A/N Okay! I know it has been like forever since I updated this story, and for that I apologize. I had actually written the next chapter for this, but when I went back and reread it I was absolutely disgusted with how horrible it was. Serena came off as being whiny. Rini was a brat. And Jess was just plain mental. That doesn't even include how disappointing the other characters were. So I scrapped the entire chapter and started from scratch, and I'm much more pleased with the way that this one turned out. At least no one is completely pathetic in it. It's also super long, so I hope that makes up some for the long wait. Now let me get my hugs out. BIG HUGS TO:
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Thank you to all of you for your wonderful reviews. Once again, I'm sorry for such a long wait, but I just wasn't happy with where the first version of the chapter was leading. But this is a nice, long update, so I hope that helps make up for it just a tiny bit. Lots of little fluffy moments happening here.
ENJOY!
The Galactic Trinity
Chapter 34
Some People Need a Push
He stood at the front of the church, waiting at the end of the long aisle that was strewn with red rose petals and bordered by yards and yards of silver silk bunting on either side, as a slender woman in a flowing white gown slowly walked toward him on her father's arm. Beneath the frothy mist of her veil, he could see the golden glow of her sunshine hair and the glimmer of her eyes, as blue as a summer sky, as she looked at him. His excitement was so great that it was hard to keep from sprinting down the aisle to her and sweeping her up into his arms.
He felt a nudge in his ribs and turned to look at his best man. Andrew stood beside him, looking very distinguished, yet slightly uncomfortable, in his black tuxedo. Just behind him, in a military perfect straight line, were the groomsmen, Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite, and Zoicite. All of them were dressed in the same tuxedos, and they all had large smiles on their faces.
Andrew chuckled as he whispered to him, "Here comes your princess, Romeo. I hope you're ready to do this. And you better not pass out either, because if you do I'm not saving you. Raye has already threatened to light you up if she sees so much as a wobble from you."
He looked across the dais that he was standing on at the bridal party. Sure enough, Raye was glaring at him with blazing violet eyes from her spot between Mina and Lita in the line of bridesmaids behind the matron of honor, Jess. And those eyes were full of her intent to deliver on the threat that Andrew had just mentioned. Amy was also eying the hot-tempered priestess warily from her place a few feet away from her. At least if Raye decided to spontaneously combust, there would be someone close by to chill her out.
He almost snorted at the thought, and then whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Andrew, "I'm afraid that Little Miss Flamethrower is going to be sadly disappointed. I'm not prone to fainting spells, and even if I were, I have no intentions of doing so. I've waited too long for this day to get here, and I'm not going to let anything spoil it."
Then he turned his full attention back to the angelic bride approaching him. He descended the steps down to her as she stopped there. Then her father turned to her and lifted her veil, bringing her blushing face fully into focus. The older man then gently kissed her pink cheek before placing her delicate hand into her groom's.
"Take care of her," her father told him seriously.
"Always," he vowed. Then he looped her arm through his as they climbed the steps to stand before the minister.
When they reached the top, she handed her bouquet of red and white roses to Jess. Then she turned to face him, her expression alight with happiness.
He took both of her hands in his and whispered softly, "I love you, Serena."
Her eyes grew brighter with unshed tears and her voice shook just a tiny bit as she replied back, "I love you too, Darien."
Then the minister began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today to witness the union of Serena Tsukino and Darien Shields in holy matrimony…"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Darien rolled over and repeatedly smacked the blaring alarm clock on his bedside table, almost sending it crashing to the floor, until it finally shut up. Then he rolled to his back and threw an arm across his eyes and groaned, "Why does the alarm always have to go off right when I get to the good part?"
He reached blindly across the mattress, searching for Serena's warm, sleeping form, but all he encountered was bare, rumpled sheets. That discovery had his eyes popping open as he quickly sat up. Had he overslept?
A quick check of the clock, and a glance at the silvery gray sky that was just beginning to take on hints of pink and lavender that was visible through the open bedroom curtains, reassured him that he had awoken right on time and was in no danger of getting a late start. He had plenty of time to spare.
Normally he would get up and go for a jog before showering and dressing for work, but as he stretched and felt the slight soreness in his muscles, he decided to forego it that morning. He had gotten more than enough exercise while he had been in Elysian.
As he rolled out of bed, he wondered where Serena was. True, she had an early class that day, but it was an extremely rare occurrence for her to be up and about before he was.
Then again, he thought with a frown, perhaps it wasn't so unusual for him to wake up in bed alone this morning after all. Serena had been much quieter than normal and even a little depressed since they had come home yesterday after their stay in Elysian. Even though she had known it was a temporary thing, it had still been hard for her to say goodbye to her past parents when their time had been up and they had to return to their afterlife.
It hadn't exactly been easy on him either. Because of the amnesia he had suffered from as a result of the accident that had taken the life of his parents when he was six, he couldn't remember he couldn't remember his mother and father from this life. He had pictures of them, so he knew what they had looked like, his mother with her long layered pink hair and her maroon eyes that reminded him so much of Rini and his father who had been black haired and blue eyed like he was, but he had no memories of who they had been.
Because of that, Althea and Edward were the only people that he could recall as being his parents. Okay, so they had been Endymion's parents, and not his…technically. But when he thought of a mother's soft voice singing a lullaby, he pictured Althea the way she had been as she'd sat on the edge of his past self's bed when he'd been a child. She used to tuck him in at night and would sit beside him and stroke his hair gently back as she sang the same songs to him that her mother had sung to her until he fell asleep.
And when he thought of a father, all he could see was Edward. He may have been the high king of Earth and a very busy man, but he had always made time for his son; taking him up on his horse in front of him as he rode out on his rounds when he had been young, and inviting him along when he had become older and had a horse of his own. Those times together had always been their time to talk about whatever was important; whether it be studies or training, or when he had grown, women and war.
Yes, it had been hard for him to say goodbye to them. But at least this time he had been able to say goodbye instead of having them viciously torn from his life as they had been in the past. Even now, he could feel Althea's arms locked tightly around him in the stranglehold hug that she had given him before they'd left and could hear the sound of her sobs as she'd cried on his shoulder as she'd told him goodbye. He could also feel the way Edward's hand had squeezed his arm when they had parted. No words had been needed between them.
Yet all of his emotions took a back seat when he remembered the shattered look on Serena's face as she had bid her past parents farewell. She had tried so hard to be brave, but by that point she had been so exhausted that she had barely had the energy left to stand, and it had been easy for some of her more turbulent feelings to leak through. She had clung to both of them, Jonathan in particular, Princess Serenity had always been a bit of a daddy's girl, and had tried stubbornly to hold back her tears.
She had done admirably well, especially by Serena standards. She hadn't wailed once, at least not out loud. But on the inside she had been screaming. Darien's head still rang with the sound of the anguished cries that she had kept bottled up inside, and that he had been able to hear through their bond.
She had begun to fall apart near the end, and she probably would have broken down completely, but when she had started sobbing in earnest Queen Serenity had turned to him with tears of her own shimmering in her eyes and said, "Endymion, take her."
As he had gathered Serena in his arms, the four former monarchs had nodded to Sailor Pluto that they were ready to go. And with a wave of Pluto's staff they had vanished. It had perhaps been an abrupt departure, but considering how high emotions had been running it had probably been for the best.
He, Serena, and the others had returned home not long after that, where Serena had prowled around the apartment like a caged animal. He had tried to convince her to get some sleep, but every time he mentioned it she would just give him a sad little smile and tell him that she would later. Eventually though, the vapors that she had been running on had finally given out and she had slumped over on the sofa as unconsciousness had claimed her.
He had carried her to bed and had tucked her in. Then he had kept a careful watch over her for a while. Sometimes, when Serena was overly tired or stressed, old nightmares came back to haunt her. But she had slept deeply, barely even twitching in her sleep, which had comforted him immensely. He was fairly certain that he had detected a faint aura of Helios's power around Serena at one point, and he made a mental note to thank the dream priest for making sure that Serena got the peaceful rest that she needed the next time that he saw him.
So Serena had slept most of the afternoon and evening, and she had still been snoozing heavily when he had come to bed the night before. And while he had often picked on his fiancée in the past about her sleeping habits, claiming that she could sleep 24/7, he knew that it was an exaggeration. But she had easily slept the clock around, so it was no wonder that she would be up before he was.
He reached out with his aura to search for her, and drew in a relieved breath when he sensed her soothing silver presence just down the hall in the kitchen. His relief grew even more when he felt none of the melancholy from the day before in her. She seemed to be a little distracted at the moment, but that wasn't an entirely unusual thing for Serena this early in the morning. She never had been the type to jump out of bed, bright and alert. It normally took her a while to get her bearings.
'Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to eavesdrop?' her voice suddenly echoed in his head, making him jump. Okay, so perhaps she was more awake than he had given her credit for.
'Sorry, love,' he replied back smoothly. 'I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I was just so surprised to wake up and find myself alone that I thought I better check and make sure that nobody had come and carried you off in the night. But now that I know that my fears are unfounded I'm beginning to think that I should be calling Guinness instead, because this has to be some kind of a record for you.'
'Keep it up, Capeboy, and you'll be finding yourself alone in that bed a lot more in the future. And wipe that smirk off your face!' she snapped back. Then she retreated from his mind.
Darien caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror over the dresser as he was opening up a drawer and saw that he was indeed smirking. That sight only made him chuckle. Sometimes he swore that Serena knew him better than he knew himself.
Reassured that she seemed to be back to her usual, grumpy morning self, he strolled into the bathroom to get himself ready to face the day. Luckily, living such a busy double life for so many years before becoming a doctor had taught him how to use his time efficiently, and even though he took the time this morning to luxuriate in the hot water pounding down on him in the shower, he was still immaculately groomed and dressed in just under twenty minutes.
"What's all this?" he exclaimed a few minutes later when he walked into the kitchen and found not just Serena, but DJ as well, sitting at the table. Books and papers littered the tabletop and both the golden and raven-dark heads were bent studiously over them.
DJ looked up and grinned. He, at least, appeared to be wide-awake. "Just doing some review. Final exams are only about two weeks away, ya know."
"Don't remind me!" Serena groaned as she slammed her English book and shoved it away from her. Then she reached for her cup of cocoa, muttering, "I don't know why I have to learn that stupid language for anyway. I know enough English to follow a conversation. And I watch American movies all the time. I know enough to get by."
"But your speaking ability stinks," DJ snickered in perfectly articulated, barely accented English. "Trust me, you'll be grateful for learning it later on down the road."
"He has a point, Sere," Darien added, also in English, as he wandered over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.
Serena glared at both of them over the rim of her cup and growled stubbornly in Japanese, "Don't you two nerd-brains start on me! It's too early in the morning to keep one language straight in my head right now, much less two."
The future father and son grinned conspiratorially at each other, but wisely kept their mouths shut. Serena on a wailing fit was never an easy thing to endure, and to antagonize her first thing in the morning was as dangerous as waving a juicy steak in front of a hungry lion. They both knew that from experience. So they lapsed into a peaceful silence instead.
That peace was shattered only a minute later by the sound of the sliding door to the balcony opening and a surprisingly chipper voice calling, "Hey! Hey! Anybody alive in here yet?"
"Oh, Great Selene!" Serena moaned, clamping her hands over her ears. "I think Jess has been possessed by Mina. Because if there is one person that is even grumpier than me first thing in the morning, it's Jess."
"Hmph! And Katie," DJ huffed under his breath.
Jess appeared in the kitchen doorway, but her appearance didn't match her cheerful tone of voice. The t-shirt and shorts she was wearing were hopelessly rumpled and wrinkled and her caramel blonde hair bushed out around her in a snarl of waist length, tangled curls.
Serena snickered snidely, "Well, looks like somebody rolled out of bed in a good mood this morning."
"I haven't been to bed yet," Jess quipped back as she plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs. "I was in Elysian all night, practicing."
"Could you drop the English, please? I've had enough of that this morning," Serena growled. But in truth she was more concerned than annoyed. Not only did her past daughter look like she had crawled through a battlefield on her hands and knees, but she also had bruise-like shadows darkening the pale skin under her feverishly bright sapphire eyes.
