A/N So here we are. After eight months this crazy idea that I started on a whim has come to completion…or has it? What started out as what was going to be a maximum 20 chapter story has turned into a giant with 29 installments and a sequel that is in the works. I never thought that this story would receive the response that it has, and as a writer I can think of no better honor than reading the reviews that you wonderful readers send to me. So for one last time (wipes eyes…omigosh, I'm actually crying here) let me give out my hugs to my fabulous reviewers. BIG HUGS TO:
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As I have said before, you guys are the absolute greatest. If it hadn't been for your support and encouragement I probably would have never finished this. I'm going to go bawl into my pillow now and let you read this. I'll talk to you again at the end.
ENJOY!
The Lunar Princess of the Earth
Epilogue
Endings and Beginnings
Crystal Tokyo - 30th Century
"I don't know what else to do, Serena," King Endymion's voice came over the phone. "He's just sitting there in the middle of her studio in a daze. I tried talking to him, but he doesn't even acknowledge I'm here."
Neo Queen Serenity sighed as her grip around the cell phone she was holding to her ear tightened. "Well it's no surprise he's acting like that, Darien. I told you he had no business going back to the house. I knew it would be hard for him. He should have stayed here."
"I agree," Endymion said. "But Andrew's a grown man and can make his own decisions. If I could have, I would have kept him sedated. But it's not good to keep giving him that stuff. Although I'm almost tempted to ambush him with a syringe full and drag him back. The poor guy is just torturing himself. You should have seen him when we first got here. He's wandered through every room in the house like a zombie. The only time I've seen any shred of feeling in him was when he got to the bedrooms. He spent quite a bit of time in both of the kid's rooms. Then when he got to his and Jess's room, he just froze. All of a sudden he tore up the stairs to the studio and threw himself on the couch. He's been there every since."
"Poor Drew," Serenity sympathized. "I hate to think of him putting himself through this. It's not fair."
"Have you heard from Pluto yet?" the king asked.
"No," she answered glumly. "And that's starting to bother me. I thought the fight would be over by now and she would have contacted me. I hope nothing went wrong. If everything worked out, Jess and the kids should have been returned by now."
"Don't worry," Endymion soothed her. "I'm sure everything's fine. If anything too drastic happened we would have started seeing the repercussions by now."
"I know you're right," she whispered. "But I can't help but worry."
He chuckled gently. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't. Now why don't you go upstairs and curl up in front of the TV with a pint of ice cream and take a load off for a while. You're not doing anyone any good by pacing the halls."
Serenity stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the hall where she had indeed been pacing. "How did you…never mind. So do you think you'll be home soon?"
Endymion heaved a sigh. "One way or another. I can't take much more of watching him like this. I'll be home in time for dinner, even if I have to drag him kicking and screaming back with me. But I meant what I said, go get some rest. You have hardly slept at all lately. Doctor's orders."
That got a giggle from her. "Yes sir, Dr. Shields. I'll be a good girl and do what you say."
He groaned. "That would be a first for you. I'll see you in a little bit."
She smiled gently. "Okay sweetie. I love you."
She could hear the answering smile in his voice. "I love you, too."
She flipped her phone shut and stuck it in the pocket of her jeans. Normally she didn't wander around the palace in what she deemed to be her normal clothes, but things had been so tense lately that she had said the hell with it and had thrown on a pair of old, worn jeans and her favorite sweatshirt that had once belonged to her husband that she had stolen from him.
Deciding that a nap might do her some good, she turned toward the stairs intending to go up to her room and see if she could manage to squeeze in a few winks.
"Your Majesty!" a high-pitched voice suddenly called out to her.
Turning around, she watched as the small, furry body of a gray cat came running down the hall. As it reached her, the feline tried to stop. But her momentum was so great that it sent her sliding across the highly polished floor and crashing into a wall.
"Diana!" Serenity exclaimed. "Are you okay? What's the matter?"
The petite cat got back to her feet and shook her head to clear it. "I'm fine, your majesty. I just had to come and tell you this. You know I've been helping Sailor Pluto by watching the time gate for her while she's gone. Well a few minutes ago I was watching the timeline and suddenly the main time stream began to glow and all of those other alternate timelines just turned gray. What does that mean?"
The queen's heart began to pound in her chest. She had a hunch what it might mean, but she was afraid to get her hopes up. "I'm not entirely sure, Diana. But maybe…"
She broke off as the sound of a banging door was heard from one of the upper floors and was quickly followed by the pounding of running footsteps. She turned around just in time to see a blur fly down the stairs and past her. The only thing she could make out were the long strands of caramel colored hair flying behind the person.
"Jess," she whispered, standing frozen in place for a moment before her brain finally kicked in. "Jess," she called louder, running after the other woman, thankful that she was wearing her jeans and not her long, formal dress.
'Wow, I forgot how fast she can move when she's in a hurry to get somewhere.' Serenity thought to herself as she tailed Jess, trying to keep her in sight. Of course, it didn't take a genius to know where she was going. The bond between Jess and Andrew was just as strong as the one between her and Darien. It would lead them straight to each other every time.
Andrew leaned his head back on the couch, lost in the memories. How many times had he sat in this exact spot, talking to his wife or enjoying the comfortable silence between them as he watched her work? Hundreds? Thousands? If he focused really hard, he could almost see her standing there in front of her easel, brow furrowed and the tip of her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she brought another masterpiece to life.
If you looked closely, you could still see the remains of his daughter's attempt to copy her mother on one of the walls. When she was four, the little girl had taken her crayons and had drawn her own colorful creation on the wall. She had been proud of herself and had called it her 'misterpace' in her adorable lisping voice. Jess had thought it was brilliant, and had never attempted to wash it off or paint over it. After ten years though, it had faded until you had to look hard to see it.
