Timed Pregnancy
By: Lena Sauran
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep over the 5 year period that this story had been failed to be updated, Lena has been busy devising a scheme to overthrow the mighty wonderful Naoko-san but failed miserably, she does not nor will she ever own Sailor Moon. The Original storyline is Kate Butler's, used with her permission to elaborate on the story of Setsuna, Guardian of Time. Thank you for your time and have a nice day. signs off
Chapter 11: The Chaos Theory – Order Before Logic
The wedding had erupted into a flurry of motions. Susan was sitting in the pew, looking at her hand. She had missed her. She had missed that sweet little girl in all her fussy frills. Susan had been right there, just a few inches away, her arms hadn't been long enough. She couldn't even protect Celeste. That terrified her. She was going to be a mother and she couldn't even protect someone else's children. How was she going to protect her own children? Celeste's flower basket was clutched tightly in her other hand, though it was empty of the flower petals that had filled it earlier.
The church was mostly empty; a few people were milling around, mostly guests and a few associates. She didn't notice. She had sat there for what seemed like forever, just staring at her hand. She was in shock, it was that simple. She finally looked up when Amy came over to her and put her hand on her shoulder.
The blue-haired doctor knelt down to her level, looking at her critically, "Susan? Are you okay?" she asked, moving to take her pulse. The doctor didn't like how pale the pregnant woman was. Setsuna wasn't really sure how to answer her. "I think its best if you go home and get some rest. Let Terrence take you home, Susan." She recommended softly, trying to coax the Mistress of Pluto to her feet to head home.
It wasn't unknown that Setsuna had developed a rather special relationship with the Motoki child. She had been baby-sitting her fairly regularly. Setsuna and Terrence had taken care of her through all this insanity with planning the wedding and they were close to her.
"I didn't reach her, Amy…." She said, very quietly, looking to the doctor, desolation written all over her face, an innocent desperation.
"It's not your fault, Susan… we'll get her back, don't worry."
The words didn't ease her guilt and she looked back down at her hand. Terrence put his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, baby, I'll take you home." He said, looking as tired as she felt guilty.
Amy pulled Terrence to the side for a moment, giving him some instructions to get her home and into a warm bath. He needed to get her relaxed and get her to sleep some. The stress and the shock weren't good for the babies. Terrence just watched Setsuna as Amy spoke, taking in all of her advice. He told her that he would see to it before he went over to Setsuna, kneeling down in front of her and taking her free hand, setting his on top of hers, breaking her gaze at her own hand.
She lifted her eyes to his face and those crimson eyes welled up with tears. Tears wouldn't help Celeste, but that was just a part of the hormones. She hiccupped slightly and threw her arms around his neck, sobbing hysterically. It wasn't usual for her to fall apart in public. He held her and stroked her hair, shushing her softly, trying to calm her down. He knew that none of this was good for her. He shifted his weight to slip his arm under her legs, the other sliding down to behind her back and he picked her up. She was getting heavier, but that didn't matter.
He let her soak the collar of his tux with her tears because he loved her. She needed to know that he loved her, no matter what. He looked at Amy with a small sigh, "I'll call if she needs anything or has any problems." He promised before he carried her out of the building towards the car.
She didn't remember the drive home or even the shower afterwards. She didn't remember getting into bed. She only knew that she woke up there, Terrence's arm draped around her middle, his hand stroking her hair. He had been watching her sleep. She blinked slowly as she slowly began to process that she was in her own room at home. She turned to look at him, seeing the relief wash over Terrence's face. "How did I get here?" she asked, quietly.
"I brought you home." He replied, his hand moving from her hair to stroke down her cheek, "You had me worried there for a little bit." He admitted.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, watching him, processing that the curtains were closed to keep the light out, the room was darkened for her sleep, she supposed.
"I didn't want you to wake up alone." His voice was tender, worried and it tugged at her heartstrings. She knew she loved him in that moment. More then she had ever loved anyone before. More then she was allowed to love anyone person.
"I'm alright…. You should…. You should go help search for Celeste. I will be okay."