"Sorry about that," Jess mumbled around a yawn, switching back to Japanese. "I tend to slip up more when I get tired."
"I think you're pushing yourself too hard," Darien said as he set a cup of coffee in front of her. His tone was heavy with concern. "I know you're excited about the idea of being able to expand your power and to be able to use it in a way that would not be destructive, but it could also be dangerous for you. Don't forget that the crystal is directly connected to your life force and feeds off of it. If you deplete yourself too much and don't give yourself time to recover…"
"I know that," Jess interrupted him as she wrapped her hands around the mug in front of her. "I know what will happen if I push myself too far. And believe me, the last thing I want to do is die or blow the planet up. Contrary to what people think, I do know what my limits are. But everyone else will be giving it their all when we go into this fight, and I think it's only fair for me to discover how far I can push my power without causing disaster. I've been taught to hold back all of my life, and I don't want to do that anymore. That is one thing that Discord has always been right about. The power of the Celestial Crystal shouldn't be wasted, especially if it can be used for something good. And I think I owe it to myself and everyone else to see exactly what I can do."
Serena looked at the woman across the table from her and read the determination on her face. It was a feeling that she was far too familiar with herself. Darien and her friends had always fussed at her for using the Silver Crystal, especially back in the early days when she still been learning how to control its power, because of the life draining effect that it had on her. No one wanted her to suffer the same fate that had befallen Queen Serenity when she had sacrificed her life to have the power to send them all to be reincarnated.
Over time, though, she had learned how to control the power of the crystal and she knew exactly how far she could go with it before it would endanger her life. Through the many battles that she had faced over the years, she had learned how to hold back and only use enough energy to defeat the enemy.
Except for that one time. There was one time that she had lost control…and had almost lost her life as well. It was still as clear in her mind as if it had happened yesterday instead of five years before. She could still remember the feel of the air rushing past her as she plummeted toward Earth, feeling more lost and alone than she ever had in her life. The Silver Crystal had roared inside of her in response to her grief, and she had given into it completely. Her shoulder blades jerked at the memory of the wings that had sprouted from her back.
She hadn't been surprised by the fact that she had wings. Queen Serenity had had wings, as had her mother before her, and her mother, all the way back through the generations of the Lunarian monarchy. But what had shocked her had been their appearance at that moment. Normally speaking, while all members of the Lunarian royal family bore the mark of the crescent moon on their foreheads, only the queen was bestowed wings. And that didn't usually occur until the crown princess was officially crowned as queen. There had been a few instances throughout history when a moon princess would receive her wings early because of a sudden burst of power during a volatile situation. And almost all of those occurrences ended tragically with the death of the princess when her life energy was completely drained by her crystal.
Luckily, although she had been distraught at the time, Serena had known the warning signs and had fought to gain control of her power as she had faced Galaxia for the last time. It had been tempting, very tempting, to let the full power of the Silver Crystal flow through her and vaporize Chaos, along with Galaxia. But thanks to the Light of Hope, she had been able to hold back the full force of her power and fight back with that hope instead of her pain.
It hadn't been easy, but in the end it had paid off when the Earth and all of her loved ones had been returned. She had paid the price for the amount of energy that she had used though, and it had been at least a week before she had recovered enough that she'd felt normal again. But the memory of how it had felt to have that raw energy pumping through her veins had haunted her ever since, and she'd sworn to never let herself go that far ever again. Even when they had sealed Discord away the first time, she had held back, despite Queen Serenity's assurances that she should embrace her power. Her wings had strained against the muscles of her back that day, but she had refused to let them emerge. Just as Jess was trying to learn her limits, she already knew what hers were, and she would never let herself get so far gone ever again if she could keep from it.
She smiled at Jess. "I understand why you are doing it. Just promise me that you'll be careful. The power of a crystal can sneak up on you and zap you dry before you know it. And I don't want to see anything happen to you."
Jess nodded. "I am being careful. I promise I am. But I have to say that I am thrilled about finding out that I can do more than just take out youmas with a single blast. Last night I was actually able to conjure a shield in Elysian that completely covered the entire palace and extended out about a hundred yards around it and was able to hold it for a full five minutes. I could have held it longer, but it collapsed when I tried to direct my energy through it in an attack. The good news is that at least the attack went out this time instead of rebounding back on me. So I guess I'm making some progress."
Serena grinned encouragingly. "It sure sounds like it."
"Just take care of yourself," Darien cautioned as he sat down. "I know that you're anxious to see how far you can get before we go to the future, but you also need to make sure that you get plenty of rest and eat properly. Being able to pull off impressive moves won't be worth much if you don't have the energy to do it."
Jess stuck her tongue out at him, and then giggled. "Yes sir, Mr. Doctor! I'm not going to run myself into the ground. Kyrian is a pretty tough taskmaster, but he's keeping an eye out for me too. When I left him a little while ago because I told him that I needed to get back and ready for class, he told me not to go to Elysian tonight and get some sleep. I swear, he's just as bossy as his dad sometimes. But I may go to Elysian for a while, at least in my dream form. It's hard to take a break when I'm on a roll."
DJ snorted into his cup of coffee, causing all three adults to look at him questioningly. "What?" he asked innocently.
"And just what was that snort about, little bro?" Jess teased as she reached over and ruffled his hair.
He jerked away with a laugh. "It's nothing. I just couldn't help but think what a Katie statement that was. She has a hard time taking it easy too. She's always pushing herself, thinking that she can turn herself into a better fighter. As if she couldn't whip most people with one hand tied behind her back."
"It's just her superior genetic makeup," Jess quipped with a casual wave of her hand. "Of course I can't take all the credit for it. The poor girl may have inherited my temper, but she got her fair share of her dad's stubbornness too."
Serena huffed a short laugh. "I know you're not trying to say that you're not stubborn. I believe that you would argue with a signpost if you thought it would argue back."
Jess arched a dark blonde brow at her former mother. "I never claimed that I couldn't be stubborn. But even I can't hold a candle to Drew when he gets his mind set on something. He can be worse than a rabid dog guarding a bone when he wants to be."
"If that's not the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is," Darien muttered under his breath. "You're both too thick skulled for your own good sometimes."
Jess stuck her tongue out at him playfully, and then squeaked as her eyes landed on the clock on the microwave. "Crap! I better get moving! I've got a class in just a little while, and I don't want to get on my professor's shit list by being late. The art show judging is tomorrow night, and the outcome of that is a huge chunk of my final grade. The last thing I want to do is lose any brownie points now. I need all the help I can get."
"Yeah right! Like anybody would dare give a Jessica Alexander original painting a bad review," a cranky voice growled as Rini trudged groggily into the kitchen. "You know, you set a pretty high standard for the rest of us by being so perfect all the time."
Jess's eyebrows shot up at the unexpected verbal attack. "Whoa! Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning, Miss Merry Sunshine? You were all smiles and rainbows when I saw you in Elysian earlier."
"It's nothing," Rini sighed as she emptied a package of cocoa mix into a mug. Then she banged a drawer shut after pulling out a spoon and raged, "Why do men always have to act so stupid?"
"And that's my cue to leave," DJ muttered as he quickly scooped up his school things and almost ran from the room.
Darien stood from his chair, mumbling something under his breath about having left his briefcase in the bedroom. He was hot on DJ's heels in just a matter of seconds.
Jess plunked her coffee cup down and jumped up with a brighter than usual smile. "Yeah…so…I better run. Busy, busy day today. It's still dark enough for me to take the quick way home." She was out of the kitchen and across the living room in flash, slipping through the glass balcony door before anyone could blink.
"Well, I guess I can clear a room, huh?" Rini grumbled as she poured hot water from the kettle on the stove into her cup. She tossed a glance at Serena over her shoulder as she stirred her drink. "Aren't you going to bail too?"
Serena shook her head. "No. Now spill it. What has Helios done now to get you so upset?"
Rini dropped into the chair next to her. "He didn't really do anything. It was more of what he implied." Then she blushed and looked up shyly. "I…I went to Elysian last night, not physically, just in my dreams."
Serena fought back the impulse to laugh at the embarrassed girl and kept her expression calm. "I'm not surprised. I was under the impression that you spent at least part of most nights there. I may not possess Mina's gift for being able to sense bonds between people, but I'm not completely naïve either. Anyone that has spent time around the two of you can tell that you love each other very much. And I seriously doubt that you would be so excited about your upcoming engagement if you weren't head over heels for him. So it only makes sense that you would want to spend as much time as possible with the one that you love."
Relief softened Rini's face. "Thanks, Serena. I was just afraid that you might go all parental and protective if you knew that I was spending my nights with Helios."
Serena shook her head. "Like I said, I'm not stupid. And I doubt my future self is either. I'm well aware of the fact that you and Helios have a…relationship." She quickly held up a hand to cut Rini off when she looked like she was going to speak. "And I don't want to know exactly how deep that relationship goes. You're a good girl…a smart girl…and I trust you to make the right decisions for your life. I know that you and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but I feel like we've grown closer during your visits these last few years. You've come a long way from being that bratty little girl that fell out of the sky to land on my head so long ago. You've grown into a remarkable young woman, and I'm proud of you."
Rini sniffled as tears glazed her eyes. Then she grinned. "You haven't done so bad yourself. You're not exactly the same, whiny meatball head that I met the first time I came here. In fact, right now, you seem to be more like my mother than ever before."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Serena giggled. Then she prodded, "So what did Helios say to rile you up."
A growl rumbled in Rini's throat. "He's just so…backward sometimes. He knows modern culture and he can look the part of a modern man with no problem. But sometimes he just can't let go of that archaic, Silver Millennium mentality of his. And it drives me crazy! He can be such a caveman!"
Comprehension clicked in Serena's brain. "Why do I get the feeling that this has something to do with the fight that's coming up in Crystal Tokyo?"
Rini snorted and rolled her eyes. "Do you know what he had the nerve to say to me? He actually stood in front of me and told me to my face that when the fight starts he thinks it would be a good idea for me to come and stay in Elysian until it is all over. Can you believe that crap? As if I would bail on everybody and run and hide. I'm not a coward!"
"Of course you're not," Serena soothed her. "You are an amazing and brave fighter." She paused for a moment before adding gently. "But I think I understand where Helios is coming from though."
"Hmph!" Rini huffed, taking a sip of her cocoa. "He spouted off some nonsense about how it was dangerous for mom, dad, me, and DJ to all be involved in this fight, and that if something happened and all of us were killed that it would be bad news for the planet to lose the entire royal family. So he thinks that it would be best, since I am the crown princess, for me to stay hidden during the fight. Have you ever heard anything more ridiculous in your life? Doesn't he get it that if Discord wins there will be no planet left for anyone to rule? I doubt even Elysian would survive if that happens."
Serena covered Rini's clenched fist that was laying on the tabletop with her hand and said softly, "Rini, sweetie, he's not saying that because of his old fashioned way of thinking or because he doesn't believe in your abilities. I don't doubt that he is concerned about the rest of us and the future of the world, but what it all boils down to is that he loves you deeply and he's scared for your safety. I have to admit that I would probably think less of him if he didn't show some concern for you. I'm sure he knew from the beginning that it would be a futile effort to try to convince you to sit out of the fight. But the fact that he made the attempt just tells me how deep his feelings for you are. It doesn't have anything to do with him trying to be macho or thinking that you are a weak woman. I believe that it's just an instinctive trait for men to want to protect the women that they love."
"Well what's wrong with a woman wanting to protect the people that she cares about?" Rini grumbled.
"Not a thing," Serena asserted. "And I think we've both proved that many times over since we both teamed up together to take out the Doom Phantom all those years ago. But men are just natural worrywarts sometimes. Do you think that Darien, Andrew, or the generals are happy that all of us scouts are ready to jump into this fight? I can guarantee you that they aren't. They would probably be flipping cartwheels if us girls decided to stay home instead of running off to the future. But deep down they know that we are very good at what we do, and if we have a chance to help out then we have to go. Helios just happens to fall into the same category that they do. He is a man in love, and he just wants you to be safe. So don't hold it against him."
