"Happy Birthday, Serena!" the girls called out as she walked into Rei's temple.
"Thanks guys." she smiled. "Hey, where's Darien?"
"He'll be here in a few minutes." He needed a bit of help with the gift Jessie sent. It's a pretty big box. He's had it for about a month now." Mina explained.
"There he is." Ami said, pointing a few feet away.
Sure enough, when Serena turned around, she saw her boyfriend walking up, pushing a handcart which held a huge box, easily half as tall as he was.
"Okay," Serena said. "That is a big box."
"And heavy." Darien agreed. "I think she sent you a bunch of boulders. Or maybe an entire mountain.
From inside the box, Jessie scrawled in mock-rage. 'I'll get you for that, Darien,' she thought, shifting to a more comfortable position.
"Well, the party's around back." Rei said. "Think you can push it a little farther?"
"I suppose so." he sighed. "Anything for my Meatball Head's birthday."
"She left strict instructions that hers was to be opened first." Luna said. "But she didn't say why."
"In that case, I'll open it last." Serena shrugged.
"Oh, come on Serena," Lita laughed. "You're dieing to know what she sent you. I'm surprised you haven't opened it right here.
"It can wait. Besides, I always open hers last."
'Okay," Jessie thought, grinning. 'As soon as this thing stops, I'm teleporting out of here. That'll really scare people when she opens it. Poor Darien, he'll be the one who'll be really frightened. He knows that I'm in this box. Let's see… the nearest tree should work just fine.' When she realized she was no longer moving, she smiled and waited for just a moment before slowing teleporting out of the box.
*@*@*@*@*@
"So," the Death Phantom said over the communicator. "Queen Jessica of the Negaverse is on Earth, you say?"
"Yes, Master." his follower replied. "She seems to be attending what the humans call a birthday party. Her bodyguards are nowhere to be found."
"Excellent. Capture her and force her to release Metellia. With her power, I will be able to cleanse both the Universe and the Negaverse. The Wiseman failed me. Do *not* make the same mistake. Understand Jewel?"
"I understand perfectly, Death Phantom." the woman acknowledged as she bowed. "Queen Jessica will be in your grasp."
*@*@*@*@*@
"Okay," Serena commented as she looked into the large, now-vacant box. "What's the joke? This thing is completely empty."
"What are you talking about?" Darien demanded. "I put the gift in myself. And I assure you she was still breathing."
"Gotcha!" Jessie called down from her tree. "Sorry Darien, I couldn't resist getting outta there. That comment you made about what was in my present was rude. I do NOT weigh as much as a mountain! I was very insulted when you said that."
"You're here, Jessie," Serena exclaimed happily. "You're really here."
"Of course I'm here, Serena." the young Queen answered as she jumped down. "I told you I'd take you on a shopping spree when we got back from the Negaverse, didn't I?" Jessie smiled as she turned her face to the warm sun. Then, as she started to turn away, a flicker of irritation showed in her features. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered. "I'm really going to kill him."
"Who?" Rei asked as she looked up at the sky.
"Jedite," Jessie growled. "I told him to stay at least ten miles away from me today, so he decided to go ten miles straight up into space."
Serena laughed. "You can't blame him for that."
"No, but I can yell at him for it." Jessie looked back into space. "Excuse me, I'm going to send him away now. I'll be right back."
"Whoa." Darien said after she'd teleported back into space. "I've never seen Jessie so upset. I wonder why she's as angry as she is?"
"Well, it's kinda hard to pretend that you're just a normal person when you've got a bodyguard keeping an eye on you from ten miles up." Serena said. "And that's all she wants to be able to do, pretend she's a normal human being. I know I complain about how little free time I get, but at least my every move isn't the center of attention of the entire Universe the way hers are in the Negaverse. What's wrong with a week or so on a planet where no one knows who you are?"
"Not a thing." Jessie answered, teleporting back in. "And I for one intend to be a tourist here. There'll be plenty of ceremonial visits on both sides later on. We'll all be bored outta our skulls then, so let's enjoy what Jedite is calling the Queen's Escape."
"Is he going back to the Negaverse now?" Ami asked.
