Happy Birthday to Mina! Happy Birthday to Mina! Happy Birthday dear Kara! Happy Birthday to Mina! Boy, for a while there, I didn't think I'd be able to finish this on time, but Hope finally left me alone long enough to get some typing done. Anyone want a very cranky muse who never lets you rest? Let me know, I'll pop her in the mail for you. Life was much easier before she introduced herself. Anyway, this chapter had to be split into two parts, so read 'em both!
Chapter 2, Day 2"I don't understand why Jessie won't let us help her." Lita complained. "We owe her big-time for helping us find the Princess. Even if she was right in front of us all along."
"I agree, girls." Luna nodded. "But we don't even know where she is, let alone how to help her."
"Queen Jessica is in danger?" Jedite demanded as he walked up to them. "That's impossible. She was just fine when I left her last night. What sort of game are you playing, Sailor Scouts?"
"It's no game, Jedite." Malachite answered as he, Zoisite and Jessie came in from behind him. Our Queen is in danger."
"That wasn't me you spoke with last night." Jessie added as she plopped on the grass. "That girl's name is Jewel, and she's a servant of the Death Phantom's."
"Another one?" Jedite moaned. "I thought the Wiseman was the last of them. I wonder how many others he has hidden away. But she looked exactly like you. Her voice, her movements, everything was perfect."
"You didn't find it strange that I was a blond?"
He shrugged. "Her hair was wrapped up in a towel. I couldn't see it."
"She must have been planning this for a very long time." Rei said as she followed Jessie's example and seated herself on the soft ground. "From the day Jessie was crowned Queen, most likely."
"What are you doing here, Jessie?" Serena asked. "I thought you were going back to the Negaverse."
Jessie glared at Malachite and Zoisite. "I don't want your help, Serena." she murmured quietly. "I don't think it's fair for me to put you through another battle so soon after the last fight. However, our beloved newlyweds seem to agree with you on the idea that Jewel and Jem will remain to finish the Wiseman's mission of destroying Earth. Therefore, I have to request your help, regardless of my personal feelings on the matter."
"You're just trying to protect us, Jessie." Mina replied. "But right now, it's you who needs protection. We're here to help you, whenever you need us."
"Mina's right." Lita agreed. "You don't have to go through this alone."
"Thank you guys." Jessie smiled. "But somehow I get the impression that Lita's just looking for an excuse to fight as Sailor Jupiter."
"You know us that well, do you?"
"She's paid special attention to any reports she can get about you six, Rei." Zoisite answered. "She has another source besides Central Control who's given her much more detailed information on what has happened on Earth."
"Who?" Luna demanded. "No one else knows who the Sailor Scouts are. Who gives you this knowledge?"
Jessie shrugged. "Sailor Pluto." She commented in an offhanded tone. "When Luna told me about the Scout of Time, I thought it might be helpful if she and I met. She's stopped by every few days since then to let me know what's going on with the rest of the planet. She's a little more formal than I'm used to, but I like her. The company's always nice. It's good for her to see people every now and then too."
"Do you think she could help us now?" Luna suggested. "It seemed that she was very powerful the one time we met her."
"I wouldn't know how to contact her, Luna. The first time I met her, she just came up behind me. Since then, she's come on her own, whether I'm expecting her or not. I wish that Small Lady- er, excuse me, Rini- was here. She's able to talk to Pluto whenever she wants."
"Rini's in the future where she belongs." Serena replied firmly. "Let's not put her in any more danger."
"I agree." Darien nodded. "I won't allow my daughter to be hurt."
"I'm not saying I want to put her in harm's way." Jessie protested. "I just wish she was here so we could talk to Puu. That's Rini's nickname for her."
"You know full well that only Small Lady is permitted to call me that, Jessica." Pluto answered, appearing in a ball-like field.
"Sailor Pluto!" they all gasped in surprise.
"Can you help us defeat Jewel?" Ami asked once she'd recovered.
The Scout shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to leave the Time Warp long enough to help you."
"Well then," Jessie said. "Can you at least tell us who she is? Where she came from?"
"Like Small Lady, Jewel's mind has been possessed by the Death Phantom. I also believe she is a Sailor Scout, but there is no proof."
"That would make sense." Mina nodded. "Jessie saw a ring with a sun on it on Jewel's finger."
"Sailor Pluto," Jedite interrupted. "Is there any chance that she could be related to Princess Rosa? If it weren't for that towel wrapped around her head to hide her hair, I'd swear she was Jessie."