Rini stared at her for a long moment before flinging herself across the small space separating them and throwing her arms around Serena's neck. "Thanks, mom!" she choked out as she hugged her tightly.
"Anytime," Serena replied sincerely as she returned the embrace.
Then, as quick as a flash, Rini was out of her arms and out of her seat. "I've got to get ready for school. If I'm lucky I'll have a few minutes to pop into Elysian and apologize to Helios before class starts. I was kind of a bitch to him earlier and now I feel bad about it."
Serena shot her a quick smile. "I think that sounds like a good idea. Everybody needs to band together now more than ever, with no petty arguments standing in the way. Besides, you shouldn't make the poor guy suffer too long just because he's a man. As Raye always says, maleness is a genetic defect that we women have to learn to put up with. And don't worry about rushing. If you run a little late I'll write you a note to get you into class."
Rini grinned. "You're the best, Serena!" Then she dashed from the room.
Serena carefully stacked her books and papers on the table before going to the sink to rinse out her now empty cocoa mug. As she stood with her hands under the running water she felt Darien's presence come up behind her. Then his arms were around her waist, pulling her back against him.
His breath was hot against her skin as he leaned down to nuzzle her ear. "She's right. You are the best."
She smirked as she turned the faucet off. "What did I tell you earlier about eavesdropping? You're as bad as Mina, Lita, and Amara."
He chuckled against her neck, raising goosebumps on her arms. "I wasn't eavesdropping this time. I promise. I didn't have to. When Rini gets riled up her voice carries as clearly as a bullhorn…just like somebody else I know."
"Don't be a jerk!" Serena said in a joking tone as she swatted him with the dishtowel that she had picked up to dry her hands with.
"Ah! What a shame!" he sighed as he turned her in his arms. "And here I thought you were the one woman who could put up with my…What was it again? My genetic defect of being a man?"
She giggled as she pressed her forehead to his. "You can still be so goofy sometimes."
"And you love me for it," he replied back with a grin. Then his expression turned serious. "So how are you feeling today, better?"
She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I feel much better. I know I was a bit moody and depressed yesterday, but it was just so hard to say goodbye to them…much harder than I ever imagined that it would be. I know that they are not my parents anymore, but it dredged up so many old memories. I love my mom and dad, and I wouldn't trade them for all the money in the world. They've been the best parents that any girl could ask for. But Mama and Papa will always hold a special place in my heart."
"Of course they will," he told her gently. "And that's one of the most beautiful things about you, your capacity to love. Sometimes I believe that your heart must be ten times the normal size for it to be able to hold so much love."
She looked up at him seductively through her sooty lashes. "But if my heart had a heart of its own, it would be you. You have the place of honor at the center of my heart. And you are what keeps it beating."
His dark blue eyes drilled into hers as he whispered, "You are my heart, Serena. You are the one thing that I could never live without." Then he dipped his head down to cover her lips with his.
He groaned as he tasted the remnants of chocolate on her lips and tongue. He backed her up a step until she was trapped between him and the counter behind her. He knew that he shouldn't be playing with fire this way. He was due at work in less than an hour. But she looked so damned adorable…
Evidently she was thinking the same thing. She pulled her mouth from his and gasped, "Darien! We don't have time for this! You've got work, and I've got class."
He knew that she was right, but at the moment he didn't care. He quickly ran some calculations through his head. It wouldn't hurt him too much if he were a few minutes late for work. Sure, it would throw his appointments behind, but if he worked through lunch he could make up for it. And Serena would still have plenty of time to get to class. Yeah! That would work.
"Ah, screw it!" he growled, scooping her up, bridal style, in his arms.
Serena squealed as she flung her arms around his neck. "Darien! What are you doing?"
A wicked light glimmered in his eyes. "You'll just have to wait and see." And then he kissed her again, ravenously. If there was one thing he knew about Serena, after a few soul-shattering kisses she would give up her protests and be like putty in his hands.
And, of course, it worked. Oh, she tried to hold out. She tried to resist. But after a minute or so she melted against him and began kissing him back just as hungrily as he was kissing her. He smiled into the kiss as he felt her fingers weave themselves into his hair and knew that she had given up the fight. He started for the kitchen door, fully intending on locking them in their room while he paid homage to his goddess. But unfortunately, not all good intentions come true.
His cell phone began buzzing in his pocket, and the ring tone that filled the air told him that it was the hospital calling. Damn! So much for a pleasant start to his morning.
Serena gave him a slightly aggravated, yet understanding look as she slipped from his hold to stand before him. "Duty calls," she said sweetly.
He bit back a string of curses as he fished his cell phone from his slacks and answered it tersely, "Shields speaking!"
Serena turned away and caught her lower lip between her teeth to keep from laughing out loud at his irritation.
Jadeite stood on the balcony just off the entertainment room of the penthouse, an uncharacteristic scowl twisting his expression as he stared out over the early morning city.
'Stupid! Stupid! I'm so damn stupid!' he railed at himself internally as he clenched his fist, ignoring the bite of something sharp digging into his palm. 'You pathetic bastard! Are you a man or not? It's not that effing hard to do. You just need to stop dithering around like a woman and grow a set of balls already!'
He jumped at the sound of the door opening behind him. He spun around furiously and glared when he saw Nephrite stepping out to join him. "Oh! It's just you!" he sneered viciously.
Normally, the chestnut haired general would use any opportunity to pick a fight with the blonde. But this time he merely walked over to lean against the rail beside his friend. After a long moment of silence he said gruffly, "So kid, you look like you're in the same boat I am."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Jadeite snapped back. "And don't call me kid! I might be a couple of years younger than you, but considering that we've both been around in some shape or form for over a thousand years it makes it kind of a moot point."
"Simmer down, hothead!" Nephrite growled. "I didn't come out here to start a row between us. I came out here to speak to you as a friend."
Jadeite felt immediately contrite. Although most people would assume that he and Nephrite couldn't stand each other because of the way they usually fought with one another, they would be on the opposite end of the truth. You didn't grow up with and fight alongside someone as long as they had without building some kind of a relationship between them. In reality, they were as close as brothers. And although they squabbled like rival siblings because of their hot-tempered personalities, they always knew that they could trust the other one to have their back. And deep down they both knew that it wasn't because of some oath of allegiance that they took back during the Silver Millennium. It was because they both genuinely liked and cared for each other.
"Sorry," Jadeite mumbled as he turned to lean back against the rail next to Nephrite. "I guess I'm just a little on edge. What did you want to talk about?"
Nephrite snorted. "Well it's certainly not the weather! Although it is muggier than hell out here already, and it's not even 8:00 in the morning yet. This feels more like late August than the first part of May."
"Neph…" Jadeite snarled warningly.
"I was just commenting," Nephrite replied, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. Then he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and sighed. "Aw, hell! I've never been one for beating around the bush, so I guess I'll just come right out and say it."
One of Jadeite's brows quirked up in slight amusement. "There's a novel idea. Come on, Captain Stargazer, and tell me what's got you acting all nicey-nice like a girl."
"Watch it, you perverted moron, or I might just have to kick your ass for the hell of it!" Nephrite shot back.
The beginning of a grin appeared on Jadeite's face. "Bring it on! My fire can take your little zaps any day."
"Puh-leeze!" Nephrite sneered. "A Bic lighter has more firepower than you do."
This time, one side of Jadeite's mouth definitely hitched up higher than the other. "Ya wanna test that theory?"
Nephrite shrugged. "Nah! Maybe later. Right now I want to talk about that ring you've got all clammed up in your fist."
Jadeite's eyes almost bulged from their sockets. "How did you…" he began as he unclenched his fist to look at the delicate ruby and rose gold ring sitting in his palm.
Nephrite smirked and pulled one hand from his pocket. He unfurled his fingers to show him a platinum band that held a single emerald. "I told you that we were in the same boat. I've been carrying this around with me constantly for at least a week. How about you?"
Jadeite shook his head. "Same here. I keep waiting for just the right moment to happen. I almost had it while we were in Elysian. I was this close," he held his thumb and forefinger almost touching, "to popping the question. We were by the lake, and I had the damn ring in my hand. The words were on the tip of my tongue, and I was about to say them…then Jay and Hannah came running by, screeching at each other, and it ruined the mood."
"I know the feeling," Nephrite chuckled. "I've tried to propose to Lita at least a dozen times in the past week, but it seems like someone or something always interrupts us just before I can get the words out. Take last night for example. We had stopped by the restaurant to check up on things and we were in her office. Okay, I know, it's not the most romantic place to ask a woman to marry you, but we were alone so I thought I would go for it. And I'll be damned if somebody didn't come knocking on the door before I could get more than one word out. So I thought I'd try again when we got home for the night. Then Kunzite stopped me when we came in to ask me something about the drywall contractor for the renovations on those downtown buildings we bought. By the time I got upstairs, Lita was already asleep. I could have spit nails!"
"Tell me about it! Things have been so crazy lately that I can barely think straight. Once or twice I've almost been tempted to just shove the ring into Raye's hand and just ask her yes or no. But that would probably get me barbequed," Jadeite grumbled.
"That definitely wouldn't be a smart move," Nephrite agreed. "Women are emotional creatures, and they expect marriage proposals to be a tad bit more special than that. It just happens to be our luck that we managed to hook up with two of the most temperamental women ever born."
Jadeite rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Or maybe we're just making it a lot harder than it has to be. Think about it. Darien and Andrew both proposed, and they're both only inches away from walking down the aisle. Mr. Uptight himself, Kunzite, not only asked Mina to marry him, but he did it in front of all of us, plus a hundred strangers. And even practical ole Zoicite got Amy to say yes. If they can do it, then why can't we?"
"Exactly!" Nephrite confirmed with a nod. "And that's why I've come up with a proposition for you."
"Whoa! Whoa!" Jadeite exclaimed as he backed away nervously. "Lita is the one you're supposed to be proposing too, not me."
Nephrite pinched the bridge of his nose. "I always knew that you were deranged, you fruit! I'm being serious here! What I was going to suggest was a little wager between us…sort of a test of our manhood to prove that we've still got what it takes. For god's sake! At one time we were two of the most respected men on the planet. Decent people respected us and criminals fled at the mere mention of our names. Are we going to be brought to our knees by the women that we love over the matter of asking them to marry us?"
Jadeite tilted his head thoughtfully. "Okay, I'm listening. What exactly are you thinking we should do?"
An evil grin appeared on Nephrite's face. "It's simple. We man up. We make an agreement between ourselves that by tonight we will both have proposed to our lovely ladies."
Jadeite looked disappointed. "That's it? That's your master plan? It's bullshit! What's to stop one of us from saying the time didn't feel right and putting it off again?"
Nephrite crossed his arms smugly. "That's why we set a punishment for ourselves if we fail. If either one of us backs out of this, they have to wash and detail the other one's car every week for a year."
"That's not fair!" Jadeite exclaimed. "Your truck is huge and has like a million nooks and crannies compared to my sweet ride!"
"And I would expect every one of them to be cleaned," Nephrite said smoothly. "What's wrong? You act like you already know that you're going to fail."
Jadeite's face flamed red. "I will not fail! You'll see! My ring will be on Raye's finger before the night is out. And when I succeed and you don't, just keep in mind that my Lamborghini takes two coats of wax." He stomped away in a huff.
"And when you fall flat on your face, remember to pay close attention to my rims when you're washing my truck. Those babies look good, but they are perpetual dirt magnets," Nephrite called after his retreating form.
The slamming of the door was his only reply.
He began chuckling at the typical, explosive, Jadeite response. Maybe it was juvenile, but he always got a kick out of getting underneath the blonde jokester's skin. He had no doubt that his hotheaded friend would be successful in landing his fiery priestess/businesswoman before the day was over. Jadeite wasn't normally the type of person that needed motivation to do anything. Actually, he was usually the type to jump into anything feet first without thinking about the consequences until he absolutely had to.
