The Galactic Trinity Chapter 20: Domino Effect, a sailor moon fanfic

A/N Please join me in a moment of silence as I mourn the loss of my beloved laptop that suffered an unexpected and untimely death about a week ago. That small piece of technology was my lifeline, and now I feel completely lost without it. On an equally somber note, this means that I'm back to having to use my old desktop computer that I share with the other members of my family, so I'm afraid this may have a bit of an impact on my stories since I can't just take my laptop with me wherever I go. It sucks, but I'm not giving up.

Okay, enough pity party. Time to move on. Let me give out my hugs to my reviewers for the last chapter. BIG HUGS TO:

Atem's Sister Atea

SlackerDee

sabina21

MeganLeBlanc

CharmedSerenity3

lauren p

Seredhiel05

lilcala

GoldenDragon326

Swinkinator

Kage No Neko

nileena

S dot Serenity

TanithLipsky

tiny2008

rainbabie

R.I.P. Jake AmaraMichelle

ailzzzz

SailorMercuryROCKS

anime-lover10

Over 400 reviews! YAY! Thank you guys so much. Your words are my inspiration and what keeps me going. You wonderful readers are the best! I'm going to shut up now and let you get on with it.

The Galactic Trinity

Chapter 18

Domino Effect

Dawn was still a good hour or so away. And since it was a Sunday morning and most offices were closed the streets were unusually empty. There were a few joggers about and a couple of early risers heading to the newsstand to buy a paper, but for the most part the city was still and quiet, making it the perfect opportunity for the teenage girl to complete her task.

Katie walked briskly down the sidewalk, her tennis shoes muffling the sounds of her footsteps as she fought against the urge to break into a run. The few people she had come across had paid her no mind, but she still didn't want to do anything that would draw attention to herself. After all, what normal teenager got up before sunrise on a day when there was no school?

"This would have been a lot easier if I could have just transformed," she grumbled under her breath as she passed the closed arcade. She had briefly considered transforming so she could get this over with quicker, but then DJ and Alex would have felt her power spike and she sure didn't want them to know what she was up to, not to mention the ass chewing she would get from both of them for going out alone. As it was she was praying fervently that she would be able to sneak back into the general and scout's penthouse before anyone discovered that she was gone.

In all actuality she hadn't planned this outing. She had woken up in one of the guest rooms of the penthouse after a long, restful sleep that she was sure she could detect Helios's hand in, and had been lying there staring at the ceiling and thinking about the disastrous scene the night before between Alex and DJ when she had felt two faint auras briefly flicker on her mental radar. Deciding that she needed a few answers, and pretty sure that she knew where to find them, she snuck out.

Her steps grew faster as the middle school came into sight. She plunged headlong into the trees, but made an effort to make as little noise as possible. There was no sense in announcing her presence like a stampeding elephant. She felt a slight tingle as she passed through the protective barrier, and the moment she did she could hear shouting voices.

"I can't believe Pluto gave that to you! I told her not to unless…"

"Unless you died! Is that what you were about to say?"

"Shut up! And how many times do I have to tell you to stop stalking me? I don't want you here! Just go away and leave me alone!"

"Not happening, sweetheart! I'm in this whether you like it or not, so get used to it!"

"Why you self righteous bast…mmph…"

The voices cut off as Katie approached the clearing. Her mouth fell open and her eyes were as wide as saucers as she saw the couple that was obviously oblivious to her presence.

The future prince of Crystal Tokyo held her future self in his arms as she struggled violently against him. He didn't seem to notice the way she was shoving against him and beating her fists against his shoulders and back. He was too busy with other things.

HOLY APHRODITE! What a kiss! Katie felt her whole body heat up in a blush that went from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. As she stood there gaping at them she saw her future self give up fighting against him and throw herself whole-heartedly into the kiss, snaking her arms around his neck to tangle her fingers in the black silk of his hair.

Katie knew she had a choice to make. She could either announce her presence, or turn away and leave them in peace. The good manners that had been bred into her dictated that she leave them alone, but her heart demanded answers; and these two were the perfect ones to talk to.

She wiped her face clean of shock and replaced it with a smirk as she leaned casually against a tree. Then she cleared her throat. "Ahem! I was under the impression that you two couldn't stand to be in each other's presences. I guess I was mistaken."

Their reaction was so comical that she burst into hysterics despite her depressed mood. They tore away from each other and jumped at least six feet apart. Their faces turned as red as ripe tomatoes as they turned two sets of surprised, identically swirling, multicolored eyes on her.

"Omigosh!" Katie gasped for breath as she doubled over in laughter. "I wish the two of you could have seen yourselves. That was absolutely priceless!"

"I'm glad someone's amused," DJ grumbled at her as he turned slightly away and rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture that she knew from her DJ meant that he was embarrassed.

"Aww, don't be so sensitive," she teased with humor sparkling in her hazel eyes. "It was just a teensy, weensy, little kiss. It's no big deal."

Her future self, however, seem to be anything but happy at the appearance of her past self. She glared darkly at the teenage girl. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Katie glowered back. "I could be asking you the same thing. But since your psycho boss has gathered all of his little helpers together to launch an all out attack on Tokyo tonight, I'm just going to assume that you're here in this time as part of it."

Future Kat's (for the rest of this scene known as just Kat to avoid confusion) eyes widened just a fraction. "What do you know about the attack? Who told you?" She whirled furiously on DJ. "You just had to tell her everything, didn't you? You know, you really suck when it comes to subtlety."

"Pipe down, loudmouth! He didn't tell me a damn thing!" Katie snapped. "All he ever said was that a fight would be happening soon. He didn't give me a date or any other specifics."

"Then how do you know that there's going to be an attack tonight?" her future self fired back.

Katie thought about for a moment before replying, "A little birdie told me." She wasn't withholding her information source to protect Beryl. She could care less about the bitch. But Talon had been like an adopted uncle to her for her entire life, despite her father's barely tolerant feelings toward the man, and he had a pregnant wife and unborn child to care for. She wasn't going to drag him into this.

Kat growled low. "Now listen to me, little girl. You may think that you know what's going on, but you don't. The best thing you can do for yourself is turn around and prance yourself back to the others before you get yourself hurt again. I've got things to do, and the last thing I need is you getting in my way like a pesky little puppy that has nothing better to do than be underfoot."

Katie straightened up, her shoulders tense. "Just who in the hell do you think you're talking to? This may be your past that you're screwing around with, but it's my life and my brother on the line. If you think for one second that I'm going to sit idly over on the sidelines and trust you to take care of everything, then you're even crazier than I gave you credit for. After all, wasn't it your mistake that caused Alex to die anyway?"

Kat's face had grown steadily angrier as she spoke, but at her last words she snarled and sprang forward. "You little bitch!"

Katie jumped back from the enraged woman and transformed in a flurry of silver sparks. Now that she was shielded inside the barrier she no longer had to worry about her transformation being sensed by either of the guys. She summoned her powers and her silver rope whip appeared in her hands at the same time an identical one appeared in Kat's.

They both lashed out at the same time and the two attacks met in the middle with a thundering crash. But Sailor Eclipse sensed a weakness in her adversary's power and sent a pulse of silver energy through her whip.

Kat screamed in rage as her attack sputtered, turning red-orange for a moment and then gold before it disappeared. Multicolored sparks flew from her fingers as she reached for the sword at her side. A larger hand grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Let it go, Kat," DJ told her quietly. Then he turned a censuring look on Eclipse. "That was a little harsh, don't you think?"

Sailor Eclipse shrugged. "I'm just calling it like I see it. It's crunch time, and I don't have time to waste by pussyfooting around the issue. There's too much at stake for that."

"How dare you!" Kat hissed and tried to jerk away from DJ. "How dare you stand there and make it sound like Alex means more to you than he does to me! You and I may be the same person, but you have no idea what I've been through. I have cried enough tears to fill the oceans. I have bled buckets. And I have cut my own heart out time and time again in an attempt to save my brother. So don't stand there looking down your nose at me! If certain people," she rolled her eyes at DJ, "hadn't clued you in to what could happen, you would have made the same mistake that I did."

Eclipse's eyes flashed silver for a moment before turning to the icy color of frozen moss. "Maybe I would have. But the point is that now I know what has to be done and I'm better equipped to handle it than you are. Your power is too unstable and unreliable. For crying out loud, you can't even control your Moonlight Whip, and that is a basic attack. So I'm asking you, please, let me take care of things. I will save him."

Kat looked up into the sincere eyes of her former self and then shook her head. "I can't. I'm sorry, but I just can't trust anyone else with this. You sound sure of yourself, but what if you change your mind once you're on that roof and decide to break them up instead? I can't take that risk."

Eclipse folded her arms across her chest. "Then I guess we just have to agree to disagree on this subject. But I will be on that roof no matter what."

"You fool!" Kat muttered.

"Maybe I am," Eclipse replied. "But I know you would do the same if you were in my position. Anyway, that's not what I really came here to talk about."

"Well I'm not telling you anything else!" Kat snapped. "You already know far too much."

Katie let her transformation fade. "Please, just hear me out on this. It's about Alex. He's been acting so strange lately. I know Discord has the ability to get inside people's heads, I've felt it. I was just wondering if he's done something to Alex to make him so angry."

DJ's gaze swung to Kat. "I can't believe I never thought of that when everything was happening. I just thought Alex was being an asshole. But now that I think about it, he was acting way out of character. Do you think she's on to something?"

