To Last A Lifetime Chapter 3: All that glitters that's not Gold

By: Angelstar1014 ([email protected]) and Mee mee ([email protected])

Disclaimer: We certainly don't own Sailor Moon, some big-wig executives do. Suing us will not gain anything, since we probably have about twenty bucks between us. So sit back and enjoy.

"Oh! I'm so nervous!" Serena says pacing the floor of her room.

"Geez! Would you calm down Serena! You?re making me nervous!" Raye says checking her appearance in the mirror for the 50th time in twenty minutes.

"Calm down? I'm in the main portrait for the exhibit, that I'm going to see for the first time along with half the world, and you?re telling me to calm down?!"

"Okay, so don't calm down, that way when everyone see the *ahem* lovely model that posed for the painting, they'll see a Meatball headed teen at the verge of a nervous breakdown."

Serena pauses for a moment.

"I guess you have a point."

"Of course! Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm always right."

"I'm not going to start Raye. To tell you the truth I'm more worried about the dancing."

"Dancing?" Raye says looking away from the mirror. "Why would you be nervous about?uh, never mind. I forgot who I was talking to for a second there."

"Ha ha ha, very funny Raye." Serena stares at the clock. Only two minutes have gone by since she last looked. "When is he going to get here anyway?"

"He'll get her when he gets here. It was nice of Darien to drive all of us to the party though."

"Nice my foot! He told me quote: I just want to make sure you we on time for something in your life Meatball Head. Unquote. If I hadn't of been in such a great mood, I would've..."

"...done nothing but yell at him. Face it Serena you're too nice to hit anything, except for the occasional youma."

The doorbell rings and both girl simultaneously squeal and run out of the room, down the stairs and stop at the front door. They open it after a moment of primping.

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"Sapphire, is your everything ready?" asks Wiseman.

Sapphire nods.

"Yes, as soon as the youma are ready, we can begin the attack." Sapphire says.

"Where is Diamond?" Asks Wiseman, with an edge in his voice.

Sapphire looks nervous. "Er, I believe that he said that he was going to see Serenity again..." Sapphire says, uncomfortably.

Wiseman nods. "Then we shall wait until he comes back from his 'appointment'." Wiseman says.

Sapphire thinks that he saw Wiseman's eyes flashed brighter. "Er, yes Wiseman." He says.

"When he comes, I want to talk to him." Wiseman says.

Sapphire bows. "Yes, Wiseman." He says and exits as fast as he could.

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

"I'm bored!" Lita whines at Amy.

"I'm really sorry that you can't come with us Lita." The small girl apologizes. "I hate leaving you alone, but my mother's making me go."

"No problem!" Mina says, peaking her head through the door. "My Mom?s sick and the invitation's for her and a guest, which was me since Dad's out of the country."

"But if the invitation's for your mother, then you won?t be able to go either." Amy says logically.

"I know, usually I wouldn't, but when I ran the problem by our fearless leader, she came up with a solution."

"What's that?" Lita asks.

"Ta-da!" Mina holds out the Luna Pen. "All you have to do is turn into my mom, then change back. It's full proof!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Lita says excitedly. "I've gotta change! There's no way I'm gonna show up to a fancy party looking like this!" She gestures to her sweats, then dashes up the stairs. Amy stops her midway.

"But the Luna Pen is for scout business only! We shouldn?t be using it to sneak into a party!"

"But AMY!" Mina whines. "If Lita doesn't do this then I can't go either! Serena will be crushed if she doesn't see us there, you know she will be. YOU don't want to be the reason she can't enjoy herself at the party do you?"

"Well, I suppose if we only do it this once..."

"Thanks Ames" Lita gushes while continuing her sprint up the stairs. "You're the best."

"Oh yeah," Mina says as Lita disappears. "Don't mention this to Luna or Artemis. If you do, we?ll be getting lectures for a year."

Amy sighs. "How did I let you talk me into this?"

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"Hi Darien!" Raye coos as he steps into the house.

Serena takes an unnoticeable gasp. He wore a black tuxedo that made his already black hair seem like charcoal.

'It's no fair that someone that hot has to be the single most annoying thing in my life. Eeep! What are you saying girl? You're dating Derek, a totally hot guy that probably looks even better then Darien. Yes, that's it. Derek is ten times better then that stuck up jerk....

'Damn!' Darien thought looking at her pale pink dress. It was a simple dress, but showed off her curves and the neck line was just short enough to show off a little bit of her bust. 'She certainly looks good. Just when I thought that she couldn't look any better...Ahhh! WHAT *ARE* YOU THINKING!!! You're dating Raye! She looks great in that red dress, and who are you thinking about? A meatball-headed klutz! Get a grip!'

"Hi ready to go?" Darien asks, trying his best to clear his head.

