Chapter 29 – Time to Make a Change

Jadeite walked into the Arcade and sat at the counter waiting for Andrew to get back from taking an order. Once Andrew had entered in the order he walked over, and Jadeite let him know he would like some coffee.

Andrew smirked and said, "It is regular coffee, don't worry."

"I have come to realize you wouldn't switch the coffee on me. We are team, 'Punched Darien in the face.' It is a good team and there is a bond there." He smirked.

"Ha! That is very true." Andrew acknowledged. "So, how are you today?"

"Great. Darien is going to ask Serena to marry him. That is what we always wanted." Jadeite sighed.

"You are going to miss having her around the house aren't you." Andrew wasn't fooled for one second.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Yup!"

"Shoot. Yea, I will miss her. It will be great to see them married though. I better be Best Man."

Andrew scoffed, "I have known him longer and I am his best friend, I will be Best Man. Maybe you could be Maid of Honor," he joked.

"Shut up. Actually, that will be Mina or Molly. Sheesh, that will be hard for her to pick."

"Serena will figure it out, she has a knack for people. So, did you need something?" Andrew wanted to know.

"I wanted to run something by you. I plan to go and confront Raye. You think that is a good idea, right? I don't want to disrespect Molly's ability to handle things, but Raye is an issue because of me." Jadeite leaned forward and rested his arms on the counter.

"Raye needs to know what you will tolerate. It can't hurt for her to know Molly has your support. Also, you have been letting Molly handle things, it just isn't her burden to handle on her own."

"Thank you, I just wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. Can I have this coffee to go? I think I will head over soon to the temple." Jadeite sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.

Andrew poured him a to-go cup and wished him luck; he was going to need it.

Darien walked around the back of the house he had just purchased a week ago and saw a whole team of gardeners working on planting roses and perfecting the gardens.

"It is looking amazing," he said smiling.

The head gardener he hired walked over to talk to him, "Thanks. We are getting everything done according to your specifications and I have to say it is really going to be lovely. Your wife is going to love it."

"Actually, it is my girlfriend. I am going to be proposing to her right here soon."

"Wow, well it is going to be a perfect spot and now I know why you are paying for it to be done quickly. She is a lucky lady."

"I am the lucky one. I just hope she loves the house and the ring." Darien looked around. "The garden really is looking perfect. You are doing exactly what I asked for. Thanks."

He said goodbye to everyone and headed off to class.

Jadeite climbed all the stairs heading up to the temple and paused at the top. It really was a lovely place. He always marveled at the beauty of it. He sighed and hoped this wasn't breaking Molly's rule to let her handle things. He was impressed with her, she really was handling Raye perfectly. He felt that this was all his own making though. Without him in her life Molly wouldn't be having to deal with Raye and it really bothered him that he was the cause of irritation for her.

He walked over and noticed he didn't see Raye outside, so he knocked on her door and no one was there. He then headed over to the Great Fire and saw her sitting near it concentrating. He spoke up, "Hello Raye. Have a minute to talk?"

She smirked and said, "I really don't think I have time for you. I thought I warned you not to come crawling back." She walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder and he immediately shrugged it off.

He had to remind himself it was for his relationship with Molly. This was all for her, and why he was putting up with this right now. "You misunderstand the reason for my coming here." He looked and sighed, "Aren't you going to give up on trying to get something from the Great Fire? I thought you realized Serena took all of the power back that you were given."

"I was hoping the power she stole managed to come back to me." She spat the words and shook her head. "No luck so far."

"I would argue with you on that, but I would just be wasting my breath. Any luck with the Martian sword?"

"Are you hoping that it will 'teach' me something?" She snorted, "I have nothing to learn. I haven't bothered with it."

"You are impossible," he said sounding exasperated.

"And I am not taking you back." She quipped.

He sighed, "I don't want you back. I want you to stop making a scene every time you see Molly. She doesn't deserve what you say to her and it is pissing me off."

"Did she go crying to you when she realized you would get tired of her?"

"Ha! Nope! She is amazing and nothing you say to her bothers her. It does however bother me that you are trying to hurt her." He let his aggravation bleed into his words.

"She isn't worth your concern," she said. She was annoyed that he was defending Molly to her.

"Use the sword and learn your lesson, maybe it will take the bitch out of you." He usually refrained from calling a woman that, he was just furious.

She grew mad, "How dare you call me that! I haven't even touched the sword. I have no intention messing with whatever magic Serena put on it to fool me. You'll come around to see I was right. Soon enough you will all be begging me to come back and I will just laugh in your faces."

"Just leave Molly alone. Every time you confront her it just disgusts me." Jadeite sighed, shook his head, and just walked away. He knew it was time for him to ask for a group meeting.

"Jerk!" she yelled at his back. She refused let him have the last word.

Daren smiled at Serena after they told their waitress what that wanted to eat for dinner. "Go ahead. I know you have something on your mind."

"I do, I have something I wanted to talk to you about, but I don't want anyone else knowing about it. I know this is a date, but it is Scout related."

"Serena that doesn't make it out of bounds. If it is bothering you, or you just want to talk about it then want to talk about it too. I am here for you for everything."

"Thank you. I just am not ready for anyone but you to know about this."

