I am back in Canada! I have jet lag! I do not have SARS! I do not own Sailor Moon! Read and review but be kind, no flames! Check out websites! Read my Harry Potter fanfic if you don't mind slash! Enjoy!

            Usagi's jaw dropped when she set foot inside her apartment. "What the…how did…where did…?" she sputtered as she turned in fury to her Outer Senshi, all of whom were staring in various directions. Despite Haruka's cover up earlier with the police, the apartment was a shambled mess, and in the middle of the floor were Chibi Usa and Helios, trussed up like a set of Christmas turkeys.

            "Now Usagi, calm down." Was the first thing Setsuna said in an attempt to placate her. "It's not as bad as it looks."

            "It couldn't possibly be as bad as it looks!" Usagi burst, her nerves already frayed and on the breaking point. "What happened here?"

            "Welllll…" Haruka drug out the word. "We only had your best interests in mind Koneko, you know that."

            Steam was appearing out of Usagi's ears as her face turned a fascinating shade of red. "Oh look," Chibi Usa sneered from her spot on the floor. "Mummy's home. I'm in some sort of wicked trouble now."

            Usagi shot one final, venomous glare at her Senshi and crossed the floor to face her wayward child and lover. It was almost with a sense of pity that she looked at Chibi Usa, a child she had tried so hard to love. Despite all the changes that Usagi had gone through, some part of her heart could (would?) not harden against this child. "Why are you here?" she demanded.

            "I came to take back that which is rightfully mine baka. That which you stole from me." Chibi Usa replied imperiously.

            "It was never yours to begin with." Usagi said quietly. "Since you are tied up, I can explain it to you, though there is little chance you will actually listen to me."

            "All you speak is nonsense, nothingness and lies." Helios spat at her.

            Where Usagi had some compassion left in her heart for Chibi Usa, she had none for Helios. Haruka saw her urge to kick him and helpfully did it for her with a grin. "That help my liege?"

            Usagi closed her eyes and sighed. "Since you are my child, I suppose I should tell you the truth of the ginzuishou, however since your existence is at an end – for the future you come from is not longer probable and has been pushed to the back, it is pointless."

            "You know nothing." Chibi Usa affirmed.

            "No?" Usagi's eyes narrowed. "The ginzuishou will never go to you, for it was not given freely. It is an artefact meant for the one true Queen, the one true Hope…the one true servant."

            "It is impossible to be both a Queen and a servant." Helios protested.

            "I was not addressing you, you slimy piece of worm ridden filth." Usagi snapped, her temper getting the better of her. She focused on Chibi Usa. "You truly have no idea of the power that is inherent in the ginzuishou, do you? Even I do not know the full extent of it's power, not even I have gained total mastery over it."

            "You said you did."

            "I have said many things," Usagi prayed to be forgiven for this lie. "It will never belong to you Chibi Usa, for I have found out something fascinating and horrid for you." She paused. "You bear the mark of the Moon, yes; and you can wield the ginzuishou to a point also, such was the way Neo-Queen Serenity arranged it. I can only imagine the future where you come from, where despite appearances; things are not what they seem. You do not love your mother in the future, you hate her – despise her even, because you know the truth."

            "And what truth is that?"

            "You are not my child. You are not Neo-Queen Serenity's child. I do not know yet who your mother is, but it is not me, in any time." Usagi said with quiet finality. "Whether Endymion was unfaithful is another story, but he adores you and always has. For the sake of appearances to the outside world, Neo-Queen Serenity cast spells upon you, imprinted the Moon on your forehead, gave you partial ability to use her ginzuishou – with her permission only – to keep up the pretence that you were truly her child."

            Chibi Usa closed her eyes. "How in the hell did you figure it out?"

            Usagi smiled enigmatically. "I owe you nothing."

            "Au contraire." Chibi Usa snapped, fighting her bonds. "You owe me a great deal. You owe me love you could never fully give me, you owe me the ginzuishou as payment for me having to put up and tolerate your pitiful affections and attempts to be my mother. You owe me a lost childhood due to a constant battle to keep my father's affections for my own, and then as soon as I had them – you stole him from me again." She sneered.

            Usagi turned her back, the ginzuishou having done its job well. "Release her."

            "Koneko!" Haruka's eyes widened to massive proportions. "You can't be serious!"

            "This is neither the time nor place for us to settle it here. She broke in to my apartment, stupidly of course, the has committed numerous crimes this day, yet I want her released."