"Yes," Pluto admitted. "Her twin sister, in fact. The Wiseman tried to get both of you, Queen Jessica, but I stopped him before he could grab you as well. He got away before I could help your sister."
"I can't believe it." Jessie whispered. "I had a sister? How could that be? My parents would have told me about her!" The young woman stood up and teleported away without saying another word.
*@*@*@*@*@
Jem and Jewel had remained in the rooms which Jessie and Jedite kept at the Lyon. Both were very surprised to see her walking into her room dressed as a Sailor Scout.
"Queen Jessica," Jem murmured quietly. "It wasn't known that you are a Scout-wannabe. What do you call yourself, Sailor Negaverse?
"You know," Night replied in a mild tone. "I've already given you full marks for muscles, don't make me take them away for brains. It's not Scout-envy. I am a Sailor Scout. And the name is Sailor Night; after the name of my home world. I ran before to keep innocents from being killed. I've come back to tell you this; leave Earth alone. These people have gone through enough. I know what your master wants, and I won't allow it to happen. Only by my order- the real me, not some look-alike- can that evil be freed. Tell the Death Phantom as much, Jewel. And tell him also that I shall soon be freeing the true Princess of Night, as well." As suddenly as she'd walked in, she teleported out, laughing slightly as she did so.
*@*@*@*@*@
"Is there any way you can remove her ability to teleport in and out like that?" Serena muttered after Jessie had reappeared as quickly as she had vanished. "Where did you go?"
Jessie smirked. "One question at a time, please." She said a moment later. "First of all, not if they want to keep their jobs. Teleportation is one of the best modes of non-violent self-defense you could have. It's saved my life many times- right after I was crowned as well as last night. I die and they get to go looking through the classifieds for new work. Secondly, I stopped in on Mom to check on her, then went to see if I could find my sister. I did."
"Ring please." Serena piped up.
"Here you are." Jessie smiled again as she held up her hand which wore a newly-adjusted star ring. "Anything else?"
"Who put Jedite in the coma?" Rei asked.
"And how did it happen?" Ami added.
"I did." Jessie answered, no longer smiling. "Jedite wouldn't let us pass to get to Beryl, so I used the Stars Shine to weaken him. I made sure the blast was weak enough for him to block it, but he didn't even try."
"It's her." Jedite said. "She's never spoken to anyone about the strength of her attack. Not even to me."
"I've never spoken of that day at all." The Queen corrected quietly. "You picked the most painful memories of that day."
"That's why we asked about it." Mina said. "We thought you'd prefer it if we asked you the hardest questions first."
"You never did tell me how you saved my life that day, either."
"No, Jedite, I guess we didn't." Zoisite agreed. "Did you plan on telling him, Jess?"
"I don't know. I guess we can now, if you'd like. After Nephrite betrayed Beryl, he took the energy you and he stole and hid it in the castle. Mercury found it with her computer and we gave it to you to keep you alive. No big secret, we just never got around to talking about it."
"So, what happened with your sister? Did you tell her?"
"Nothing. I asked her to deliver a message to the Death Phantom, that's all. The message was that I would *NEVER* release Metellia, and that I would free the Princess of Night from her prison."
"You're assuming that Jewel is your sister. We could be wrong, you know." Ami pointed out.
"We're not, Ami. I have a sister from Night who just happens to be my identical twin. Who else could it be?"
"Besides, she said she'd free the Princess, not here sister." Lita added. "Even if we're wrong, we may be able to find the right girl."
Ami nodded, but still looked slightly doubtful.
"They're staying at the hotel, if anyone wanted to know. But right now, we're going back to my mom's place so we can watch the tape of the wedding. There's something at the end of it that I think you'll just love."
Her three bodyguards laughed at the few sentences she had said before the cameras had stopped rolling.
"Let's get going." Serena ordered. "I gotta see this."
*@*@*@*@*@
Darien finished work that day and walked out of the building. Despite the fact that he knew she was on Earth, he couldn't help but feel shock at seeing Jessica wandering the streets. But the real surprise was the man she walked with. "Hey Jessie!" he called out.
She didn't even glance around. She was deeply engrossed in whatever the man was talking about.
"Hmmmm..." he murmured. "She must not have heard me. I'll see her later. I wonder why she decided to go blond."
*@*@*@*@*@
"Jessica!" her mother roared angrily. "Why didn't you tell me you're engaged? I thought we agreed you'd let me at least meet your future husband- *before* you announced it on television."
"Mom," Jessie laughed. "I promise, when and if I find a husband, you'll be the first to know. I said that I was planning my wedding, not that I'm engaged."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Klinto." Jedite assured her. "I had exactly the same reaction. She said something about every girl planning her wedding from birth. Or her doing so, anyway."