"No. Just to the hotel. Our ship won't be returning for a week. But first, we've got to go back to the North Pole to meet it. We didn't want to frighten the normal people." Her smile seemed far brighter than it had when they'd first seen her that day. "Oh, I almost forgot." she added, fishing into her purse. "Here's your birthday presents." She calmly pulled out six small packages and handed one to each of them. "If someone tries to destroy Earth again, these should help. I meant to give them to you sooner, but I only found them last month. I'd really love to know just how Beryl got ahold of them."
"How do they work?" Mina asked as she placed the ring on her finger.
"Transform as you normally would." Jessie answered. "The ring gives you a new and more powerful attack. Since I can't use your powers, I don't know what the attacks are."
Each of the five Scouts had received a sliver ring with the symbol of her respective planet engraved on it. Darien's box had contained a set of cufflinks which had a rose engraved on each of them.
"Didn't you find a ring for yourself?" Serena asked as she slipped her own on.
"Hmm?" Jessie replied, lost in thought for a moment. "Oh, yes, there was one for me too. The ring itself was too big for my finger, so I put it on a chain and wear it around my neck. See? It has a star to symbolize Night. I'm going to Molly's mother's store to have it resized if possible. It's only a little loose, so it shouldn't need much work. So, what's next on the agenda?"
*@*@*@*@*@
Jewel stared at her reflection in the mirror as she made her plans to destroy the planet called Earth. She appeared to be about twenty years old, but she could no longer remember her age. All she knew was that she had been raised by the Death Phantom from the time she was an infant.
"Jem!" she called out, replacing her mirror. "Come forth!"
"I am here, Lady Jewel." Jem responded as he walked into the room.
"Excellent. As you know, we have been instructed by the Death Phantom to capture Queen Jessica. In your opinion, will it be possible to take her without alarming the Sailor Scouts to our presence?"
Jem pushed back his lavender hair to reveal honey-brown eyes and nodded. "There is one way, my Lady." he admitted. "But I doubt you wish to take it. As you must realize, you resemble the Queen very much. You could surely capture her and take her place during the time she is on Earth after dying your blond hair to black. While you are earning the trust of the Sailor Scouts, I could deliver Queen Jessica to our Master so that he may extract from her the secret of releasing Metellia from her prison. I know that the idea of becoming Jessica is distasteful to you, but it may be the only way, Jewel."
"I was afraid you might say that." she replied regretfully. "Very well, I will make the suggestion to our Lord and Master while you monitor the movements of the Queen."
Jewel turned back to the mirror in order to contact her Master, while without realizing it, she fingered the sun-engraved ring on her hand; the only clue to her past…
*@*@*@*@*@
It was late evening when Jessie finally got back to the Lyon Hotel. She opened the door carefully in case Jedite was waiting for her inside. He wasn't.
Keeping the promise she'd made earlier, she knocked lightly on the door between their rooms and called out that she was back.
When she turned around, she gasped. "Wh-who are you?" she asked in a whisper. Standing before her was her mirror image- if she had been blond and there had been a mirror in front of her, that is. "You look like me!"
"My name is Jewel." the stranger hissed. "And I am a servant to the Death Phantom. Jem, grab her now!"
Jessie felt a hand covering her mouth, while another grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her.
"Now, I am going to ask you some questions and Jem is going to move his hands so you can answer them. We're trusting you not to scream. Got it?"
The young Queen nodded, frightened but calm.
"Very good. First question: how many of your bodyguards are on Earth?"
"All three." Jessie answered. "Zoisite and Malachite are on their honeymoon. Jedite is the only one protecting me."
"Excellent. Next, how long are you remaining on this pitiful planet?"
She said nothing for a long moment. "One week." she answered as Jem roughly squeezed her arms.
"Is there anything I should have in order to convince the Sailor Scouts I am you? Items or knowledge?"
"Today was Princess Serenity's birthday. I'm taking her on a shopping spree tomorrow. But even if you know everything about them that I do, had experienced every thought and feeling I have, you won't be able to make them believe that you are me. Your eyes are too hard and your voice is too cruel. Little things will be your biggest mistake, Jewel. I don't know why you're doing this, but you will fail."
"We shall see." Jewel smiled as she rubbed her ring, drawing the captive's attention to it for just a moment.
