Author's Note: Believe it or not, I was really hesitating to write this chapter. I've written love scenes before, so that was nothing new, but the intensity of Heat/Rut was a difficult concept to square in my head. On the one hand I wanted them fully aware and accepting, but on the other I wanted to show the drive of the Crystals. This chapter has a lot of steamy fun, but also some sweet and funny moments (at least, that's the hope). Please tell me what you think!

HEAT
Chapter Three
Moon Madness

Mamoru knew he had to hurry. After letting Luna know where they were going and what had happened, all while Usagi tried to tear his clothing off in the alley, Mamoru focused all his attention on the Moon Palace, closing his eyes and picturing the bed chamber that he remembered. When he blinked his eyes open again, soft pink ruffles on the massive bed met his eyes. Usagi tended to keep the room more frilly that he would like, though at their apartment their bedroom was full of darker colors.

He sighed in relief, just before his buttons exploded across the room as Usagi tore his shirt off. Pain washed through him as Usagi bit his chest aggressively. He remembered all too well how his own heat had made him possessive and jealous. He had nearly ruined his friendship with Motoki in the early days. Now he knew he had to be patient with his wife.

Except, Mamoru wasn't feeling patient. In fact, the more Usagi touched him, the more aggressive she became, the more Mamoru felt his own control slipping. Without thinking about his next move he heard Usagi's clothing tearing under his fingertips and his entire focus became getting inside her. As she slipped her fingertips into his hair, Mamoru crashed his mouth down onto hers, not caring about breathing or anything else, so long as he never had to lose contact with her.

"So perfect," her murmured against her lips before biting into the lower one. Usagi's moan drove him to new heights and Mamoru realized that for the first time in three years, he didn't need to hold back.

Usagi's tiny, overly hot hands, wrapped around his shaft and Mamoru realized she had torn his jeans and underwear to shreds without his noticing. He had been so focused on her sweet mouth that he hadn't felt a thing. With her own clothing in tatters on the floor around them, Usagi wrapped her legs around his waist and rubbed against him.

Heat. Bliss. Paradise. Every little thing about her drove him on. Suddenly he was pressing Usagi against the wall and his mouth traveled to her neck where he kissed and nipped with a fervor he'd never known. This was rut. The drive to get inside his woman and leave his children behind. Nothing would stop them now. Not that he wanted to stop.

Usagi leaned her head back against the wall to give him more access to her neck. Mamoru took full advantage, licking a line from her chin to her collarbone before nipping at her sensitive skin. All the while he was rubbing himself against her wet slit, ready to take her but needing to hear her need for him. He pressed harder and enjoyed the sound of her moans and heavy, panting breaths. She wanted him. She needed him.

"Usako," he groaned.

"Get inside me," she whimpered. "Now. Get inside me. Please!" She groaned, tossing her head from side to side as the heat overwhelmed every other need.

At her plea, Mamoru found he couldn't hold himself back. Her need called to his, making the passion he felt a million times stronger. Even when their bond had reforged he hadn't felt anything so intense. He let his cock slip into her folds and then drove deep in a single thrust, praising the heavens that they fit together so perfectly. Encased in her velvety heat, Mamoru felt her squeeze her muscles tightly. A primal roar echoed through the bedchamber as he pulled back and drove again, and then again and again.

It almost seemed as though the world around them slowed. Mamoru could feel the bead of sweat running down his spine, could feel the intense heat of her inner walls wrapped tightly around him. He could feel her fingernails digging into the flesh of his ass, trying to drag him closer, and feel her hot little mouth on his collarbone.

"Usako!"

"Mamo," Usagi moaned, driving herself onto his shaft as though she would die if he didn't fill her completely. Every touch drove him higher and higher until he felt he would burst into flames. Her thrusts over him and her pulsating muscles made it impossible to do anything but fill her with his seed. He yelled triumphantly as he felt his first dose entering her depths. His body moved on it's own, his hips pressing deeper and harder as he released everything.

But he wasn't done. Not by a long shot. His wife hadn't had so much as a single orgasm, and he had only come inside her one time. That wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. He was going to keep going until neither of them could move. He dragged her body closer and stumbled to the bed, still locked inside her.