"And guess what, Mom?" Jessie added brightly. "Those two people who want to capture me? Well, the girl is really my twin sister from my other life. She's been brainwashed by that evil being we told you about last night. I always wanted a sister, but I never dreamed that when I got one, she'd try to kill me."
"You've got a big problem then." Mrs. Klinto replied. "Because I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know you're safe."
"And that would be never." Zoisite said sadly. "There's always danger for Queen Jess. Simply because she's the Queen. That's why we're here, to protect one of those who is capable of restoring peace between our two dimensions. Beryl caused a lot of damage while she was on the throne. In just a few years, she destroyed a trust that had existed for twenty thousand years. There's much work to be done before we can even come close to regaining everything we've lost. We may never see true peace again in our lifetime."
"We will." Jessie promised. "If we give up hope of that, then we may as well surrender right now." Her eyes were determined. "And I refuse to surrender. Yes, Beryl destroyed the trust between our dimensions. But most of the damage is wounded pride. And all of that is on our side, so far as I can see. We'll have to get into a lot of official stuff; but it's mainly for show. The real work will be behind the scenes."
"Will we ever see each other again?" Serena asked. "Other than at some important ceremonial gatherings, I mean?"
"Who knows? The future is not ours to know. It can be easily changed by even the smallest of details."
*@*@*@*@*@
"So, Queen Jessica intends to free the Princess of Night, does she?" the Death Phantom said. "Very well. This could be used to our advantage. Jem, you will inform Her Majesty that we will release her Princess if she gives herself in exchange. Even if she refuses, we win."
"I will obey, Master." Jem answered as he bowed before the now-fading image. When he was able to, he turned his back on the mirror and spat. For Jewel's sake, he would obey the order. He cared of nothing else but her safety. He knew who she was. He also knew the Wiseman had failed in his mission when he had kidnapped the small babe. Jessica had been the one they'd wanted. *She was the Sailor Scout. Jewel had no such power, regardless of what the legends claimed about the royal twins of Night."
*@*@*@*@*@
The six Scouts knocked on Darien's apartment door and were happy to find him home. "Hello, girls," he smiled as they walked in. "Who was that guy you were with, Jessie? I didn't think you knew anyone else on Earth other than us. And why did you change your hair again?"
"Huh?" Jessie's face was blank. "Darien, the only guys I've been with today are Jedite and Malachite. And the girls of course." Then, it hit her. "That wasn't me you saw, Darien. Her name is Jewel, and she's under the power of the Death Phantom. And here's the real kicker; she's also my twin sister. Be careful of that guy, though. He's strong and very fast."
"That would explain why she didn't answer when I called out to her."
"Guess what, Darien?" Serena said smiling. "Jessie's planning her wedding."
His face was surprised. "Who's the lucky guy?" he asked.
"Serena's just teasing you, Darien. I've got the dress and everything else picked out- except the groom. It seems like all the good ones are either taken or not interested." She smiled. "Right now, though, all I want is to force my sister from that monster. We can figure out who my true love is after that."
*@*@*@*@*@
'I have to admit.' Jewel thought as she rummaged through the suitcase on the bed. 'The Queen has excellent taste in clothing. And she didn't plan on staying very long.' Toward the bottom of the bag, she found a small narrow box. Deciding to finish what she'd started by opening Jessica's suitcase, she carefully lifted the lid and looked inside. It was packed with pictures from both before and after the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. She leafed through them idly, noticing that the Queen herself was seldom in the photographs prior to the battle. When she was, she was giving looks of mock-rage from having her picture taken. Despite the fact that her mouth was scrawling or opened as though yelling no, her eyes were laughing, showing she didn't really mind as much as she was pretending to.
These twenty or so photos from before the Negaverse showed either her three bodyguards with one other man, or the Moon Princess and her court, the Sailor Scouts.
The ones from after the battle were completely different. These showed her in swimming suits or jeans rather than in formal gowns with a tiara. In several she was with a middle-aged woman with reddish hair and green eyes. Without meaning to, she dropped one of them. It fell facedown on the bed and she noticed the writing on the back of it. The top gave three sets of numbers which meant nothing to her. Under them was written "Mom and me at my 12th birthday party."
"How odd." Jewel said aloud. "The Queen has a mother on Earth. She must take after her father's family."