And there on the shelf sat what looked to be a shapeless lump of clay. It was his son's attempt at doing a ceramic figurine during a school art class. The boy had claimed that it was supposed to be a statue of Nebula, and it was certainly orange enough, but it in no way resembled a cat, or anything else for that matter. But Jess had displayed it proudly and bragged about how talented he was as she showed it off to anyone who had been unfortunate enough to ask about it.
Andrew chuckled inside. Neither one of his kids had a speck of their mother's artistic ability, but hadn't mattered to Jess. He knew that neither one of them had been perfect parents, but then again, nobody was. He was still proud of his little family, and he wanted nothing more than to have them back with him where they belonged.
He heard the door squeak and looked over, wishing with all of his might that Jess would be the one to come walking through. Her eyes would twinkle as she looked at him in that way she did that made him feel like putty in her hands. All she would have to do is crook a finger at him, and he would be her willing slave.
Instead of his eternally twenty one year old looking wife, he saw the dark haired head of his best friend pop in and look around.
"Hey man," Endymion said as he spotted Andrew sitting on the couch. "Let's go back up to the palace. I'm sure Trista will show up soon with some news. It's better than just sitting here, wallowing."
Andrew sighed as he looked at his longtime friend. Those deep blue eyes that were the same as hers and their son's stared back at him. He could almost hear her yelling at him, telling him to get up off of his ass and stop moping around so much.
He pushed himself wearily to his feet. "Okay, let's go."
Endymion shook his head in surprise. He had been expecting this to be a battle, not a quick surrender. But hey, he wasn't going to argue
The two men made their way downstairs and headed for the front door. Just as Andrew reached for the knob, he paused. All of the hair on the back of his neck rose to stand on end and he heard a voice whisper his name softly.
His heart began pounding and his hands started to sweat and shake. He knew this feeling, but after days and days of disappointment, he didn't know if he could believe it.
All coherent thought flew out of his head as a wave of outreaching energy slammed into him. He threw the door open and took off running down the street like the hounds of hell were snapping at his heels. He heard Endymion holler out after him, but ignored the man. He had someone else calling to him.
Luckily the house wasn't even a full block from the palace gates, and he made it there in what seemed to be mere seconds. The guards at the gate just stared at him in shock when he tore past them. They weren't used to seeing the king's chief business advisor acting in such a way.
A few seconds later, their jaws hit the ground when the king, dressed simply in blue jeans and a hooded pullover ran past them in the same manner. After a moment, the two guards just shook their heads. These people might be royalty and part of the court, but you never quite knew what to expect from them.
Andrew's running steps were thudding in synch with his rapidly beating heart as he ran up the long driveway leading to the palace. He knew now that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. She was close. He could feel it.
He had just passed by one of the many flower gardens when saw someone run out of it out of the corner of his eye. He skidded to a stop at the same time the other person did. They both turned slowly to look at each other.
Sapphire blue met hazel green. Two hearts could almost be audibly heard as they pounded together in perfect harmony. The world seemed to stand still, and all was quiet…at least for a moment.
"Drew!" Jess shrieked, launching herself at him and knocking them both to the ground. She was laughing and crying at the same time as she straddled his waist, peppering his face with tiny kisses.
Andrew lay there in shock for a few seconds. Finally his poor, battered brain realized that she was real. His wife was alive and well, and currently overwhelming his senses completely. He reached a shaking hand up and buried it in her thick, curly hair, pulling her head back just a little so he could look into her dancing eyes once more.
"Don't you ever leave me again," he growled before claiming her lips with a passion so intense that it was amazing that the whole planet didn't go up in flames. They were oblivious to the fact that their pursuers had caught up to them and that others had begun to stream out of the palace to see what the commotion was.
Their fixation with each other was broken when two excited voices finally penetrated through the haze they were in. "Mom, Dad!"
They broke apart and looked toward the palace where two fourteen year olds had suddenly burst through the doors and were making a beeline straight for them. They were both laughing when the two teens reached them and jumped on them, creating a mess of tangled arms and legs as they all tried to hug each other at once.
Eventually they sorted themselves out and got up off the ground. There was another flurry of excitement as Jess and the kids were hugged and welcomed back by everyone else.
Andrew watched in relief as his wife was talking with Serenity and his kids were busy catching up with their friends. It was hard to believe that he had his family back. Just when he thought they had been granted all the miracles they could be blessed with in this life, another would come along and astound him.
A sudden scream pierced the air. "Jess!"
Everyone turned to see Rini racing toward them. She practically mowed over everyone in her path in her haste to get to the woman who was her sister in every way except genetically. She threw herself at the blonde, almost sending them both tumbling to the ground.
"I don't believe it, you're really back!" the pink haired teen exclaimed as she hugged Jess tightly.
Jess laughed, returning the tight embrace with one of her own. "Believe it, cotton candy head. It takes more than an evil entity with a superiority complex to keep Sailor Shadow down. Now do you mind loosening the stranglehold? I would like to breathe."
"Oops, sorry," Rini apologized, letting go and turning to greet her parents.
Serenity and Endymion both enveloped her in huge hugs, whispering to her about how proud of her they were. Once they had broken apart, she looked around at the various members of her eclectic family.
Her gaze fell on one member that was standing apart from everyone else, watching the scene with brooding light blue eyes, his ebony hair catching the last rays of the dying sun. He gave the appearance of just casually watching the reunion, but she saw his eyes constantly return to watch a certain blonde haired teen.
She sidled over next to him. "You should go welcome her back. I know you missed her."
The boy snorted. "Yeah right. Like I would miss her with all of her whining and complaining. It's been kind of nice and quiet without her around. Her brother may be my best friend, but I still don't see how those two can be related, much less twins. They're nothing alike."
Rini chuckled. "You have a lot to learn, little bro. You can deny it all you want, but I know you have feelings for her. One day you'll realize it."