Kat's brow creased in concentration. "I don't know. I haven't heard of anything like that happening. But then again, Discord hasn't exactly been inclined to tell me a lot of things since he brought Metallia back. Anything's possible."

"Do you think he suspects you of trying to betray him?" DJ asked in concern. "That's all the more reason why you should let Katie…"

"Sure! Take her side!" Kat exploded. "I should have known. But if you two think I'm going to let you talk me into changing my mind, you're wrong!" She stomped away from them to the other side of the clearing where she threw herself under a tree.

"Geez, bipolar much?" Katie grumbled sarcastically. "People always said I was moody. I'm glad to see that it gets better with time."

DJ blew out a breath. "She's just stressed. It hasn't been easy for either one of us to come back here and see things repeating themselves. She tries to take on everything by herself and doesn't see her limits or the danger she's putting herself in." He grinned slyly at the girl beside him. "Of course you know all about that. How are you feeling by the way?"

Katie shrugged. "I'm good. I feel pretty much normal, but everyone keeps making a fuss over me and it's driving me crazy. I even heard my mom and yours talking about not letting me fight tonight." She paused for a moment, twirling a piece of her long hair around her finger. "Why didn't you tell me that I was the reason why you and Alex started fighting?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I wasn't supposed to tell you anything at all; Pluto's rules, you know. But think about it. Have Alex and I ever really argued over anything besides you?"

She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "I guess not, but it was still a bit of a shock."

"I guess it was," he chuckled. Then his voice turned low and serious. "Look, I can't really tell you anything else or Pluto will come down on me. She'll send me home and take my time key. I don't know how things will play out exactly because things are happening a little different than what they did when I lived it. But if the events are even remotely similar you will be ordered to a reserve status tonight. When that happens just go with it, It'll make it easier for you when the time comes to act."

"How will I know when it's time?" she asked.

He smirked at her. "Trust me, you'll know. Just make sure you get to that roof when the time's right. I'll keep Kat out of your way. Don't tell her I said this, but I don't think she has the ability to pull it off. Like you pointed out, her powers are unstable. She's more liable to get herself killed than to save anybody."

She grinned conspiratorially at him. "You must be slipping in your old age. In a way, you just told her yourself."

"Smartass!" he grumbled good-naturedly.

A tiny giggle escaped her. "I guess I better go before somebody notices I'm gone and sends a posse out after me."

"Hey, Katie," he called after her as she walked away.

"Yeah?" she replied, looking back at him over her shoulder.

"Good luck," he said simply.

She smiled and waved at him, and then she hurried back the way she came. The sun was now making its appearance and there was more traffic on the street. The return trip seemed much quicker than her earlier walk, and before she knew it she was easing open the front door of the penthouse.

She replaced the keys that she had swiped earlier, Mina's from the look of the golden heart keychain, where they had been on the table in the foyer and quietly snuck through the ground floor. It took her a minute to get past the kitchen where Lita was busy cooking enough food for an army and she would have been busted by Kunzite coming down a hall if she hadn't dove into the shadows and used just a little bit of her shadow powers to blend in.

She finally made it upstairs and was reaching for the doorknob to the room she was using when a door down the hall opened and she heard Emma's voice. Panicked, she dashed into the room, closed the door as gently as she could, and jumped into the bed fully clothed. She had just pulled the blankets up to her chin when the door flew open and her brother's perky blonde girlfriend burst in.

"Ooo! You're awake!" she squealed and pounced on the bed. "You better get up, Miss Lazybones! Everyone's meeting here for an early meeting and Lita's downstairs making a scrumptious breakfast for it. I know she is because I could smell cinnamon and bacon all the way up here in the hall. So you better get your skinny butt up out of that bed or you're going to miss out on everything!"

Katie faked a yawn. "Okay, okay, I'm getting up. Geez, keep your panties on."

Gray eyes twinkled mischievously. "I will for now. But maybe later…" she trailed off suggestively.

"Oh, eww!" Katie screeched and slapped a hand over her eyes. "Are you trying to burn my retinas right out of my eye sockets? Please don't even hint about what you and my brother do when you're alone. I don't think my stomach can handle it."

Emma waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be a spoiled sport! It's spring and it's the season of love!"

"Make sure you stick with decaf this morning," Katie cautioned. "If you get any more bouncy you're liable to blow the whole roof off this place."

Emma stuck her tongue out with a "thhubb" sound and ran laughing from the room as she held a one-way conversation with herself about what to wear. "Now should I wear that cute little yellow skirt that shows off my legs and my black lace cami top, or my skinny jeans with that adorable pink baby doll tee?" She stuck her head back through the door. "Hey, Katie, which one do you think Alex would like better?"

Katie giggled and threw a pillow at her friend. "Does it really matter? You know he'll think you look droolicious no matter what."

Emma waggled her eyebrows. "Ooo, I like that word. Droolicious! It has a slightly naughty undertone to it."

Katie groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "Get out of here, you freak! You've been hanging around Jayden and Jadeite too much. And don't come back until you've turned back into my normal friend. Well, normal for you anyway."

Emma shook her head. "You're too innocent for your own good, Kitty Kat. You know, guys like DJ don't just fall into your lap everyday. You ought to put some moves on him and see where it goes. I bet he could rock your world."

Katie's head popped up, her face as red as the skirt of Sailor Mars' fuku. "OUT!" she shrieked.

Emma stuck her nose up and sniffed daintily as she left. "I was just trying to give you some friendly advice. If you can't trust the love goddess about these things, who can you trust?"

Katie buried her head under a pillow to muffle her scream. Had the whole world gone crazy? There was a big battle tonight and she had to keep her brother from dying. She needed to be focusing on that and not on how hot and bothered her boyfriend made her.

Still, she thought with a smile, that had been one powerful kiss that she had witnessed between her and DJ's future selves, and it made her wonder what it would feel like if her DJ ever lost control and kissed her like that.

"Mmm…" Serena moaned. She was lingering in the cloudy realm between reality and dreams, not quite awake, but at the same time not exactly asleep. She focused on the calm darkness that would lull her back to dreamland, but the feeling of firm fingers stroking her back kept pulling her steadily closer to the real world.

She felt a breath brush her ear and then a soft, husky voice whispered, "It's time to wake up, princess."

She rolled away from the disturbance. "Just a few more minutes, Darien, please," she mumbled.

She heard him chuckle and then felt his hands on her as he rolled her back toward him. "You've said that the last three times I've tried to wake you up, Serena. If you keep this up much longer you won't have time for a shower before we go. And Lita promised to make breakfast this morning, remember."

Hmm…that was a tempting thought, but so was the idea of trying to catch some more sleep. Her dreams had been scattered with disturbing images all night, and as a result she didn't feel as well rested as she would have liked. She burrowed deeper into the covers.

Darien sighed. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you. Rini said that she's already come up with a plan to make you move if I couldn't get you up this time. I guess I'll just leave it to her."

Visions of ice water being dumped on her shot through Serena's head. She sat up quickly. "I'm up! I'm up! Don't you dare let that demon spawn anywhere near me!"

Darien tried to look shocked. "How could you talk about your own child that way?" Then he grinned as he looked toward the partially open bedroom door. "Sorry, Rini!"

"Dang!" Rini exclaimed on the other side of it. "I almost had her this time."

Then DJ's laugh filtered in. "I told you so. I guess you'll have to find some other use for that ice water now."

"It's going to be all over you in just a minute if you don't shut up!" she screeched back at him.

"And the sibling war is back on," Serena muttered and put a hand to her faintly throbbing temple. She glanced cautiously up at Darien. "Are you sure you want kids? It's not too late to change our minds."

Darien smiled broadly. "I wouldn't trade them or you for anything in the world. Besides, they're no worse than you and Sammy were, and I figure if your parents can survive raising you two then we should have no problem with Rini and DJ."

"I was just kidding," Serena grumbled a little irritably.

"Are you okay? You look a little paler than normal this morning," Darien asked, concern leaking into his voice.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I just had a rough night. I kept having the strangest dream popping up over and over."

Darien was suddenly all seriousness. He had learned long ago to never casually dismiss dreams. "What kind of dream?"

Serena slid from the bed and padded to the closet. "It's not that big of a deal. It was just a dream."

"Serena," Darien growled. "Don't give me that crap. You know as well as I do that dreams can be a very big deal. And whatever it is has obviously knocked you off kilter this morning. Please, tell me."

Serena pulled a pale blue sundress speckled with pink flowers from the closet. She held it in her hands as she stared at the floor. "It was about my mother," she mumbled.

"Ah," he replied, comprehension lighting his eyes. "Was it the return of the mother of the bride monster?"

Her head shook slowly. "No. It wasn't about my mom, it was about my mother."

A feeling like ice skittered down his spine. "Queen Serenity?"

She nodded. "She was standing right in front of me, but when I went to hug her she…" she looked up at Darien, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "She pushed me away and screamed at me to stay away from her."

"Oh, baby," Darien sighed and pulled her into his arms as he stroked her hair lovingly. "You're right, that was just a dream. I'm sure it didn't mean anything. It was probably brought on by stress. Heaven knows we have enough of that lately. I wouldn't read too much into it."

Serena giggled softly and pulled back a bit to swipe at her damp eyes. "Thank you for that amazing psycho-analysis, Dr. Phil."

"That's Dr. Shields to you, missy," Darien grinned playfully and goosed her on the bottom.