"In a second. Daddy!" Serena calls out "I'm leaving now!" Serena tries her best to push the couple out of the door, but a deep voice stops her.

"Just a second young lady." Mr. Tsukino walks out of his study to see Darien. His face turns slightly red.

"Who, may I ask is this? I thought you were going out with Derek."

"I am Daddy. This is Darien Chiba, he's Raye's date, and he's driving us to the party."

Mr. Tsukino circles the uncomfortable man, like a vulture waiting for its prey to die.

"Mr. Chiba is it? I trust you will not be drinking at this party."

"No sir. Frankly, I don't drink at all."

"That's good. I want you to understand one thing Mr. Chiba, my daughter's safety is important to me, so if I find out that something's happened to her while under your care..."

"Will you stop that!" An annoyed woman with indigo blue hair says coming out of the kitchen. "You're scaring that poor young man! He isn't even dating Serena! How Derek managed to win your approval, I'll never know. Now come here! Dinner's almost ready!"

With that Mrs. Tsukino drags her husband out of the room. Serena sighs.

"Well, let's go, we're going to be late."

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

"Where are they?" Asks Mina, tapping her foot.

"You know Serena, she'll be here an hour later." Lita says.

"Actually, Darien's taking Raye and Serena here so they shouldn't be late." Amy says.

"Serena and Darien? In the same car?" Asks Mina and Lita.

"Those two in a tiny car? I can see it now, Darien's driving and Serena's being the back seat driver. They'll strangle each other to death!" Exclaims Mina.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be fine." Lita says.

"Although knowing those two, Darien would be too busy bickering to pay attention to the road. He might just crash them." Amy points out.

The three girls exchange looks and breaks into cold sweat.

"I hope they get here in one piece." prays Mina.

Her prayer is answered by the sound of Serena and Darien bickering.

"See, I told you to take that other road. But no....Mr. Jerk had to play smart guy and get us lost!" Serena exclaims.

She looks back at Darien.

"Real smart, Jerk." She says and then walks off.

"At least we're here Meatball Head!" Darien exclaims.

Serena looks at him with fire in her eyes.

"You, sir have no manners." She says.

"Bon soir, Mademoiselle." Says Derek. Serena turns around and holds back a gasp.

"Good evening, Derek." She breathes.

He takes her hand and kisses it.

"You look enchanting, ma petite." He says.

Serena blushes.

"Serena! Raye! You took your time getting here!" Announces Mina.

People turn and stare at her.

Her friends look away, pretending not to know her.

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

As the girls go off to wander, the two guys are left in silence.

Derek is the first to react, as he's trying to put his plans to action.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Darren?" Asks Derek, *forgetting* Darien's name. Darien clenches his jaw.

"It's Darien and I'm enjoying myself just fine, thank you." He says, trying to force back a growl.

"I'm glad. The evening is just grand. And the girls are dressed so beautifully. I heard from Raye Serena took a long time to get ready tonight. Longer then usual." Derek says.

Darien's eyes flashes.

"Really? But I guess she'd want to dress up for this formal reception." Darien says, looking away.

Derek puts his glass on the refreshment table. "I was surprised to find Serena single, especially since she's such a beautiful girl." Derek says.

"Why are you telling me this?" Darien asks.

"Nothing, just to let you know that half of the guys here was staring at her when she first entered and the other half drooled over the floor when they saw her." Derek says casually.

He then spots Serena, coming back with Raye.

"Well, I'm off to dance with a Princess." He says to Darien.

Darien grits his teeth as he watches Derek pulls Serena over to the dance floor.

"Um, Derek?" Serena asks nervously.

"Oui, Ma petite lapinne?"

"Um I thought it would be a good idea if I apologized before we start dancing."

"Apologize? For what?"

"In case I step on your feet."

"Nonsense. I'm sure you're as graceful as you are beautiful."

Serena blushes as the song starts.

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

Mina looks at the blond guy who was making eye contact with her just a few minutes ago.

'Time to make your move, gal!' Her mind says.

She smiles and starts to walk towards him, when suddenly she hears the beeping sound of the communicator.

She had put it in her purse before the dance because she though it didn't match her outfit. Mina looks at Lita and Lita nods.

Lita, Mina and Amy walk into a deserted hall way.

"That is it, Luna?" asks Mina.

"A dark reading near where you are, girls. I suggest you look into it." Luna says.

"Will do." Lita says.

"But what about Serena and Raye?" asks Amy.

Mina looks at the dance floor to see the two couples. "They can join us later. I know Serena would kill me for making a speech before her, but this is an emergency." Mina says.

"No need to disrupt the couples now, you mean." Lita says. Mina grins and nods. Amy sighs.

"Let's transform then!" Exclaims Lita.

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

"It's such a beautiful evening." Serena gushes . . .