The boy just snorted and walked over to join his best friend, trying his best to ignore the girl that stood at her brother's side. Other than a cursory glance, the girl made a show of not paying him any attention either.
Rini grinned. Oh yes, she could see it clearly. Those two may be fighting it now, but one day they would have the power to bring each other to their knees.
"So you sense it too?" a voice asked next to her.
She turned to find an equally grinning Mina. The goddess of love was also watching the pair of teens with interest, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "Those two remind me so much of Serena and Darien when they first met with the way they pick on each other. It's almost like déjà vu."
Rini giggled. "I don't know if I would go that far. Mom and Dad may have fought, but those two seem to take things to a whole other level."
She continued to smile as she looked around at all of her loved ones, but the empty feeling she had felt earlier while surrounded by most of these same people in their past forms returned. She missed Helios.
As if her thoughts had created him, a bright flash of light heralded the arrival of the Elysian priest. He bowed a quick greeting to the king and queen before turning his sights on her. He grinned as he saw her eyes brighten.
"Helios! What in the world are you doing here?" she cried as she jumped at him and wrapped him into a huge hug. It only lasted for a few moments before she pulled away under the watchful eye of her parents. Endymion's eyes held a slightly guarded look, but it disappeared when Serenity elbowed him lightly in the ribs and gave the couple a knowing smile.
Helios inclined his head to his princess formally. "I'm here on a diplomatic mission. It seems that both of us have been invited to a victory party of sorts, and my future queen has gone as far as to threaten me with bodily harm if I didn't come claim you and escort you to the festivities."
Rini barked out a laugh. "Yeah right! I'm sure Serena would be happy if I didn't show up. She'd have more food to pig out on then."
"Hey, I resent that!" Serenity exclaimed indignantly, causing a ripple of chuckles around them. "How did I ever raise such an ungrateful daughter?" she teased.
Rini stuck her tongue out at her and then giggled as she leapt on her mother, giving her a big hug. "Sorry, mom. It was there and I just had to say it. Anyway, it's common knowledge around here. Everybody knows better than to come between you and food. Anyhow, looks like I'm off to a party. I'll be home soon."
Serenity gave her one last squeeze and then whispered to her. "You better be home tomorrow. Have you bothered to look at a calendar lately? Tomorrow is a special day."
Rini pulled back and looked at her mother in confusion for a moment as she began picturing the days in her head. Slowly, it clicked to her what Serenity was talking about. Then she grinned mischievously. "Oh yeah. I wonder if he's even thought about it. With everything that's been going on and all, I bet it slipped his mind."
Serenity rolled her eyes and cocked her head at her husband. "Well I know one person that's tried to conveniently forget about it. You would think he was being threatened with a needle to listen to him talk."
"No talk of needles, please." Jess broke in, throwing an arm around both of them. "I hate those things, you know." She shuddered.
"We were discussing some plans for tomorrow," Serenity informed her. "I wasn't going to do anything. But now that you're back, my original plans are back on track."
"Huh? Did I miss something?" Jess muttered in confusion. "I don't even know what day it is."
With a quick glance to make sure her father wasn't listening, Rini whispered the date in Jess's ear. A wide grin broke across the older woman's face.
"Excellent!" she exclaimed in an excited whisper. "I'm in the mood to party. And speaking of parties, shouldn't you get going, Rini? I'm sure our past selves are ready to party too."
Rini stepped away from them. "You're right, I'd better go. I'll be home tomorrow, mom." Then she leapt on Endymion and hugged him too. "Bye Dad! See ya later!"
"Behave yourself," he called after her, frowning a little as he watched his daughter grab Helios's hand and disappear in a flash of light.
"Oh, stop screwing up your face like that, Darien!" Serenity exclaimed, pushing his shoulder lightly. "Our little girl is growing up, and you know Helios would never do anything to hurt her."
Endymion's jaw tensed for a second. "He better not." Then he turned a wary look on her. "So what trouble were you plotting with Rini and Jess? The three of you looked awfully suspicious."
Serenity just smiled sweetly. "Nothing for you to worry about, honey. It's just girl stuff."
Endymion groaned.
Tokyo, Japan - Present Day
The news announcer's voice droned monotonously from the TV behind the counter in the arcade.
"Scientists around the world are scrambling frantically tonight to try to find the cause of several natural phenomena's that occurred simultaneously earlier today. Tremors were felt on every continent and unexplained storms blew up unexpectedly. Luckily the tectonic disturbance seemed to settle quickly and the storms blew themselves out within minutes. These surprising events have many experts worried, however, and the top scientists from around the globe have vowed to work around the clock to find the answer to these recent events."
Jess let the breath hiss between her teeth. "Damn, talk about giving a new meaning to the phrase 'shaking things up'. I didn't really do all of that, did I?"
A hand reached over and flipped the TV off. "You shouldn't be watching that crap. What happened is in the past. End of story," Andrew chastised her.
Serena took a long slurp of her milkshake. "He's right. It's all done and over. It got intense for a few minutes, but everything worked out. No since dwelling on it."
Jess shook her head. "Don't any of you get it? It could have been a lot worse. You guys have no idea how close I was to losing it back there."
"But you didn't," Darien said, setting his coffee cup down on the counter. "You were upset and could have let it overwhelm you, but in the end you knew that to release that power in rage would destroy the world. You looked past your own feelings and decided that the welfare of the planet was more important."
Jess blushed and looked down. "Don't try to make me out to look like a saint. Yeah, I thought about the planet and all the people that live here, but really it was more like I gave up. If Discord had made a move on me at that moment, I honestly think I would have just sat there and let him kill me. I wouldn't have fought back."
Serena snorted. "I don't believe that for a second. He was trying to beat you down when he brought up those memories of your past, but you're way too stubborn to just up and quit."