She squealed and danced away from him. "Nuh-uh! You sounded more like a shrink than a medical doctor just then. Of course you still have all of your hair while he's missing most of his on top." Then she cocked her head and studied his thick, inky black tresses, her eyes widening in horror. "Omigosh! Is that a thinning spot on your head?"

Darien growled and lunged for her. "I'll show you thinning!"

She whirled away from him, laughing, and fled for the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll be out soon."

He shook his head, chuckling as the bathroom door was slammed in his face. He was glad to see that her mood had improved. He whistled a tune as he quickly made the bed. When he was done with that he glanced at his watch and determined that he had time for another cup of coffee before they left and headed to the kitchen.

He snarled under his breath when he passed Rini room and heard both his future daughter's light voice and the smooth tenor of Helios. He didn't like the idea of them being alone inside a closed room together. His hand was raised and about to knock on the door when DJ's somewhat deeper voice reached him and caused him to relax. At least the smitten couple were well chaperoned.

He paused in surprise when he walked into the kitchen and found Andrew leaning against the counter staring pensively into a cup of coffee. "What's up?"

Andrew gave a hollow laugh. "I've gone into hiding to save both my life and my sanity. Trust me, only a person with a death wish would walk into my apartment right now."

Darien winced in sympathy. "Bad morning, huh?"

"You have no idea," Andrew groaned. "It was a bad night in general. Jess went to bed upset after Alex came in and gave us the cold shoulder. Then she had a nightmare in the middle of the night. It must have been a pretty bad one too. I woke up and found her crying in her sleep and about to rip the sheets to shreds. Then her powers began surging so I woke her up before she could level the building."

That caught Darien's attention. "She had a nightmare too? So did Serena. She said it was about Queen Serenity."

Andrew shrugged. "I don't know what hers was about. She clammed up pretty tight and said that she didn't want to talk about it. She couldn't go back to sleep after that, so now she's cranky. Then when she had to go tell Alex to get up for the third time he made some smartass comment about her being on the rag and they got into it. So I figured it was just best if I made myself scarce."

Darien chuckled. "Smart move. With the way tempers have been flying lately I almost feel sorry for the enemy come tonight."

Andrew grinned wryly. "Yeah, I have a feeling it's going to be like letting attack dogs off their leashes and giving them the order to kill."

Beryl watched from the shadows as her queen primped in front of the large mirror, adjusting her dress and smoothing her hair as if she were getting ready for a grand ball instead of preparing for a battle. Her fingers itched to grab the dagger that was strapped to her thigh under her dress and plunge it into the heart of the deceitful bitch. But unfortunately all that would accomplish would be to destroy the physical body that she inhabited, leaving the entity herself untouched and essentially signing Beryl's death warrant.

No, she needed to bide her time. She knew that she didn't possess the power needed to purify Metallia, but there was one who did.

Serenity. Just her name alone was enough to cause Beryl's stomach to churn with sour acid and make her blood boil with hatred. That damn moon princess with her porcelain skin, sunshine hair, and eyes as blue as the summer sky; she was the one that had ruined everything. If she hadn't cast her spell upon Endymion then he would have fallen into her arms centuries ago.

She suppressed a growl as she thought about her arch nemesis. She remembered that fateful day over six years ago when Serenity had stood before her, hardly more than a child, and had taken her by surprise when she unleashed the full power of the Silver Crystal and had destroyed both her and Metallia. It had been a quite a feat considering her naiveté and young age.

The Serenity that she faced now was much more like she had been in the past. She had grown and matured into a woman; and she had grown more powerful through the years thanks to the many battles that she had faced. But Beryl was counting on that power to help her.

When she'd told Talon of Metallia and Discord's plans she knew that Serenity would have no choice except to divide her forces to protect the city from multiple attacks, thus weakening the line of protection that normally surrounded her. There was still Endymion to consider. Beryl had no doubt that he would be close by to wherever his darling princess was, but she would take care of him. If she could keep him distracted long enough she hoped that that perhaps Serenity and Metallia could succeed in destroying each other. And that would leave the path wide open for her to take over the Earth.

She didn't perceive any resistance from Discord. He had made it clear that his only objectives were to destroy the threat of the Galactic Trinity and to claim the Celestial Crystal from the half blood princess. He had no further interest in the Earth other than that, so she saw no reason why he shouldn't turn the planet over to her.

She flicked a fang with her tongue as a feral grin lifted her lips. By the end of tonight this millennium long war could be over. If there was any justice left due to her, she would finally be able to claim her planet and her king. The people of Earth would worship her as their queen. And with Serenity out of the way she had no doubt that she would be able to sway Endymion to her side, Golden Crystal or not. He would be broken by the moon princess's death and his grief would make the perfect conduit for her to work her magic.

"That is my final decision," Serena spoke loudly to be heard over the protesting voices. "I've thought about it long and hard and I believe that this is the best way."

"I disagree!" Mina exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. "If we do this you will be left virtually unprotected."

"What am I, useless?" Darien grumbled behind Serena.

Mina rolled her eyes. "I'm not doubting your ability to keep her safe, Darien, but you can't expect me to just let my princess go into a fight with only one person standing between her and the enemy. It's ludicrous!"

"She's right," Kunzite growled. "As leader of the generals I feel I must protest this as well. With Metallia and Beryl leading this attack themselves it would be unwise to allow either of you to be unguarded. You must know that you two will be the primary targets."

Darien crossed his arms across his chest. "We are well aware of the risks and are prepared to face them. Serena and I have talked this over and we both agree, protecting the people of this city must be our first priority."

Raye snorted. "That's all fine and good, but what's going to happen to the people of the world if something happens to you guys? If you die, then the future of the planet dies with you. Goodbye Crystal Tokyo! Hello hell!"

"Raye's got a point there," Lita hastily interjected. "I don't doubt for a second, Serena, that you could blast both Beryl and Metallia's asses into oblivion. You've already proven that. But their little lackeys are going to be running all over the place too. It's just too much to chance"

"I don't like it," Nephrite said from where he was leaning against a wall. "There are too many things that could go wrong."

Jess banged her hands down on the coffee table in front of her. "If everybody would just shut the hell up for a minute maybe they could explain the rest of the plan. For god's sake, you people sound like freaking flock of mother hens."

"Ooo, somebody put on her bitchy britches this morning," Jadeite taunted, ignoring the warning look Andrew shot him. "What's the matter, did the menstrual fairy decide to come and pay you a visit?"

A snarl erupted in Jess's throat. "You got a problem with me, dragon breath?"

"Not a good idea," Alex muttered. "I said something along those lines earlier and thought she was going to rip my head off."

Emma let out a startled squeak next to him. "You said that to your mother! Have you lost your mind?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I have." He glared across the room where his sister sat with her head resting on DJ's shoulder. She looked much better than she had the day before, but she was still a little paler than normal. She had seemed a lot like her old self when she hugged him when he arrived. She had wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and whispered. "Behave, please, for me."

The pleading tone in her voice and beseeching look in her eyes had gotten to him, and he had begrudgingly agreed. But that didn't stop the spike of anger he felt every time he saw DJ lean down to whisper in her ear or saw him smile at her.

Katie looked up, almost as if she had felt his gaze on them and met his glare head on. 'Please! You promised,' he heard her voice echo in his head.

Of course DJ heard her silent plea thanks to their three-way telepathy. He looked up for the slightest moment, flicked a disinterested look over his former best friend, and then turned his attention back to the squabbling group of scouts and generals.

"QUIET!" Serena shrieked in a glass shattering tone.

All sound and movement ceased as all eyes swung to the now furious blonde. Her face was flushed with anger and blue sparks shot from her eyes. She pulled herself up to her full height, which was still several inches shorter than most of the people in the room, and then she glared around disdainfully.

"I don't believe you people," she said in a voice that was surprisingly calm. "I thought we were all adults here, but you are acting worse than children. I understand your concerns, and I am taking them into account, but I pledged myself years ago to keeping this planet safe, and that's what I'm going to do. You say that the world has no future without me? Well I have no future without the world. Sure, I could go back to the moon and revive my kingdom there, but the Earth is my home now and will fight until my last breath to protect it. Now I have a plan to help protect the citizens of this city. Those of you that are willing to help me need to sit down and listen to what I have to say. If any of you are too opposed to the idea then please leave. I would like to get this meeting over with without any further interruptions."

Mouths fell open in shock at her impassioned speech. After a moment of silence they began to settle. Mina and Lita sat down quietly while Kunzite went to go lean against the wall next to Nephrite. Jess released the stranglehold she had on Jadeite's collar and they both returned to their seats.

Serena gave a satisfactory nod. "That's better."

"Weird!" Rini and DJ whispered under their breaths.

"Sweet!" Jayden cheered as he jumped up and slapped a high five with Skye, who had also gotten to her feet and cried, "Now that's the Neo Queen Serenity that we know and love!"

Jess cringed into Andrew's chest and clapped her hands over her ears. "I'm having flashbacks, and not the good kind. I'm expecting her to turn around any minute and order me to bed without any dinner."

Serena whirled and wagged a finger at her. "I still might do that, missy, if you don't start behaving yourself. Now is everyone ready to hear the plan?"

Heads nodded silently around the room.