But everybody needed a little nudge in the right direction every now and then. And when he'd seen his friend standing out on the balcony, alone and looking despondent, and he'd seen the glint of the ring that he held in his hand, he'd figured that he'd be the good guy for once and give Jadeite the push that he needed. And he was certain that it would pay off for his friend. Despite their sometimes tumultuous relationship, Jadeite and Raye were crazy about each other, and everyone knew it.
He slipped the emerald ring over the tip of his pinky finger. Now he just had to hope and pray that things went as smoothly for him. He wasn't afraid that Lita would turn him down. Skye was proof that they would end up together. But he wanted to make sure that he did it right.
He wasn't much of a romantic, although Lita always said that he could have his moments from time to time. Luckily, she was also a practical woman, and she wouldn't be expecting any flowery speeches or spouting of poetry from him. He shuddered at the mere thought. Straightforwardness always worked best with his sometimes rash girlfriend.
But just the same, he intended to do things properly and go down on one knee when he asked her. He just needed to find a few minutes where they could be alone and uninterrupted. Which was easier said than done when you considered the turmoil their lives were currently in. Surely he could do that.
"Neph…" Lita's voice called to him as she opened one of the French doors and stuck her head out. "There you are."
Hastily, he shoved his hand into his pocket and let the ring fall into it. "Hey! I thought you'd left for the restaurant already."
She scrunched her nose up crossly. "Well, I had intended to, but I spent twenty minutes trying to get Skye out of bed, without any luck I might add. I finally gave up on her. I think she must have convinced Jess to take her to Elysian with her last night so she could see Kyrian, so now she's whipped. I left her a note to get her into class in case she decides to drag her butt out of bed.
Nephrite bristled. He didn't dislike Kyrian, even though he was less than thrilled with the fact that Talon was his father. And Kyrian seemed to be truly enamored with his future daughter and treated Skye with the utmost respect, when he wasn't picking on her at least. It was just the thought of any boy, no, not a boy, a man, being so close to the girl that would one day become his daughter.
Lita huffed a laugh. "Oh, smooth your hackles, Grumpy Bear! Do I need to remind you that Skye is about the same age that I was when you came crashing back into my life? And the age difference between her and Kyrian is much smaller than the gap between us."
He tossed her a teasing smirk. "Are you calling me an old man?"
She snorted. "Hardly! But at least they are both still in their teens. I am going to have to have a talk with her though. I know she's been a little lonely and feeling left out since all of her friends have seemed to pair off, so I don't mind her going to see him. But I don't want it to interfere with her schoolwork, especially this close to graduation."
Nephrite sauntered toward her with a grin. "Is that motherly concern I hear in your voice?"
She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't go that far. I just don't want to see her screw up. I'm sure my future self didn't send her here just so she could flunk out of school."
The ring was burning a hole in Nephrite's pocket as he reached her. They were alone at the moment. Maybe this would be a good time to "pop the question". It might be the best shot he got all day.
He cleared his throat. "Lita…"
"Shit!" Lita exclaimed, looking at her watch. "I am running so behind. The produce delivery will be arriving at the restaurant soon, and I have to be there to let him in. That's what I came looking for you for. I couldn't get my car to start. So I was wondering if you could give me a lift. If you've got something going on I can just walk…"
"I don't have a thing planned," he hastily reassured her as he followed her inside. "In fact, I'm free all day. So I'm at your beck and call. Kunzite didn't have anything scheduled for us today."
"Really," she said absently as she picked up her purse from where she had tossed it on the table in the entry hall. "I guess that explains things then. I saw that his SUV was gone while I was in the garage, but Mina's car is still here. I went up to their room first, because I figured that if Mina was heading into the shop that I would just hitch a ride with her, but nobody was there. I guess Kunzite must have given her a ride."
Nephrite frowned as a slight warning bell began ringing in the back of his head. "Hmm…that's interesting. The love goddess is up out of bed and gone this early? It must be a sign of the apocalypse."
Lita laughed as she led him from the penthouse to the elevator. "I admit, it is strange. But Mina's not quite as bad as she used to be. In fact, I think she's finally starting to grow up just a little bit. She's running a successful salon and boutique, and doing quite well at it, which is shocking. I know Kunzite handles most of her bookkeeping and stuff, but she's really become a hands-on kind of boss. And she's been working on her own clothing line that she hopes to launch next year. Not too shabby for an airhead blonde, huh? She's come a long way from the ditzy, boy crazy Barbie doll that I met at fourteen."
"I wasn't attacking her character," Nephrite defended himself as they rode the elevator down to the garage level. "After all, she is Minako's reincarnation, and we all know how determined Miss Princess Venus could be when it came to work. It's only natural that those traits would appear in Mina."
Lita looked thoughtful as the doors dinged and slid open and they stepped out. "I guess you have a point. I know we've all changed from who we used to be in the past, but I suppose that deep down inside we have basically stayed the same. When I think about it, I guess I haven't changed all that much from who I was in the Silver Millennium, have I?"
"Umm…" Nephrite pondered for a moment, knowing that he was walking a thin line. He and Lita had settled into a comfortable relationship over the years that they had been together, and they didn't fight near as much as they had in the beginning. But there were a few subjects that could send her off into a murderous rage like the ones she'd had when he'd first found himself with her in the present time. She had been dealing with her leftover emotions from the past and had been adamant about not letting him into her life. He had been just as determined to reclaim what they had once had and had pursued her relentlessly until it had paid off.
It hadn't been easy, and there had been many nights that he had laid in bed, his muscles aching and his skin tingling and stinging from their electrifying encounters. It had been hell until she had finally admitted that she loved him and had agreed to give him another chance. It was really more than he deserved after all of the pain and suffering she had gone through at his hands while he had been brainwashed by Beryl, but she had given him this chance, and he was determined to not screw it up this time.
So as he punched in the security code for their garage, he carefully thought over the best way to answer her. Experience had taught him that if he told her that she was a lot like her past self, Makoto, then she would accuse him of loving her only because of who she'd been. But if he stressed the differences between her past and present self, she would either accuse him of never truly loving Makoto, or come up with some crazy idea that he couldn't possibly love her as Lita because she was too different from Makoto.
Feeling like a noose was suddenly around his neck, he looked at her expectant face. "Well…" he began reluctantly.
She tapped her foot. "Well what?"
He heaved a deep sigh. "Look, don't take my head off or anything. We've been through this before. I loved who you were in the past, but I love you just as much. Yes, there are parts of you that have remained the same while some of you has changed because of the times and the life that you've had. I've changed too, and I don't see that as a bad thing. Those changes are what make it possible for us to be together in this time. But I don't believe that our core traits and beliefs will ever change. They are the building blocks that make us who we are."
To his surprise, Lita laughed instead of hurling some scathing insult. "That is just the sort of philosophical answer I would expect out of my Starman!" She rose to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Now stop looking at me like you expect me to throw a Raye fit and get me to work. I won't be able to serve a single dinner salad tonight if I miss this produce delivery, and that would kill my business."
Relieved to have skated past the shaky topic, he grabbed her hand and pushed open the door to the garage to lead her to his big black 4x4 truck. He smirked to himself as they skirted around her green Camry. He would have to remember to hook her distributor back up before she decided to have the car towed to a mechanic. With any luck she would just write off the car not starting this morning as being a fluke. Maybe it was underhanded of him to sabotage her car that way, but he'd needed a way to make sure that he could be with her today. He couldn't very well ask her to marry him if she wasn't around.
As he rounded the front of his truck on the way to the driver's side, he reached into his pocket to touch the ring. Maybe now was a good time to ask her. But then he decided no. He may not be a romantic, but surely he could do better than a hasty proposal in his truck while they were sitting in the garage. Besides, she was in a hurry to get to work, and he didn't want to rush this. He would bide his time for now.
'You've been biding your time for weeks now. And what has that gotten you? Absolutely zilch!' a voice fussed at him in his head. 'This is the same trap that you keep falling into time and time again. If you keep this up, you might end up proposing to her by the time you're both in your fifties. And if that happens you'll end up having to wax Jed's stupid car since you made him that ridiculous deal.'
He tossed a glare at the gleaming Lamborghini parked in the corner of the garage. Its glossy black paint and the subtle custom flames in shades of red, orange, and yellow, along with its tinted windows and shiny wheels screamed that its owner was at least a borderline narcissist. And he had no intention of having to give up any of his time to pamper Jadeite's "baby".
'The day is young. You have plenty of time,' he told himself. And it was true. He had the whole day free to be with Lita. And surely at some point he would find the opportunity to ask her. He'd only made that bet with Jadeite to help motivate his friend. The hotheaded blonde was never one to back down from a challenge after all. But he'd be damned if he'd be the one to fail after it had all been his idea to begin with.
"Are you okay?" Lita asked him as he swung up into the cab of the truck. "You were glaring at Jed's car like you wanted to take a baseball bat to it. You two didn't get into another fight, did you?"
Nephrite snapped back to the present. "What? No! Everything's fine."
"If you say so," she muttered as she stared out the windshield at Mina's orange Miata next to the empty spot where Kunzite's Highlander was usually parked. Then she giggled. "It is kind of crazy for Mina to be out and about already, isn't it? Yes, I know I said that she's doing better, but she's usually just rolling out of bed at 8:00, not already up and gone."
"Maybe she and Kunzite had something planned for the day," Nephrite offered as he keyed the ignition and the powerful engine rumbled to life.
"Perhaps," she mused. Then her eyes landed on the dashboard clock. She squealed, "Oh man! The delivery truck will be at the restaurant any minute!"
He flashed her a roguish grin. "Just buckle up and hang on tight, my lady. I'll have you there before you know it."
"Just don't drive over the sidewalks," she grumbled as she snapped her seatbelt in place.
His grin grew. "I'll try not to," he chuckled. Then he slammed the truck into gear.
"Don't either of you find this boring after everything that we've found out and been through the past couple of days?" Alex grouched as he sat cross-legged under a tree in the courtyard of Azabu High School. He propped his chin in his hands with his elbows on his knees.
"I mean come on!" he continued when he didn't get a response. "We've got the powers of gods and everyone expects us to save the world, but here we are attending high school like we're just regular people. Does that not strike either one of you as being odd?"
DJ sighed, looking up from the book he was reading. "No, it doesn't, Lex. God powers or not, we still have to finish our education. Once Discord is destroyed we'll still have our whole lives ahead of us. College is creeping up on us fast."
Alex yawned. "I don't see what you're so concerned about. You're a freaking prince! If you wanted to you could spend all day doing absolutely nothing and all night hitting the clubs. You don't even have to worry about running the kingdom because you're not the oldest kid. You could be a playboy prince and nobody would care…Ouch!" he cried as a grinding pain tore through his foot.
"Excuse me!" Katie hissed in a deadly tone as she pulled back her foot from where she had been smashing her brother's toes into the ground.
"Hell, Kat! What was that for?" he yowled as he cradled his sore foot in his hands and glared at his sister, who was sitting next to DJ on a bench beside him.
She tossed her head, sending her long, silvery blonde ponytail whacking into her boyfriend's face. DJ sputtered and shot her a look of agitation, which she ignored. She was too busy staring Alex down.
"I," she began in a haughty tone, "happen to like it that we can still have some normality in our lives in the middle of all of the crap going on around us. School may not be my most favorite thing in the world either, but it's what regular people our age do, and I like it. Besides, I don't want to go through life being ignorant either. What good is it if I can play the piano, but not be able to carry on an intelligent conversation with someone? The last thing I want to be known as is the world's dumbest musician."
"How about the cruelest one then?" Alex snapped back. "Now my foot hurts like a son of a bitch! How could you treat me, your own brother, your twin, like this?"
She stuck her nose up in the air. "Well maybe you should start thinking about what you're going to say before you open your mouth and let something stupid spew out! You know that DJ has higher ambitions in life. So how could you mock him for valuing an education?"
Alex's mouth popped open as comprehension clicked, but he snapped it closed once again when he saw DJ shake his head slightly at him in warning to just let it go. But he couldn't stop the snide comment in his head. 'Ah! I see. That playboy prince remark got to her. She's jealous thinking about all of the women that would throw themselves at him.'