            "Be reasonable!" Haruka pleaded.

            "Usagi…are you certain this is wise?" Setsuna asked quietly.

            "I have my reasons Setsuna. Let them go."

            Setsuna held Usagi's gaze for an instant then nodded. Haruka let out a snort of derision and disbelief, Michiru looked thoroughly disgusted and Hotaru just stared at the couple with pity in her eyes. "As you wish."

            Chibi Usa stood and rubbed her chafed wrists. "Truly you are a fool, an idiot of incredible…"

            "Do not finish that sentence if you know what is good for you." Michiru said in a lethal tone.

            "You are beginning to repeat yourself Chibi Usa. Run out of insults and lies already?" Usagi commented in a level voice as she stared at her nails.

            "This was your final mistake, 'Mama.'" She grinned evilly. "When next we meet…"

            "Get this bag of wind out of my apartment, and do not bother to return yourselves." Usagi told the Outers as she headed for her bedroom. "I wish to be alone before I go to work."

            "We have much to discuss Usagi." Michiru reached for her as Usagi whirled and made a slashing motion with her arm. "We have nothing, NOTHING to discuss this day that cannot wait until tomorrow."

            She turned her gaze to Setsuna. "And I know time is short, and I know that we have much to be done!" her voice rose shrilly. "Just get out! All of you get out now!"

            Hotaru didn't ask questions, just began herding everyone out the door. "See you tomorrow Usagi." She called over her shoulder. Hesitating once, she darted across the  room and embraced Usagi firmly, whispering in her ear. Usagi appeared shocked and surprised as Hotaru gave her a shy smile, a hearty wink and ran after the others.     

            "Artemis." Ami acknowledged as the cat slunk into the room, a worried expression on his face.

            "Ami-chan!" he greeted happily. "How are you?"

            He seemed oblivious to the frosty atmosphere of the room, to the fact that Ami radiated fury and ice with each breath. "How dare you keep this knowledge to yourself?" she snapped, anger making her see red.

            "What are you talking about Ami?" Artemis truly seemed bewildered.

            "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think I couldn't crack your code?"

            Understanding sank in on his face. "You hacked into my database."

            "How can you let this…farce…this travesty(!) occur for another second!?" Ami burst out in rage.

            "This is necessary! It has to be done!" Artemis protested.

            "Not so early! There were years left before Usagi had to undergo any of this! You knew, all along you knew and you did nothing!"

            "She enlisted my aid for without it, it would have been impossible!"

            "Are you the one responsible for brainwashing Rei and Chibi Usa?"

            "I am not. I had nothing to do with that, I was part of it in other ways." Artemis defended himself. "We have the best intentions…"

            "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Ami snapped. "I thought you liked Usagi."

            "I do!"

            "I thought you had grown to respect her."

            "I have!"

            "Then WHY?" Ami screamed in frustration. "WHY have you done this?"

            "You wouldn't understand." Artemis replied, infuriating.

            "Try me." Ami snarled, her temper, which she kept firmly under wraps threatening to boil over and explode.

            "It's a long story."

            "We have time."

            "I really can't divulge…"

            "You will tell me your reasons, and tell me now Artemis, or I make you a doorstop here and now."

            Faced with a livid Ami – a sight no one had ever seen. Artemis closed his eyes, cursed her intelligence and diligence and began to speak.

            Makoto knew that what she was about to do was going to hurt Usagi far more than it was going to hurt her. She was under orders from Rei, had her instructions on what to do. She waited, she listened and then she said a little prayer as she sprang from the shadows that concealed her and onto her prey, preparing to give her a beating she would not soon forget.

            Haruka screamed in shock and rage, before battle instincts kicked in and she turned to size up and face her opponent in a fight that was certainly going to be a hell raiser.

            "You failed."

            "Shut up!"

            "I told you you would." Smugness.

            "I told you to shut up!"

            "Now what are you going to O Divine One?"

            "Watch your tongue!"

            "Watch your own, I've had enough of this. If I continue to follow this travesty for a Queen, we'll all be dead and the Cause will be for nothing!"

            "We need to regroup, think of some other way to get her."

            "Sure, why not? Another pointless plan, using energy and resources we cannot spare. Let's think of another plan because she hasn't made us all look like idiots from the start."

            "Sarcasm is not appreciated."

            "Do I care?"