The more people searching for Celeste, the sooner she would come home. She leaned over to kiss him softly before letting him get out of the bed. The kiss was something simple, a necessary action that comforted them both. Perhaps that was what was more important, comfort through love. It was more important than passion through love. It lasted longer, it kept its youth when the body grew old. It was the heart's love instead of the loins' love, not that they hadn't already had that.
Susan watched him leave and knew that he would come back to her. This was not the wartimes. This was not a time when he would be stripped from her life. Not yet. Not so soon. Celeste was their main concern right now, if something happened to her, it would hurt the timeline. She let him go to help find her, knowing that the more people were looking, the sooner she would be found.
"I hope you are safe, little one." She sighed as she moved to get out of the bed, knowing that she probably wasn't. She was just a little child. She was a sweet little child, who the Raiders knew they would come after. Celeste was just the bait. If they only knew the potential of that child, they would quake in their boots before ever thinking of messing with her.
Susan looked at herself in the mirror, a tired version of herself, her eyes puffy from crying. She was pale and tired, the day had been exhausting, but there was only one thing to do. She slipped the mistress' beads from her wrist and pulled out her henshin wand. She lifted it over her head with a soft sigh and called all the powers of Pluto to her command. She felt the warmth of magic envelope her and calm her.
The gate was calling to her. She knew that she had to answer. She lifted a hand to her belly and sighed softly, each time was so strange. She lifted the time key to call the gate to her and nothing happened. She blinked and tried again, the talisman did not even glow, "What is happening to me?" she asked, quietly, disbelief in her voice.
The gate would not come… or something would not allow it to come. Sailor Pluto slid down the time key to the floor, feeling completely useless for the first time in over a millennia. Ever since the fall of the Moon Kingdom. She had not been able to help then and it seemed she would not be able to help now. She would not be able to help the sweet little Motoki child who had become a dear friend to her over the last few months.
She hung her head and clenched her fist in her lap. If it was one thing Setsuna Meiou did not like being, it was helpless.
After about twenty minutes, she powered down and slipped the bracelet back into her wrist, glancing at the clock, it was so late. Time seemed to pass without her notice these days. It frightened her. There was very little that did. Two-thirty. Her stomach rumbled and she sat there for a minute, "This is not the best time to be making me hungry, little ones." She sighed softly as she moved to get up from her place on the floor ever so slowly.
Yams sounded good. They weren't really something that was in season, but she knew that they came in cans. Sweet Potatoes, as Americans called them. And something cool to drink. She hadn't stayed for the reception. She didn't remember when she had last ate. Her stomach gurgled again and she sighed. She didn't have her car. Terrence had driven her home and Amy had warned her not to drive anyway. It was all very inconvenient. She slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans. Surprisingly to her, pregnancy jeans were fairly comfortable. Minako had suggested them, and she would know, being the mother of so many.
She didn't change her shirt, but she slipped her arms into a coat that she pulled off the back of her bedroom door. The black pea coat barely fit around her middle now and it wouldn't for much longer. She sighed as she smoothed her hand over the fabric. She went to the phone to try to call Terrence, but she didn't want to worry him and put the receiver back down halfway through his number.
Well, Michelle and Alex had offered that if she needed help that all she had to do was ask. It seemed like it was one of those times to ask, even if it was their wedding night, but first she went down to see if they by chance had any left in the pantry.
Once downstairs and in the kitchen, she rooted around in the pantry for a few minutes before deciding that there weren't any yams to be found. She rested her forehead against one of the cabinets for a moment before she went back upstairs to wake up Alex or Michelle. Hopefully they would understand. She turned on the hallway light after shutting Haley's door, the teenager still awake. She always was a night owl, but that didn't mean that she needed her mother yelling at her this late. Susan was usually good about not getting Haley into needless trouble with her parents.
She walked the fifteen feet down to the honeymooners door and listened for a moment, quiet. Well at least she wouldn't be interrupting. She put her hand on the doorknob and guilt roiled around in her stomach, this was their wedding night…. Maybe she could just take Alex's keys and go to the store herself. She could drive carefully. She turned the knob and pushed the door open with the every intention of just borrowing her keys, but the damn door creaked like something out of a horror movie, sounding like a gunshot it was so damn loud to her ears.