A split second later, he realized that his thought hadn't been as private as he would have liked. He'd forgotten to close the mental channel that the three of them shared, and it had been broadcast to them as loud and clear as if he had spoken it aloud.
DJ slapped a hand to his face, but silver sparks erupted in Katie's eyes like fireworks.
'I am NOT jealous!' she shrieked mentally.
"Whoa! Chill, Kat! Geez!" Alex placated her as he held his hands up. "Don't blow a gasket on me. I was just picking. Where's your sense of humor?"
"Probably wherever you left your personality!" she sneered back. "And wherever that is, I wish you'd go and find real quick like, because you're really starting to get on my nerves!"
Alex's face flushed red in anger. It wasn't often that he lost his temper with his sister. In fact, he could usually weather her tantrums better than anyone else. But that was also because she was hardly ever short or sarcastic with him. She used to save the sharp edge of her tongue to use on DJ…but that had been before. Now he shuddered to think about how she might use tongue with his best friend. On one hand he was glad that Katie and DJ didn't fight all the time anymore, and he understood that they were all stressed out right now knowing that something big was going to go down soon, but he wasn't about to become her new whipping boy.
But luckily, except for the short amount of time that he had been under the rage spell that Apollo had sneakily put on him, he rarely gave vent to his anger. He may have inherited a healthy dose of his mother's temper, but he also had a large share of his father's level-headedness. Not that Andrew hadn't been known to lose it and yell on a few occasions himself, but he knew when it was better to just walk away.
Figuring that this was one of those instances, Alex jumped to his feet, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he did. He jammed both of his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he stalked away without a word, leaving Katie and Alex sitting on the bench where they were. Maybe taking a break from each other for a few minutes would help clear the tension between them. DJ always seemed to have a calming affect on Katie these days.
He snorted at that thought. Who'd have thought that he'd ever see the day that he would be able to say that about those two knuckleheads? After watching the two of them either duking it out or tiptoeing around each other for the better part of sixteen years, he had just about given up hope of the two of them ever getting along. But who said miracles never happened?
"Maybe she just needs to get laid," he muttered under his breath, and then let a shudder ripple through him. That was definitely a subject that he didn't want to think about. But still, everybody needed a stress reliever from time to time.
He took a spot beneath another tree where he could see the school gate and leaned up against the trunk. Hopefully Emma would get there soon. She always had a way of soothing him when he was troubled and being able to lighten the mood of everyone around her. Yeah, that's what he was missing, his love goddess.
DJ let out a low whistle as he watched Alex stomp away angrily. "Way to be harsh, Kat. Did you two have a fight or something?"
Beside him, Katie slapped her hands to her face. "Argh! What is wrong with me? I knew that he was just joking around, but I let my temper get the better of me." She let her head slump to DJ's shoulder.
He set his book aside and wrapped an arm around her. Then he kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear, "Aw, baby, you're just letting your nerves get to you. You need to try to chill a little bit."
"How do you do it?" she mumbled as she snaked her arms around his waist. "How do you always manage to stay so calm? I'm going crazy here, and you're just as cool as a cucumber, same as always. How can you be so…unaffected…after everything that we've learned."
He chuckled softly. "I guess you can thank my dad's genes for that. I suppose what it all boils down to is that we know what is going to happen and what we have to do, and there's nothing that we can do to change that. So there is no reason to drive ourselves into the loony bin by stressing over it. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. What I don't get is why you're so worried about this. I thought you were okay with the job we have to do. Isn't that what your new guard kitty has been doing, reassuring you that everything is going to be fine."
She tilted her head back to look at him. "Don't start harping on poor Orion! He's been a big help to me, and to all of us, since we found him. Grandma Serenity worked with me some while she could, but Orion has shown me things that I would have never figured out on my own. He's even taught you a thing or two as well."
He couldn't deny the truth of her words. The gray feline had proven to be insanely intelligent when it came to strategizing, weapon's handling, and the best ways to use and conserve energy. DJ just wished that the damn cat had found someone other than Katie to latch onto. He had been her almost constant companion from the moment that they had brought him back with them from the god-made realm where they had found Gaia, Selene, and Apollo's swords, and it was beginning to become just a tad bit irritating. In fact, this was probably the most alone time that they'd had since the conversation that they'd had in Elysian the other night when Katie had confessed to him all the horrors of her abduction by Discord.
Orion had even taken up sleeping on Katie's bed, much to his dismay. He had found that out the hard way when he had tried to attempt a late night visit with his girlfriend the night before. Knowing that Alex would be out somewhere with Emma, he had snuck into the apartment next door, just like he had on a few other occasions before. He had checked on her through the connection they shared, and he knew that she was already asleep, but he was happy with the thought of just being near her and perhaps holding her for a while. And if she happened to wake up…Well, he would have been pleased with that too.
But he had hardly done more than pushed open her bedroom door and caught a glimpse of her curled up, sleeping form under the covers, her sleep flushed face, and her silky, tangled, silvery hair when a low voice had hissed, "Is there something I can help you with, your highness?"
Storm cloud gray eyes had practically glowed at him in the dim light of the room from the spot where Orion had been curled up comfortably next to Katie.
"N…no," he'd stammered nervously. "I was just checking up on Kat."
"My mistress is fine," Orion had told him sternly. "Right now she is getting the rest that she needs, and I suggest that you do the same. I'm sure that if she wakes and needs you for anything that she will call for you."
He'd backed out of the room after that, cursing the cat under his breath as he made his way back to Serena and Darien's apartment to toss and turn for a few hours in the lonely bed that waited for him there. That damn Orion was worse than any overprotective father!
But that wasn't the point right now.
"You're changing the subject," he said to Katie with a hint of a smile. "Your psychotic feline friend isn't who we were discussing. I want to know what is bothering you. I thought me, you, and Lex were all on the same page in this."
She sat up abruptly, scrubbing at the few tears that had seeped from her eyes. "Oh! I know I'm being overly emotional here. But I just can't help it! I know what we have to do, and I'm cool with that. But there are so many other people that are involved in this…my parents, your parents, our friends, and their parents. And now we're pulling in everybody here into the madness as well. It's driving me absolutely batty! I know that Trista said that she would come get all of us and take us home this weekend if Discord hadn't made a move by then, but I'm scared to death that something is going to blow at any second. And I'm scared for everybody, DJ."
"Shh…" he shushed her softly as he pulled her back tightly against him. "I know I may act like this whole ordeal doesn't bother me, but deep inside I'm just as scared as you are. Things could go wrong in a heartbeat, and I know that. But remember what Grandma Serenity and the others told us. We have to keep our minds clear and focused on our mission. Discord will prey on our doubts and fears if we let them get the better of us. So we can't think about the bad things that might happen. We just need to concentrate on our main goal and what we want the outcome to be. That's the only way we can beat him."
She lifted her head to smile at him. "You're always so logical. Thanks. I feel better now."
He smirked at her. "I was hoping you would." Then he leaned down and kissed her softly. He wished that he could kiss her more thoroughly, but they were on school grounds, and they could get slapped with detention if a teacher caught them getting hot and heavy.
"Mmm…" Katie purred as she pulled back after a few seconds. Her eyelids blinked open to reveal twin pools of hazy, mossy hazel. But her eyes sharpened and turned sad as she glanced over toward where her brother was.
Heaving a sigh, she untangled herself from DJ. "I guess I better go talk to him. I owe him an apology for flying off the handle and acting like a bitch."
DJ gave her an encouraging grin. "That's probably a good idea. We don't need any friction in the team if we can keep from it."
She scrunched her nose up at him. "Friction! I'd like to show you friction, mister!" she growled in a failed attempt to sound threatening.
His light blue eyes darkened and his expression turned positively evil as he drawled, "Promises, promises."
Mortified heat flooded her cheeks as she caught his implication and she clapped her hands to them as she wailed, "DJ! I didn't mean it like that!"
He laughed at her lingering innocence and gave her nudge. "Oh, go on and patch things up with your idiot brother so we can get things back to normal. We may only have a few days left here, and I intend to enjoy them."
She stuck her tongue out at him, still blushing in embarrassment, as she slipped off the bench and scampered across the courtyard toward Alex.
Her hurried footsteps slowed as she approached him, and then stopped completely when he growled, "What now, Kat?" without even looking at her.
She gulped hard and then stammered, "L…Lex, I'm sorry, okay. I know that you were just joking, and I didn't mean to jump all down your throat about it. I've just been…upset. And I'm really, really sorry, all right."
All she could see was his profile and the way that his jaw clenched tensely. As the seconds dragged on she was afraid that he was even madder than she had imagined him to be. She was only moments from flinging herself at his feet and begging him to forgive her when his features softened.
He turned his head to grin at her. "Aw, hell, Kat! You don't have to explain it to me. I know you're wound tighter than a cuckoo clock right now. Don't forget, I'm not just your brother. I'm also your twin. And I usually have a pretty good idea about what's going on in that fluffy blonde head of yours."
She tried to appear indignant. "Well if you're going to insult me, then I take my apology back." But undercurrents of laughter shook her voice.
"Oh, come here, you!" Alex chuckled as he dropped his backpack and pulled her into a bear hug. As he held her in the almost bone crushing embrace he whispered against her hair, "Everything is going to be okay, Kat. Just wait and see. We're going to send Discord's ass packing and get our lives back. Trust me."
She squeezed him back tightly as she choked out, "I believe you, Lex."
They stood that way for a few more seconds, until an almost disgustingly cheerful voice called out, "Morning, Cupcake!"
Alex groaned as he released his sister and waved at his swiftly approaching girlfriend. "God! I wish she wouldn't call me that in public. It's so humiliating!"
Katie smirked at him. "Aww, don't be like that. I think the nickname, Cupcake, is adorable. It makes me think of a big, fat, chocolate fudge cupcake, with mounds of fluffy frosting and sprinkles on top. It's just Emma's way of letting you know how delicious she thinks you are."
"You're depraved!" he muttered out of the corner of his mouth as he caught the exuberant, golden blonde Emma in his arms.
The next generation love goddess wasted no time in fastening her mouth eagerly over his. Yep! That was Emma for you. The girl had no shame when it came to showing her emotions openly.
"You're going to get detention if you aren't careful," Jayden snickered as he and Hannah came up behind Emma. The younger couple was the perfect picture of young love as they stood there holding hands.
"Buzzkills!" Emma grumbled, but she did put a teensy little bit of space between her and Alex.
Katie burst into giggles. "Since when did you join the PDA police, Jay? I thought that was Skye's job." She craned her neck to look around. "Speaking of Skye, where is she? I know she's not off flirting with some guy somewhere now that Kyrian is firmly in the running."
"She's still in bed," Hannah sniffed daintily. "From what I overheard it sounds like she spent most of the night in Elysian instead of getting proper sleep, and now she can't seem to drag herself out of bed for class."
Katie arched a questioning brow at Emma, who nodded eagerly in return before replying, "That does seem to be the general consensus. It seems that your mommy-dearest isn't the only woman getting a late night education in Elysian."
Katie let that sexual innuendo roll off of her with only a mild blush this time. Then she surprised herself by quipping back, "It looks like Rini has joined the club too. She's running behind this morning because she just had to run back to Elysian to apologize to Helios for something that happened between them last night."
"Oh, really!" Emma's eyebrows waggled suggestively. "Something must not have lived up to her expectations."
"Oh for crying out loud!" Alex muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Elysian is beginning to sound more like a brothel than it does the land of dreams."
"Sweet!" Jayden crowed. Then he cringed and yelled, "Ow!" as Hannah grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away.
"Aw, Cupcake," Emma drawled in a tone that was like melting butter as she wound her arms around her secret fiancé's neck. "It doesn't matter which term you want to use to describe Elysian, land of dreams or realm of sensual fantasies, we fit in perfect there."
Katie felt her face growing a little green at the vivid images Emma's words caused to sprout in her mind. She quickly gasped, "I'm checking out on that note!" and scrambled back toward the sane and non-vomit inducing safety of DJ's arms.
Emma giggled softly. "Well! I guess that got rid of everyone."