Jess let out a peal of laughter. "You know what? You just might be right. He screwed up when he did that. I guess he was trying to make me feel like my parents didn't love me or that I never had any friends by just picking out those few memories, but he never bothered to look at the rest. Okay, so I freaked my parents and some other people out on a few occasions and I had a bit of a reputation for being different. But once Nebula came along and I finally realized what was happening, I was able to lighten up. I had some great friends back in high school, and even though we have grown apart I keep in touch with some through e-mail. And I admit I was depressed for a while before I came here, but that didn't last long."
She grinned at Andrew, who returned it. "I stomped around this city for three weeks, wondering what the hell I was doing here. I knew that everyone that had been reincarnated from the Silver Millennium was here, but I didn't know where to begin looking. Then one day I came storming in here in an extremely bad mood in search of a decent cherry coke, and the rest is history."
"Speaking of which," Andrew announced, setting a glass full of her favorite soda in front of her with a flourish. "For you, milady."
She grabbed the glass and her eyes fluttered closed as she groaned at the first heavenly sip. Then she looked at him in exasperation. "You're never going to tell me the secret to this, are you?"
He smiled wickedly. "Nope. That drink is one sure fire way to make certain that you stay right here. I'm the only one that will be able to give you your fix."
"Ohh," Mina purred, sauntering over to them, her eyes sparkling. "Do I hear an innuendo in that statement?"
"Butt out, Mina!" Jess and Andrew exclaimed together, and then collapsed into laughter.
"Hey, what did I miss?" a new voice asked as Rini and Helios came through the door. "You didn't start the party without me, did you?"
Rini eyed all of the people scattered around the arcade and all of the food and drinks that were being consumed, then she sniffed. "I should have known. Did anyone save anything for me?"
Serena jumped up and ran to hug her future daughter. "Of course there's plenty left. We wouldn't leave you out." Then in a softer voice she asked, "How are things in the future?"
Rini grinned big. "They're fine. Everything's back like it should be. No more worries there."
Serena was thrilled to see the haunted look gone from Rini's eyes. It had bothered her to see how upset the younger girl had been the last few weeks. Now she had returned to being the same happy, carefree teenager she had been before. She led Rini and Helios over to the counter.
"One triple chocolate shake with extra whipped cream and sprinkles for our youngest hero princess," Andrew announced, setting a tall glass on the counter. "You kicked butt today, Rini."
Rini squealed delightedly, then shocked everyone when she pushed it toward Helios. "You've got to try this. Nobody makes milkshakes like Drew."
The dream priest smiled indulgently at her and took a long pull from the straw. "It's very good." He offered the glass back to her.
Darien growled under his breath as he watched his future daughter place her lips around the same straw that Helios's had been around just moments before. It was almost as if they were kissing in front of him. He opened his mouth, but found Serena's hand covering it.
'Don't say anything,' her voice snapped in his head. 'Let our future selves handle it.'
He sighed under her hand and nodded his head, looking over at the pink pigtails of the girl who would one day be born to him and Serena. Rini was happily slurping her milkshake while alternating between looking at Helios and, for some unknown reason, keeping a watchful on the clock that hung on the wall.
The next few hours flew by and conversation flowed easily around the room as everyone took a chance to totally relax after the last few months of chaos. For the first time all summer they could let their guard down and not have to worry about when the next attack was going to happen.
The quiet, soothing atmosphere was broken when as the clock struck midnight, Rini stood up with a loud "Ah Ha!"
Everyone jumped, immediately looking around for any trouble. Serena and Jess both let out startled squeaks and would have fallen from their seats if Darien and Andrew hadn't caught them.
"What in the world, Rini?" Serena gasped. "What was that for?"
A calculating smile appeared on the younger girl's lips as she pointed to the clock. "It's midnight. A new day has begun. Does anyone have any idea what today is?"
Confused glances were shared around the arcade as everyone tried to remember what the date was. So much had been happening recently that they had lost track of the days.
Darien's faced paled as he caught the triumphant look in Rini's sparkling eyes. He silently pleaded with her, but she shook her head. "You're not getting away that easily, daddy dearest."
Jess turned to look at a nearby calendar. "It's August 3rd, what's that got to with…" she trailed off. She'd had the same birthday in both lives, April 14th. Serena and Serenity also shared the same birthday of June 30th. Endymion's birthday had been…
Serena went wide-eyed. "Omigosh, August 3rd. Happy 22nd birthday, Darien!"
He groaned. "I was hoping no one would remember." It wasn't exactly a happy day for him. It might be his birthday, but it was also the anniversary of the day that he had lost his parents in that horrible car crash sixteen years before. He had spent years ignoring that date. But once Serena had invaded his world, she had always tried to make every birthday memorable for him.
"Don't be silly," Serena told him. "Of course I would never let your birthday go by without acknowledging it. Oh, I have so much to do." She jumped up from her seat. "I need all of the scouts in the back corner booth, pronto. We have plans to make."
Darien laid his head down on the counter with a thump, then raised it to glare at Rini. "Are you happy now?"
She grinned. "Immensely. The fun part is I get to do it again later on when I get home. There's no telling what my mom has planned for my dad." She skipped off to join the now chattering women.
Jess stared on in mystified wonder at the animated, golden haired princess. "Is she like that with everyone's birthdays? That's scary."
Darien nodded. "Yep, and don't think you're immune from it either. The moment she found out who you were she circled your birthday on her calendar."
"Great," she grumbled. "And since it seems that everyone has the same birthdates in both lives I can't even hide it from her."
Andrew chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Nope, but you get used to it as time goes on. It's just the way our mismatched little family is."
Jess leaned against him and smiled. 'Family,' she thought. 'I have a family again.'