She saw Alex bolt awake in bed and instantly felt bad. Well so much for the stealing the car keys plan, since she was already awake. She watched the woman rub her eyes sleepily. Susan slipped into the room and watched her long-time friend, feeling awful for waking her.
"Suse? Are you alright?" Alex asked, sleepy and in that state between entirely awake and asleep until she saw what Susan was wearing and then she was instantly up and reaching for her coat and keys, "Hospital? Let me just wake Michelle and..."
Susan nibbled on her lower lip for a moment before she just interrupted her friend, "No. It is nothing like that…." She replied, giving Alex a small smile, glad that the blonde was so willing to just jump up and rush her off to get taken care of, despite everything.
"What?" Alex asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Listen, I've lost a lot of sleep in the last few days and tonight was..." she trailed, looking to the sleeping form in her bed, "No exception."
Susan's eyes followed Alex's to Michelle's sleeping form and she sighed softly, folding her hands over her belly, which was still grumbling about not being fed. Everything had been so crazy lately. She didn't doubt that they were all tired, now with Celeste being missing; Michelle and Alex were missing their well-deserved honeymoon for an emergency meeting of the Mistresses in the morning. Susan just felt even guiltier for even waking them up. She should have just gotten something different, but this wasn't her fault.
"Umm..." Susan sighed, shaking her head, "I just had a craving for candied yams and Perrier water..."
Susan blinked as Alex
started to laugh at her and tossed her her car keys. Well that had
been her original intention, but, she didn't have to laugh, "It's
my wedding night," she
chuckled. "And, believe it or
not, I want to sleep. Get your own yams." She said with a yawn
and a wink.
If Susan would have wrinkled her nose in her life, it would have been right then, she didn't like being made to feel guilty and then being laughed at like some silly child. "Amy said that I shouldn't be driving." She just said, quietly, frowning at Alex.
"I," retorted the blonde with a wicked gleam in her eye, "have driven wearing a full ball gown. You can drive in your state..."
Susan just scowled at Alex who didn't seem to be giving an inch. But Susan really wasn't comfortable driving, especially with as upset as she had been earlier. Finally it seemed that the Mistress of Neptune had gotten tired of the talking disturbing her sleep. Rolling over and yawning, the teal-haired woman let out a sigh. "Alex, get Susan her yams," she commanded sternly in a sleepy tone.
"But." The blonde protested.
"You don't want to spend your wedding night on the couch, do you?" she asked rhetorically, cuddling into the comforter against the cool night air. "Get..."
Susan watched as Alex gave her wife a petulant look and tugged on her jacket and snatched up her keys off the floor. Susan didn't quite catch what Alex growled her way as she passed, but Susan looked back at the bed once Alex's stormy self had passed. Michelle seemed to have settled right back to sleep.
"Thanks." She said, quietly before she slipped out the room to wait for Alex's return. She closed the door behind her and went down to the kitchen, pondering over the state of her affairs. She could not call the Gate to her. She didn't completely understand why, but she had seen what the exposure to the Gate had done to Rinni as a child. She stroked her belly softly and sighed, "Am I subconsciously protecting you, my little ones?" she asked, quietly.
She looked at the clock, two in the morning. She put her head in her hands and rested her elbows on the table wait for Alex to come home. There were so many things running through her mind, that everything jumbled into a mess over that half hour until Alex came home. When she heard the garage door open, she collected herself and shoved it all back inside. Somehow during that half hour, Susan had managed to make coffee, knowing Alex would want it when she came home. It was the least she could do for waking the blonde at oh'god hundred for canned vegetables.
Alex came in and plunked a bag with five cans of candied yams and four bottles of water down on the counter none too gracefully. The blonde yawned as she dumped her keys on the counter beside the bag, leaving Susan to deal with the cans as she wafted towards the coffee pot. Susan just smiled slightly as she watched Alex pour herself coffee and settle in to chase the tiredness away. Susan opened up a can with the can opener and grabbed a fork out of the utensils drawer.
Unfortunately for the usually graceful Guardian of Time, it didn't take her long to get to her third can of the yummy vegetables. A part of her wondered if sugary vegetables could indeed still be called vegetables.
"Happy?" Alex asked before she sipped her coffee for a long moment, watching the green-haired woman gorge herself on yams.
