A/N: Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own these characters; I'm not making money off of them. Please don't sue!
This is a collaboration with Melinda Sandy Halliwell based on her fic "A Twist". You can find it at www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/ 4720173/1/A_Twist
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"Have you talked to Maeve?"
Nephrite looked up from his charts and quirked an eyebrow at Jadeite. "Not recently, no. Why do you ask?"
Jadeite snorted. "Oh I don't know. Maybe because your wedding is less than a year away, and you still haven't told her the truth?"
Nephrite's face reddened as he scowled. "What I tell Maeve is none of your business."
He rose from his seat and moved to the window, taking in the view of the full moon that was shining through. He sighed to himself. Jadeite was right. He did need to tell her; he should have told her when it was obvious things were getting serious between them. It had been kept under wraps long enough, and time was running out.
He felt a hand upon his shoulder, and he turned to face his shorter companion. "Look, I'm sorry man. You know I don't mean to interfere."
Nephrite nodded. "I know. But you're absolutely right." He sighed and looked back up to the moon. "Part of me is still trying to find some way out of this. A loophole or something, I suppose. I keep thinking that if I can end things amicably - and legally - that when she does find out perhaps it will be easier for her to handle. I love her, Jade. I love her."
Jadeite gave Neph another pat on the shoulder before turning to leave. The man needed his privacy, and Jadeite was content with giving it to him. "I know you do. That's why you need to tell her."
***************
Five girls laughed and giggled between hushed whispers and shushes as they rushed down the not-so-hidden passageway towards the not-so-hidden teleportation chamber. This chamber was supposed to be used only in emergencies; however, once the Moon Princess had fallen in love with the Earth Prince, it became a way to sneak off for secret rendezvous on Earth. Tonight it was being used to transport the Princess and her four guardians to a masquerade being held at the Terran palace.
They'd been planning this for weeks. The masquerade was the perfect opportunity for all the girls to attend a Terran ball while still hiding their identities. Their lovers had no idea they would be attending; the girls wanted to surprise them.
Each was dressed in their respective planetary colors: Amelie in blue, her mask adorned with sequins in different shades of the same; Bridget in red, her mask colored with red and orange flames extending from one side; Maeve in green, her mask decorated with leaves and small flowers; Amina in=2 0gold, her mask covered with golden glitter and beads; and Serenity in white, her mask was silver and trimmed with pure white fur. They knew their cover wouldn't last long as far as their men were concerned, but felt relatively confident that they would fit in with the rest of the crowd without raising suspicions.
Four of the girls headed for the teleportation pad, while the fifth ran over to the control panel. Serenity called out as she made her way up the steps to the pad. "Hurry Amelie! We don't want to be late!"
"I know, lady! Just give me a moment to enter the proper coordinates…" The Mercurian punched several buttons on the controls, one of which set a ten-second timer that would allow her to get to the pad before the teleportation began. She nodded to herself as she hit the last few buttons and quickly ran from the control panel, up the stairs onto the pad.
They held hands and closed their eyes as the engines kicked on. Anticipation caused mere seconds to feel like an eternity. As they collectively sucked in a final breath, a white light engulfed the room, and the girls disappeared.
***************
The masquerade was so much more than the girls ever imagined. The ballroom was dripping from ceiling to floor with decorations. An entire wall was dedicated to food and beverage alone, and the supply never seemed to diminish. Despite there being hundreds of people gathered, everyone was wearing something different.
After agreeing on a time to regroup, they decided to split up. Maeve watched as her sisters each went their separate ways before deciding to make her own way through the crowd. While she was much taller than many of the inhabitants of the Moon Kingdom, most of people of Earth were closer to her own height. Though this helped her to blend in, it also made it hard for her to see over most of the guests. Finding herself a bit overwhelmed at the mass of people, she told herself that she had time and didn't need to rush to find Nephrite. She was sure they would bump into each other at some point in the evening. In the meantime, she needed something to drink.
Weaving in and out between guests, she spotted a couple of her sisters near the dance floor. They were laughing at something, though she couldn't see what. She smiled to herself. At least someone was already having fun.
Finally, she found a gentleman passing out champagne near the entrance to the ballroom. She grabbed a glass and decided to head for the gardens for fresh air.
***************
Realizing that she'd been outside longer than planned, Maeve made her way back to the entrance to the palace. About halfway down the corridor, she noticed a man staring out a window. A few steps closer and she found she knew exactly who it was. She quickened her pace down the hall, but came to an abrupt halt when she saw a young woman with short red hair come bounding out of the entrance to the ballroom and run over to Nephrite.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" The girl then took the man into an embrace and the two shared a kiss that was more than friendly. Maeve felt her knees weaken and her hands began to shake.
She nearly choked on her own breath as Nephrite actually smiled back at this girl who had accosted him. Why didn't he push her away?? The girl then grabbed him by the arm and began to pull him towards the entrance to the ballroom. "I need you back in here. Daddy wants to talk about some changes to the guest list for our wedding."
The empty champagne flute fell from Maeve's hand and shattered upon contact with the marble floor. Nephrite hesitated as he heard the sound of glass breaking and turned in time to see a brunette in a green dress running down the hallway towards the gardens. Before he had the chance to further inspect, he felt another tug at his arm. "C'mon Neph! This is important!" He20looked back down and nodded to the other girl. He glanced back down the hallway one last time before shrugging off the strange feeling that had come over him and headed into the ballroom with his fiancée.
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More A/N: Don't worry, there's more to come!