"They might want to talk about the day that Beryl died and what happened to us then. Even if you've memorized every public speech I've ever made, you still wouldn't know what happened that day. I've never talked about it with anyone- not even those who were there. And I won't. It's not my idea of a pleasant memory."
Jem squeezed her arms tighter in response to her comment, trying to force her to talk about it, but she remained silent. "You are weak and pathetic, a stubborn female child with no right to be Queen." he muttered in her ear coldly.
"Well, you got four of the six right." she said, twisting slightly to look into his eyes. "You see, I am stubborn, I am female, I am a child by your standards, and I don't have any right to be Queen of the Negaverse. But I'm not pathetic, and I'm not weak!" As she finished, she dropped to her knees and threw her arms in front of her, flipping him over her shoulder. She ran to the door adjoining her room to Jedite's and opened it, thankful that he'd insisted the leave it unlocked on both sides. "Jedite!" she cried, rushing in. "Jedite, where are you?"
"He's gone, Your Majesty." Jewel sneered as they followed her into the room. "I- excuse me, you- sent him on an errand. We're not stupid after all."
'Okay, Jess,' the Queen thought to herself. 'Think. You're on your own with your psycho look-alike and her strongman hunk. Can't fight here, too many people will notice. So, gotta teleport outta here until another idea comes to mind. Sorry, Serena, looks like I'll be seeing you tonight after all.' Jessica teleported out of the Hotel room just as Jem lunged toward her. 'I wonder where she got that ring.' was her last thought before everything faded away.
*@*@*@*@*@
"Something's wrong!" Zoisite exclaimed as she awoke from a dreamless sleep. "Jessie's in danger!"
"It was just a nightmare." Malachite assured her. "Queen J is safe and sound in the Palace of the Negaverse. Jedite is still there to protect her, remember?"
"No she isn't. I saw her earlier with the Sailor Scouts." Zoisite argued. "She had her back to us, but it was her. There's no one else who moves like her, and Jedite was keeping an eye on her. I didn't say anything then because she was having so much fun."
Malachite stared at his wife as he jumped out of bed. "Where is she?" he demanded, knowing she was far more sensitive to the Queen than he was.
"I don't know. I felt her teleport, that's what woke me up. I know she's in trouble, she never teleports anywhere. I'll bet she went to one of the Scouts for help. Or maybe she went to her mother's house. Whoever's after her wouldn't know about that place since she never talks about her past."
"It's a good guess one way or the other he agreed. "But why wasn't Jedite with her?"
*@*@*@*@*@
"Luna!" Serena said as she heard a heavy thud on her floor. "Did you hear that?"
"Of course I heard it, Serena." the cat responded. "I'm not the one who can sleep through anything. Now, turn on the light so we can see what happened."
Serena reached over and flipped on the small lamp by her bed. In the dim light, she saw the form of her friend sprawled on the ground. Only her gentle breathing gave proof that she was still alive.
Luna recovered from her surprise first. "Serena, go get a cold washcloth. I'll try to wake her so we can find out what happened."
"Alright Luna." the blond agreed, walking silently down the hall to the bathroom.
Before Luna could do anything more, Jessie moaned and awoke on her own. "Wh-where am I?" she asked, looking around and feeling confused.
"It's alright, Jessie," the cat assured her. "You're in Serena's bedroom. You teleported in and tripped, I think."
"Do you remember what happened?" Serena asked as she brought the cloth and a cup of water.
The raven-haired woman nodded slowly and stood up. "Yes. There's another servant to the Death Phantom here- and she looks like me!"
"What?!" Luna and Serena stared at her.
"It's true. Except for her hair, she's my mirror image. She even has a ring similar to mine, except that instead of a star, hers has a sun. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she was my clone, but that's impossible."
"When did you see her?" Luna queried. "And where?"
"She and some strongman jerk were in my hotel room when I got back. She sent Jedite on an 'errand' for her. I didn't transform and fight because I didn't want anyone else getting hurt. There wasn't much time, so I teleported here. I'm sorry, this is the first place I thought of. Don't worry though. I'm calling my ship back and returning to the Negaverse. I have no right to put the Earth through another battle. I'm the one they're after."
"They'll follow you there, Jessie." Serena protested. "We can protect you better here. Besides, the Death Phantom has already tried to destroy Earth once. If you leave, your look-alike might stay behind to finish the job."