Alex's lips quirked in amusement. "Is that what you were trying to do? I was beginning to wonder. You seem to be even more upbeat than usual this morning. What gives?"
She shrugged casually. "Oh, I don't know! I guess I'm just in a good mood because it's such a beautiful day out. Don't you think so?"
He nodded. It was already quite warm and muggy out, promising a hot day to come. But the heat rarely ever bothered him. After all, his element was the sun. "It does look like it's going to be a nice day. But I've never known you to be so excited by the weather before."
She pouted at him. "Is there a problem with me being happy?"
"No, baby, not at all!" he hastily reassured her. "If you're happy, then I am happy."
She hugged him tight, burying her face in his chest so that he wouldn't see the mischievous twinkle in her eyes or her sly grin.
You see, Emma had a secret, but she couldn't tell anyone about it. Not yet.
Andrew leaned back in his cushioned executive chair and propped his feet on his desk. He yanked on his tie to loosen it as he scowled into the phone he held between his ear and shoulder.
"I don't care!" he snapped irritably. "You can tell your client that if he wants his shop to go into the galleria, then that is the rent for it. I have a set rate for all of the tenants in the complex, and they all pay the same per square foot. That way it's fair and nobody feels like they have been cheated. But if he wants it I need a definitive answer by the end of the day. That spot is the last space that I have available, and I have other people interested in it. The only reason why I am giving him the first shot at it is because he was the first one to show interest in it. But we've been haggling on this for a while now, and unless he can let me know that he is serious about signing a lease on the place I'm going to have to move on to someone else."
There was a soft knock on the door, and he looked up just in time to see it open just a crack and Jess slip inside. He motioned to her that he would be with her in a minute and then turned his attention back to his phone conversation.
"Fine," he growled. "You call your client and find out what he wants to do. But my deadline stands firm. Either he commits to the space today, or tomorrow it's going to the next available party, end of story. The galleria has been open for business for almost three months now, and I want every unit open for business…Okay…I'll be waiting for your call."
He slammed the phone down and growled, "Bastard!"
Jess dropped her backpack and rounded the desk to stand behind him. She put her hands on his tense shoulders and began to massage. "Oh, honey," she purred. "Have I ever told you what a turn on it is for me to hear you talk tough business? It makes my heart flutter every time."
"You're being silly," he chuckled as he leaned his head back to look up at her tired looking face. "How'd the practice go last night? I waited around for a while this morning, hoping that you would come home before I had to leave."
"Sorry," she mumbled, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. "Time has a way of getting away from you when you are in Elysian. The practice went good though. I'm making some progress. I just don't know if it will be enough to actually be any help when we go to Crystal Tokyo."
"I'm sure you'll be brilliant, as always," he told her. Then he groaned as her fingers went to work on a knot of muscles at the base of his neck.
"You look worn out, and it's only just past noon," Jess clucked.
He dropped his feet to the floor and spun his chair around so that he was facing her. "We'll make my tiredness a priority when you get rid of those bags under your eyes, missy. Did you get any sleep at all last night?"
She shrugged. "A little bit. Because of the time difference there I was able to squeeze in a few catnaps. And Kyrian was really adamant about me taking regular breaks. And that's not counting the fact that Dawn is almost always hanging around somewhere, and you know how she is."
Knowing that the woman that was practically her adopted mother was looking out for her made him feel much better. He pulled her down onto his lap and let her cuddle there for a moment before he asked, "So how was class today? I'm sure everything's starting to get revved up with graduation right around the corner."
She stifled a yawn. "Yeah, things are pretty crazy right now. I'm not really worried about exams that much, but the art showing tomorrow night has me scared stiff. There are going to be quite a few well known people there helping with the judging, and their opinions will go a long way in determining whether I sink or swim at being an artist."
He rested his chin on top of her head. "You'll do fine. After all, it's not like you haven't already begun making a name for yourself in the art circles."
He couldn't see her eyes, but he was sure that she was rolling them as she said, "A couple of fairly successful local showings hardly qualifies me for entrance into the inner artist's sanctum."
"But it's a start," he told her. Then he grinned as a low rumbling sound filled the air. "Somebody's hungry."
"Maybe just a little," she grumbled. "All I've had today is a granola bar that I snagged on the way out the door this morning."
He shook his head. "Well that won't do at all. Tell you what. I'm about ready for some lunch myself. How about we pop over next door to the galleria and hit up the food court? I'll buy you whatever you want. It's on me."
She slumped further in his arms. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass. My need for peace and quiet away from people outweighs my need for food at the moment. I don't think my brain could handle the crowds without exploding."
He quickly offered a compromise. "Okay. Then why don't I run downstairs to the arcade and grab us a couple of burgers and some fries? We can have a nice, quiet lunch right here with just the two of us."
Her head lifted so she could smile at him. "Now that sounds like a plan. I could definitely go for that."
He stood up while still holding her, and then set her on her feet. "All right! You just sit tight here and I'll be back before you know it." He kissed the tip of her nose.
Jess called after him as he walked to the door, "Don't forget to bring me…"
"A cherry coke. I know," he finished for her with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
She shook her head with a grin as she watched the door swing shut behind him as he left. "What did I ever do to get so lucky to land a guy like that?" she murmured to herself.
She turned and looked out the window. Despite the changes that had taken place in this area the past couple of years, the view from this side had pretty much stayed the same as it had the first time she had looked out it when the spot she was standing in had been the living room of Andrew's apartment. There was a bit more traffic because of the opening of the shopping complex and a few of the shops on the street had changed, but the park stretching out lush and green across the street was exactly the same.
A tiny smile touched her lips as one memory of that park in particular flitted through her head. It hadn't been warm and leafy then, instead it had been cold and everything had been covered in white snow. But remembering the way that Andrew had knelt in the snow and his heartfelt proposal when he'd asked her to be his wife always warmed her inside.
She fiddled with the gold, silver, and sapphire ring on her left hand as she looked up to the blue sky. She could sense that there was a storm brewing a few hundred miles away, but for now the sky was soft blue and filled with puffy white clouds.
"Mom, dad," she whispered. "I wish you guys were here. I just know that you would adore Drew just as much as I do. And the kids…well, let's just say that they would fit into our crazy family with no problem. They are half Alexander's after all."
She leaned her head against the window frame. "Well, wherever you guys are, I hope that you will be able to see me when I get married. It's only a little over two months away now. And I'm going to get married on the same day and in the same place that you did. How cool is that? But before I do that I have some things to take care of. When I was little you both told me that I would be able to change the world when I grew up, and you weren't far off the mark. I just don't think what my life has turned into is exactly what you had in mind when you said that. But no matter what, you two always taught me to never give up, so that's what I'm doing. And I hope you are proud of me."
She turned from the window and shuffled over to where there was a sofa set against the far wall. She sighed as she sank down into the soft, plushy cushions and let her muscles relax. The fatigue that she had been battling all day rolled over her in energy zapping waves. Sheesh! She must be more tired than she thought. Now she was grateful that Kyrian had told her to take the night off from training tonight. Right now she didn't think she could blast a youma if her life depended on it.
'Maybe after I have lunch with Drew I'll go home and catch a nap. That'll perk me up,' she thought groggily as she let her eyelids flutter shut.
When Andrew strolled back into his office a few minutes later, balancing a tray that held two burgers, fries, and two sodas on it like a pro, he found his soon to be wife draped across his sofa, on her stomach, with one arm and one leg dangling over the side. Her eyes were closed, her face relaxed, and her mouth was just slightly open with the tiniest little snores puffing past her lips.
Andrew chuckled as he set the tray on his desk and crossed over to the sofa. He stood there for a moment, debating over whether or not to wake her so that she could eat her lunch. But in the end he figured that sleep was more important than food. He didn't need the soul bond between them to see that she had blown in here earlier barely running on vapors. So he'd let her sleep for now, and then he'd get her a big dinner later to make up for the missing meal.
He pulled down a light blanket that was over the back of the couch and laid it over her. Then he bent down to lightly kiss her cheek. "Sleep well, princess," he said softly, brushing back a few loose, curling pieces of her burnished hair from her face.
Then he returned to his desk to indulge himself in the messy, piled-high burger and salty fries that he had brought up for himself. It was fine if Jess wanted to sleep, but he was hungry!
And for the rest of the afternoon, when he was supposed to be working, he kept finding his eyes straying over to where his sleeping angel snoozed away. Finally, he had to force himself to turn his back on her so he could concentrate.
He shook his head at himself in disgust. Who would have ever thought that he would become so infatuated with a woman that he couldn't keep his head on straight?
But he wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.
"Hey, Raye! The liquor order just arrived at the back door. Did you want me to check it in?" a dark haired young man asked as he poked his head into the office behind the bar.
Raye looked up from the papers on her desk to nod. "Yeah. Thanks, Logan. Just bring me the packing slip when you're done."
He gave her a thumbs up. "Sure thing, boss lady!" Then he ducked back out.
She looked back down at her desk, biting back a growl of irritation. When she had opened the club she, of course, had hoped that it would be successful, but she had never imagined that it would become as popular as it has so fast. In just two and a half months she'd had to hire several additional staff members and more than double her supply orders to just keep up with the demand."
In a fit of temper, she slammed her ledger book shut and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. Maybe she needed to cut out of here for a couple of hours and go up to the shrine. Meditating in front of the Great Fire always seemed to calm her.
A low, rumbling chuckle that she knew very well filled her ears, and she cracked open an eye to glare at the man now leaning against the doorframe of her office door. "Can it, Jed!" she snapped.
He pushed away from the door and stepped into the room. "Come on, Firefly! Aren't you just the teeniest bit happy to see me?"
"I'd be happier if I came down with the plague," she grumbled, but she didn't mean a word of it. In fact, Jadeite was a welcome sight to her overworked eyes. His faded jeans and red t-shirt hugged his body close, showing off his leanly muscled frame. A pair of dark sunglasses had pushed up on top of his golden curls, leaving his blueberry eyes to twinkle slyly at her.
His signature grin tugged up the corners of his mouth. "Now why am I having a hard time believing that? You can't lie to other people, sweetheart, but not to me. You're glad to see me."
Raye cursed internally as her heart gave that silly little leap that it always did at the sight of that boyish grin. "Okay, maybe I am happy to see you," she admitted grudgingly. "But I'd be even happier if you told me that you've come to whisk me away from all of this."
He propped a hip on the corner of her desk. "If that's what my lady wants. You know that I would be willing to take you anywhere in the world you want to go."
She couldn't stop the smile that sprang to her lips. "I wasn't thinking anything quite so grand. But I was thinking about maybe heading up to the shrine for a while. I'm pretty much caught up for now. The payroll and deposits are done, and the order has come in. I still have to do the schedule for next week, but that can wait. I thought that perhaps a little meditation might help me get my head back on straight."
"That might be a good idea," Jadeite agreed with a nod. "You've been so busy lately that you've been neglecting your time with the fire. Your spiritual balance is probably way off kilter."
"I'm sure you're right," she sighed. "I've run up to the shrine a few times to check up on grandpa and visit with him for a minute, but I haven't visited the Great Fire in almost a month. I haven't gone that long without communing with it since I was twelve. I've meditated at home in front of our fireplaces, but it's just not the same."
"Well how about we remedy that," he answered in an upbeat tone. "I'll personally escort you to the shrine so you can regain your balance." He pulled a sheet of paper with a partially filled in work schedule across her desk and scowled down at it.
"You know," he began carefully. "I know you were against putting anyone else in charge around here besides yourself, but this is really starting to be too much for one person to handle."
Raye bent down to retrieve her purse from a bottom drawer. "So what do you suggest I do? I'm just really not comfortable with the idea of letting someone else run my business."
"I'm not saying let somebody else run the business. I was thinking more along the lines of delegating some of the more menial tasks that take up so much of your time," he told her in a placating tone.
She sat back in her chair and eyed him suspiciously. "Okay, I'm listening."
