Chapter 39 – Sisters

Raye laid there on her bed long after her grandfather had gone to sleep for the evening and thought about everything Mars had told her. He was right, being Sailor Mars didn't make her happy. She stood up and called Mina. She hoped it wasn't too late, by either sense of the definition.

"Hello," Mina said and sounded weary and cautious when talking to Raye.

"I am sorry it is late in the evening; can I please have Molly's phone number? I promise I won't say anything mean to her." Raye tried to convey that she was being truthful.

Mina sighed and said, "Yes, I will text it to you. Wait a second." Raye waited and heard the text come through. Mina continued, "I am trusting you in this, please don't let me down."

Raye paused and asked, "What have I done lately that makes you trust me?" She was really curious.

"Absolutely nothing, you matter to me and I want to be able to trust you. Just try to look at it as wishful thinking."

"Thank you." Raye said and then added, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Mina then hung up the phone.

Raye called Molly and she answered quickly. "Hello, Raye."

"Hello Molly. Um…. Gosh it is late."

"You are the one who called me," Molly pointed out.

"Yes, but I was wanting to meet up with you because I really needed to talk. You are my sister, so I am hoping that gives me more leeway with you after being such a bitch to everyone. Family forgives. Right?" Raye was hoping Molly would agree.

"Give me time to get dressed and meet you at the temple. It is late so I will get a ride over. Do you mind if Jadeite comes with me and waits in another room?" Molly wasn't going to hide her engagement to Jadeite even if it would make things easier with Raye.

"Um. Yea. I mean no. That is, I mean it is fine with me."

"Great I will see you soon." Molly then said goodbye and hung up.

Jadeite answered his phone on the first ring and Molly just smiled and said, "You weren't sleeping I take it."

"Nope, and I am always excited to get a phone call from my fiancé. I love that word." He smiled and said, "You don't normally call this late though."

"I don't and I have a favor to ask. I know I am Sailor Mars and I can protect myself, but I needed to go out tonight and I was hoping you would drive me. I don't want someone trying to attack me only for me to end up killing them by mistake."

"I am alright with the killing part, but I get what you are saying. Where do you need me to drive you?" He asked while he pulled out clothes to wear.

"I would rather tell you when you get here. Is that okay?"

"As long as you aren't asking to be driven to a boyfriend's house it is okay." He joked.

"As if any other man could impress me in the slightest when I have you." She told him.

"Damn right!" Jadeite said puffing out his chest. Shit did she make him feel like a man. She really was perfect.

He arrived at her house and she hopped in the car and without any preamble she said, "So I got a strange call tonight. Raye called." Jadeite's head whipped to look at her and he slammed on the breaks. "Easy there, tiger, pay attention to the road. Anyway, Raye called and asked to talk. She called me sister and family, talked about her needing forgiveness, and referred to herself as a bitch. I told her I would meet up with her."

Jadeite drove in silence for a couple of minutes processing what she said. "You really are incredible. The first tiny indication she gives you that she wants to have a relationship with you, and you are on your way to meet her immediately." He sighed.

Molly listed and said, "You aren't wrong. The biggest reason I wanted you to drive me over was in case it went horribly. I knew it was you that I would need afterwards. That was the real reason I called."

Jadeite pulled over in front of the temple and put his car in park and looked at her, "I will always be there for you no matter what." He took a shuttering breath and said, "Sheesh, what you just said, you have no clue how much that means to me. When you say things like that it makes me feel like a king."

Molly kissed him and pulled back and looked into his eyes, "It is you and me together in everything, don't ever forget that."

"Forever. I won't forget." He promised and the got out and opened her door for her. "Where would you like me to wait?"

"That is up to you. It is a nice night. I could find you out wandering the temple if you would like or I could just text you when I am done."

"Text me and I will meet you at the Tori gate." He said and walked with her up the stairs.

When they arrived at the top Raye was waiting there and looking nervous when she saw Molly. Jadeite shifted and mumbled that he would wait for her text and then walked off.

Raye indicated that Molly should followed her, and they made their way to her room and both sat down and got as comfortable as they could.

"Thank you for coming out here when I was the one who called and wanted to talk." Raye didn't know how to jump into what she wanted to say. "I um… You know I have been talking to Mars?" Molly nodded. "Yea well, he made me think about some things." She sighed, "Can I just ask why you want to be Sailor Mars?"

"Are you asking in an attempt to trip me up because you want to take my place?" Molly had decided to just be frank. She didn't think sugar coating anything tonight would help.

"You misunderstand me. I don't know why I wanted to be Sailor Mars again so badly. I was trying to understand something Mars said to me."

Molly paused and then thought about Serena, she knew she couldn't be tricked into bringing Raye back again as her Scout. "I want to serve my friend who has been there for me longer than I can remember, she has been brave and faced things even when she was terrified. Now I have the chance to stand by her side and support her. The powers are also pretty cool too."

Raye nodded, "I just want the powers, they make me feel different, special. The problem is that Mars is right, I don't want the rest. I struggle to serve anyone, and I would have to serve Serena. There is nothing I truly object to with serving Serena other than the fact that I just don't want to follow anyone." She sighed, "I don't know if I am making sense."

Molly shook her head, "But being Sailor Mars means protecting Serena not serving her. I spoke up in the first meeting I was in and they all listened to me and I never felt like a servant."