Looking up, Susan offered a forkful of vegetable toward the blonde. "Very. Want some?"
"I want," the blonde retorted sleepily, "to shove that fork up your..."
"Up a little early today, aren't we?" inquired Haley, skipping merrily into the kitchen from the dining room. "What brings you to my world of insomnia?"
Susan had tried to spare her, but she sipped her water and knew the minute that Alex went into maternal mode. "You're still UP?" gasped Alexandra, "You get your butt into bed. It may be Christmas vacation, but..."
"Cool your jets," Haley grinned, waving off her mother's concern, "I had to check my email! It was IMPORTANT! Hey, come on! It's only..." She glanced at the microwave's clock. "Three a.m."
Alex and Susan just shared a doubting look before they glanced at the teenager.
"You say it so casually," mumbled Alex, pouring a second cup of coffee. "Want some?"
The girl took the mug and a large smile crossed her face as she blew on the coffee. "So, what's the Planet Mistress policy on kidnapped Scouts?"
Susan just shot the teenager a glare, sometimes kids could be so insensitive. She looked down at her yams and suddenly her appetite deserted her. She set the fork down and the can.
Soft footfalls sounded as Hannah and Michelle entered the kitchen, stern expressions on their faces. "Out, Haley."
"Mom..."
whined the teen, until she noticed the look in her mother's eyes.
"You know what?" she frantically managed. "I think
it's a really good time to go over what
Music Theory class I have
next semester..."
"Harmonics AP," replied Michelle, taking up the newly vacated seat. "But it's a good idea to go study anyway."
As the teen bustled out of the room, Susan took a long drink of her Perrier water and yawned a bit. "Well, I think we should turn in..."
"No way," interrupted Hannah from her spot next to the coffeepot. "You've been acting very odd lately, Susan, and you know something that we don't."
The Guardian of Time paled and massaged the bridge of her nose slowly, her garnet eyes fluttering shut. "I'd rather not talk about it," she breathed, voice almost inaudible as she sighed deeply. It was not an easy thing to admit that you were entirely useless to them, to the planet, in case something happened. The room was silent for a few long moments except for the ticking of the clock. She glanced at that clock and something twisted in her gut. It must have shown on her face.
"The pregnancy prevents you from going to the Time Gate?"
A tear trickled down Susan's face, and she knew that they knew, there was no sense in lying.. "I didn't think it would," she admitted softly, hands clutching the half-filled can of yams almost reflexively. "But I tried to transport there tonight, and it failed..." She looked to her friends in a small desperate plea for them to tell her what to do for once.
With a sigh, Alexandra brushed her sandy bangs from her eyes and stirred her coffee slowly. Her upper lip was held tightly between her teeth as she sat, and her brow was furrowed in both fear and thought. "I think," she finally said after a long pause, "that we have to tell Serenity and the rest at the meeting tomorrow."
"We're not even supposed to GO tomorrow!" shot Hannah, crossing her arms indignantly over her chest. "We're not involved in the kidnapping!"
Of course they were involved, Celeste was a child. She had been there in their home, she was a child of one of their friends, sure the Inners and Outers didn't always see eye to eye, but that did not mean that a child should suffer for their lack of effective communications. They had all gotten somewhat better.
"Yes, we are," corrected Michelle, "The sea is stormy, and I fear what the Raiders will do to the child."
"There is much they do not understand about that child, but they are using her as bait to trap the rest of them and get what they want." Hannah said with a small frown, talking quietly, knowing her sister's penchant for eavesdropping.
"They are stupid enough to kill her without getting what they want." Alex added with a frown.
Susan just swallowed the lump in her throat, "I fear that there is nothing that I can do to tell either way what will become of Celeste, but all the signs are not good."
The sea and wind were in a riot. She felt the pull of the Gate, even if she could not get there, "I fear that the future will be irreparably damaged if they hurt that child."
It was a horrible feeling that left the Outer Mistresses mulling over the meeting that would come all too quickly for them all. They were all exhausted, they were all drained. There was so much to do and only certain ways to do it. Susan had never felt more useless.
Please do not kill me, I have been soooo busy with college, please enjoy the chapter, I will be working on another and should be up soon! I love you all!