He stood up, assuming his business-like persona that had helped him close many deals for the real estate investment company that he ran along with the other guys. "All right! Now, just hear me out on this before you completely reject my idea. I got to thinking about this and, you've already made Logan a sort of assistant manager so that he can handle things whenever you do take a night off, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah. But…"
"Nah ah ah! No buts!" he interrupted her. "I asked you to hear me out. So I was thinking, why not make him manager? He's been with you from the beginning. He helped you set this place up and get it open. He probably knows it just as well as you do. He works behind that bar and knows what needs to be ordered to keep it running, and he works with all the servers and knows their preferences about what shifts they like to work. If you made him manager he could handle things like the liquor orders and scheduling and such."
She rubbed her temples. "It's a good idea, but I'm just not comfortable with the thought of someone else dealing with the financial stuff. Logan is a great guy, but even good people have been known to be tempted to steal when someone else's money is involved."
Jadeite shrugged. "So save those tasks for yourself. You could still do all the bookkeeping, payroll, and deposits personally. But I think he would be just the person to handle the other aspects of the day to day running of this place. You know, even Lita and Mina have managers to help them out with their businesses."
"I'll think about it," Raye told him as she stood. "You're probably right though. We have so much going on in our personal lives that I need somebody to keep an eye on things when I can't be here. And Logan has done a good job of running the show when I'm not around. I might talk to him about it later."
"Yeah, just think it over," he told her encouragingly. "But for now let's head up to Cherry Hill. I haven't had a chance to talk to your grandpa in while."
"That could be a good thing," she muttered as she strode from the office. "Both you and grandpa can be a handful on your own. But you two can become damn impossible to deal with when you are together."
He flashed his grin at her. "Hey! I like your grandpa! He's a cool old dude!"
She snorted. "He's a lecherous old pervert! That's why you like him so much. You're two peas in a pod."
"Nah!" he said as he dropped his sunglasses into place as they stepped out a side door and into the bright, late spring day. "I'll leave the ogling of the teenage girls to him. You're all the woman I need."
She gave another snort. "You're just trying to sweet talk me."
"Always," he drawled, eyebrows waggling above his dark lenses. He gestured to his car parked nearby. "So are we driving or walking?"
"Let's walk," she said after a moment's consideration. "It'll be relaxing. And with the traffic we'll probably get there in about the same amount of time."
"Whatever you want," he replied jovially, and he offered the crook of his arm to her to hold, which she threaded her arm through with no hesitation.
Neither of them spoke much, but the silence between them was companionable during the walk. Barely ten minutes later they found themselves climbing the steps up to the Hikawa Shrine, where they found Raye's diminutive grandfather lounging under one of the sakura trees as he sipped a glass of tea.
The old man's eyes sparkled as he spotted them. "Well, well! What did I do to deserve a visit today? I thought you were too busy to waste your time on an old man like me."
Raye laughed as she hurried to give her grandfather a hug. "I'm sorry, grandpa. I know I haven't been around much. I've just been really busy."
Grandpa waved a hand at her. "You don't have to explain yourself. I understand. Trying to run a successful business and juggle your personal life along with your extracurricular activities must be time consuming. But I sense that your spirit is troubled."
She nodded. "It is. I thought that I would visit the fire for a while. It always helps me sort things out, and I've missed it."
The old man chuckled. "I'm sure it has missed you too. Now hurry along and see it. We can visit a little after you have calmed your aura."
She started for the building that housed the Great Fire, and then paused to look back over her shoulder at Jadeite, who hadn't moved. "Aren't you coming with me?"
He shook his head. "I'll join you in a little bit. I think I'll join your grandpa for a cup of tea and catch up with him first."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever floats your boats, you perverts," she muttered as she walked away.
"Well she's sure feisty today," Grandpa Hino chuckled as he poured tea from the pot next to him into a spare cup he just happened to have. "She reminds me so much of her grandmother sometimes. She was a high-spirited woman too. So was my poor Hisana, until she married him."
Jadeite accepted the cup of tea offered to him and sipped it silently. He knew that the subject of Raye's father was a sore subject with both Raye and her grandfather, so he kept his words to himself. He didn't particularly care for the senator that had sired Raye either. He had only seen the man in person one time, and he'd been ready to rip his head off for the cruel things that he had said to his daughter. Raye was better off without him in his opinion.
Grandpa sighed. "I guess I really can't find it in me to hate him though. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had Raye for all of these years. And that would have been a tragedy."
"I guess you have a point there," Jadeite grudgingly agreed. "I couldn't imagine a world without Raye in it."
Grandpa's eyes glowed with a mischievous light. "So I guess that's why you've finally decided to ask her to marry you, huh?"
"H…how…" Jadeite stammered.
Grandpa snickered. "Raye may have carried over her psychic abilities from her former life, but there is a reason why she was chosen to be born of my line. Her mother was a very gifted seer, and I'm not exactly blind myself. I've seen this coming for a while. But this morning I received a clear vision as I meditated. Your time to speak up has arrived."
Jadeite gulped nervously. "Are you okay with this, sir? I know a man would normally ask the father in this situation, but since you are the one that has raised Raye for so long, I feel that it's only proper that I ask you."
Grandpa shook his head. "My boy, I have known that you were the only one for Raye since the first day that you appeared here and she yelled at you. There is no need for you to ask for my approval because you have always had it. Now why don't you go and claim your bride now while the time is right? I have a feeling that your lives are about to get very busy soon."
Jadeite set his barely touched cup of tea aside with a grin. "Yes sir! I'll do my best! I just hope that she will accept my proposal."
Grandpa chuckled. "My boy, she has been waiting for you her whole life, whether she knows it or not. I doubt that there is anything on Earth that would make her reject you."
"Thank you!" Jadeite exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. He practically ran as he left the old priest behind and rushed toward the fire chamber. He slid the door carefully open and slipped inside.
Though they had only been apart for a few minutes, Raye had changed out of the pantsuit that she had been wearing and into a set of her priestess robes. Her eyes were closed as she knelt in front of the fire, but she wasn't far enough into a trance yet to keep her from noticing his entrance.
"Well that was a quick visit with grandpa," she drawled, keeping her eyes closed.
He shrugged. "I didn't have to say much. He already knew what I had on my mind and had his answers ready for me."
Her eyes popped open to look at him curiously. "Did you have something heavy weighing on your mind?"
He nodded as he crossed the room. "I had a little something that I was thinking about. But everything is clear now." He dropped to his knees beside her. "I have something that I want to ask you."
"Ooo! You sound so serious," she joked back. But when he didn't laugh or crack a smile she shuffled around on her knees so that she was facing him. "Okay. What did you want to ask me?"
He took a deep breath and shoved his hand into his jeans pocket to curl his fingers around the ring there. Then he pulled it out and held his clenched fist out toward her.
"Raye Hino, will you marry me?" he blurted out, opening his hand to reveal the ruby ring sitting in his palm.
Her violet eyes grew wide as she whispered, "What did you just say?"
He met her gaze steadily. "I just asked you to be my wife…if you'll have me. I know I can be a bit of a doofus sometimes, and I get on your nerves, but I love you, Firefly. And I can't imagine my life without you. So please say that you'll marry me. I promise that I'll be the best husband that I can possibly be. I'll even…"
"Yes!" Raye cried before he could finish what he was going to say.
He shook his head in confusion. "What?"
She threw herself at him, laughing and crying at the same time. "I said yes, you idiot! I'll marry you. I'll even have your obnoxious clone of a son! But yes! I will marry you! That's all I've ever wanted!"
Relief flooded through him. She'd said yes! But his experiences with her had taught him to be cautious. " Are you sure?"
She shot him a look full of pure venom. "Of course I'm sure, you idiot! I wouldn't say yes if I weren't sure. Now how about you slap that ring on me so we can make it official."
"If that's what my lady wants," he drawled as he slipped the ruby and rose gold ring onto the ring finger of her left hand. "I hope you like it," he told her huskily.
Raye stared at the ring for a minute, her violet eyes filling with tears as she took in every detail of the delicate engagement ring. "I love it," she finally managed to whisper in a tremulous voice. "It's absolutely perfect!"
Then she pushed him down to the floor as she covered his lips with hers in an intensely passionate kiss.
After a minute, Jadeite pushed her back slightly with a mischievous grin. "What about your meditation time? I don't need my future bride suffering from spiritual turbulence."
Her expression turned wicked as she shimmied on top of him. "Who needs the fire when you're around? You're all I need to keep my spiritual balance in line."
And then she kissed him like it was the last kiss that they would ever share.
"Order up!" Lita called as she set a plate up on the counter to join two others. The waitress that had been waiting for them swept them up onto a tray and then whirled from the kitchen.
Lita used her sleeve to push back her sweaty bangs from her forehead. She hadn't planned on working in the restaurant kitchen today, but one of her cooks had called in because her son was sick, so she had taken up the slack. Thank goodness the lunch rush was almost over.
Nephrite swung in through the double doors to the dining room. "It looks like everything is calm for now. No new parties have been seated. I think things are cool until the dinner rush."
She looked up with a grin. "Thank goodness! Don't get me wrong, I love it when business is booming, but I think everybody could use a break before we all drop."
"You got that right!" one of the busboys, a teenage boy who was just completing his first year of college, groaned as he entered the kitchen, carrying a large tub full of dirty dishes. He set it on the stainless steel counter by the sink and rolled his shoulders. "It's been a madhouse out there."
"The tips have been great though!" one of the young, fresh faced waitresses quipped as she breezed by him to pick up a couple of desserts for one of her tables. "I'm thinking about treating myself to a night out and a movie tonight. Do you want to join me?"
The shell shocked boy flushed brick red and gulped hard before he stammered, "Uh…ye…yeah …sure! Here, let me get that for you!" He hurried to hold the swinging door open for her.
"Ah, young love!" a woman in her mid-thirties laughed as she stood near the back door, fishing her keys from her purse.
"I know! Isn't it cute?" Lita giggled in reply. Despite the differences in their ages, an easy camaraderie had sprung up between the two of them. Mary was a petite, dark haired, single mother, and Lita counted her blessings that she had found her. Mary was a veteran of working in a few high-class restaurants in town, and had started out at La Foret as a waitress. But it hadn't taken Lita long to realize that the woman was very knowledgeable about the restaurant business, and she had offered her a manager position, which had worked out very well for both of them.
"Did you want me to take the dinner shift tonight?" Mary asked as she twirled her key ring around her fingers. "I know that it's supposed to be your turn, but you've been here since early this morning and then got pulled into working lunch."
"You don't have to do that. I can handle it," Lita protested.
Mary waved a hand. "It's no big deal. If I don't come in and work I'll just end up sitting at home alone with a carton of ice cream, watching some stupid sitcom reruns. My son has been meeting with his study group every night to get ready for exams, so I have absolutely nothing to do except veg in front of the TV. So I really don't mind coming in. It may help save my sanity."
"Well, since you put it that way…" Lita began hesitantly. "Okay, I accept."
"Great!" Mary grinned. "I'll be back in a little bit then. I'm going to run home, change, and let the dog out. You should really get out of here too. The floor supervisors can handle the wind down and start the changeover for dinner. So why don't you blow this place while you can?"
"I was just about to convince her to do just that," Nephrite stated as he slung an arm around Lita's shoulders.
"Ha! And since when have you ever convinced me to do anything?" Lita shot back.
"I can think of one or two occasions," he replied with a grin. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Sparky. Either you come quietly with me, or I'll toss you over my shoulder like a bag of potatoes and haul you out of here. The choice is yours."
Her dark green eyes flared with challenge. "Are you threatening me?"
He held his hand up with his thumb and forefinger almost touching. "Maybe just a little bit. But I wouldn't have to resort to threats if you just give in peacefully."
"I'd do what he says if I were you, Lita," Mary snickered. "It probably isn't wise to antagonize a man that is the size of a mountain, even if you are taller than the average woman."
"I could take him," Lita grumbled. Then she sighed. "All right, I'll leave quietly. Just give me minute to get my purse from the office." She stalked toward her office; stripping off the apron she was wearing and pitching it into the dirty hamper as she went.
"Thanks for your help," Nephrite whispered to Mary once Lita was out of earshot.
