mercury on it.  Her eyes
widened when she caught a glimpse of the state-of-the-art computer.  She
checked, and discovered that she would be able to transfer any data from
her micro-computer onto the larger one.  There were plenty of blank disks
for backup, in case the computer ever crashed.  She looked at the opposite
wall, and found that it was composed completely of empty bookshelves.  She
turned the computer on, and was delighted at the prompt ... she was also
surprised at the warm voice that accompanied it.
	-Hello, Amy, Princess of Mercury.  It has been a long time!-
	'Angelica must've saved the data from the moon's mainframe.'  She
spoke into the microphone.  "Yes, it has!  How have you been?"
	-Bored!  Lady Angelica has kept me company for a while, but I
have missed our chess matches.  She is too easy to beat!-  There was a
slight rasberry-type noice that came from the speaker.
	"Well, then ... shall we?"  She found a good game of chess relaxed
her a great deal more than sleeping.

*****

	Mina walked into the room with the Venus symbol on the door, with
Artemis following close behind.  Artemis ran straight for the kitty-tower,
and Mina headed straight for the Audio System.  'Wow!  All my favorite
groups!'  There was quite a collection.  She looked over to Artemis, who
was purring contentedly on a cusion filled with catnip.  'I think we're
gonna be having our meetings here from now on.'

*****

	Raye entered her room, and smiled at the grand piano that domi-
nated one corner.  She touched a few keys, and found them in tune.  'I
don't wonder at how she got the money to pay for all of this!  Living
over two thousand years, you can take in quite an income!'  She noticed
something off to the side, and opened the doors to an adjoining room.
'A fire pit!'  She put plenty of wood into the pit, and used a small
application of her abilities to light it.  When it was lit, she went into
a meditative trance.

*****

	Travis cracked open the door with the moon symbol on it to allow
Luna in, then went to the room that was set aside for him.  He opened the
door, and set Apollo on the perch.  The room had a sort of medieval
feeling to it, but everything was so familiar.  "I've seen all of this
stuff somewhere before ..."  Then a photo caught his eye.  He picked it
up and stared at it, not knowing who the couple was.  They were definately
NOT the people who had adopted him.  He noticed a journal and opened it.
He felt his heart wrench as he read the last entry.

	+June 21
		Sarah has just given birth to two children.  We've
	decided to name them Serena Usagi and Travis William.  For
	some reason that I can't understand, Sarah insists on calling
	Serena her little 'bunny'.  Yeesh!  I look forward to taking
	the two of them home, so does Sarah.  We had the nursery all
	set up for ONE child, now we're going to have to get another
	crib.  I have just been informed by a doctor that I may see
	my wife now.
		For the future, if one of my children ever finds this
	journal, by accident or design, I love you very much.+

	Travis looked at the photo again.  "Trevor and Sarah Aton ... my
mother and father."  He looked over at Apollo.  "Even though she never
met them, she managed to save as many of their belongings as possible."
	Apollo nodded.  "She did say she loved you and Serena as if you
were her children.  It must have hurt her to be unable to do anything to
save your parents."
	Travis nodded as he sat on the bed.  "I'm gonna have to thank her
for saving all this stuff."  Then he curled up and closed his eyes.  At
least he finally had faces that went with the names.

*****

	Darien was mentally exhausted, but was surprised when he opened
the door.  The first thing he noticed was a very old dog.  "... Hero?"
He knelt down.  "Is that YOU, boy?"  He held out his hand.
	The dog studied the young man before him before sniffing the
offered fingers.  Then his tail started wagging, and he let out what
could only be deciphered as a happy yip as he knocked Darien down.
	Darien laughed as he scratched the dog behind the ears.  "I
missed you, boy!  Even though I didn't know it, I missed you!  Looks like
Angelica has been real good to you!  I'm sorry I was gone for so long.
It wasn't my choice.  You don't seem to mind it, though.  Up up, Hero."
Darien patted the bed, and Hero jumped up, remembering the old request.
	**I'm happy for you, lunkhead!  I wasn't eavesdropping.  Even
ANGELICA could feel your joy!**
	Darien was absently petting his dog.  **Thank her for me.**
	**Already done.  Sleep well!**
	Darien smiled as he closed his eyes.  The last thing he was aware
of before falling into a deep sleep was hero giving his face a lick and
settling down.