Darien unrolled a map on the coffee table. It was covered with a series of overlapping different colored circles. "Okay, this is what we came up with. No matter what enemy we've ever fought, and the scouts and Andrew can confirm this, they have always stuck with the Juuban and Azabu districts. So we're hoping that this time will be no different. It definitely gives us a smaller area to concentrate on. We'll split up into pairs and each pair will be assigned an area. As you can see by what I have mapped out the edges of each area overlaps the areas around it. So even though we're going out in smaller groups, help will be nearby if anyone gets overwhelmed."

"Hmm…" Zoicite mused as he studied the map. "This is actually very well thought out. I do feel a little offended though, I always thought I was the strategist of the group."

"Speak for yourself," Amy told him as she shouldered him to get a better look at the map. "I could outmaneuver you on my worst day. You shouldn't be surprised that Darien would come up with something like this. Didn't you teach him yourself back during the Silver Millennium?"

Darien rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know whether to be insulted by Zoicite's lack of faith or embarrassed by Amy's praise. But I can't take credit for all of it, Serena came up with the basic idea."

Serena flushed as several sets of eyes flicked to her curiously. "What? I'm not exactly stupid. I did graduate from high school with a 3.9 GPA after all. So you guys don't have to act like it's such a surprise. I am perfectly capable of rational thought."

"Oh yes, you're just full of surprises," Raye said snidely as she leaned over Amy's shoulder to get a better look at the map.

Lita snapped a piece of bubble gum loudly in her teeth. "So what's the plan, boss lady?"

Serena pointed to a green circle that covered the park plus a several block radius around it. "Lita and Nephrite will be here. The park always seems to be a hot spot, so I figured you guys would like that. Now Amy, Zoicite, Raye, and Jadeite will be here and here, keeping watch over the medical center district and the Cherry Hill area."

She paused and waited until she received nods of approval for what she had said so far, and then continued. She pointed out a pink circle. "Rini, I want you and Hotaru to keep an eye on the old neighborhood and my parent's house. Amara and Michelle won't be far away. I have them stationed only a few miles away in the industrial area."

"So the outers will be back in time?" Mina asked.

"Yes," Serena replied. "I spoke to them earlier. Hotaru and Sammy are on their way back from their camping trip and Amara and Michelle's plane should be landing in a few hours. Trista's the only one I haven't been able to track down so she must be busy with something else."

"Right," Mina mumbled and chewed at her bottom lip. "So I noticed that you haven't mentioned me yet. Where do I fit in to all of this?"

Serena smirked and pointed to the orange circle that overlapped a silver one. "I knew that you and Kunzite would probably throw a fit if I put you too far away, so I'm keeping you near me. In the past I've noticed that the enemy usually has a bad habit of returning to the site of what they see as being their last victory, so we are going to cover the bay area. I want you and Kunzite up on the bluffs. We don't want any more accidents if at all possible."

Katie flushed as Serena turned a half amused, half exasperated look on her. "I didn't do it on purpose," she grumbled.

"Oh sweetie, I know you didn't," Serena hastily reassured her. "But a lot of people go up there and I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. That whole area is busy at this time of year because of the nice weather and the festivals that are going on. So Mina and Kunzite will take the bluffs, Darien and I will take the pier, and I want Jess on Drew on the bridge."

"What about us?" DJ spoke up then. "I know you're not even thinking of leaving us out of this."

Serena wrinkled her nose at him. "No I'm not, Mr. Impatient. I was just about to get to that. Alex and Emma are to take the Crown and the rest of the business district. DJ, I want you and Jayden stationed at our apartment building to keep an eye on the surrounding area. And Skye and Hannah will work from here. I'm depending on you, Alex and Hannah, to keep Amy informed of any developments since both of you have mini computers that can communicate with hers."

Katie felt a flash of irritation when she saw Serena's eyes land on her for a second and then look away guiltily. As if she hadn't noticed how conveniently her name had been omitted. Of course she had suspected it, and after her earlier conversation with the future DJ she had fully been expecting it. She was prepared to accept it since he had told her that it would make it easy for her to slip away later, but to not put up some kind of an argument just went against her nature. Not to mention that it would look highly suspicious if she didn't.

She sat back with a huff and folded her arms across her chest. "Excuse me. I didn't catch where I would be."

Serena turned a questioning look on Jess, who shrugged and said simply, "Because you're not going anywhere. You are going to stay right here and out of this fight. I don't want you to even think about transforming and fighting unless the damn freaks they set loose get inside this building."

Katie jumped up to glare at her future mother. "That's not fair! How come everybody else gets to join in except me?"

"Honey," Andrew tried to placate her calmly. "It's nothing against you. We all know what a wonderful fighter you are. But you are still recovering from the last attack. You lost a lot of blood. And even with your accelerated healing that's not something that you can just bounce back from in just two days. You need a couple of more days before you're back to 100%."

"But I feel fine!" she protested shrilly. "I can fight. Why are you treating me like a baby? I'm not helpless you know!"

"I'm well aware of the fact that you're not helpless. But the bottom line is that you're not at the top of your game right now. So unless you want me to tie you up with duct tape, you will stay here on standby unless told otherwise," Jess said with a note of finality in her voice.

Figuring that she'd pressed her luck as far as she should, Katie sat back down with a pout. "Fine! But I am not happy about this."

The youma knocked timidly on the chamber door before opening it cautiously. "Your majesties, Lord Discord has arrived." She stepped aside to allow the black-cloaked man and the woman following him to enter the room.

"Ladies," Discord greeted in what was a warm voice for him. "Are you ready to get our little show on the road?"

"Of course," Metallia answered as she stood from her throne. She shook nonexistent wrinkles from her long dress and smoothed a hand over her perfectly styled hair. "We are ready, right Beryl?"

The red haired woman bit back a snarl and pasted a smile on her face. "Yes, my queen. Our youma are ready and waiting."

Discord clapped his hands together. "Excellent!" Then he turned to his companion. "You know what to do, Eclipse?"

The blonde nodded. "Yes sir."

"Then I leave those three to you," he said in amusement. "If you play your cards right then your tormented existence will disappear this night. Just think of the relief you will be giving yourself when you kill your past self. It will be as if the last fifteen years of your life never existed. Now go get into position."

She inclined her head, and then teleported away without a word.

"Beryl, you should probably move our forces into place as well," Metallia instructed. "The sun has almost completely set and the time is upon us."

Beryl bowed low. "As you wish, your majesty." And she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Discord offered his arm to Metallia. "Would you care to accompany me, my lovely?"

A sinister smile marred the otherwise beautiful face that the evil queen had adopted as her own. "I would be honored."

Tears streamed down Katie's cheeks as she locked her arms tightly around her brother's neck. "Please promise me that you'll be careful out there. I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to you. He squeezed her tightly for a moment before pulling back with an attempt at his usual teasing grin, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey, stop blubbering all over me. I'll be fine. We're just doing clean up duty on the little guys. Mom, dad, and the others will take care of the heavy hitters."

She scrubbed at her eyes, but the tears continued to flow. Her knees were shaking so badly that she felt like she was about to sink to the floor at any moment. She gripped the lapels of his long black duster in both hands in an attempt to steady herself.

"I mean it," he said as he tried to smooth the tears from her face. A bit of his old warmth leaked into his voice. "Everything's going to be all right, Kat. I promise. And I won't be far away if you need me, just right across the park, okay."

Yeah, everything was going to be all right. She was going to make sure of it. She made herself let go of him and forced a watery smile onto her face. "You're right, Lex. I'm just being overly sentimental. Maybe there's something in that nasty tea that Zoicite keeps making me drink that turns me into an emotional wreck."

He grinned and chucked her under the chin. "Yeah, that's gotta be it. It's probably a good thing that you're not fighting tonight. You'd probably end up just crying all over the monsters."

She giggled faintly and pushed against his shoulder. "Get out of here. I don't have to take this emotional abuse from you."

Laughing, he pulled her close for one last quick hug and whispered, "See ya," before letting her go and stepping away.

Then soft arms were around her and Emma's voice said quietly to her, "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him."

Katie grabbed Sailor Ishtar's hand as she turned away and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks, Emma."

The blonde scout nodded and smiled before joining Phoenix at the edge of the roof where they jumped away into the rapidly darkening night.

The next few minutes passed in a blur as Jess and Andrew each took turns hugging Katie and repeating their instructions for her to stay put. Jess threatened her again with duct tape if she didn't behave. Serena gave her a hug as well and Darien warned those of them remaining to be careful. Then the four of them were gone.

"Let's go, DJ!" Jayden said excitedly as he transformed in a burst of flames.

"Give me a minute, would you," DJ muttered as he took Katie by the hand and led her away from the others.

Jayden grinned widely and gave an exaggerated wink. "Oh, suurrre! But try not to get too wrapped up in the hanky panky. We've still got a job to do."

"I may end up killing him before this night's over," DJ growled as he pulled Katie around a corner and out of sight. "The little punk is just lucky that he's a good fighter or I would have vehemently protested being stuck with him."

"I wish I was going with you instead," Katie murmured as they came to a stop and DJ brought her into the circle of his arms.

He gave her that familiar, crooked grin of his that made her heart stutter. "This will be over before you know it. You'll see. Beryl and Metallia won't know what hit them."

Katie bit her bottom lip as she felt even more tears spring to her eyes. Geez! She really was turning into a sentimental disaster. "I sure hope you're right."

He cupped her cheek in his palm. "Hey now, no more tears. Just sit tight here and I'll be back before you know it. I'm not going that far, so I can be back here in two minutes if anything happens."