"No prob!" the petite manager reassured him. "I really don't have anything to do tonight. You just concentrate on getting that ring on her finger. I don't want to see either one of you back here until you are a disgustingly happy, engaged couple."
He gave her a mock salute. "I'll try my best."
She flashed him a wink as she walked out the door. "Good luck!"
"I'm going to need it," he muttered under his breath.
"Okay, I'm ready," Lita announced as she joined him a few minutes later. But she was frowning at the cell phone she held in her hands. "I'm getting a little worried though. Mina hasn't returned any of my calls and she still hasn't shown up at either the salon or the boutique. I've called the other girls, but none of them have seen or heard from her today either."
"Kunzite's MIA too," Nephrite murmured. Then he shook his head. "I'm sure it's no big deal. They probably had plans for just the two of them. If they were in any kind of trouble they would find some way to tell us. Besides, they can take care of themselves."
She rolled her eyes. "I know that. But it's just really weird for Mina to not answer her cell. Serena told me that she didn't get an answer either when she called. It's just…odd."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much," he told her as he picked up a sack sitting on a counter and then held the back door open for her. "They'll show up at some point. If nobody's heard anything from them by tonight, then we'll start getting concerned."
"I suppose you're right," she sighed. Then she eyed the bag he was carrying. "What's that?"
"What, this?" he asked innocently. "It's just a late lunch I threw together. You've been running nonstop since early this morning. I'm sure you've got to be starving by now. I thought maybe we could wander over across the street to the park and find a shady tree to crash under while we eat."
Her stomach rumbled at the thought. "That actually sounds really good. You're on!"
He grabbed her hand with his free one, and together they made their way across the street to the park. A few minutes later they found a large tree near the edge of the lake and settled down beneath it.
"I didn't make anything fancy. It's just some sandwiches," he told her as he began to unpack the bag. "But I did bring this," he pulled out a bottle of chardonnay and two plastic wine glasses.
Lita couldn't help but laugh. "Wine with lunch? What's the occasion?"
He shrugged. "It just sounded like a good idea. We haven't had much time to just kick back and relax lately, and it sounds like we've got more action heading our way soon. I thought it would be nice to take a load off for a while."
"Careful, general. Your sensitive side is beginning to shine through. And we wouldn't want anything to ruin that badass image of yours, now would we?" she snickered slyly.
"Nobody will know unless you rat me out," he joked back as he handed her a carefully wrapped club sandwich.
"Yeah, Jed would have a field day with that," she quipped as she unwrapped the sandwich. She took a bite of it and moaned in pleasure. After she swallowed she told him, "That tastes better than any gourmet meal. I didn't realize how hungry I was."
"Would you like a glass of wine, my lady?" he offered.
She nodded as she took another bite. "Mm hmm. I don't normally drink in the middle of the afternoon, but a glass of wine would top off this moment perfectly." She looked around, realizing that they were almost the only people there. There were a few mothers strolling the paths, pushing strollers or holding the hands of young children, but most people were still at work and school hadn't let out for the day yet. In another hour or so, the place would probably be crawling with people.
Nephrite poured a glass of the wine and set it on a flat spot on the ground next to her. "It's kinda nice to be here without a fight being involved for a change, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," she replied as she picked the glass up and absently took a sip from it. "Wow! That's really good." She took another, longer gulp of it. Then she looked up to find Nephrite watching her intently, his uneaten sandwich and untouched wine sitting next to him. "Aren't you going to eat?"
He started like her question had caught him off guard. "Oh, yeah!" he began fiddling with the wrapper on his sandwich with one hand, and with the other he picked up the wine glass and drained it in just a few seconds.
Lita giggled. "Thirsty much? We better watch it, or we'll end up having to walk home." She held her glass up. "Oh well! At least it's not far. Bottoms up!"
She tilted the glass back, letting the tangy sweetness flow over her tongue. She was reaching the last few drops when she felt something hard and cold touch her lips. She pulled the glass back and heard something clink against the plastic.
"What in the world…" she mumbled, peering curiously into the almost empty glass. A shiny emerald winked up at her.
Her limbs went numb in shock as she stared at what had to be the most beautiful ring that she had ever seen. She tried to speak, but her voice refused to work. All she could do was stare at the ring sitting in a tiny pool of wine at the bottom of the glass. Finally, she raised her eyes to look at Nephrite.
He chuckled nervously. "Whew! For a second there I was afraid you were going to swallow it. That wouldn't have been good."
All coherent thought scattered from her mind as her voice finally creaked to life and she stammered, "I…I…you…"
He took the glass from her numb fingers and tilted it so that the ring fell into his palm. He looked up at her sheepishly. "I was kinda wondering if perhaps you might want to marry me." Then he slapped a hand to his forehead. "That's not how I wanted to ask you! I'm screwing everything up!"
"You're asking me to marry you?" she whispered past lips that barely moved. "You're actually proposing to me now?"
He nodded. "It's not quite working out like I planned though. I had a whole little speech worked out in my head, but now I can't remember it. So I guess I'll just wing it. Lita, I love you. Will you marry me?"
Her eyes filled with tears, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. With Lita it was sometimes hard to tell. But he knew that although she usually came off as being brash and intimidating on the outside, inside there was a gentle and extremely feminine woman. And women dreamed of wildly romantic marriage proposals, not some hastily thrown out question by a babbling idiot.
"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly as he shoved the ring back into his pocket. "I messed that all up. Just forget that I said anything."
Her eyes flared at his words. "Are you taking back your proposal before you've even heard my answer?" She was grateful to hear that her voice had returned to somewhat normal.
He shrugged, looking down at the ground. "It's not that I'm taking it back. But after that pathetic attempt I figured it would probably be best to wait and try again later when I hopefully won't make a fool out of myself."
"I like it when you make a fool out of yourself," she said softly, and then waited for him to look up at her questioningly. "And my answer is yes."
Now it was his turn to freeze in shock. "What did you say?"
She tossed her curly auburn ponytail over her shoulder. "I said that I would marry you, you doofus! Now can I have my ring or not?"
He gaped at her. "Are you serious?"
"As a heart attack!" she stated firmly as she flung her left hand out and wiggled her fingers. "Now lay it on me, big boy!"
Profound relief surged through him. She'd said yes! Despite his complete failure of proposing to her properly, she had agreed to become his wife!
With her acceptance, his usual attitude returned. He grabbed her outstretched hand and jerked her into his lap. "Oh, I'm going to lay it on you all right!" he growled just before he planted his mouth on hers. And as he kissed her he managed to pull the ring back out of his pocket and slip it onto her finger.
When she pulled back, breathless, a few minutes later, she looked down at the emerald on her finger and giggled. "Well, I guess this makes us official members of the engaged club now. Just wait until Raye sees this. She'll probably spontaneously combust when she does. She's been waiting forever for Jed to pop the question, and he hasn't done it yet. She will be livid!"
"Hmm," Nephrite mused. "We'll just have to wait and see. Maybe we'll be surprised."
She looked at him suspiciously. "You know something, don't you?"
He just grinned. "Nope! I know nothing."
Mina tilted her head as a musical jangling came from her purse, which was tossed in the corner of the room. "It's Amy this time," she murmured as she recognized the ring tone. "Maybe I should answer it just so she can let everyone know that I'm not lying dead in a ditch somewhere."
Arms wrapped around her waist like bands of steel and held her in place. Then a hot voice murmured in her ear. "Unh uh! Not yet. I'm not ready to let you go."
She lifted her head from Kunzite's chest so she could look up into his silvery gray eyes. "We're going to have to leave our fantasy world and join reality at some point."
He lifted a hand to push a few damp strands of her golden hair away from her glistening face. "I know. I just want us to have a little bit more time before we face the lions."
She giggled as she curled up tighter next to him on the silk sheets of the large bed. "They will probably eat us alive for this, won't they?"
His chest rumbled as he chuckled. "More than likely. I'm not the kind of person that is known for doing impulsive things."
She nipped playfully at his bare chest. "Well, I have to say that you sure shocked the hell out of me with this idea. I never thought you had it in you."
"Do you regret it?" he asked as he combed his fingers through her silken hair.
"No," she whispered. Then she looked around the lavishly posh hotel suite that they were in. "What I'll regret is leaving here. Everything has been so perfect today, but I know that when we leave all of our troubles will be waiting for us exactly where we left them."
His fingers trailed lightly down her arm, raising goosebumps across her skin. "Yeah, we have some matters to take care of, but we will face them together. I'll be by your side every step of the way."
She smiled impishly at him. "You better be. And I'll be right beside you as well. We'll go to the future, kick Discord's butt, and then come back to the rest of our lives."
"And what a life it will be, huh?" he replied huskily as he bent his head down to taste her pink, swollen lips. She sighed and opened to him as he nibbled gently.
The passion that always flared between them ignited, and he rolled her over onto her back as he lay out on top of her. Her breathing became ragged and little moans vibrated in her throat as he slid his mouth from hers to kiss his way down the column of her neck toward her breasts. Then she squeaked as he used one of his hands to pin both of her wrists to the mattress above her head while the other traveled up her leg toward a very intimate place.
"Kunzite!" she panted as she arched toward him.
He grinned against her skin, and then scowled as the unmistakable sound of his phone ringing reached his ears.
"That's it!" he growled as he abandoned his pleasurable pursuit to roll off of Mina and reached for his slacks on the floor. He pulled out his cell phone and answered it testily, "What, Darien?"
He listened for a moment and then snapped, "Well you can tell Serena, and all of the other busybodies that Mina and I are perfectly fine! I didn't think it was a crime to want to get away for a while and spend some quality time with the woman you love!" Then he drew in a deep breath. "Sorry about that. Mina and I just wanted some time alone. Could you please call off the attack dogs for us."
He was silent again for a minute, and then said in his normal, cool tone. "Yeah, we'll be there. Okay. See you later." He disconnected the call.
"What was that about?" Mina asked as she sat up and folded her legs under her.
He shook his head as he tossed his phone back to the floor. "I can't believe that we can't even drop off the radar for a few hours without everyone going nuts. Darien said that everybody was 'worried'" he made quote marks with his fingers as he said that, "about us because they didn't know where we were. He said that he would pass the word on that we were still living and breathing. Then he said something about Raye inviting everyone to some kind of a party at the club tonight and wanted to know if we would be there. I told him we would."
A feline smile curved up Mina's lips. "So I guess that means that we have a few more hours to ourselves now that we don't have to worry about anybody tracking us down."
He grinned at her. "Indeed we do. So what do you suggest we do with our time?"
She crawled toward him on her knees so that she could wrap herself around him. "Oh, I have a few ideas. Right now I was thinking we could give that hot tub another whirl." She nodded toward the Jacuzzi in the corner.
He swept her up into his arms and carried her toward it. "I like the way you think." He climbed in and settled them into the warm, bubbling water.
Mina sighed as she straddled his hips, facing him. "So we're meeting everyone together, in one place, tonight huh? That should be interesting. I hope we can survive."
"We could keep it a secret," he told her as he began kissing her jaw line.
She shook her head. "No. I don't want to be dishonest with them. And they're bound to find out sooner or later. It's probably best to just go ahead and get it out in the open."
"If that's what you want," he replied smoothly. "I'll protect you from your vicious friends."
"Hmm…" she hummed as her thoughts scattered as his lips and hands began doing wonderful things to her body. "I'll worry about all of that later. Right now I just want you to make love to me."
"Forever," he promised her as he pulled her head down to his to give her a soul-shattering kiss.
A/N So that's it for now. I hope you guys enjoyed it. We finally have Raye and Lita engaged. Yippee! Now it's time to start focusing about what is going to happen in the future. I could have gone on for a little bit longer, but this was getting just entirely too long. So I'll save the rest for the next update. It sounds like Mina and Kunzite have a little something going on behind everyone's backs. Free milkshakes at the Crown to everyone who guesses correctly what that might be! But even if you don't want to make a guess, please take a moment to drop me a review and tell me what you thought. I'd appreciate it very much. Lots of love and hugs! Be safe! And Happy New Year everyone! May we all have a great 2012!
~Sere~