"Then it will just be between us. It isn't a hardship to keep a secret with you." He really loved being her confidant.

"It has to do with Molly, and I am wondering how it will affect her relationship with Jadeite." She really loved seeing Molly happy with him.

"You are worried that it will hurt their relationship? Why doesn't she tell him?" He was concerned for his friend.

"She doesn't have a clue. Truth is, she is Raye's sister reborn. She is the next possible Sailor Mars."

"Wow! Just, wow. I wasn't expecting that."

"I don't know what to do! I feel I should give Raye a chance, but the more Molly gets involved, the more I really want her to be Sailor Mars."

"I am not even slightly partial. You know my opinion, actually you may not. I have been wishing she were one of your Scouts for a while now, but that isn't what you need to hear from me. I will support whatever you do. I don't think anyone can accuse you of not giving Raye every chance to come back as Sailor Mars though."

"If I make Molly Sailor Mars, I will lose Raye's friendship for good." Serena admitted her deepest fear.

"Do you want her in your life as she is now?"

"No. I want it back like it was," she admitted honestly.

"You can't force her to change and that isn't who she is now. That person you want doesn't exist anymore. If she makes a reappearance, by all means, accept her back. Just remember you aren't responsible for her actions or who she has become. Forgive her if you can, and move on." He desperately wanted to tell her to make Molly Sailor Mars now. He was so done with Raye.

"How did you get so smart about people?"

"I just thought about what advice I would expect to hear you give to someone in your situation." He admitted.

"Well then, I am really smart." She smiled at him and leaned back in her chair.

"So, Molly is the next Sailor Mars." He smiled at that thought.

"Only if she wants to be."

"She does. She would be there for you in any way she could; you are both very close." Darien admired Molly.

"Do you think it would be weird for Jadeite? He would basically be dating the sister of his girlfriend from his first life." She shook her head. "Wow, it sounds like a soap opera story line."

"That is already true though, he just doesn't know it yet."

"I would argue knowing would affect him more, but I see what you mean."

"You don't have to make any decisions yet. Raye still has the sword and it may be working." He paused, "That makes so much more sense! I wondered at the time why your mother only mentioned Andrew and not Molly. She didn't mention her because she is from the Silver Millennium."

"That would be why. She was Raye's younger sister, Raye got precedence because of her age." Serena explained.

"She isn't younger now."

"It is killing you to suggest giving Raye a chance isn't it?" She smiled at him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Yup! She was mean to you and it makes me angry. The only thing holding me back is the fact that you were able to forgive me and it seems hypocritical of me if I tell you to not give her a chance."

"You are a darling and I love you."

"I will never get tired of hearing that." He admitted.

Later that night he kissed her at her door and said goodnight. He couldn't wait for the day Molly replaced Raye as Sailor Mars.

"Jadeite we are all here, what is this about?" Kunzite asked.

Serena, Darien, the Scouts, Generals, Luna, and Artemis had all gathered at Jadeite's request. Kunzite had rarely seen him as serious as when he had requested a meeting, therefore he gathered everyone quickly.

"I wanted to make a request to Serena, but I wanted everyone present when I did it. I want her to see there are no dissenting opinions on this." Jadeite explained his reason for getting everyone together.

Serena looked serious; she had a feeling this was about Raye. "Go ahead General Jadeite I am listening." She was letting him know not only was she taking him seriously, but what he said was considered official business.

"Your Highness Princess Serena," he did after all prefer her as she was in this life, so he used her current name, "Raye isn't using the sword at all. She has no interest in learning anything from it. She says you put magic into it just to mess with her."

Serena started to cry, "She hasn't used it at all? She was supposed to come back to us."

"I am so sorry, but you need to know that. I am asking as one of the ones promised to protect you, please go to the next Sailor Mars and ask her to step in and take Raye's place. She has been given more than enough chances. You are crying right now over a girl who would revel in the fact that she brought you to tears. She has used all of her last chances and I don't like to see you cry."

Darien nodded and wrapped his arms around Serena. "It is time to talk to her and ask her to be Sailor Mars. You were an amazing friend to Raye, and she doesn't want to be in your life anymore. If it helps you can look at is as her choice and you are honoring it. She doesn't want to be a Scout to Sailor Moon. I am truly sorry my darling."

"I hate that I will have to give up on her," she admitted.

"Focus on all of us who are thrilled to be in your life. And think of the new Sailor Mars, she will be thrilled." He brushed his fingers over her cheek. "I would prefer her over Raye any day. She truly is the better choice."

Serena wiped her tears and smiled at Darien, "You are right sweetheart."

"Wait, you know who she is?" Mina aske Darien.

"I do, she just recently told me." He turned to Serena, "It is time to talk to her. Don't forget to take the broach."

She kissed him and then looked at Jadeite, "I assume everyone agrees with you." She looked at each person and cat and everyone nodded. "Thank you, Jadeite, for coming to me. I was going to have a hard time making this decision by myself." She reached out her hand and squeezed his. "You have protected me from the moment you came back into my life and now you are protecting me from having to make this decision on my own. Thank you."

Jadeite smiled at her and said, "You don't have to thank me. I serve you because I want to."

Her mind was now set and it she needed to approach Molly about becoming Sailor Mars. She would tell everyone after Molly made her decision.