"She said her name was Jewel, and she called her friend Jem." Jessie remembered. "Oh, great."
"What's wrong?" cat and blond demanded.
"Zoisite knows I'm in trouble. I'd love to be able to break this link between us. This was supposed to be their honeymoon after all. Bye-bye Earth vacation." She shook her head. "But right now, it's me they're after. I'm pretty sure they intend to have Jewel dye her hair and take my place as Queen so she can free Metellia. That being is more evil than a hundred Beryls. I won't allow her to be freed. The price would be the destruction of the Universe and Negaverse both."
"I thought Metellia was destroyed when we killed Beryl." Serena argued.
"She can't be destroyed. She's been in existence ever since the Negaverse came to be. She will live as long as that dimension exists. It's my job to see that evil is never released into space."
"Tell us some more about those people. What did Jem look like?"
"Gorgeous." Jessie sighed dreamily. "About six feet tall, with honey-brown eyes, and killer lavender hair. He's strong, but I don't know how smart he is. He didn't say much more than his opinion of me- which wasn't very flattering. True, but unflattering."
"What did he say about you?" Serena demanded, ready to defend her friend.
"That I was a weak, pathetic stubborn female child with no right to be Queen. Fact is, I agree with all but two. I'm not weak and I'm not pathetic. Other than that, he and I are in perfect agreement. They both seem to be cruel monsters who have no hearts. When I first saw Jewel, I honestly thought I was staring at a reflection of myself in a mirror. But not even Beryl's eyes were as cold and full of hate as hers were. I'm very sorry to have brought you into this, Serena. As soon as I can meet up with Jedite and the others, I'll be going home. I know that you can protect me, better than all the guards in the Negaverse probably, but I won't put you in any more danger. Listen, if you see me again before I leave, make sure it's really me. Look for the star ring. Then ask me anything about… what happened that day. I've never talked about it with anyone. Hopefully, I won't be alone, so you won't have to ask me anything. I wish you well if we can't get together again until you're Queen. I have to go now, Zoisite and Malachite are looking for me. Here's the cash for that shopping spree I promised you three years ago." As she placed the money on Serena's bed, she began to teleport again.
"Jessie, you can't go." Serena exclaimed. "You can't stop them alone. Please stay."
"It's my fault that Earth's in danger." Jessie whispered. "I need to correct my mistakes on my own. Good-bye my friends."
*@*@*@*@*@
Zoisite teleported into the last house her Queen had called home before taking the throne to the Negaverse. As she had expected, she found Jessie sitting in the middle of what had once been her bedroom. Strangely, everything remained as it had been at that time, despite the fact that Laura Klinto should not remember she'd ever even had a daughter.
"Jessie?" she whispered so as not to frighten her.
The young woman jumped and turned with eyes filled with caution. "Oh thank goodness." Jessie sighed in a hushed voice. "I was hoping one of you would think to check for me here. So much for the honeymoon, huh?"
"It's not your fault, Jess." Zoisite assured her. "Whoever came after you knew exactly where you'd be at just that time. Who knew you'd be leaving the Negaverse when you did?"
"Luna, Artimis and Darien." the Queen answered. "And the girls- except for Serena- found out yesterday. Today was Serena's birthday, so I decided to surprise her. But Zoisite, it's the Death Phantom. He's sent someone else to Earth- someone who looks just like me. Do you know who she could be?"
"No. But we need to get to Malachite. He and I are quite angry at Jedite for leaving you alone."
"I told him to." Jessie protested. "I told him to let me have the chance to be nothing more than a normal person- even if it was just for one day. So far as I know, he went back to the hotel after I asked him to stop baby-sitting me."
Before either could say anything more, the door to the room burst open. In the doorway stood a short, middle-aged woman with red hair and green eyes. "Jessie!" Mrs. Klinto gasped in disbelief. "You've come back. Oh, thank God. I thought I'd never see you again. Where have you been?"
"Ma- Mama?" Jessie whispered. "Zoisite, why does she remember me? The spell didn't work on her. Why?"
"Please tell me, Jessie. What's been going on the last three years? Are you going to stay home now?"