*****

	Rose smiled at Angelica, and the two of them started discussing
the new danger to the scouts that Apollo really posed.  "I didn't know
that he felt that deeply for me.  He'll be crushed when he finds out that
I fell in love with someone else, married him, and had a daughter by him."
	"What's it like, Rose, to have a child?"  Angelica was looking
in her cup sadly, and drained it of its contents.
	"There's no way to describe the feeling.  I'm sure you'll find out
one day ... why are you shaking your head?"
	"I am no longer fertile.  I will never be able to have a child."
Her eyes filled with tears.  "If you'll excuse me!"  She got up, un-
leashed her wings, opened the door, and flew into the sky with a sob.

*****

	After everyone had rested, Angelica had gotten an idea on
how to appease Serena.
	"Wave a white flag, and say you were wrong!"  She held up her
hand to stop the protests.  "Look at it from her point of view.  You
are supposed to be her friends, but she thinks you've been going behind
her back ... which is not entirely false.  Maybe if you talk to her,
admitting you were wrong, you can explain just why Darien acted the way
he did.  Get her to talk to him!"
	Luna nodded.  "You know ... that's not a bad idea at all!"  She
gave Angelica the cat equivalent of a smile.  "If we can get Serena to
talk to him, HE can apologize and explain what was going on.  Then maybe,
JUST maybe, we can break whatever hold Apollo has on her."
	"Or at least get her to forgive us enough so we can do our job,
and protect her."  Amy nodded, liking the idea.  "We'll do it tomorrow
at school!  She always eats under the same tree now."
	Mina smiled too.  "We can't all go at once, or she'll know
SOMETHING is up!  I'll go first, then Amy, then Lita!"
	Lita shook her head.  "No!  I'M going first."
	Amy took her usual spot as peacemaker.  "We can go at the same
time if we look like we're deciding on it then and there."  She smiled
as the other two nodded, then turned to Angelica.  "I almost forgot to
ask ... how DID you manage to save the mainframe?"
	Angelica grinned.  "Who do you think progammed it in the FIRST
place?  I have a photographic memory, and I kept an eye on the programs.
SOMEONE had to in case of a system malfunction.  It seemed to take a ...
ahem ... liking to you, and vice-versa.  I taught you how to use it, and
created a minature version of it."
	Luna gasped.  "YOU created the Mercury computer?"
	Angelica nodded.  "AND the lunar pen.  The little princess LOVED
to play dress up, so I made it easier for her.  I never thought it would
be used for practical purposes.  I hear Mina even used it once to save
Serena's life!"
	Mina laughed.  "And Luna's always scolding her for using it for
trivial things LIKE dressing up.  She must have forgotten that THAT was
its ORIGINAL purpose."
	Travis grinned.  "Hey!  I almost forgot to thank you for my room!
That furniature belonged to my parents, didn't it?"
	Angelica nodded.  "Quite a bit of it did, yes.  The reason I gave
it all to you was because I saw what your family life was like when you
were younger.  Serena, at least, was loved by her adopted family.  THAT
was evident even when I first saw her."  She smiled as she received a
flood of thank-you's from everyone else.
	"But you said you were having trouble in programming!"
	Angelica laughed.  "I never said I was having trouble, Darien.
I simply stated that it would be easier if the instructor would explain
certain concepts ... easier for the other students, that is, since I've
been doing that sort of thing for about two thousand years."
	Raye smiled.  "I think that we have an unspoken agreement to hold
meetings HERE from now on ... if that's okay with YOU, of course."
	Angelica nodded.  "That's the plan!  And there's no need to thank
me!  Most of the stuff WAS yours at one time.  INCLUDING the dog!  Which
reminds me ... Come on, Darien."  She grabbed his hand and dragged him
to another door.  "Hero IS getting on, I think he was waiting for his
master to return.  I hate to say it, but I don't think he's long for this
world."  She opened the door, and Darien stared at the size of the room.
Then smiled at the many dogs within.  "Hero's children ... AND grand-
children.  He got out by accident once, but I found him ... AND his
girlfriend easily.  Ten puppies, by the way.  I sent each of them out ...
one at a time, you understand, and when each of the female dogs had their
litters.  I bought all the puppies as soon as they were old enough ... or
as many as the people would sell."
	Amy grew concerned.  "What about the rest of the dogs?"
	Angelica understood what Amy meant.  "I've found buyers for all
but one of them.  Darien?"
	Darien knelt down and held out his hand.  He wasn't going to
choose a dog.  He was going to allow a dog to choose him.  He grinned
as the smallest dog, obviously the runt of the group, walked forward
timidly.  The dog looked to be barely more than a puppy.  "Well, little
fella?  what's it gonna be?"  The dog got closer, and Darien saw he was
wrong.  It was a female, and she was obviously the low dog of the group.
She walked forward some more, sniffed Darien's hand, then licked his
fingers.  Darien picked her up.  "Well, I hope you'll be happy with me,
princess."  He grinned nervously at Luna, and set the little dog down.
"DON'T run, Luna."
	Luna gave the dog a nervous smile, and waited for the dog to make
the first move.  The dog settled down before her, and wagged her tail.
Luna responded by rubbing against her as a sign that she wanted to be
friends.  Artemis approaced, and did much the same thing.
	Angelica smiled knowingly.  "I had a feeling SHE would be the
one."
	Apollo regarded the dog, and said three words.  "Is it you?"
	Darien was flabberghasted.  "What ARE you talking about."
	The dog stood up, turned around, looked right at Darien, and
spoke.  "You mean you have no memory of me, Endymion?"  The symbol of
Earth was now clearly visible on her forehead.
	Darien was silent, but Rose gave a delighted shout.  "CERES!"
	Ceres yipped and ran into Rose's outstreached arms.  "You're
ALIVE!"  She started licking Rose's face.  "And you are in the same
room with the young prince!  Have the two of you made peace, then?"
	Rose nodded.  "How come everyone always asks the same question?"
	The rest of the visit was spent going over old times.  Amy got
permission from her mother to spend the night, and went immediately
to her task of transferring data.  Lita spent the night in her room,
reading one of her father's favorite books.  Raye and Mina were unable to
get permission, so they went home.  Darien and Rose opted to stay the
night, going over old times.  Serendipity fell asleep in her Aunt-
HOPEFULLY-to-be's room.  Ceres slept on the floor between her two charges,
wagging her tail happily.