Ray sighed, "I guess my feelings about it are just different. I have thought about it and I just want to be their friend. I don't want to have to be led by anyone. Sorry if that sounds bad, but it is honest."

"No, it doesn't. What sounded bad was what you were saying to all of us before. It is your friendship Serena despaired of losing." Molly laughed, "She was so sure making me Sailor Mars would end any chance of reconciliation between you two that she hesitated to give me the broach. And now it turns out that by you not being Sailor Mars you are more interested in being her friend."

"I said some horrible things, I doubt friendship is really in the cards."

"I am talking to you and you were really awful to me. The moment you called me sister I knew I would come over to talk to you. Give us all the chance to decide how we feel and don't decide for us."

"I am sorry for what I said. I was angry and hurt. It isn't an excuse, but I will say that you stepping in the way you did hit every insecurity I possess. It stung to be replaced so easily and by a better version. I haven't ever really felt good enough for anyone." Raye admitted.

"Just because you felt that way didn't make it true. Think about it logically, Serena may be kind to everyone, but think about who she actually lets into her life. She is incredibly forgiving once you become part of her circle of friends, but it is a finite group. She doesn't let just anyone truly into her life. She didn't replace you she replaced Sailor Mars. That might not sound like a big difference, but it is."

"No, you are right there is a difference there." Here Raye paused. "We are sisters, right? I mean we fight like sisters, but I want to get along. I am sorry for what I said to you."

"I need to tell you something and you need to tell me if you still want to be sisters after you hear it. Okay?"

"Okay," Raye replied sounding curious.

Molly took a deep breath and launched into it, "It's Jadeite, I know you had a relationship one thousand years ago, but that is over now. You will not try to claim he is yours and you will not complain when we are together. I don't care if you try to flirt, I am secure enough to know he isn't interested in you. It isn't about me being better than you, it is about us being amazing together. I love him and he asked me to marry him. We are engaged and I am incredibly happy." Molly then took another deep breath. It had all come out in a rush of emotion.

Raye's eyes were wide, "Wow. I wasn't expecting that. I meant the engagement part. Not that…" She paused and tried again, "That's fabulous. I am glad you are happy together and I won't cause a problem. He is incredibly cute, but I don't even remember our past. I wanted to date him because I thought that was my right. I am not entitled to anyone or anything. I am going to actual work for what I want now and not expect it to be handed to me, and I don't want him." She thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "I like the idea of him being my brother."

Molly smiled at Raye and started to tear up.

Raye was puzzled and asked, "What did I say wrong?"

"Nothing, I am just happy to have a sister finally." She wiped her eyes, "My mother miscarried three times after she had me. I had asked for a sister when I was little and didn't understand what had happened to her and she cried and never spoke about it again. It was hard because how supposed to express that you are hurting too when you are just a child. I lost siblings I never got to meet. I had always hoped for a sister, but I despaired that I would never get one."

"My mom died when I was a baby and my dad never wanted to remarry. I never even had the hope of a sister. I don't know how to be one." Raye admitted.

Molly shrugged, "Neither do I. Fighting over a boy sounds about right to me though." She winked. "The rest we will just figure out. We will do what works for us."

"Sounds like a good plan." Raye got really nervous and her hands got sweaty. "Um, if you would like me to come to any of your training sessions I can. I um, know about the powers you have and might be able to suggest some tips. That is only if you want me to."

"I would love that," Molly beamed.

Raye looked shocked and then smiled, "Great! Just let me know when and I will be there."

Molly texted Jadeite and told him to meet her at Raye's room. Very shortly later there was a knock on the door.

Raye let him in and was smiling, "I hear congratulations are in order. You are a lucky guy to get Molly to marry him."

"Don't I know it," was his reply. He looked at Molly and he was obviously puzzled by Raye's behavior. "I managed to walk myself into a proposal by quoting Much Ado About Nothing to her."

"What is that?" Raye knew she was missing something.

"Shakespeare." Molly supplied and smiled at Raye. "It was so romantic." She got a dreamy look in her eyes.

Raye chuckled, "You two are perfect for each other."

"That we are!" Jadeite said.

Raye looked at Jadeite and stated, "I apologized to Molly and she has been gracious enough through it all to even call me sister. I wanted to apologize to you too. I was awful to you both and I was completely in the wrong. I can't say I won't upset her again, but I can say that I won't be intentionally cruel. We are sisters after all, and we agreed they fight sometimes."

Jadeite looked at Molly and spoke to Raye, "Be the sister she has always wanted, and I can accept your apology."

"Deal."

Molly yawned, "It is late, and I am tired. Raye are you going to talk to Serena?"

"I would like too; do you think she will agree to talk to me?" Raye grew nervous again.

Molly nodded, "I will let her know in the morning that you want to talk. Why don't the three of us meet for lunch at the Arcade."

Raye agreed to meet Molly and Serena for lunch and said her goodbyes to Jadeite and Molly.

Jadeite drove home his amazing fiancé and kissed her when he arrived at her house, "Goodnight my love. Thank you for calling me to drive you."

"Goodnight darling, sorry about canceling our standing lunch date without asking you."

He shook his head, "I want this for you. I want you and Raye to get along. Go and have a great time."

They kissed again before she headed inside and went to bed.