halfway through writing this the neighborhood kids came by caroling. i'm not even fucking kidding. what is my life.

anyway here ya go last part:

"You have really and truly ruined me, my dear," he sighed, putting his forehead to hers. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

"Well," Serenity slowly lifted his hand and gently unbuttoned his glove, pulling it off finger by finger. She bit her lip and smiled mischievously up at him. "I have some ideas." Then she stopped and froze as her stomach rumbled, loudly.

"Do any of those ideas have to do with getting food?" he was trying not to laugh, but not doing the best job of it.

Serenity bit her lip and look abashed, her hair falling in front of her face. "I'm famished!" she admitted, "I haven't eaten since lunch."

"That's a long time even for a normal person," Endymion said, earning him a smack on the arm.

"Well, if her majesty is hungry, we must get her sustenance," he said, seriously. "The fate of the very universe depends on it."

"But, Mamo-chan," she pushed her hair back, her face still alight despite her near-starved condition, "we are supposed to be sick. If anyone sees us, we'll be found out!"

"Hmm," he mused, "we should be able to make it to the library without being seen - I may have the answer to our problem."

"This is amazing!" Serenity said, following Endymion down a narrow hallway behind a hidden door in a bookcase. "Scary," she said, stumbling in the dark and clutching his back, "but amazing." She was wearing his formal jacket over her nightdress, slippers on her feet. Not the most regal of sights, but Endymion was right - they had been able to make it to the library without being seen by anyone.

"Ami personally thought the trick bookcase entrance was horribly cliche," Endymion was saying, "and I have to admit she was right, but I do have a flare the dramatic. Plus, it is easy to make and remember."

"So this is part the security set up you guys made?"

"Are making, yes," He answered, "this tunnel will eventually lead into a emergency bunker with beds, water, communication devices, and -"

"Food!" she finished, her eyes already widening with realization.

"It's not fully stocked yet, it will be nonperishable canned stuff of zombie movies, but right now we've just put in a temporary stash of-"

"CHOCOLATE!" She recognized it even in the shadowy light cast by the flashlight Endymion was holding. Serenity ran forward and grabbed handfuls of the candy bars. "Here, take some back with you," she said, shoving some into Endymion's pockets and some into the pockets of his jacket she was wearing, giggling like a child sneaking candy before dinner.

"You are brilliant!"

"This may not be the most nutritious dinner," Endymion said, "and Ami is going to be annoyed when I explain why we needed to replenish supplies but we already have two senshi mad at us, why not three?"

"We need to be sure to stay on Makoto's good side, though, she bakes," Serenity said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Let's head back now," Endymion put an arm around his wife, pulling her close. "It's dark in here and I think there might be spiders." He wiggled his fingers on her neck and she shrieked, slapping at him and running back down the secret hallway as he chased her, their laughter echoing through the dark.

Half an hour later, Serenity was seated halfway down the bed, candy wrappers were littered around her and a pillow on her lap.

"Okay, I have one, I have one!" she said, continuing their game. "What if... what if you could have chocolate cake every day for breakfast for the rest of your life but you had to have carrots for your birthday?"

"Serenity."

"What what?"

"You are Queen of the World. You can technically have chocolate cake for breakfast every day for the rest of your life, no need for carrots on your birthday."

"Mamo-chaaaaaannnn," she whined, "you are taking all the fun out of this game!"

"I can't help it if I'm logical."

Endymion was seated next to her on the bed, his legs out and crossed at the ankle, a neat pile of candy wrappers placed carefully off to one side. Still in his formal outfit, sans the jacket, he looked as put together as she looked disheveled. It was annoying. She hit him with a pillow.

"What was that for-"

And again.

"Sere-"

And again.

"I'm trying" bop "to mess up" bop "your hair at least a little."

He grabbed her wrists and pinned her down, even as she giggled and protested. "Let me up, Endy, Mamo-chan, I need my hands to hit you with the pillow! Well, then, fine!" Serenity wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down on top of her with an "oof!"

He kissed her, greedily, hungrily and she responded, wriggling her hands free to run through his hair, pull off his jacket and work on unbuttoning his shirt. Her lips danced along his collarbone, down his chest with each button, and she smiled to feel him shudder beneath her touch. She deftly worked his belt and pants buckle and soon he was as 'underdressed' as she was. "Now you fit the dress code," she whispered to him, running her hands down his stomach. "See toldya I needed my hands."

He grabbed her and pulled her toward him and she looked right into his eyes. "Tonight will be over soon, and then it's back to before," she said, unable to help the sadness creeping into her voice. He shook his head swiftly and pressed his lips to hers before she could dwell too long on their fleeting freedom.

"Then let's make it last," he whispered into her mouth.

She sighed as he traced patterns of love into her skin, relishing how slow he could take it, how much time he had to make her sigh, moan, grasp at his hair and murmur his name. He brushed his lips along her lower belly, then down, down, down, reveling in her gasps and sighs. With his hands massaging into her thighs and bottom, and his tongue and lips sending fiery coils of pleasure though her, Serenity thought she might drown in desire.

This may not have been exactly the idyllic white-picket-fence married life she'd imagined as a schoolgirl, but moments like this, stolen as they were, sparkling and smoldering underneath the day to day - this was more than she could ever want.

Endymion pulled back and looked at her flushed face and bright eyes. He had always loved this - making her desperate, making her twist and moan and sigh and yearn, giving her just enough to make her want more, more of him, more always. Let her see, for one moment, what she does to me every second of every day.

"What are you doing?" she said, breathless, pulling on his arms, his hands, "Why are you stopping?"

"My love," he whispered to her ear, "we have all night. Let's make it worth it."

And they did.

Later, half-dozing in his arms as the sky lightened outside, Serenity sighed. "I think back in our past lives the morning used to make us sad, too," she said out loud.

Endymion stirred beside her and sat up on his elbows, taking in her forlorn expression. "Back then we could never have dreamed we'd end up as lucky as we are now," he said. "Don't forget," he took her left hand in his, linking their fingers, wedding rings winking in the morning light. "We still have each other. Forever."

"I love you so much, Endymion. Mamo-chan," she said, eyes filling with tears.

"I love you, too." It wasn't something he said much, out loud, and she smiled to hear it, snuggling down into his arms.

"Hey, Mamo-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's play sick again sometime."

"Usako."

"C'mon."

"No. We've made it very clear to everyone that this was a one time thing and I am absolutely going to keep my word."

Years and years later:

"Again?!" Sailor Mars said incredulously.

"Again." Sailor Venus answered, shaking her head.

"I'm going to kill them," Sailor Mars responded. "This time I am one hundred and ten percent going to kill them."

"Get in line," Sailor Jupiter quipped, slipping her sash over her shoulder.

"Next time I'm calling in 'sick'." Sailor Venus said, "Maybe with that smoking hot new judo instructor who is training the princess."

Mars smirked and Mercury blushed, Jupiter punched Venus lightly in the arm. "Okay, okay, we get it, we get it."

Their laughter echoed up the crystal staircase as the sun was setting in the utopian sky.

fin