*****

	The next day, during lunch, Amy watched as Serena sat in her
now usual spot.  She turned to the other two.  "Okay ... we've decided
to wave our white flags, and surrender, right?"
	The two of them nodded, and Lita casually noted that Serena WAS
watching them.  "Yeah, this HAS gone on long enough."
	Mina took a chopstick and her handkerchief, tied two corners of
the hankie to the chopstick, and waved it experimentally.  "It'll work."
	Amy and Lita followed suit, and the three of them held up their
white flags and walked over to Serena, who, they were glad to note, was
watching them with an amused smile.
	Mina cleared her throat.  "After much debate, and conquering our
stubbornness, we admit that we were wrong in what we did.  I'm REALLY
sorry, Serena!  You were right."
	Amy smiled timidly at Serena.  "We were wrong in going behind
your back.  I apologize."
	Lita nodded.  "We ARE really sorry, but we wanted to hear what
the guy had to say.  Can you forgive us ... PLEASE?"
	Serena hated to admit that she missed everyone.  She smiled and
nodded.  "Okay.  I apologize too.  I was wrong to lose my temper that
way."  She stood up, and found herself being hugged by all three of them.
"Ummmm ... breathing WOULD be good!"
	Lita let go.  "Hey, Serena, that's a new necklace!  Where'd you
get it?  It's so pretty!"
	The other two noticed the onyx necklace.  Hanging from it was the
lovely piece of quartz crystal Paul had given her.
	Amy smiled.  "It IS pretty!  I guess Paul gave it to you."
	"Yeah, so?"
	Mina took over.  "SO ... THAT'S the reason Darien said you could
date other people if you wanted to."
	"What?"  Serena gave Mina a 'Are you CRAZY?' look.
	"I'm serious, Serena.  He saw Paul kiss your hand, and felt as if
he'd been hounding you.  He wanted to give you the opportunity to go with
someone else.  He thought you deserved the chance at having a NON-meant-to-
be relationship."
	Serena paled a little, and a hint of the old Serena returned.  "I
had no idea!  I have to apologize to him!  I will head over to his place
after school today and talk to him."
	Amy smiled.  "I'm sure he'll like that.  Just don't let Erica
know ... she'll probably beat the living daylights out of him ... for a
third time."
	"WHAT?!?  I thought ..."
	Lita grimaced.  "She didn't even ask you the SECOND time she beat
him up?  She found him about to enter a malt shoppe you had gone into
with Paul."
	Serena looked as if she were about to be ill.  "Is he all right?"
	Amy nodded.  "It was nothing a few days rest couldn't cure.  At
least he wasn't temporarily paralized, like the FIRST time Rick pounded
him."
	"PARALIZED?!?  I thought Rick was only going to give him a few
bruises!"  Serena was definitely feeling ill by this point.
	Lita noticed, and wrapped her arms around the girl.  "You forget
how much Rick gets into it when she's mad!  You're lucky she didn't
KILL him, then and there."
	Serena was crying.  "And I gave her PERMISSION to do it!  I really
MUST see Darien later."
	Amy smiled.  "We talked to him, he said he's been WANTING to see
you, but Rick had threatened him with the World Shaking."
	It was all Serena could do to keep herself from running straight
to Darien's place at the exact moment.  She decided that NOTHING after
school would keep her from seeing him.