She flung her arms around him and buried her face in his neck as the dam broke and scorching hot tears flowed thickly down her cheeks. "Please be careful," she sobbed.

She felt his lips against her hair as he whispered. "I will be. You watch out for yourself too."

She leaned back to look up at him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied with a smile.

She forced out a giggle and swiped at her wet cheeks. "I must look hideous right now."

He drew her closer and dipped his head down. "You look beautiful," he said softly against her lips. And then he kissed her.

He had meant for it to be a sweet, gentle kiss, but the moment his lips touched hers a spark flared between them. She rose up on her tiptoes, her mouth eagerly molding to his as their breath mingled and their tongues tangled. His arms tightened around her waist and lifted her up so that her feet dangled a couple of inches above the ground and every bit of her body pressed tightly against his.

"Hey Romeo!" Jayden's voice called out. "Let's get a move on! You'll have plenty of time to kiss the pretty girl later."

They pulled apart slowly, their lips clinging until the last possible moment. He set her back on her feet and pressed his forehead against hers as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I have to go," he whispered.

"I know," she choked, closing her eyes in resignation. She felt his lips brush her brow gently and then a loss of warmth as he released her and stepped away. A fissure ran through the air, followed by a snap and a fluttering sound. She opened her eyes just in time to see the end of a black cape disappearing around the corner.

She suppressed a sob and ran to the corner to look around it. The black tuxedoed form of Phantom was striding quickly toward the red suited Flame. "Let's go," he said in a gruff voice.

"Hey, Jayden?" Hannah called after them.

The blonde boy glanced back over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

She swallowed hard. "Don't do anything stupid out there."

He grinned widely. "Aww, I didn't know you cared."

"Just forget I said anything!" she screamed back at him, her face surpassing red and going straight to purple as she swelled with indignation.

He dashed to her side in an instant. "You're so cute when you're angry," he said quickly and kissed her cheek. He was gone in a flash and already on the neighboring roof before she realized what had happened.

She stood there; open mouthed, for a few seconds before she yelled after him, "I hate you, Jayden! I hope a sentinel chews you up into kibble!"

Phantom chuckled and shook his head as he looked back and shared one last poignant look with Katie. And then he was gone.

Skye groaned. "Just great! I'm surrounded by love drunk idiots. Now even the younger ones are hooking up. When is it going to be my turn?"

"Ex…excuse me!" Hannah sputtered. "I most certainly am not love drunk! And I am not hooking up with anyone; especially that demented pervert!"

"Sounds like denial to me. What do you think?" Skye mumbled to Katie as she joined them.

Katie nodded. "Yeah. Now let's hope it doesn't take them as long to figure it out as it took DJ and me. When I think about all the time we wasted fighting with each other when we could have been together I feel like kicking my own ass."

"But I don't like him!" Hannah wailed.

Katie and Skye looked at each other and smirked. "Definitely denial," they said in unison.

"You two are delusional!" Hannah snapped. She probably would have said more, but her computer chose that moment to start beeping. She flipped it open and began typing rapidly. Her green eyes swept back and forth swiftly as she studied the screen.

"Looks like the party's starting," she muttered. "It seems old Beryl was telling the truth after all. About twenty wormholes just popped up and youmas, sentinels, and guardians are coming through them in fairly high numbers. The good news is that it appears that they're doing exactly how we hoped and are only showing up in Juuban and Azabu."

Skye's eyes narrowed. "Why do I get the feeling that there's some bad news too?"

Hannah frowned as she stared at her computer. "I was expecting to pick up two stronger energy readings from Beryl and Metallia, but I'm not."

"So how is that bad? That means that either they're weaker than we thought or they were too chicken shit to show up," Skye replied smugly.

Hannah blew a piece of blue hair out of her eyes. "That's not what I meant. I mean that I'm not just picking up two powerful energies…my scans are showing me four."

The three fates hovered excitedly over the four long strings that were spread before them, their scissors in hand as they debated over which one they would cut. They were triplets with identical faces, but they were easy to tell apart by their different hair colors.

The oldest, Atropos, was blonde. She gestured to the bright white string. "I saw we sever the moon princess's life. Zeus knows she's had more chances at life than anyone has a right to. It's time for her to die already."

"No. I say we cut that one," the red haired, middle triplet, Clotho demanded, pointing to the dark blue one. "Half breeds irritate me."

"Well she's not a half breed anymore. She's fully human now," the youngest, Lachesis, rebuked as she shook her dark head. "Anyway, I vote we cut the silver one. That little girl is an annoying brat. I would have ended her life the other night if Selene hadn't found out and interfered."

A feline smile curved Atropos's lips. "Did either of you notice that none of us picked that one?" she asked, pointing out the burnished bronze string

Clotho bounced enthusiastically on the balls of her feet. "That's because the sun boy is such a cutie. It would actually be a tragedy to cut his life short."

"He is absolutely delicious," Lachesis agreed, nodding rapidly. "But that means that if we want him to live, then we can't cut the blue string because she is his mother."

"Oh, you're right!" Atropos exclaimed. "Then let's go with my choice and cut the moon princess's string." Her scissors were above the white string.

"Wait!" Clotho screeched. "We can't kill her! The little earth prince is a honey bun too. If you kill off Serenity then he'll never be born. And I like him!"

Atropos rolled her eyes. "You like anything male and even remotely handsome. Fine! We'll take out Sailor Eclipse, agreed?"

"Yay!" Lachesis cheered, thrilled that her choice won. "Let's do it all together, okay."

All three of them converged on the shiny silver string and positioned their open scissors around it.

"On three," Atropos said. "One…two…"

"What are you up to, my pets?" Hades asked as he strolled into the room.

"Ooo…Hades, you broke my concentration!" Lachesis whined with a pout.

Hades patted her on the head. "I'm sorry, Little Bit. Were you in the middle of something important?"

"We were about to cut Sailor Eclipse's lifeline," Clotho gushed in excitement.

The god of the Underworld turned pale under his tawny skin. His black eyes glittered like two shiny chunks of obsidian as he gently moved the women aside and observed the four strings laid out on the table behind them.

He sighed. "My darlings, you're going to have to let this go for now."

"But Hades!" they all cried.

He held up a silencing hand. "I know I said that I wanted one of their lives, and I still do. But we're going to play this one by the rules. If one of them manages to get fatally stabbed, knocked off a bridge, fall from a building, or mauled by a mutant tiger, then you may sever their life. But not before."

The three Fates all crossed their arms and glared petulantly at the god. They may be eternal beings with centuries upon centuries of existence behind them, but personality-wise they were hardly more than spoiled, unruly children; deadly, dangerous children.

Hades knew that he was mostly to blame for that. He had taken the three of them under his wing when they were children and it was discovered that they held the power over life and death. Their mother, Themis, the goddess of justice, had been at her wit's end at how to handle her unusually gifted triplet daughters, and had been grateful that Hades had taken an interest in them; even if it had only started as a diversion to distract him during the long, lonely months when his wife, Persephone, was away. He had treated them like they were his own daughters and had spoiled them endlessly. Sometimes that had a bad habit of coming back to bite him in the ass.

He looked at them sternly. "As much as I relish the thought of welcoming such powerful souls into my domain, the sad fact is that all four of those particular souls play a huge part in the future of the Earth. And while humans hold little interest for me, Zeus has a particular fondness for them, and the last thing I want is to bring the big guy above ground down on us. So we will wait and see what happens. If one of them are critically injured then we will be able to justify the severing of their lifeline."

"Fine," all three of them sighed in perfect synchronization and set their scissors down. "We will wait and see what happens."

He grinned and ruffled each of their hair. "That's my girls! I know you will do me proud." Then he strode from the room actually humming a tune under his breath.

Lachesis cocked her head and stared after him with a look of confusion. "What's wrong with him? He seemed…happy."

Clotho rolled her eyes at her sister. "I think it's pretty obvious why he seems to be up on cloud nine."

Atropos nodded. "I'd heard the rumors that Persephone had been able to sneak away from Demeter last night and pay her hubby a surprise visit. Evidently she left him in a good mood."

"Men!" Lachesis sniffed daintily. "They get a little sexual satisfaction and they turn into wimps."

"I guess there's nothing more we can do except wait," Clotho sighed unhappily as she sat down.

"This stinks!" Atropos cried and buried her head in her arms on the table where the four strings remained intact.

"Oh, I don't think so you stupid slug!" Sailor Mars screamed at the youma that she had met halfway up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. Her flaming bow and arrow appeared in her hand and she took aim and fired. The slime covered youma burst into ashes.

A snarl came from behind her, and she turned around just in time to see a cougar sentinel spring at her from the top of the stairs. There was no place to go and no time to fire an attack at it. She was stuck.

At least that was what she thought until a tall, broad figure holding a sword with a blade of flames stepped in front of her. The sword made a swishing sound as Jadeite swung it around and swiped it neatly across the throat of the sentinel. It made a gurgling sound before it crumbled into dust.

The sword disappeared from Jadeite's hand as he turned and gathered the red suited scout in his arms. "Are you okay, Raye?"

She nodded against his chest. "I am, thanks to you. I'm just so glad that my grandpa isn't here tonight. There's no telling what kind of trouble he would have gotten into."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, he's spunky for an old guy. Well, I think that was the last of the enemy inside our area."

She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated. "I believe you're right. I'm not sensing any more. We must have gotten them all."

She flipped her communicator open. "This is Sailor Mars. Cherry Hill is secure."