She felt her boyfriend's arms tighten around her, and then his voice whispered in her head, 'Yes you do, and we all love you. But none of the others will ever love you as much as I do.'
She leaned her head back to look at him. Her deep blue eyes locked on to his hazel green, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. In that moment they could have been the only two people in existence. Forgetting that they were surrounded by a whole swarm of people, he lowered his head toward hers. Their lips had barely touched when reality intruded.
"Jess," Serena complained. "Get over here. I need your help. You'll have time to get lovey dovey with Drew later. We have more important things to discuss right now."
Jess growled inaudibly. "Okay, she's insane. Doesn't she know better than to interrupt people when they're having a moment? She'd be pissed if someone did that to her."
Andrew grinned. "Yeah, she would be, but don't worry about it. Soon everyone will be going home. And then you and I will be all alone, just the two of us."
Her cheeks flushed, but her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Sounds good to me. I'll be back in a minute, lover." She purred this as she slid from her stool and began walking away with a distinct sway of her hips.
Andrew gulped, trying to force down the lump that had just risen in his throat. He grabbed her soda that she had left behind and took several swallows. He met Darien's gaze over the rim.
Those dark blue orbs burned into him. "Listen Drew. She may not be my daughter in this life, and you are my best friend, but if you ever hurt her I'll have to kick your ass."
Andrew returned his serious look with one of his own. "You don't have to worry about that. It would kill me to ever hurt her. After all of this time, I finally understand the depth of feeling that holds you and Serena and the others together. I used to think that soul mates was just a figure of speech, but now I know it's real. I'm never letting her go. I'm going to marry her someday and spend the rest of my life with her."
A big grin split Darien's face. "That's all I wanted to hear." His eyes wandered over to the booth where his own fiancé was busy making plans for what he was sure would be an interesting night and chuckled. "Our lives will never be boring with those two, that's for sure."
Andrew nodded. "Yeah, you never know what to expect with them."
Jess screeched suddenly and jumped up from her seat at the booth, staring fearfully out the front window of the arcade. Before anyone could ask what was wrong, she flew for the door that led to the stairs to the apartment above.
"Tell her I died. Or better yet, tell her you never heard of me. Whatever you do, don't any of you dare tell her where I am," she screamed as she slammed the door behind her.
Everyone was silent in shock until the door to the arcade opened and three cats walked in. Luna and Artemis seemed calmed and composed, but Nebula seemed to be crackling with irritation. Her tail stuck straight up in the air and her hair stood on end.
"Where is she?" the orange cat ground out. She looked around, but everyone avoided her angry amber eyes. She hopped up onto to counter and pinned Andrew with a stare. "Andrew, where is she?"
He fixed his eyes on the counter, wiping the same spot over and over with a towel. "I don't know…" He yelped and pulled his hand back as she took a swipe at him, barely missing sinking her claws into his flesh.
The feline's eyes glowed in triumph. "That's okay. I know where she is."
She walked over to the closed door to the stairway. "Jessica Elaine Alexander, get your skinny butt down here right now! You have a lot of explaining to do young lady! I thought I taught you better. So do you want to tell me why the whole planet was shaking like a Mexican jumping bean earlier, or do I need to go back to the apartment and sharpen my claws on your canvases?"
There was a muffled thump upstairs followed by a wailing, "Nooo!!!" Andrew felt a now familiar tingling sensation and grinned. He walked to the front door of the arcade and stepped out just in time to catch the falling body of Sailor Shadow in his arms as she leapt from the window of his… no their… apartment. He set her on her feet.
She smiled sweetly at him and then leaned forward to stick her head inside the door to glare at the indignant cat. "You'll have to catch me first. And don't even think about touching my paintings or I'll haul you to the nearest vet I can find and have you declawed, you ungrateful fleabag. This is the thanks I get for helping to save the world? And by the way, I'm moving in here with Drew. So you better be nice to me, or you might find yourself having to live with your sister and Artemis."
Artemis let out a startled meow and hopped up onto Mina's lap, looking for sympathy. Nebula continued to glare at her young charge for a moment before her eyes softened. "I know I have a hard time showing it, but I am proud of you. You'll have to forgive this old cat. I was so scared when I felt your power release earlier. I thought I would never see you again."
Tears formed in Jess's eyes as she walked back into the arcade. She let go of her transformation and knelt in front of her advisor that had been with her for so long. "Do you really mean that, Nebula?"
The cat nodded her head. "I'm proud of you, and so is Aurora. We've come down a long road together, one I wasn't sure of what the outcome would be. But in the end you came through. Now the mission that Queen Serenity gave me a millennia ago has been completed."
Jess scooped the furry body up in her arms and held her tight. "Oh Nebula, the mission may be over, but I'll always need you. What would happen to me if I didn't have you around nagging and complaining all the time?"
If cats could grin, then Nebula would have been. "You would be an absolute mess. You would probably be late for all of your classes. And when you finally remembered what time it was you would go running out in paint-covered clothes with a paintbrush tucked behind your ear. Not to mention the fact that your vocabulary would seriously decline without me there to reprimand you for your cussing."
Jess giggled. "You're right. I'm absolutely hopeless, aren't I?"
Nebula rolled her eyes and looked at Andrew. "Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into? She could try the patience of a saint, believe me."
Andrew chuckled. "I think I'll survive."
Serena let out a frustrated sigh. "Are we done with the dramatics now? I still have a party I'm trying to plan here. Okay, so Lita's got the cake covered. Mina and Raye are on decoration duty. Oh Andrew, can we have it here? It's the only place big enough to hold everyone. Unless Kunzite and the others want to let us have it at their place."
Andrew nodded automatically as Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoicite's faces paled at the thought of having the group of sailor scouts partying at their place. The girls may be practically living with them now, but when music and liquor were involved anything could happen.