This was the last thing the Queen could handle. She burst into tears. "No Mama, I can't. Zoisite, go find Malachite. It's not fair to leave my mother in the dark like this since the spell didn't work. She has a right to know where I've been and why I can't stay."
"He'll be here." Zoisite said. "We were supposed to meet here if we couldn't find you anywhere else."
"I'm here." Malachite replied from outside the open window before stepping in.
"Mom, I think you'd better sit down. There's a great deal you'll have trouble believing, and this is a long story."
When the four of them were sitting in the semi-circle of the chairs and couches in one corner of the living room, Jessie spoke again. "A little over a thousand years ago, Earth's Moon was home to a great civilization... (AN: I'm not going to go into a blow-by-blow of the Moon Kingdom. If you don't know what happened, then you shouldn't be reading this. Go do some research on Sailor Moon and come back later.)
*@*@*@*@*@
"And now I'm Queen of the Negaverse, Mama." Jessie concluded over an hour later. "I guess the spell we cast to make everyone forget about the most recent battle didn't work on you. I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to remember me at all. I never meant for you to be so worried."
"But that still doesn't explain why you came back." her mother replied. "Are you planning to finish the job this Queen Beryl started? Will you try to release this Metellia?"
"Of course not Mom." the young woman said. "No, it's the Princess Serenity's birthday- or it was. The sun will be up in a few hours. I came to see my friends for a week. These two were supposed to be on their honeymoon, but someone came after me, so as my bodyguards, they had to cut it short. But I'm getting really worried about Jedite. We should have felt him teleporting by now."
He may still believe the other girl is you." Zoisite pointed out. "If she looks that much like you…"
"The Death Phantom knew exactly what he was doing when he sent Jewel and Jem." Jessie agreed. "But what truly frightens me is that she has a ring almost exactly like mine. The only difference is that hers has a sun. Could she be another Sailor Scout?"
"It's possible." Malachite admitted. "But I've never heard of an evil Sailor Scout before. You told me of someone named Black Lady. Didn't you say she had been brainwashed? Could that be what happened to this Jewel?"
"I don't know. Luna told me that Black Lady's eyes were different than they were before she had been brainwashed. I wouldn't know the signs. And, I'd rather not bring the girls into this if we can help it. If possible, I'd prefer to have this battle take place in the Negaverse. It's not fair that Earth should be punished just because I decided to forget about my responsibilities for a few days of fun. If the Death Phantom wants me, he'll have to come after me on our own turf."
"But from what you've just told me, the Sailor Scouts can protect you. Why don't you ask them for help?"
"I'm a Sailor Scout too, Mom." she reminded Mrs. Klinto. "I can protect myself if I need to."
"Jessica Elizabeth Klinto!" her mother retorted sharply. "You've always been independent and self-reliant, but this time you're taking it too far. What happens in the Negaverse if you are killed? Did you ever think of that?"
"That was the second thing I thought of after Beryl was destroyed." Jessie answered. "I have a will in the safe of the Negaverse castle. It states exactly what is to happen should anything bring about my death. That is something I have to think about every day. I wish you didn't have to worry about me anymore."
"But your mother is right Queen Jess." Malachite interrupted. "We will need the help of the Sailor Scouts and Moon Princess. If you won't ask for their help, then I will. I won't let another good Queen die in my lifetime."
"Do what you want!" she gave up angrily. "But I don't like it. My first priority is to find Jedite and make sure he's safe. I came far too close to losing all of you once. I refuse to go through that again. I'll give up my crown before I allow any of you to be harmed."
"Well, we've got to come up with w plan so that we can avoid that possibility at all cost." Zoisite responded firmly. "We need you on the throne with the crown on that thick head of yours."
TBC...
Okay, that took a lot longer than I intended. Very sorry about that. But, as I said, these chapters are much longer than "Night", and I don't have nearly as much free time on my hands. Pity. I miss that. I'll try to have the next part up before Father's Day. Beyond that, I can't make any promises. Also, there's a reason for Zoisite's sensitivity to Jessie being in danger. I just haven't written the fic which explains it yet. Maybe someday I'll be able to finish it. Anyway, where's Jedite? Why does Mrs. Klinto remember Jessie? Who is Jewel? And what new evil is the Death Phantom up to now? Find out next time I finish typing!