"Oak Evolution!" Sailor Jupiter called out as she spun in a fast, tight circle and razor sharp, energy charged oak leaves shot out in a wide arc around her. The guardian and the youma that she had been battling for the last few minutes screamed in pain, and then disintegrated.

She looked around expectantly, and then her face fell. "Aww, man! Don't tell me that's all of them. I was just getting warmed up good."

Several yards away from her Nephrite chuckled. "What's the matter, Sparky? Haven't had enough yet? You've taken out at least twenty of them."

She kicked at a rock on the ground. "But they've all been weak. I thought this was supposed to be some massive fight, but it's been nothing but a joke."

"Well did you want the honor of taking this last one?" he asked as he absently flicked a crackling energy charge at the mutant wolf he had been toying with for the last few minutes.

She shook her head. "Nah! It's not worth the effort. You might as well go ahead and finish it."

"I guess you're right," Nephrite sighed and summoned his sword to his hand where it glowed and snapped with energy. In a lightning fast move he lunged at the sentinel and buried the blade in its chest. The wolf howled and burst into dust.

"I guess that's that," Jupiter said as she switched on her communicator. "Jupiter calling. The park is clear."

"Gotcha, Jupiter," Skye's voice answered. "Sailor Moon wants everyone to hold their positions for now. There are still a few skirmishes going on and she wants all areas cleared before we regroup."

"I read ya," Jupiter answered. "How are things on your end?"

A deep sigh huffed over the line. "Deadsville! Only two youma have wandered into our area so far, and a normal five year old probably could have handled them. This sucks!"

"My feelings exactly," Jupiter returned. "See ya soon."

Sailor Saturn swung her scythe in a wide arc and neatly severed the head off of the charging leopard sentinel. The body flopped to the street and the head rolled several feet before they both exploded in a shower of dust.

She grinned in triumph and wiped a hand across her forehead as she spun toward the house behind her and waved at the young man that was watching her from a second story window.

"Explosive Wave!" Crescent Moon cried from two houses down as she swung her wand around and took out the guardian she had been fighting with a blast of pink energy. She jogged back to Saturn's side and rolled her eyes.

"Showing off for Sammy?" she asked slyly.

Saturn giggled and bumped her shoulder against her friend's. "Maybe. Of course it's not like I've really had to do much. These guys are pathetic."

"That's true," Crescent Moon agreed. "I wonder if they've gotten weaker somehow. It's never been this easy to beat them before."

Saturn flicked back a piece of her dark hair with a finger. "This is probably all they have left. We've beaten everything else they've sent at us and they were more than likely the strongest. That just leaves the weaklings behind."

Crescent Moon shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. It would also explain why they sent out so many at once. They were hoping quantity would make up for quality."

Saturn snorted and looked around at the assorted piles of dust. "Yeah, right. Sorry to disappoint them, but I don't think it's working. We cleared our whole section without hardly breaking a sweat."

"Oh well, at least that means we can hurry up and get this over with," Crescent Moon replied as she reached for her communicator. "This is Crescent Moon. The Tsukino's neighborhood is clean."

"Eeekk!" Sailor Mercury squeaked and ducked as she looked up from her computer screen to see a sharp metal spike flying at her head. It struck the concrete wall behind her with a quivering thud as it embedded itself at least two feet deep.

The guardian that had shot the spike at her jerked suddenly and looked down to see a blade of what appeared to be pure ice protruding from its chest. Soundlessly it crumbled into dust, revealing an extremely furious, wheat-blonde haired man with snapping bright green eyes.

"Take that, you bastard!" he snarled and spat on the pile of dust. He was at Mercury's side an instant later and hauling her into his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked anxiously, pushing back her blue hair so that he could see her eyes.

She nodded shakily. "I'm fine, Zoi. I should have been paying more attention to what was going on around me instead of trying to keep up with what's going on with everyone else."

"Yeah, you should have," he muttered. "But now that the immediate threat has been neutralized, how are the others doing?"

"They're all fine," she told him. "In fact, they've just about taken care of all of the enemies. But it's just not making sense. This attack hasn't been anywhere near as bad as we thought it would be. My scans are showing that Metallia and Beryl, along with two other strong energies are here, but they're staying hidden for now. I'm not sure what they're waiting for, and it bothers me."

Zoicite nodded. "It is odd, but I think they might be testing us. Think about it, Ames. These fighters that they've sent out have not been their strongest. I think they sent them as pawns, trying to see how many of us there are and how far we're stretched out. We should be prepared for more to come."

"I'm sure you're right," Mercury said softly. "There's no way that we're going to win this one this easily. We have to remain watchful."

"I can't believe we came rushing back for this," Sailor Uranus grouched from where she was perched on the roof of a warehouse. "This whole situation has been nothing more than child's play. The others could have easily handled this without us."

"Oh hush, Amara!" Sailor Neptune scolded. She was studying her mirror with a frown on her face. "I don't think this is over. Not by a long shot."

Uranus heard the concern in her voice. "Are you picking up on anything?"

"I'm not sure," Neptune answered worriedly. "It's like the mirror is trying to show me something, but it's so blurry that I can't make it out. I can't seem to shake this feeling though. I think Serena's in danger."

"Of course she is!" the shorthaired blonde snapped. "She's got Beryl and Metallia out there gunning for her and nobody with her but Darien. All I have to say is that Mr. Princey-pants better keep her safe or he's going to get up close and personal with my fists."

Neptune blew out an exasperated breath. "You need to set your man hating aside, dearest. You know as well as anybody that Darien will do everything in his power to protect Serena."

Uranus shook her head. "He's just so…male. I still don't see why we have to stay here. We took care of the threat in this area. I think it would have been a better idea for us to regroup instead of staying apart."

"I'm sure she has her reasons," the aqua haired scout responded distractedly, her eyes still glued to the mirror. "Like I said, I don't think this is over."

There was a bright flash of light and Uranus looked over the edge of the building. She turned back to Neptune with a grim smile. "I guess you were right, sweetheart. It looks like round two is about to begin. A portal just opened up and there are more of the little bastards flooding in. These guys look to be a step above the ones we fought earlier, so we might actually get to have a little fun this time."

She let out a whoop and jumped from the roof down into the swarm of new enemies that had just appeared. "World Shaking!" she cried the instant her feet touched the ground, and she slammed a yellow orb of energy into the earth.

Neptune was right on her heels, jumping down to get her partner's back. She called out, "Deep Submerge!" and shot her attack at the assortment of youmas, guardians, and sentinels.

A couple of them stumbled, but none of them were destroyed by the blast. It looked like Uranus had been right; it was time for the next round, and this time their opponents knew how to play the game.

"Well this turned out to be a huge bummer," Skye, moaned as she sat on the edge of the roof with her legs dangling over the side. "Two stinking, pansy-ass youmas is all I got to beat on, and now the fight is almost over. I could have been cruising the mall. Ya know what I mean?"

"Mmm hmm…" Katie murmured absently. Earlier there had been different colored flashes of light all over the city as the different battles commenced, but they had died off as the calls had come in from each team declaring their areas clear. Now all was calm.

Her eyes darted about, scanning the city for even the slightest sign of a disturbance, but she couldn't sense anything out of place. This disturbed her. She had seen the way that this night was supposed to go, and it had been nothing like this. In her vision there had been panic in the streets as people had fled for their lives from the snarling packs of monsters. And during all the mayhem, a teenage boy had been viciously killed on a rooftop far above.

Had something changed somewhere? Perhaps the interference of her and DJ's future selves had already impacted the events of this time. The night was moving on, and there were no monsters filling the streets. The battle seemed to be pretty much wrapped up, and her brother was still alive.

A little bit of relief began to seep into her. Maybe time had changed and the fight between Alex and DJ would never happen. Oh how she hoped that would come true. If so she vowed to herself that she would get to the bottom of what was bothering her brother and bring him back to his senses. She didn't care if she had to hogtie and gag him to get it done.

"Give it a rest girl," Skye said to Hannah, who was still busily typing on her computer. "The fight's over."

The blue haired girl shook her head. "I don't think it is. I'm still reading those other four energies, but none of them have made a move yet. It's really weird. I thought the whole point of this attack was that Metallia and Beryl were out to take over the world. So why haven't they acted? What are they waiting for?"

Skye laid back against the hard concrete roof and barked out a laugh. "Who the hell knows? They're probably hiding somewhere and pissing their pants about how easily their little minions got their asses kicked. They know it would be suicide for them to show themselves now."

Suddenly the communications link in Hannah's computer crackled to life and Sailor Uranus's brusque voice came over. "Everybody watch out! They've just been toying with us. Neptune and I have a second round of incoming and they aren't the same pushovers we were fighting before." There was a yell, and then the line went silent.

Katie and Skye both scrambled to their feet and looked out toward the industrial district. Sure enough, there were new flashes of yellow and aqua lighting up the night sky.

"Holy shit!" Skye exclaimed a portal opened in the street below them and a horde of youmas, guardians, and sentinels came pouring out of it.

"They're getting in the building!" Katie cried as she whirled for the door that led to the stairs. She reached up and grasped her transformation pendant tightly, and in mid stride she transformed in a burst of silver sparks.

"Hey!" Skye called as she ran after her, lightning crackling around her, as she became Sailor Callisto. "I thought you were supposed to be on standby."

Sailor Eclipse grinned back at her over her shoulder. "My mom said if the enemy made it inside this building that I could fight. Well I think this qualifies."