Serena continued on in a rush. "I've got so much to do. I've definitely got to hit the mall. Jess, you'll have to pull yourself away from Andrew long enough to go with me. Amy, I need you to…."
Everyone slipped into a semi comatose state as they listened to their princess prattle on about the preparations to celebrate their prince's birthday. The poor prince in question sat in his usual spot at the counter, slumped over his coffee cup, seriously debating whether or not he could pull off being sick.
Crystal Tokyo – 30th Century
King Endymion lay alone on the huge bed in his and his wife's bedchamber, staring up bleakly at the crystal ceiling. He would give anything to have this day done and over with. He didn't know why his wife was always so insistent on making a big ordeal about his birthday. True, he always made a production out of hers, but that was different. He had just never cared about celebrating his.
He rubbed a hand over his face wearily. He didn't look a day older than twenty-five, but in reality it had been 1,041 years since he had been reborn in this lifetime. Of course, a thousand of those years had been spent in a deep sleep while the Earth had been frozen over. He just didn't see the need to celebrate anymore.
There was a soft knock at the door and he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. He heard the soft click of the knob being turned and then the slight whisper of the door opening.
"Dad?" Rini's voice said softly. "Are you awake?"
He almost answered her, but decided it was in his best interest to keep his eyes shut and his breathing even. He heard her shift her feet uneasily as she took in the scene he had carefully orchestrated. The clothes thrown haphazardly across the chair, the thermometer and the bottle of cold medicine on the bedside table, and then himself tucked into the wide king sized bed.
He heard his sixteen-year-old daughter cluck her tongue as she backed quietly out of the room and closed the door behind her. He jumped up as soon as he was sure he was alone, knowing he would only have a few minutes, and ran to the bathroom where he wet a rag with hot water and then held it over his face for a minute.
When he took it off, he looked flushed and his skin was hot to the touch. He patted his face dry and flew back to the bed. He climbed back in and covered himself up, closing his eyes and feigning sleep again, and not a moment to soon.
He heard the door open again, and then the whisper of light footsteps across the carpet. A cool hand lay upon his cheek while another one swept the hair back from his eyes.
"Oh dear," Serenity said softly. "The poor thing's gone and gotten sick. That's too bad, he'll have to miss his own party. Oh well, I still owe Rini for her not being here for her birthday, so I guess we'll just turn it into her party. It'll be sweet to watch her and Helios dance the night away."
Endymion almost groaned aloud at his wife's statement and his hands balled up into fists under the covers. He didn't have a problem with Helios. He just had an issue with his daughter being in any kind of a romantic relationship.
Serenity had often argued on Rini's behalf, reminding him that she herself had only been fourteen when they had started dating. Not to mention that she had been barely sixteen when she had married him during the Silver Millennium and had borne him a daughter before she had turned seventeen. Although they had waited until a later age to wed in this life, they had still consummated their physical relationship when she had been sixteen.
That didn't matter to him. This was his only daughter. He knew that one day she would marry Helios, but he wasn't ready to start letting go yet. She was still his Small Lady, even if she refused to let anyone call her that anymore.
Serenity's hand stilled in the act of smoothing his hair. "Ah ha," she said in triumph. "I knew that would get a reaction out of you. Open your eyes and look at me, Darien. You know you can't fool me. I can feel your emotions, remember?"
He sighed and opened his eyes and glared at his wife, who had the nerve to grin cheekily at him. She might be 1,038 years old, but deep inside she was still an exuberant teenager with the face of a twenty two year old angel.
"What, Serena?" he growled at her.
She giggled. "Did you honestly think that this little plan of yours would work? I mean really, throwing your clothes around, the thermometer, and the medicine? I bet if I walk into the bathroom I'll find the wet rag you used to make yourself look like you have a fever. Really Darien. I'm married to a doctor and have two kids, I know a fake when I see one."
His scowl faded and his eyes turned pleading. "Do I really have to go through with this? I hate celebrating my birthday, you know that."
She stepped away from the side of the bed and headed for their massive walk in closet, calling over her shoulder. "Come on, Darien. It's not like I invited the entire kingdom to a ball or anything. It's just us and our friends and family getting together to have a little fun. It's not often that we get to do that these days."
He got out of the bed and followed her into the closet that was almost as big as their bedroom. He passed the racks that held his suits and other formal clothing that he was required to wear as king and the rows of long gowns that belonged to the queen. He cornered her in the back where they kept their casual clothes that they preferred to wear in their down time.
"I don't have a problem spending time with everyone, I just don't like being the center of attention," he complained. "Why can't this just be a party for the sake of having a party? Why does my birthday have to get dragged into it?"
Serenity turned and tossed a pair of his jeans and soft cotton, long sleeved black shirt at him. He caught them with a sigh.
Serenity put her hands on her hips. "For your information, this isn't just about you. We are also celebrating the fact that our daughter is now a young lady of sixteen and that one of our best friends and her children have been returned to us safely. So quit being such an ass and get dressed."
She turned back to the clothes and began rummaging through hers, looking for something to wear. Darien pulled off the sweatpants and t-shirt he had been wearing and slipped into the jeans. He turned around just in time to see Serenity pull the shirt she had been wearing over her head, leaving her upper half bare except for her lacy bra.
An evil smirk twisted his lips as he snuck up behind her and pulled her into his arms, making her gasp as she felt his fingers on her bare skin.
"Can't we just stay here for the night?" he whispered low in her ear. "I think it could be much more enjoyable." He grinned as she shivered against him.
She tried to pull away from him, but failed. "No way, Darien. That's not going to work on me this time. Every time there is something that you don't want to go do, you try to seduce me into staying locked up with you."
He gave her his trademark smirk. "And it usually works."
She tried to glare angrily at him, but couldn't quite hide the passion that was beginning to burn in her eyes. "Well it's not working this time, mister."