            "You're a fine one to talk, you failed at everything. You couldn't seduce my father, you couldn't keep my senshi…"

            "My senshi you little piece of toenail fungus, not yours."

            "Semantics."

            "Oh I think not, now, why don't you tell me of your failure."

            "So you can laugh at me some more? I highly think not."

            "I am going to laugh at you irregardless, so it really doesn't matter."

            "How dare you speak to her that way?!"

            "Bite me."

            Sounds, scuffling. A thud against the wall. "You dare harm me or this child I carry and I swear to you in the name of the God of War that I will wreak vengeance upon each and every one of you!"

            "Oh knock it off. We all know that none of us can attack the other. Such is the nature of our agreement."

            "Then what do we do now?"

            "First furball, get out of my face."

            "Sorry my Queen."

            "Next, be seen and not heard and if possible, do not be seen."

            "Yes my Queen."

            "I think our best course of action is to wait. I have Makoto, Ami and Minako out with duties to be done."

            "Will they do them?"

            "I have entered Makoto's mind. She fights Haruka as we speak."

            "And the others?"

            "Ami is fighting Artemis, I do not know why, but since he is not on our side, I care little. Minako is spying on Usagi, is going to take her Luna Pen and disguise herself as Usagi in the process delivering her to us. If we can get her on temple grounds, we have her!"

            "I approve of this scheme."

            "I didn't ask if you approved or not."

            "You need a lesson in manners Rei."

            "You need to learn about hair dye."

            Hotaru fought down laughter as she listened to the argument between Chibi Usa, Helios, Rei and Luna. Indeed Rei was fed up with Chibi Usa and her pathetic attempts to be leader, and she was also truly, with child. Slinking away unnoticed, she did not see that she herself was followed.

            Mamoru rang the bell of Usagi's apartment, the days since he had last seen her all too long and arduous for his liking. He had mentioned to Motoki this morning that he was going to stop by and see her before her shift today and Motoki had arched his eyebrows at him and informed him that Usagi could not be late for work. Idly Motoki had asked Mamoru if he had seen Usagi at all recently, and he replied not for a couple of days. He was here now to tell Usagi that Motoki was going to pay her for her shift, but that she was not required to actually show up, wondering what the hell he meant by that.

            Usagi opened the door and his jaw dropped. He was the only one who had not seen her since her…change. His mind ceased working, his brain shut down as he drank in the sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her eyes were haunted, signalling to him that she had undergone more of those wretched Trials. Her body was slimmer, indicating weight loss. Her apartment was a disaster, remnants of the afternoon's events hovering around. "Mamoru." She breathed, grateful to have someone to lean on, someone to support her.

            "I can't come in Usako." He replied in a strangled tone.

            "Why?" she asked in a soft voice.

            "I will have you now. I don't dare do that without permission."

            "Whose permission? Mine…or Haruka's?"

            "Does it matter?" he choked as he stared at her, losing himself in the depths of her eyes.

            "I have been accused of wanting you only for your body. I have been told repeatedly that I have only one thing on my mind, that I support you for one reason only."

            "I have heard those rumours too Mamoru. If that were true, you would have taken me by now."

            "I have been told that what I felt for you before is disgraceful, if I were truly your soul mate, I would have loved you no matter what and not be so proud of you now."

            "You DID love me before, but not the love of a man for a woman, rather the love of a brother for a particularly annoying sister. You knew I could do better, the potential was there, but I hid it deep inside. You knew of no other way to treat me."

            "And for that I apologize."

            "I admit it hurt, the way you treated me, it made me angry. You voted to cast me out…but we have discussed this already. You know what I was hiding."

            "I do."

            "Ignore the rumours Mamoru, this is our story, not theirs. Not Haruka's, not Setsuna's, not anyone's." She held the door open. "Come in."

            "Usako…"

            "This is our time Mamoru and I will wait no longer."

            A spell, newly learnt to stop anyone from entering, appearing or interfering was cast about the apartment, as Usagi and Mamoru faced each other, and yet another Trial began.

            The door closed with finality.

            Hope you enjoyed. Giddy with being home…bless dryers, bless them, wonderful inventions (I actually hugged my dryer on my knees!), bless normal toilets, real bathtubs and stores that have clothes that fit me! I don't look like a bag lady anymore! Next chapter written, just being edited. Question: want the love scene with Usagi and Mamoru or no?

Until next time!