Sailor Venus looked at her communicator in confusion as she tried to make out all of the garbled voices that had suddenly come on the line. From what she had been able to make out, several new portals had opened up and most of the others were now engaged in a fresh round of fighting with the new arrivals.

"This is crazy," she muttered to Kunzite as she looked down from their perch at the top of the bluff toward the bridge that spanned the bay and pier that was barely visible on the other side. All seemed quiet in both locations.

She switched to a different frequency. "Serena? Are you hearing what I'm hearing?"

Sailor Moon's response was immediate. "Yeah, I knew things were going too easily. I figured Beryl and Metallia had to have something else up their sleeves."

"Should we go and try to help them?" Sailor Shadow asked as she joined in the conversation. "There's nothing going on around here."

Venus and Kunzite spun as a fissure went through the air and saw a portal open up behind them. At least a dozen lackeys spilled out of it.

"Speak for yourself," Venus quipped. "Looks like Kunzite and I have a little company. I'll catch you girls later."

Her Love Chain appeared in her hands as she stood back to back with her platinum haired fiancé. "Darn! I was hoping to get this over with quickly so I could go home and indulge in something more…pleasurable."

Kunzite manifested a sword of pure, humming energy as he chuckled. "I'll make it up to you later."

She smiled impishly at him over her shoulder. "I'm going to hold you to that. Now do we take them together, or divide and conquer?"

The sounds of distant explosions had them both looking quickly back out over the bay. Smoke now hung heavily around both the bridge and the pier.

"Damn it! This is what I was afraid of," Kunzite hissed. "Metallia and Beryl must be making their move on Serena and Darien. And it looks like they're trying to make sure Jess and Andrew are kept away as well."

Venus snapped her chain impatiently. "Well then, I guess that means that we need to hurry up and take care of our little visitors here so we can get down there. I don't care what they said, I'm not leaving them alone without back up."

"Sounds good to me," Kunzite growled. "Let's get to it."

Phantom slammed his sword into chest of a guardian and sent a pulse of power rushing down the blade. It gave a short scream and exploded. A flash of heat behind him had him jumping out of the way as a dragon made of fire flew past him and incinerated a youma.

"Damn, Jay! Do you think you could watch where you're shooting that thing? My idea of being lit up usually involves something of the alcoholic variety, not having my ass set on fire!" Phantom exclaimed with a glower.

"Sorry, sorry!" the blonde boy hastily apologized as he waved his hands and the dragon disappeared. "I didn't think it would get that close to you. I guess I just got so excited that the fight is back on that I jumped the gun. My bad!"

"Well try to curb your enthusiasm a little," Phantom growled. "I'm sure there's plenty more around for you to charbroil."

They had thought that the fight was over and had been sitting around and waiting for the order to stand down when everything had blown sky-high. A portal had sprung open in the middle of the street, bringing a slew of fresh enemies along with it, and the battle began again. And according to the calls they had heard coming over the communicators they had been given, they weren't the only ones in this situation.

"You're supposed to be psychic. Do you see any more?" Phantom asked Flame as he looked around and reached out with his senses to see if he could locate any.

Flame shrugged. "It's hard to say. There's so much going on that it's hard to pinpoint individual monsters." Then a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he grinned. "Ah ha! Got one!"

He took off after it and found a wolf sentinel slinking around in the darkness on the west side of the park. He charged up a fireball in his hands and was about to throw it at the creature when a bolt of lightning hit it and fried it to ashes.

"Oh you suck, Jupiter! That was my kill!" he cried in indignation at the green suited scout that appeared on top of the wall that surrounded the park.

She tossed her auburn head and laughed. "Hey! You snooze, you lose! And this is where our two territories overlap, so it was fair game."

Phantom shook his head as he watched the playful banter between them. But a sudden lurching of his stomach wiped all traces of humor from his face. "Hey, Jay," he ground out in a terse voice. "I think the girls are in trouble."

The blonde boy's laughter abruptly stopped and his face paled a little. "You mean Hannah, Katie, and Skye?"

Phantom nodded, his eyes fixed in the direction of the apartment building that he couldn't see.

"You two get out of here and go help them. Nephrite and I can cover this," Jupiter demanded.

That was all they needed to hear. "Thanks, Lita!" they both called as they took off like rockets.

A harsh grunt whooshed out of Phoenix's lungs as a youma snuck up behind him and jumped on his back. Her body was soft and stretchy like rubber, and she wrapped herself tightly around him, making it almost impossible for him to breath.

"Ooo…" she cooed in his ear. "You're a cutie pie, aren't you? It's almost a shame to kill you. But, orders are orders."

He felt like gagging as she ran a hand down his cheek in an obviously intimate gesture. "You wish, Gumby! I'm not going down that easily," he managed to choke out.

"Let him go, bitch!" an ice-cold voice snarled.

Sailor Ishtar stood about ten yards away. Her long blonde hair swirled around her and her normally bright gray eyes were as hard as flint as she glared at the demonic woman. She had her bow in her hands, notched with a golden arrow and pulled back, ready to fire. And it was aimed right at them.

"Oh, what do we have here?" the youma crooned as she laid her chin on Phantom's shoulder. "Am I invading your territory, sweet cheeks? Well that's just too bad, isn't it?"

"Take the shot," Phoenix ground out as he caught his girlfriend's gaze.

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty for a moment and her aim wavered. "Alex," she whispered brokenly.

"Take the shot," he repeated softly. "I trust you, Em. I know you can do it. Don't worry about me."

The youma cackled gleefully. "She won't do it. She won't take the risk of hitting you. I don't blame her though. You really are delectable."

Anger sparked in Ishtar's eyes as she raised her bow back into firing position. "Close your eyes," she said quietly to Phoenix.

He smiled and did as she asked. A few seconds later he heard the snap of the arrow being released and the swish of it flying through the air. There was a rush of wind by his face and then a thud. His body was released as the youma crumbled around him.

He opened his eyes to find the youma gone and Sailor Ishtar still standing in the same spot, her bow held limply at her side as she stared at the ground. He rushed to her immediately.

"Em?" he said gently as he reached for her.

A sob broke from her as she threw herself against his chest. "I was so scared!" she cried. "If I had been off by just one inch…"

"Shh," he shushed her as he set her back a step and cupped her tear-drenched face in his hands. "I had complete faith in you. I knew you would take her out."

"But…but…" she stammered.

He silenced her with a kiss. He plundered her mouth with his until he felt her go limp in his arms. Finally he pulled back and looked down into her dazed face. "Feeling better now?"

She tried to look annoyed, but she couldn't hide the small smile on her lips. "Contrary to what you think, your kisses don't solve everything, mister!"

He grinned cockily. "Yeah, but you can't say you don't enjoy them."

She slapped playfully at him. "Arrogant jerk!"

He chuckled, tempted to pull her back for another kiss. But before he could act on it his heart jumped in his chest and began pounding against his ribcage. He knew what that meant.

"We have to go!" he exclaimed suddenly as he grabbed Ishtar's hand and began running, pulling her behind him.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they ran.

His voice was strained as he answered. "It's Kat! She needs help!"

"Oh hell yeah!" Sailor Callisto cheered as blasted a guardian through the lobby doors and out into the street where it exploded into a cloud of dust.

Sailor Eclipse grinned at her friend's enthusiasm. "Are you having fun now?"

The tall, auburn haired scout looked like she was on cloud nine. "You better believe it! I thought I was going to die of boredom sitting up on that roof doing nothing."

"Well there's more where they came from," Sailor Caloris said as she looked up from her computer. "They're running rampant out there." She gestured through the doors to the street outside.

"Let's get to it then," Eclipse replied.

"Wait a minute!" Caloris exclaimed. "Aren't you supposed to be on reserve only?"

"Aww, let the girl fight," Callisto drawled. "She's already helped us clear the building and she's obviously fine."

Eclipse nodded. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to sit out now that I've gotten a taste of the action."

Caloris shook her head. "Your mother will skin you alive."

Eclipse waved a hand. "Don't worry about her. I can handle her."

The three scouts ran out into the street and began tearing into the youmas, guardians, and sentinels that seemed to be everywhere.

Sailor Eclipse felt exhilarated as she quickly took out a youma, two guardians, and sentinel. Callisto and Caloris were having just as much luck as she was, and the crowd was already beginning to thin.

"See, I told everyone I was okay," she grumbled to herself as she summoned her whip to her hand and drew it back so she could snap it at nearby youma. But before she could fling it, something grabbed it and yanked hard, sending her slamming into a wall before she fell to the ground.

As she lay there trying to catch her breath, she felt something looming over her. She opened her eyes to the sight of the same panther sentinel from the bluff. It stood over her with wild eyes and furiously gnashing teeth that were only a few feet from her face.

A scream lodged in her throat as she lay there frozen, unable to move a single muscle. 'DJ…Alex!' her mind screamed as the cat lunged in for the kill.

Sailor Shadow coughed, choking on the smoke from the explosion that had rocked the bridge a moment before. Luckily the structure seemed to still be intact and hadn't plunged into the bay. It was also a good thing that it had happened when there were no cars or people trying to cross.

"Drew," she hacked, blinking her eyes rapidly as she tried to see through the thick veil of smoke to locate her fiancé. They hadn't been right next to each other when the explosion hit, so now she had no idea which direction he was in.

"Jess," his voice came from somewhere to her left. "Are you okay?"

She heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

She heard him cough. "A little choked up, but I'm fine. Just stay where you are. I'll find you."

"Okay," she called back, and then reached out with her aura to tickle his lightly and lead him in the right direction. She waved a hand in front of her face, trying to clear a little pocket of air so that she could take a decent breath.

She wasn't sure what made her turn around. All she knew was that she felt a shiver of unease race down her spine and turned just in time to see a sword blade come slashing at her out of the smoky darkness.

She jumped aside quickly, but not quite fast enough. A pained breath hissed through her clenched teeth as the sharp edge sliced through her side just under her ribs. She stumbled and fell to the ground as she felt hot blood instantly soak into her fuku.

"How disappointing. You weren't supposed to move, princess," a deep, demonic sounding voice said in what was an almost amused sounding tone.

She looked up and saw the blurry shape of a black-cloaked figure as it came closer through the smoke. Her mind raced as it tried to comprehend what was happening. She knew that voice. It was the same one that had haunted her nightmares for almost two years.

He came to a stop a few feet away from her and chuckled. "Dearest Melody. What was that you said to me right before you shoved a sword through my stomach? Oh yes, 'payback's a bitch, isn't it', that's what you said. Now let's see how you like it."

"Jess!" Andrew's concerned voice drew closer. "What's going on?"

She panicked, knowing that Andrew would be able to sense that something was wrong through their bond. She scrambled to get up, gritting her teeth against the pain as she slipped in the small pool of her blood that had gathered under her.

"Ah, here comes your little solarian protector," Discord cackled. "This is quite a little reunion. I owe him a little something for his part in my defeat as well."

Fear for Andrew slammed through her as she finally stumbled to her feet. She backed away a few steps, her eyes wild as she stared in disbelief at the creature in front of her. Though it went against every instinct in her body, she whirled and ran.

"Run, Drew!" she screamed as she dashed in the direction that she felt his aura. "It's Discord! He's here!"

Tuxedo Mask shoved off the pieces of debris that had fallen on him when the pier had exploded and sat up. He looked around quickly, searching for his blonde fiancé that had been separated from him during the blast.

"Serena!" he yelled, not caring if there were any civilians around to hear him using her real name or not. Though the chances of that were unlikely since most of the people had left earlier when the pier had been attacked. "Serena, where are you?"

He tried to reach for her through their bond, but his emotions were so chaotic that he had a hard time trying to direct his energy. He rolled to his feet and searched for any sign of her through the thick smoke that hung in the air.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a muted flash of gold and recognized it as being the long streamers of hair that were trailing down from buns and pigtails in Sailor Moon's trademark hairstyle. She was on her feet and seemed to be unhurt, but she was also moving away from him.

"Serena!" he cried out as he hurried after her as quickly as he could in the limited visibility. He could barely make out her shape through the smoke and called out her name again.

After several times of him calling to her she finally stopped and turned toward him. When he approached her she let out a squeal of happiness and launched herself into his arms.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she gushed. "I was lost in all the smoke, and then I thought I saw something that might be a youma so I followed it. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her. "What about you? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a little shaken up. I wasn't expecting that explosion."

"Neither was I," he agreed. "That took me completely by surprise."

She glanced around nervously. "Maybe we should get out of here. I'm getting some really bad vibes."

He pulled back to look at her, puzzled. "What happened to sticking to the plan? I thought we agreed to hold our position no matter what."

She tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, but that was before someone tried to blow us up. I would just feel better if we got away from here."

A feeling of unease began to settle over him, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Something felt off about this whole situation. Serena wasn't normally the type to want to run away in the middle of a fight. She usually stood her ground until the very end.

But the fear that was clearly etched on her face made him give her the benefit of the doubt. "Okay, we'll go. How about we go get Jess and Drew and then grab Venus and Kunzite? Maybe you'll feel better with them around."

She shook her head. "Let's just go. They're big boys and girls and can take care of themselves. I'm sure they'll catch up with us in a little while."

Bingo! That was all he needed to hear. Now he knew why this conversation felt so wrong. The Serena he knew would never blow her friends off like that. In fact, considering that they had both seen the explosion on the bridge a few seconds before the pier blew up, he was surprised that she didn't want to race over there to check on Jess and Andrew. He clamped a steel hard hand around her upper arm.

She flinched in pain. "Ouch! That hurts! Why are you squeezing my arm so tightly?"

"Drop the charade, Beryl," he snarled. "It's not working."

"Damn!" the Sailor Moon he was holding muttered as the illusion fell away to reveal the red haired witch. "You caught onto that faster than I would have liked, Endymion. What gave me away this time?"

He smirked at her. "You suck at impersonating Serena. She would never run away from a fight and her friends just to save herself. She has higher morals that that."

Beryl jerked angrily away from him. "Of course she does!" she spat. "Saint Serenity with her bleeding heart and her goody two shoes ways. Everybody falls at her feet and adores her. It's enough to make me sick! Why couldn't that little brat stay dead?"

Tuxedo Mask took a threatening step toward her. "You better shut your stupid mouth while you're ahead, Beryl. I'm sure you remember that if there's one surefire way to get me mad, it's to talk badly about my princess in front of me. And in the mood I'm in right now it wouldn't take much to push me over the edge. Nothing would give me more pleasure right now than to bury my sword in your heart the same way you did mine a thousand years ago."

Beryl's red brown eyes flared with indignation. "That was an accident. You wouldn't have even been scratched if you hadn't thrown yourself in my way."

His dark blue eyes raked her in disgust. "What the hell did you expect me to do? You were trying to kill my wife!"

Her look turned almost gleeful. "Well she took care of that for me when she took her own life. I was there. I saw it all. I don't think I've ever seen a more wonderful sight than that of the mighty moon princess brought to her knees and broken beyond repair. The sound of her screams and the dead look in her eyes as she picked up your sword and impaled herself with it have kept me going. It was a beautiful thing to see."

A growl erupted out of Tuxedo Mask's chest as he lunged at the now laughing witch. "I warned you to shut the hell up!" He reached for her throat, his fingers itching to wrap around her scrawny neck and squeeze the life from her.

She disappeared before his fingers could close around her and rematerialized behind him less than a second later. She wrapped her long, skinny arms around his waist and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "You always were a bit of a hothead, Endymion. Your fire and passion were the second things I admired about you, after your devilishly handsome good looks of course."

"Of course," he muttered sarcastically as he shook her off. "I feel so flattered by your compliments. Now you answer something for me. Where is Serena?"

Beryl shrugged. "I really don't have a clue. Getting you away and alone was my only mission once the two of you were separated by that blast. Metallia said she would take care of the rest."

Fear jammed down his spine like a spear of ice. "What do you mean?"

Her look turned gloating. "I'm not sure exactly what she has planned, but I'm fairly certain that your precious Serenity doesn't stand a chance."

Sailor Moon sputtered, spitting out water as her head broke through the surface of the bay. She began swimming, fighting against the pull of the current that was trying to sweep her away. From what she could tell, she had already been carried several hundred yards away from the pier she had been standing on only a few minutes before.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief when her feet finally touched bottom and she trudged her way up to the bank. She stood there with water streaming down her body as she anxiously scanned the water for any signs of Tuxedo Mask. She knew he was a strong swimmer, so when she didn't see his dark head anywhere she turned back toward the smoke covered pier. Tuxedo Mask had been farther up the pier than she had when the explosion hit, so he may have been blown back toward the land.

"Please be okay, Darien," she whispered as she headed in that direction to see if she could find him. She had only gone about ten steps when a voice made her pause.

"Serenity," a clear, soft-spoken voice called to her.

She turned and her breath caught in her throat as Queen Serenity appeared in a glimmer of white light.

"Mother," she barely breathed. "How…how are you here?"

The queen smiled gently at her. "You know that if there is any way possible for me to be here for you I will be. I felt your distress, so here I am."

Sailor Moon's vision blurred as tears sprang to her eyes. "I'm scared, Momma," she whispered brokenly. "I don't know what to do. I know I have to fight Beryl and Metallia, but I'm so afraid that one of my friends may be hurt…or killed. They all look to me as a leader, but right now…I feel so helpless!"

"My poor darling," Queen Serenity crooned. "Don't worry, I'll help you. Now come here." She opened her arms wide.

A sob broke from Sailor Moon as she stumbled toward her past mother and felt herself be wrapped in soft, caring arms. She sighed in contentment as gentle fingers smoothed her wet, tangled hair. The nightmare that she'd had the night before had haunted her all day, and when the queen had first appeared she had been afraid that she would reject her. But instead she had been welcomed fully. It felt like coming home.

"I'm so glad you're here," she mumbled as she laid her head on Queen Serenity's shoulder. "It makes me feel so much better."

She didn't see the twisted smile that suddenly appeared on the moon queen's face or the unholy glint that appeared in her lavender eyes. She closed her eyes, unaware of the sharp crystal spear that had appeared behind the queen's back.

Queen Serenity removed one arm from around Sailor Moon and reached for the spear, whispering, "Don't worry, little princess. It will all be over soon."

A/N I know, evil me, another cliffhanger. It just sort of happened that way. So we have Katie in danger, Jess has been confronted and injured by Discord, Beryl has Darien off alone, and Serena has fallen into Metallia's trap. Ooo, what's going to happen next? More action to come next chapter. Please drop me a review and tell me what you think. Happy Holidays everyone! Lots of love and hugs!

~Sere~