"Are you sure about that?" he breathed into her ear before he placed a kiss on the sensitive skin of her neck.
"I…I," she stammered before turning in his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Damn you," she growled before pulled his head down and kissed him with everything she had. She had been with this man in three different millennia, had married him twice, and had given birth to his children, but every time she kissed him it was just as exciting as their first kiss in the rose garden of the earth palace over 2,000 years ago.
He was prepared for her response, had been expecting it actually, so he wasted no time in gathering her up in his arms until her feet dangled several inches above the floor. He stumbled a few steps until her back came into contact with the wall. He groaned as he leaned in against her, the bare skin of his chest coming into close contact with her almost naked torso.
As if suddenly realizing their intimate position, Serenity tore her mouth away from his and gulped in several rasping breaths. "Damn you," she said again in a broken whisper. "Why do you always do this to me? We don't have time for this right now. I bet some people have already shown up and you want us to stay here and go at it in the closet like a couple of hormonal teenagers."
The mention of hormonal teenagers brought reality crashing back on him as he thought of what his wife had said while he had been feigning sleep. "Helios isn't really coming tonight is he?"
Serenity rolled her eyes at him. "Of course he is. I told you, we're celebrating our daughter's birthday too. He is her boyfriend even if we asked them to wait until she was eighteen to become engaged."
"Now I have to go to this party so I can keep an eye on them," he muttered under his breath.
Serenity smiled superiorly at him. "Exactly! Now let me go so we can get ready. And if you're a good boy, maybe I'll give you a special present later when we're alone." She wriggled in his arms as she slid her body down his until her toes touched the ground.
He moaned low in the back of his throat as his eyes rolled back and closed. "You're torturing me, woman."
Her look turned impish. "Payback. You do it to me all the time. Now let's get moving."
His arms tightened around her and he pressed her further into the wall as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, murmuring, "No, not yet."
Her breath hissed out between her teeth as she felt his lips move across her skin. "Dare…we really don't have time…Oh forget it! Let them wait." She turned her head to meet his lips again as he finished leaving a trail up her neck.
Endymion groaned in approval and was reaching for the clasp of her bra when an irritated voice floated to them from the bedroom.
"Mom, Dad, I know you guys are in the closet. And I don't care if you are trying to have a private moment. You two better get out here, now!" Rini said angrily. "Everybody's here and now we're waiting on you two."
The couple in the closet pulled a few inches away from each other, both breathing heavily and faces flushed.
"We'll be out in a minute," Serenity called out in a breathless sounding voice.
"You better be," Rini called back. "As a matter of fact I'm staying right here until you're ready. I know if I leave now you'll never come out."
Serenity and Endymion both growled slightly as they listened to their daughter complaining to herself in the next room about how her parents were an embarrassment and would never grow up.
Endymion leaned his forehead against Serenity's. His deep, dark blue eyes stared deeply into her much lighter sky blue ones. "Later?" he asked huskily.
"Definitely later," she agreed, still panting slightly. "I love you, Darien."
He gave her one last quick kiss. "I love you too, Serena. Always."
Tokyo, Japan - Present Day
Serena came awake slowly. It took her a minute to get her bearings and make out her surroundings. In the early, predawn light she could see the deep, red walls of the room and the heavy black dresser across the room. She could feel the gentle slide of the black silk sheets that covered her against her skin as she moved slightly. But what caught her attention most was the firmly muscled chest under her cheek.
She raised her head up to study her fiancé's sleeping features. He always had an innocent, almost childlike look when he slept. His closed lids hid his intense eyes and that ever-stubborn lock of hair that had followed him even from his past life fell over them.
A soft smile turned up Serena's lips as she reached up and gently brushed back the piece of ebony silk, letting her fingers linger in his thick tresses for a moment. This moment was perfect. If ever she could freeze a moment in time and keep it always, this would be the one.
They were at peace once again. The battle the day before yesterday had been a rollercoaster of fear and uncertainty, but in the end good had prevailed over evil once more. She hoped that now everyone could go back to living their lives peacefully again, but for some reason she had an uneasy feeling.
Knowing that she wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon, she slid gently out of Darien's arms and from the bed. He rolled over and mumbled something incoherent before settling down into a comfortable position.
She quickly slipped into her robe that was draped over a nearby chair and silently eased open the glass doors that led to the balcony. The moon was still out, but was just barely a sliver in the dark sky. She basked in the weak light; taking what comfort she could from it. A cool breeze ruffled her robe and sent her hair dancing, but she was wrapped in the warmth of her old home and barely felt it.
She took a deep breath, trying to settle the unsettling feelings she was having. Discord was gone, sealed away for hopefully a very long time. There was no reason for her to be feeling like this.
'Maybe if I take a quick look around the city I can convince myself that everything is okay,' she thought to herself as she pulled her broach from the pocket of her robe and whispered, "Moon Eternal Power" softly.
She glanced back inside to assure herself that Darien was still asleep and hadn't felt her transform. There was no sense in bothering him about this. She was certain that there was no danger lurking out there, but she would feel better if she checked things out.
Darien was still passed out, now sprawled out on his stomach and even snoring lightly she noticed with a slight giggle. She blew him a kiss and then jumped up onto the balcony railing before leaping to the neighboring rooftop.
She traveled quickly through the night, her destination clear. There was one place that was perfect for surveying the city. A few minutes later she landed on the highest observation platform of Starlight Tower.
A wave of nostalgia hit her as she looked around. It was here that the Silver Crystal had been revealed and everyone's past identities had been discovered all those years ago. She could picture it almost as if it were yesterday. Darien had been injured, and as she held him in her lap there had been a flash of light. They had both remembered in that moment who they truly were and what they had meant to each other. Of course the events that had immediately followed that left a bitter taste in her mouth, but things had worked out in the end.