Letting her fall onto the soft mattress, and off his throbbing cock, made Mamoru whimper with need. He had to be back inside her, now. With Usagi's hips and legs hanging over the edge of the bed, he had the perfect position. He spread her wide and sank into her again, enjoying the hot embrace. Usagi's eyes were heavy-lidded as she stared up at him, her arms lifting as though to call him home.

Mamoru gave a feral grin as his eyes caught on her breasts, which were free of any constricting clothing. Her pink nipples were puckered into turgid peaks that made his mouth water. He needed to taste them. Even as he began thrusting into his wife, Mamoru's mouth closed over a nipple and he felt his desire increase. She was so perfect.

Usagi let out a scream of pleasure as Mamoru tortured her nipples and slammed himself into her again and again. He felt her inner walls pulsating around him and grinned, knowing he was making her feel all that pleasure. Knowing she would never want anyone but him. Knowing that they could stay like this forever. He drove deeper and harder, enjoying her satisfied moans and pleas for more. Usagi was his. His wife. The mother of his children. She was everything he had ever wanted or needed and she was under him, in his arms.

"Fill me up," Usagi groaned.

As though his body was under her command alone, he tensed as another wave of his seed prepared to flow into her. His shout deafened him for a moment, even with his mouth around her nipple, his face dug into the soft flesh. Mamoru felt his body nearly convulsing with the power of it. His knees went limp and only holding her kept him upright. He crawled onto the bed, still connected to his wife, and continued to thrust as more and more of his seed filled her.

Two Days Later

Usagi's brain had misfired somewhere along the lines, and she wasn't sure she ever wanted to go back to normal. For two and a half days she and Mamoru had been insatiable, and unstoppable. Sometimes he was the aggressor, sometimes she was. Her body was deliciously sore in places she had never imagined, and she still wanted more. Nothing mattered but being with him, connected completely, and being filled with his children.

Staring down at her husband's prone form, Usagi felt powerful. She loved the way beads of sweat meandered over his muscled chest. She enjoyed his panting breaths as he came down from another orgasm. She especially delighted in the feeling of his still-hard cock inside her. Giggling triumphantly, she wriggled her hips, making him dance inside her.

"Usako," he pleaded, his hips lifting in need.

Usagi bent and kissed his firm mouth, nipped at his bottom lip, and drove herself onto him to the point of pain. She needed more. They needed more. He was hers! She moved torturously slow for several minutes until he was nearly begging, before she grabbed his firm chest and drove herself onto him again and again. She needed to be filled.

"Please Usako," he begged. "More. Harder."

Usagi could do nothing but give in to his impassioned plea. She drove herself deeper onto him, harder, faster. Her body moved with a mind of it's own, becoming sinuous and wild. She felt her inner walls begin to flutter and knew the orgasm she was about to give them both would overwhelm anything either of them had ever felt. And she was absolutely certain it would be the one that created their children.

Harder and harder she sank over his shaft, her nails digging into the flesh of his chest as she watched his face scrunch up tight and his body tense. She felt his muscles clench and drove down one last time, screaming through the most incredible orgasm of her life. She felt the heat of his seed filling her inner walls and white exploded in her head as the orgasm hit her with all the force of a runaway train.

The world faded away.

"Usako?" Mamoru's frantic voice reached through the darkness, pulling Usagi's mind to the surface. It took everything she had to blink her eyes open and stare up at the man she loved. It was curious though. She remembered being on top of him. Now she was on her back, his body hovering over hers.

"Wow," she breathed, blushing.

"You can say that again," Mamoru chuckled. He bent his head and gave her a gentle kiss.

Something was different. Usagi stared up at him, slightly confused, until she realized she wasn't going insane with sexual need anymore. She grinned, hoping it meant what she thought it did. She knew the question was in her eyes as she stared at him.

Mamoru moved out of her vision for a moment, and then she felt the gentle caress of his lips over her belly and his intake of breath. She knew, in that instant, that they were pregnant. She was going to carry his children. Chibi-Usa and Chibi-Mamo would be theirs.

"Oh Mamo," she breathed. "Is it true?"

"Hai," he whispered. "I can feel them. They're in there."