*****

	A shadow grimaced.  'Damn!  I guess I'll just have to twist
events into my favor!  Hmmmmm ... I see that Mars attends a different
school!  I'll just send her over, and manipulate what Serenity hears.'
He laughed softly and vanished.

*****

	Raye had planned on going straight to the temple after school,
but something directed her towards Darien's place instead.  She knocked
on the door, and smiled at a very surprised Darien.  "May I come in?  I
won't stay long."
	Darien nodded.  "Uh, SURE Raye.  I got a call earlier from Amy,
and she told me to be expecting Serena.  You'll have to leave before she
gets here.  You know how jealous Serena gets."  He closed the door as the
bell for the elevator sounded.
	Raye laughed.  "I know it, and YOU know it.  The thing is Serena
doesn't know how jealous she gets.  So ... have you planned on what
you'll say to her when she gets here?"
	"I'll tell her the truth!  I'll say:  'I can't believe I broke up
with you!  I was being a complete idiot, especially since I still love
you.  I always have, and I always will.' ... Then I'll hope for the best."
	"Oh, DARIEN!  If THAT doesn't melt her heart ... NOTHING will."

*****

	Unfortunately for both of them, Serena had spotted Raye entering
the building, and got slightly upset.  There was only one elevator, so
Serena had to wait a few minutes for it to return.  She was about to
knock on Darien's door, when she heard a laugh, then heard Raye speaking.
	"... Serena doesn't know ..."
	Serena listened more carefully, and immediately wished she
hadn't.
	"... I can't believe I broke up with you!  I was being a complete
idiot, especially since I still love you.  I always have, and I always
will ..."
	Serena gasped.  The words were said with such sincerity.  She
turned to run down the hall, feeling her heart break.  Then she heard
Raye, and all thoughts of fleeing vanished.
	"Oh, DARIEN!"
	She furiously tried the doornob, and it turned.  She threw open
the door and glared at the two of them.  She walked straight to Darien.
"I WAS coming here to talk to you!  I was going to apologize for getting
the wrong idea, but it no longer looks as if I were wrong!"  Her voice
was barely above a whisper, and she was trembling with rage.  "How COULD
you?  Well ... at least this visit was not a TOTAL loss!  HERE!  You can
have THESE back!"  She pulled out her locket and yanked the ring Darien
had given her right before Galaxia appeared off.  "I no longer want them!"
She threw her once treasured possessions at him, turned, and ran out of
the room.
	Darien turned to Raye.  "We have a problem."
	Raye's eyes were watering.  Though she hadn't meant to, she had
just ruined Darien's chance with Serena.  "What are we gonna do?"
	Darien shook his head.  "WE are gonna have to let Serena cool
down a while, then YOU are going to have to tell her that you broke it
off from me.  I doubt if she'll believe ANYTHING I say right now."
	"I'm sorry, Darien, I should've gone to the temple.  I don't know
WHY I came here.  I'm so very sorry."  She left the apartment, and went
to the elevator.  As the doors closed, she started crying.

*****

	Darien picked up the locket and ring.  He had proposed to Serena
with the ring.  He sat heavily on his sofa, and called to Rose.  **What
do I do now?**
	**I don't know, lunkhead ... I just don't know.**

END OF PART 4