Title: Decisions
Author: Ree
Theme: Family - estrangement
Genre: Drama
Version: Silver Millennium - Fates/Sihde storyline
Rating: G

Most of these characters belong to Takeuchi Naoko. The ones that don't are my creations.

Decisions

Selenity closed the door to her room. Hanging onto the fragile thread of her control, she crossed the room to her bed. 'Don't think about it. Don't think about anything while you are wearing the crystal. Who knows what might happen?' Moving a small pillow into the center of her bed, she took off the silver crystal and laid it in the center of the pillow. With her hands shaking like a leaf, she lifted the crown off her head and placed it around the crystal.

The fire reflected off the crown, drawing Selenity's attention, reminding her of the last ten minutes. 'Ten minutes... that is all it took. Ten minutes!' A sob rose out of the depths of her chest. 'I found a safe place to run to. We were going to leave.' Clenching her fist, she felt the tears streak down her cheeks even as they flushed with her rage. 'This didn't have to happen! Mother didn't have to die!' Her eyes darted about the room, looking for something to destroy or break. They narrowed as she spotted the tapestries that covered her walls. 'I'm a prisoner in my own home because of him... he has destroyed all the ones I cared for the most.'

Her tenuous hold on her emotions broke. Grabbing a tapestry, Selenity pulled with all her might. As it fell off the wall, she flung it as far as she could across the room while yelling at the top of her lungs. "Brogan! You're going to pay! I'm going to make you pay for this!"

Yanking the cushions off the chairs and sofa, she flung them against the now bare wall. The other tapestries joined the first. Lost in a storm of fury and loss, she destroyed her room. When her fury died down, she crumpled into a pile of pillows and cushions and cried herself to sleep.

Malcolm pressed his back against Queen Selenity's door. The sounds coming from the room relieved him. He shook his head no as Her Majesty's maid, Sara, tried once again to gain entrance to the room. "Leave her alone. She needs a few minutes alone."

Sara gestured to the door. "Listen to that! What if she hurts herself? I need to calm her down."

Malcolm planted his feet firmly, and refused to budge as she tried to shove past him. 'Give the girl a chance to grieve. She has bottled everything up inside since The King died. She needs to let it out. If she doesn't...' He blocked the thoughts that tried to present themselves.

Sara eventually gave up trying to move him by force and by words. Sinking down on the cold stone floor, she waited glaring at the guard who barred her way.

Malcolm almost felt sorry for ordering everything out of this hallway, but he wasn't giving an assassin an easy place to hide. As the storm that raged inside the room lulled, he listened to the soft sobs, and then the soft sighs of the new queen falling asleep. After checking down the hall, he gestured to Sara.

Frowning at the obstinate man, Sara pulled herself up to her feet and went to open the door, only to be stopped yet again. With her arms crossed she waited while he carefully inched the door open, and then quickly waved her in. Darting into the room, Sara was surprised when Malcolm followed her, shutting the door behind him. A glance around the room made her shudder at the thought of cleaning the wreckage latter. She finally spotted the new queen sleeping on a pile of cushions against the far wall. Grabbing the lone quilt left in the chest at the foot of the bed, Sara covered her.

Malcolm watched the maid like a hawk as she approached Queen Selenity. His distrust was evident as she covered the Queen with a quilt. 'I know I'm being overprotective, but no one is going to kill my queen. No one.' As he and Sara slipped back out of the room, Malcolm spotted the crown sitting in the only pristine area of the room, the center of her bed.

Lachesis cut the next group of threads, in her rush a few of them were cut unevenly. 'Lingering, painful deaths. I can't wait until my helper arrives.' She looked down at the basket. 'Half full. The emissary from Pluto should be arriving soon. These souls have been waiting for months.' A knock at the villa door announced the arrival of the long awaited emissary.

With the basket in hand, the emissary made his way back to Pluto. When he stopped at Charon, the threads took back their natural forms.

Brendan stared about him, taking in the moon and the wide expanse of space between the moon and planet in front of him. 'I need to get back to Selene. I know she needs me now. I can't imagine what she is going through.' Turning his back on the afterlife, Brendan searched for his home in the star field.

A touch on his arm drew his attention back to the moon. A cloaked figure gestured him to join everyone else in a boat that was preparing to cross the river of space that lead to the planet.

"No. I can't. This estrangement has to end. I have to go back." Brendan tried to find a way to Earth.

A skeletal hand grasped at his sleeve, but a sliver glow stopped it.

Brendan looked at the glow surrounding him.'What ... What is happening? It feels like Selene... Like Selene is holding me.' Then he felt a tug dragging him away.

Selenity pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. The wreckage from her explosion was still laying about her room. Sitting in the center of her bed, she stared at the crown and the silver crystal. 'Can I do it? Can I be a good ruler for my people?'

Reaching out to pick up the crystal, she pulled her hand back as her rage bubbled back up in her abdomen. 'Should I go for revenge and take out Brogan? I can do it with the crystal, I know I can.' Clenching her fingers tightly together, she fought for the clear head she woke up with that morning. 'I...I know what I want to do, and I know what I should do. At least, I think I do.'

She knew exactly which advisors would push for what side. She could hear them debating it in her head. Giving in, she picked up the silver crystal. 'I want Brendan's advise. I need to hear what he has to say. Whatever is decided will affect both the Milesians and the Sihde.' She clasped the necklace around her neck. 'This estrangement hurts, as much if not more than the one from my mother. Brendan...'

As she fought back her tears, she felt a presence near her. Her eyes flew open and she jerked about, freezing when she saw who was there. A faint silver and dark blue glow surrounded a translucent man, and a very familiar face smiled at her. "Bre...Bren..Brendan?"

The spirit nodded his head. "Selene, your okay. I've been so worried."

Wiping her eyes, Selenity hugged her knees tighter. She was afraid that if she touched him, he would disappear. "I'm okay... Mother isn't... She died last night." The tears that started flowing down her cheeks were different from the ones that she cried last night. These were healing tears. "I don't know what to do, Bren. Do I attack Brogan, or do I run?"

Concern creased his face as he thought about it. 'Brogan must have been behind all of this.' "Where would you run to?"

Selenity brushed her fingers across the crystal. "The Moon. There is a whole kingdom waiting for my return. And we would be safe, there is no way Brogan could make it there. But... but... I want to avenge mother and you. I want.."

"Shhh. Revenge isn't what you need to think about. All it will do is cause you heartache in the end. Think of our people. What is best for them? What is best for our child?"

Resting her forehead on her knees, she blotted out the sight of the silver and blue light. In her mind she imagined Brogan laying dead at her feet. But she could see that it wouldn't end there. A long and bloody war would continue until both sides were decimated. "Revenge would bring me more grief... I have to run." She rested her hand over the baby. "We have to run."

Smiling up at Brendan, she felt her heart contract as he faded away. "Bye, my love."

His voice echoed to her through the enclosing darkness. "Bye, my love."

Selenity looked at the crown resting on the pillow. 'It is my duty to protect my people.'

When Brendan could see again, he found that he was still by Selenity's side. Content, he watched her place the crown on her head and walk towards the door.