Author's Notes at bottom - Enjoy!
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No Greater Love
Epilogue
By: Bethany
Editor: Meara
Rated: G
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It was a beautiful spring day, the day my daughter turned two.
The birds sang happily outside her nursery window as I dressed her in a
watermelon patterned dress and matching panty cover. I tied a green bow
in her hair and fastened sandals on her feet while softly humming happy
birthday.

When I finished, she clapped her hands, repeating over and over:
"Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!"

"Hai," I smiled, kissing her lips gently. "Happy birthday to you,
my precious." I plucked her out of her bed and carried her into the
kitchen where Mamo-chan was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

As soon as I was in the door, his smile broadened and he came
over to kiss me and then Chibi-Usa. "Look at this!" he exclaimed, his
eyes dancing merrily. "Is this a birthday girl I see here?"

"Hai!" Chibi-Usa responded, clapping her hands again.

"Oh?" her father raised his eyebrow, looking curiously at Chibi-
Usa as she cheered for herself again. "And how old is the birthday
girl?"

Delighted that the day was finally here (we had been talking
about her party for a week) she proudly held up two fingers and then
burst into joyful giggles when Mamo-chan acted like he was going to
bite them. "No, no Papa," she told him, her finger moving through the
air like a strict school teacher. "My fingers!"

I placed her in her highchair, where Mamo-chan continued to
aggravate her, while I began making her oatmeal. Shingo stumbled
through, his hair still sticking up every which direction, and plopped
down at the table. "Good morning sweetie," I greeted, kissing him on
the forehead, which he tried to avoid, and handing him his medicine and
a glass of water. "You need to hurry with your breakfast, you have a
doctor's appointment today."

His reply was a grunt that resembled more a dying animal than an
eight year old boy. "Why do I have to go to the doctor again?" he
complained, playing in his bowl of cereal rather than eating it.

Mamo-chan cast him a glance of warning and straightened up,
picking his coffee mug up again. "You know that the test results will
be back today, and you'll probably start on a new medication to help
you to concentrate. Besides, Chibi-Usa and Usako both have doctor's
appointments today, too."

What we didn't tell Shingo was that they doctor had already let
me know the test results from our last visit. Today they would be
beginning him on treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, which caused him to have trouble concentrating, as well as
containing his energy levels. The pill he now took daily was a low dose
of Ritalin. Since it had been helping to improve his condition, we were
going back today to finish the evaluation and get him started on
Adderall - a time release pill that didn't have the severe side effects
the Ritalin did.

He pouted, throwing dirty looks at both Mamo-chan and I, and even
Chibi-Usa, while he ate his cereal. I knew that in about thirty minutes
when his medicine started working, he would be the same loving kid that
I knew - but right now he was being difficult. I ignored him and
continued making breakfast for Mamo-chan and I. Breakfast was the one
meal I could make decently, though bacon I only tried twice - and burnt
twice, mind you. I suppose being pregnant didn't help my cooking
abilities after all.

"Oh sweetie, listen to this," my husband said suddenly, holding
up a magazine for me to see. "I had Tuxedo Kamen's love child," he read
from the front cover of a gossip magazine that's favorite subject was
the Sailor Senshi.

I rolled my eyes as he flipped to the page. "Again? What does
this make, your fourth child?"

Laughing, he scratched his chin and put the magazine down. "I'm
going to need another job just to pay child support and alimony."

I placed the eggs on his plate, a little crispy around the edges,
but the middle was always good. "If you do get another woman, make sure
she can cook this time, ne?"

He reached up and grabbed my face, bringing my lips down to his
where he kissed me for a long moment. "Now why would I want someone
else, when I have the best wife and children anyone could ask for?"
Again he pressed his lips to mine sweetly.

"Geesh, get a room," Shingo mumbled from across the table.

I smiled at him, kissing Mamo-chan again before I said: "I don't
have to, Shingo. I have a house." And to prove my point, I put the
skillet down on the table and sat on Mamo-chan's lap, wrapping my arms
around his neck.

Shingo got up, putting his bowl in the sink before going to his
room. I giggled, pulling a piece of Mamo-chan's hair between my
fingers. I leaned in to kiss him again when suddenly a sippy cup was
thrown at us. I blinked, both of us looking over to see Chibi-Usa
laughing hysterically. "I think someone is jealous," I whispered to my
husband.