She walked over to the platform's railing and leaned against it as she gazed out over the city. There was no sign of any disturbance and all was quiet, as it should be. It seemed as if she were truly worrying for nothing.
There was a flicker of movement in the shadows nearby, and she turned quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw who it was.
"Geez, Jess!" she exclaimed. "You almost scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?"
Sailor Shadow walked out of the darkness and stood next to her, her eyes also eagerly scanning the city below, a smirk turned up her lips. "I imagine I'm here for the same reason you are, Serena. Something just didn't feel right to me and I thought I would take a look."
Sailor Moon nodded, feeling somewhat better that someone else was getting the same strange vibes that she was. "What do you think it is?"
Sailor Shadow shrugged. "Beats me. I can't sense anything wrong, but something just seems off. The planet is calm right now; of course Darien would be able to tell more than I could. And I would think that if this was anything major that Raye, Michelle, or Hotaru would be able to pick up on something."
"You're right," Sailor Moon sighed. "Maybe we're just being paranoid after everything that's happened. Are you here alone?"
Shadow grinned. "Yeah, I woke up with that weird feeling and decided to take a quick look. Andrew was sleeping like a baby when I left. You?"
Sailor Moon's grin matched hers. "Same here. Darien was sawing logs, so I slipped out."
They both giggled softly about their men as they looked out at the sleeping city. The sky was starting to show the first subtle hints at lightening.
Shadow yawned widely. "I guess we're just worrying over nothing. I'm going to head home and try to catch a few more winks. We're still on for lunch later, aren't we?"
Sailor Moon stifled a yawn of her own. "Yeah, Darien and I will meet you and Andrew at the arcade around noon. After we eat I guess we can all head over to the university and pick up our schedules and stuff."
"Cool. I'll see you then." Sailor Shadow said as she jumped from the platform to the roof of a nearby building, making her way back toward the arcade where Andrew was waiting for her in their nice warm bed.
Sailor Moon stood there for a moment, watching the young lady that possessed the soul of her past daughter as she faded from sight. At this moment she felt more like Serenity than she did Serena.
'The prophecy has been fulfilled,' she thought. 'I couldn't be more proud of how my little Melody has turned out. She has grown into a strong woman that any mother would glad to claim as her own. And I can't wait to see what the future holds in store for her.'
Still feeling nostalgic, she left the tower and made her way back to the apartment that was now her home. Landing lightly on the balcony, she dropped her transformation and quietly opened the door. She left her robe on the foot of the bed as she slid under the covers and snuggled up next to Darien, savoring his warmth.
He rolled over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him as he buried his face into her hair.
"Mhmm," he mumbled in his sleep. "Love you, Sere."
She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close. Closing her eyes, she whispered, "I love you too, Darien. You are truly the prince of my heart. I will love you forever."
The mist swirled around the time gate, shrouding the solitary guardian in its wispy tendrils. Sailor Pluto stood at her post, watching the streams in the river of time as they flowed past.
There was a slight disturbance in the misty landscape as another person appeared. Pluto turned to observe the newcomer with a rare smile on her face. She dropped to one knee as she bowed.
"Welcome, Queen Serenity. I can't say this is an unexpected visit," she greeted her past queen.
Queen Serenity's laugh tinkled like bells. "Rise, my dear friend. We have known each other for too many centuries now to stand on such formal terms. Besides, you serve a new queen now."
Sailor Pluto rose gracefully to her feet. "That may be true, your highness, and your daughter has grown to be a wonderful ruler, but you will still always be my queen as well. I assume you have come for a status report?"
The silver haired head of Queen Serenity nodded. "I pray all has returned to normal since Discord has been sealed away once more."
"Yes, your majesty," Sailor Pluto answered with a wave of her garnet rod. Four time mirrors appeared before them. Two showed scenes from Tokyo. One of them showed Jess as she lay next to Andrew, her head resting on his shoulder as they slept. The next one showed the reincarnation of the moon princess and the earth prince, the future rulers of the world, wrapped tightly in each other's arms as they slept as well. The other two mirrors showed the same couples in pretty much the same positions, just a millennium later in Crystal Tokyo.
Queen Serenity smiled at the sight of her daughter and granddaughter with their soul mates, before addressing another issue. "And the children? They are fine as well?"
Pluto waved her staff again, and the four mirrors were replaced by three more, each one showing a slumbering teenager. Two of them were boys, one with unruly hair as black as coal, while the other one sported shaggy locks of light brown. The third mirror showed a girl, almost fairy looking with a light dusting of freckles across her button nose and long, very light blonde hair that almost appeared silver in the faint light.
Queen Serenity sighed as she reached a hand out to lightly trace the features of each one. "My brave little ones, I wish there was some way to spare you the hand that fate has dealt you. But you three, blessed with the power of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, have been the ones chosen to be the next wielders of the Galactic Trinity. I just hope you are more successful at using its magic than your grandfathers and I were. Enjoy the time you have now, for soon I fear that your lives will be changed forever. May Selene, Gaia, and Apollo watch over and protect you."
THE END
A/N So that does it for this part of the saga, but our story is far from over. Before you click to the next page to get a sneak peek of the upcoming sequel, The Galactic Trinity, I want to take a moment and thank everyone that has read this story. I would love it if I could personally thank each and every person that has reviewed and put this story on alert, but that would be like writing another chapter…LOL. This has been an amazing ride and I look forward to continuing it with all of you. So without further ado, for those of you that are interested, hit the button to the next page to catch a sneak peek into some of the things that will be happening next to our favorite characters. But if you want to, please take a moment to review and tell me what you thought. Reader feedback is important to me. Even if you come across this story for the first time months, or even years from now, I would love to hear what your opinions are. Luv ya guys! You're the best! (Sniffle) I really need a tissue…LOL!
~Sere~