"We're going to have our babies," Usagi moaned, then burst into tears. Overwhelming relief flooded through her and Usagi realized just how afraid she had been that their children would never be born.

"Usako," Mamoru responded, laying against her and nuzzling his face into her neck. "Oh Usako."

"Mamo-chan," Usagi murmured, snuggling even closer. "I'm so tired," she whispered.

"Sleep Usako. Let's both just get some sleep."

Usagi nodded her agreement even as Mamoru pulled the blanket up over them and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto her side and her back up against his chest as he curled around her. Within moments exhaustion had taken him and his soft snores could be heard. Usagi giggled, then yawned. She was happy. So very happy. Another yawn broke loose and her eyes closed as she drifted into the most restful and relaxing sleep of her life.

Hours later, Mamoru woke up, his mind fully clear for the first time in years. There was absolutely no drive to make his wife pregnant. He stared down at her, the look of peace on her face making him happy. He wanted her. That would never change. Thankfully it wasn't that overwhelming need that had made him feel so out of control. He could just enjoy her.

Glancing around, Mamoru found his communicator near one of the posts on the foot of the bed and gently removed his arms from around Usagi's waist to reach for it. Then he climbed out of bed and went for the bathroom. He and Usagi had worked together to modernize the palace bathrooms. It had taken a lot of work, but it was worth it, especially considering what heat and rut were like. He felt bad for the others, who would soon be surprised with just how much it could overwhelm them.

After relieving his needs, Mamoru put his communicator on the counter, climbed into the shower, turned on the water to nearly scalding, and leaned his head against the tile wall as the water washed over him. He knew he should probably call Luna, who would be nearly insane with worry, but first he needed to gather himself and put on clean clothing. He was happy Usagi had long ago talked him into leaving spare clothing on the moon.

Once he was refreshed and clean, Mamoru threw on clothing and grabbed the communicator. He was worried. It had never been so long since he and Usagi had communicated with the others.

When he opened the communicator, he found more than a dozen messages from Minako. Their plan with her would have to change. She was already too suspicious. He wondered what Luna had told her and the other girls. Then he found her message mixed in with all the others, telling him she had informed the girls that a rare alignment of planets with the moon had made her act strangely and that Mamoru had brought her somewhere safe. He shook his head. The girls would never buy it, especially considering that they knew soon Usagi would be pregnant. Not to mention, they would check to see if their was any such alignment.

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi's voice was low and soft.

He looked over at her and smiled. She was so incredibly beautiful, half sitting up in bed. Her hair was an absolute wreck. One bun was gone completely, the other was hanging about halfway off her head and hardly had anything left in the band that held it in place. There were knots all through it and he knew it would take him a long time to get through them all.

"Usako, you're awake," he said, standing up and moving to her side. "I missed you," he said, kissing the tip of her nose, then her sweet lips.

"That's silly Mamo-chan. I'm right here." She giggled at him.

Mamoru grinned back. "I know. But you were sleeping." She giggled again, making him feel happier than he ever had.

"Is it really true?" Usagi asked, sounding hesitant. "Are we going to have our babies?"

"It's true," Mamoru told her, resting his hand over her belly. He could feel them in there, though he knew they didn't even have heartbeats yet. They were already very real to them. And that meant everything.

"What am I going to say to Minako?" Usagi groaned, throwing herself back onto the pillows. "I was ready to claw her eyes out." She shook her head in bewilderment.

"Jealousy," Mamoru reminded her. "I had felt it, sort of, but it was nothing like what happened when I started going into rut. It's like the thinking part of my brain shuts down and the emotions take over. It can be scary."

"And you've lived like this for three years," Usagi murmured. "I can't even imagine."

"Remember, I had help controlling it."

"Luna said it was the King."

Mamoru smiled. "Yes, my father helped me. He taught me how to use the Golden Crystal to control it, and he helped keep me strong at the worst points."

"I'm glad you had help. I wish I could have been there for you." She blushed. "I never knew it could be like that," she explained. "I didn't feel like I was in control of myself, or my wants and needs. I mean, I knew it was me, and I wanted it like nothing else in my life, but I felt like I was a passenger, if that makes sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Mamoru admitted. Even when he had been in rut before he'd had some control. She was right, it had felt almost like something else had taken over. The Crystals. Still, he wasn't disappointed, and he could feel Usagi's happiness through their bond, so he knew she wasn't either."