"Nothing can compare to your beauty, ma petite lapinne." Derek whispers in her ear. Before Serena has the chance to blush, someone or rather, something grabs her.

She lets out a shriek.

The youma floats above him, with Serena in his grasp.

It smiles evilly.

"Serena!" Shouts Derek, then recognizing one of Sapphire's works.

He secretly smiles. It shouldn't be that hard to destroy.

"Let her go!" Shouts Derek.

"Aah, we can't let you do that." The youma says.

"Let her go before I do something." Derek warns it again.

The youma gives a mocking smile

"And what are you going to do, pretty boy?" it says.

"Derek no! Get help!" Serena pleads from the youma's grasp.

But before anything could happen, Derek's body gave an unearthly glow.

Serena's eyes widen in surprise.

He grows brighter and brighter until he finally lets a beam of light shoot out of his hand. It hit the youma.

It screams in agony before turning to dust.

And Serena falls with a loud shriek, only to have Derek catching her. She opens her eyes to look into his purple eyes

"Thank you." She whispers. "But how...?"

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

The scouts come in time to see a particularly romantic picture. A couple in a loving embrace. If only they knew the importance of the conversation that was taking place.

"I can explain." He says softly, then he sees the scouts approaching. "Please don?t tell them. I will explain. I promise, once we get some time to ourselves."

"Are you all right?" Mercury asks scanning the area. "The monster was here. What happened to it?"

"Um," Serena says still shaken. "I think it went off in that direction." She pointed to some random spot.

Venus, however, was unconvinced. "So how did you escape?"

"I..."

"Hey, Meatball Head, where are ya?" Serena pales as she hears Darien?s voice.

How was she going to explain this?

The scouts make a hasty retreat as Darien and Raye show up.

"There you are!" Raye exclaims then she sees the position they're in. "Geez, get a room! But for now come on! The picture's being presented!"

Serena nods her head as she breaks form the embrace and walks into the room, her mind still trying to comprehend what happened.

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"And now to present the main exhibit for the Loni Lanei, er excuse me, the Peggy Jones Gallery, Miss Peggy Jones."

"Thank you. This picture is entitled, 'Til We Meet Again.' It's based on an old story my grandmother told me. A beautiful princess gives her prince her star locket so he won't forget her."

She lifts the cover off of the portrait. The portrait reveals a happy couple, totally in love with each other. The girl's long blond hair done up in two buns, and she?s in a flowing white gown, giving her an ethereal effect. The man was in battle armor, his eyes locked onto his love. The locket held in between their hands.

"It doesn't do you justice." Derek whispers into her ear. "Meet me at the park later. You have my word that I'll explain."

Serena shivers, not sure what to do. Here was a guy she was crazy about, but he?s been hiding something from her since she's known him.

'Not that you've been the voice of honesty either.'

With that thought, Serena decides to hear him out.

She nodded her head and started to concentrate on the picture.

"I would like to thank my two models for posing for this. Darien Chiba and Serena Tsukino. Will you please come forward?"

Darien hold out his arm.

"Well, how 'bout calling a truce for the next couple of minutes. For Peggy."

Serena smiles and takes his arm.

"All right. For Peggy."

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

"Sapphire!" Diamond bellows. "What were you thinking? Sending a monster out to attack the party!"

"I was trying to speed things up Diamond."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your little 'Knight in shinning armor' routine worked perfectly. Now all you have to do is come up with a believable excuse as to why you are here and she'll fall into your arms. Then, maybe we can start our plans to take over Tokyo."

"This had better work Sapphire." Diamond says as he disappears.

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

"Derek?" Serena says as she walks though the park. "Derek? Are you here?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Serena gasps as she sees him emerge from behind a large grove of trees wearing a white suit and cape with purple embroidery and lining.

"What are you?" Serena whispers.

"I'm not from your planet." He says looking away. "My name's Diamond. I come from a rouge moon called Nemesis. It's awful there. There's no plant life, no sunshine, I escaped form there to come here. That monster was sent to look for me."

"So, you risked everything in order to help me, didn't you?"

"I suppose I did. They might be able to find me when I attacked the monster."

"But why would you do that? It sounds like they want you back pretty badly. Why risk every thing to save me?"

"Because, it was you." Diamond says looking away.

"Are you alone here?"

"No, I have you." He holds her by her shoulders. "I do still have you don't I? I know you won't believe me, but I really care about you Serena. You're absolutely perfect. I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to you." He turns away from her. "Although, I do I understand if you don't like me anymore."

"Diamond," Serena says taking his hand. "I can't believe you'd risk everything in order to save me." She steps closer. "And you're wrong," She says drawing him close. "I do still like you. I like you very much."

On that note Serena kisses him.

If anyone were to pass them, they would have seen a young couple under the moonlight. They would be mistaken however, as the scene that they have just witnessed would be the beginning of the end for Serena.