Following closely behind the sippy cup was a spoon. Mamo-chan
shook his head, burying it against my breast as he tried not to laugh
at her. "I agree."

I got up, picking the skillet up and taking it to the sink to
wash. A few minutes later Mamo-chan came up behind me, placing his
plate and fork in the sink. He nibbled lightly on my neck and wrapped
his arms around my waist. "By the way," he drawled. "You're gaining
weight."

"Hey!" I retorted, readying to hit him with the spatula just as
he ducked away and ran behind Chibi-Usa's high chair. "I'll have you
know that it's perfectly normal for a three month pregnant woman to put
on some weight!"

"Three months and you and the girls haven't raided every baby
store in Tokyo yet?" he asked, again sneaking up to wrap his arms
around me.

I hesitated. I didn't want to tell him the reason I didn't buy
anything yet is because I was scared I wouldn't have a use for it. I
spent day in and day out scared that I would miscarry again. I knew
that if I bought baby things and then lost it.... I'd go insane looking
at the stuff. Dr. Mizuno told me time and time again that I was having
a perfectly normal pregnancy - but I couldn't shake the fear. And I
probably wouldn't until I was holding my baby.

I forced a smile on my face, trying to keep any of my real
feeling from seeping into my voice as I spoke. "No, not yet. I want to
wait and see if we're having a boy or a girl before I go on a shopping
spree. But I do have to go to the consignment store today. Rusha-san is
holding a white toddler bed for me and matching Hello Kitty sheets and
blankets."

Mamo-chan looked at his watch and kissed me once more. "I've got
to go to work. I'll be home in time for Chibi-Usa's party, okay?" I
nodded, turning so that I could wrap my arms around his neck. His ocean
blue eyes stared deep into mine as he held me tight. "While you're at
the consignment shop today, don't be afraid to look at the baby stuff.
We're not going to lose this one."

I felt my heart lift up to my throat, where it throbbed almost
painfully. How much I loved him at that moment. My stomach felt
hollowed out and my eyes watery. "I love you," I croaked out, hugging
him tightly. Sometimes, when he looked into my eyes a certain way, or
said something so full of love and understanding, I just wanted to
burst with the feelings I had for him.

"I love you," he replied, his face in my hair. We just stood,
holding each other that way. The rest of the world forgotten. Just us,
and that's all we needed. Painfully, it seemed, he pulled away from me
and whispered he had to go before he was late. He kissed me, and then
Chibi-Usa before heading out the door.

That day I went to the consignment shop to pick up Chibi-Usa's
toddler bed and looked around at all the baby items. I couldn't bring
myself to buy anything just yet, but I knew I'd be able to.

Mamo-chan had stayed up all the night before putting together a
tricycle for Chibi-Usa. Underneath the bright, warm spring sun, a crowd
of my friends watched as she struggled to push the petals and then
laughed when she finally did.

I leaned against my husband's chest as we watched her ride in
circles on the patio, waving every time she passed us. I blinked and
frowned as a cloud moved across the sun, casting dark shadows over our
day.

But just a few mintues after the darkness moved on, pushed away
by the sun's bright rays. I supposed our life was like that also - dark
times would come, but the sun would always come through.

Just as it would for me.

--End Story.

Well, there's that! Yay! I finally finished! I'm sorry that took so
long, guys. I had half of the chapter wrote when I decided I didn't
like it at all and deleted it and started all over. The next book in
this series is called "Forever More" and I've just about finished the
Prologue. In the meantime I've released the Prologue to a new set of
stories I'm writing about the Senshi's begining - the first is called
"Beyond the Staff" is about Setsuna. At the end of that chapter is some
important author's notes about that story and the next one in this
story. Might want to check them out. I could put them here, but I'm in
a hurry ^^;;

Huge thanks to everyone who reviews on Fanfiction.net and ASMR. And, of
course, those who email me. And my editor, whom I will be forever in
debt to because she can spell and use grammer correctly ^_^ *hugs
Meara*

As always, I don't own Sailor Moon or characters that I borrowed for
this story. I do own this story line and the characters I create in it,
don't use them wihtout express permission.