"I still don't get why my Heat didn't come when I normally ovulate," Usagi said. "I could actually feel my body releasing eggs when we started, but I'd never felt that before."

"I don't know," Mamoru admitted. "Maybe your cycle is different. Some women don't ovulate in the middle. Everyone is unique."

Usagi shook her head. "I don't suppose it matters," she said softly. "We have to figure out our next move. Minako is going to be more suspicious than ever. I know we planned on just hiding my pregnancy to make them think that's what we are hiding, but we might have to go with a slightly different strategy."

"Like what?" Mamoru wondered.

"We get her as a co-conspirator," Usagi said, laughing. "It's the best prank ever. We tell her everything. Almost everything," she corrected with a blush, "and then we set her loose on Kunzite and she can help us with the others."

"Poor Kunzite," Mamoru laughed. "He'll never know what hit him."

"Exactly. We could have so much fun." Usagi's eyes were filled with amusement. "Now that that's out of the way, I need a shower and we need to contact Luna and tell her we should be back in a few hours."

"Uh uhn," Mamoru murmured, kissing his wife. "We'll go back tomorrow. I want to take advantage of our time alone without being pressured. I want to take my time with you and do all the things we were in too much of a hurry to do before."

Usagi blushed crimson, but nodded her head before she hurried into the bathroom. Mamoru threw himself backward on the bed and crossed his arms under his head, staring up at the ceiling which had a large starburst embossed on it. He couldn't stop thinking about Chibi-Mamo and Chibi-Usa. His children existed in the world. Usagi was carrying them. They were going to be parents!

The Next Day

A flutter of shock filtered through Usagi when she and Mamoru appeared in their apartment the following afternoon. Minako was sitting on the couch, arms folded across her chest, glaring at Luna and Artemis. Usagi had to giggle at the way Artemis was avoiding eye contact with the other blonde.

"Usagi-chan!" Minako yelled, standing instantly. She launched herself at Usagi so hard it knocked her back a step. "Oh I was so worried Usagi!" Minako announced, hugging her to within an inch of her life. "Where have you been? What happened to you? Why were you acting so strange? These two won't tell me anything!" The last was said with another glare at Luna and Artemis, who were now staring at them with wild eyes.

Usagi turned to Luna. "We have to let her in on this Luna. You know she won't let it go until she gets answers."

Artemis smiled. "I told you," he whispered to his mate.

"I knew you were hiding something!" Minako announced. "Be happy I don't dye you green!" She stuck her tongue out at Artemis, who had long been her friend and advisor. Usagi felt guilty. The last thing she'd wanted to do was cause problems between them.

"Come sit down," Usagi said, tugging Minako's arm.

"You're pregnant!" Minako suddenly announced, falling to her knees in front of Usagi. "I can feel their soulmates!"

"What?" Usagi said, shocked. She'd had no idea Minako's skills had progressed so far. She shook her head. "Yes, I'm pregnant, but only just. Right now we have other things we need to tell you."

Minako however was busy murmuring to the twins as though she was holding a normal conversation with them. Usagi couldn't help herself. She broke down laughing until she doubled over with it. It took several minutes to calm herself, and then a few more to get Minako settled on the couch with a promise not to do anything until she had heard them out.

"We need your help," Usagi told her. "I should have known we needed the goddess of love on our side from the beginning." Usagi reached for Minako's hand. "What would you say if I told you that when I made that Wish after defeating Metalia, Kunzite and the others were brought back to life as well?"

Minako was silent for a long moment, her azure eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I would ask where he is so I can make him mine again."

Usagi sighed in relief. "Good. Now that that's settled, we need your help." She laid out everything she knew, with help from Mamoru and both the feline advisors. It took well over an hour, but when she was done, Minako's eyes were bright and sparkling with mischief and fun.

"Let's get started," the other blonde said, standing up. "I have a husband to catch. Then we can work on Haruki and Setsuna." She rubbed her hands together. "This is going to be so much fun!"