She went back to the pictures from the Moon Kingdom and looked at their backs. Each had a set of numbers and a small comment underneath. She found one with just Jessica and the man who was not a bodyguard. This one said; "Me and Nephrite at Beryl's coronation." This one had been held many times, for it was worn and had a few small tearstains. Under the description of where they were was a small comment about her mysterious friend. "He was no angel, but he was my friend. He had a kind heart and a gentle soul. I will never forgive Beryl for his death."
"Jem?" she called out into the next room. "I'd like to show you something."
The lavender-haired man opened the adjoining door and walked in. "Yes?" he asked. "What is it?"
She silently handed him the box of pictures. As he started to glance through them, she spoke again. "I was examining her belongings to see what I could find out about her. Those were at the bottom of her suitcase. There's some information written on the backs. Did you know that Jessica was present at Queen Beryl's coronation?"
"Yes," Jem acknowledged. "That was when she stated her opinion for Beryl. She delivered it in a polite, well thought out speech to all the people of the Negaverse. I'm not sure which angered Beryl more, Jessica's rejection, or the way she did it. And Beryl was the only one who knew it was a declaration of hate. To anyone else, it was just a few kind words expressing her thanks to the new leader for all that had been done for her. Jessica is normally very subtle when she insults someone. She was trying to anger me when she questioned my intelligence this morning." He reached the last of the pictures and studied it carefully. "I remember this event. That was the last party Jessica attended before the Negaverse attacked. Look at her eyes. She knew that life as she knew it would soon be ending."
Jewel looked closely into the younger Jessica's eyes. It was true. Although she had been having fun, there was a pained and haunted look in her expression. In this photo alone was she smiling. With herself in the middle of the group, Zoisite and Malachite stood one her right side, while Jedite and Nephrite were on her left. Each of her four friends had a similar look of pain hidden deeply in their faces.
"Nephrite was the general who fell in love with a human of Earth, wasn't he?" she remembered.
"Yes. By Queen Beryl's order, Zoisite destroyed him for his betrayal. It's often been suspected that Jessica blames her for his death, but she'll never admit it."
*@*@*@*@*@
The six girls stayed at Darien's apartment for several hours, trying to come up with *something* but failing.
Finally, Jessie got up and stretched. "Well, people," she said around a large yawn. "As much fun as this has been, I'm tired. I got no sleep last night thanks to Jewel, so I think I'll go home and take a nap. I'll see you later, alright? Come on over if you come up with any ideas. Mom won't mind."
Before anyone could respond, she opened the door where the former generals of Beryl were keeping an eye out for trouble. The four people left as if it had been discussed among them where they were going.
"That was abrupt." Serena complained. "Why was she so rude?"
"She didn't mean to be." Ami assured her. "She's been on the verge of passing out for some time now. I would have suggested she get a couple hours of sleep on the couch if she hadn't left."
Rei stretched. "This has been the least productive meeting we've ever had. We're just repeating what we already know."
"If you like, you could always go back to the Temple and help Chad with his chores."
"Shut up, Serena." The black-haired girl retorted half-heartedly.
*@*@*@*@*@
Jessie deliberately walked home slowly, taking the most roundabout way she could, avoiding the most populated parts of the city. Jedite, Malachite and Zoisite were nowhere to be found. It was the perfect setup for the servants of the Death Phantom to attack.
Jem took the bait. "Don't worry, Queen Jessica," he said coldly. "I'm here to deliver my Master's answer to your message. If you want your sister back, then you must give yourself in her place."
"So Jewel is my twin." she murmured. "And I expected that monster to make such an offer. Meet me here tomorrow at noon and I'll tell you my decision then. I don't make choices of this importance lightly. Or when I'm half asleep."
He nodded once before vanishing.
"Did you get all that?" she called out, looking up.
"Every word." Zoisite acknowledged grimly. "You're not going to go through with it, are you?"
"I don't know." Jessie admitted. "It's very tempting, but then again, I'm not thinking very clearly at the moment. Ask me again after we've all had a few hours sleep."
"I told you we wouldn't be seen if we watched you from the top of the buildings." Jedite gloated. "We're not leaving you alone again. At least one of us will be with you at all times this is over."
"Bye-bye privacy." Jessie sighed. "But would one of you please inform the girls of what's just happened? If you want them to help me, then they need to know all the facts. And they have a right to know that I may wind up doing something very stupid tomorrow to help my sister."
"I'll go." Malachite offered, teleporting away, not giving the others a chance to respond. "We're not going to let you do this, Jessie." Jedite said firmly. "Even if you weren't our Queen, you're still our friend." She smiled her thanks, but said nothing, choosing instead to continue the last block or so to her mother's house in silence.