Whew! This chapter turned out a little longer than expected. . .and I'll
admit. . .it's not too bad. I hope none of you are going to kill me
because of what I did in that last chapter, but sometimes drastic things
must happen in order to make a story come to life. . .I'm sure all of you
know well what I'm talking about. I hope all of you enjoy this chapter. .
.Chapter 15. . . wow! Sounds so long! I appreciate all the new readers
and all the old. It's interesting to know that some of you are
recommending my story to others. Good! Keep going! It's working wonders!
It makes me want to write faster! As do all your reviews. Each one makes
my brain tickle with new ideas. I've already got a million stored up for
Reaching Out and plenty more for this one. Please read and review! Thank
you! ~Lady Hino
* * *
"Yes, you idiot prince, come to me," Sora taunted in a voice as sharp and hard as the tip of his steel blade.
Jadeite could feel his blood pumping through his veins, could feel pain and emptiness welling inside of him, trying it's best to surface, but he would not allow it. With a cry of rage, he sprang toward Sora, his sword high above his head.
"How could you, Sora?" he screamed, "You have killed an innocent and I will not allow you to go unpunished for it." He thrust his sword toward Sora, barely managing to knick his upper arm. He ducked when Sora swung his sword toward his head, parried as the blade came flying toward him. He threw up his arm at the same time Sora brought his down and the swords clashed so loudly the vibrations shook the clearing.
"What do I care for righteousness or respectable morals? I have been wronged in this world and you will pay for what you did! I will see you rotting before my feet before I allow you to kill me. There are no words to describe the evil you have done to me! You have killed my brother, my only relative, and I had to stand by and comfort you when the news was brought home! You were so vulnerable because you had seen him perish, while I was shoved into a corner and given his ring to comfort myself! So what reason do I have to show mercy to you?"
Jadeite paused briefly in their battle to frown at Sora and slipped out of reach of Sora's clumsy strokes. He briefly noted that something warm and thick was oozing down his arm, but refused to turn and look. Instead, he spun on his heel and raised his sword in the air, only to bring it down heavily into Sora's right thigh. The harsh yell of pain that fell from his mouth only spurned Jadeite on and he deftly kicked the darker man in the stomach then brought his left fist up hard against his chin. Sora staggered back, then came charging again.
Jadeite jumped out of the way as Sora came for him, then grabbed him by the back of his tunic and pushed him against one of the trees surrounding them. Sora merely shook his head to relieve himself of the dizziness then turned to glare at Jadeite, blood dripping down his chin where his teeth had hit his lip. "It will take more than that to beat me," he sneered.
Jadeite's cheek muscle flexed with his anger, but he simply nodded and raised a hand toward the air and stretched the other out in front of him.
"Papa!" Rei heard the little girl behind her cry out.
Rei bent forward to scoop the child into her arms, then moved toward the surrounding trees to protect her. "You mustn't yell out for your papa at the moment, darling," she whispered. She turned the child's head away as the young and innocent eyes scanned the clearing for her brother. "Listen to me, Isabelle.you must stay just where you are. Do you understand? You must not move from this spot."
"Why? What's wrong with Garrick? Why is Papa fighting that man who took us?"
The uncertainty and slight catch in the girl's voice made Rei want to sink back into herself and absorb all the horrors into herself if only to protect the innocence before her. "Your brother is sleeping, Isabelle. . .he is sleeping a deep deep sleep that he may possibly never wake from. Your father is trying to hurt the man who hurt Garrick. It is a very messy affair and a beautiful little girl like you should not have to worry about such things," she said softly. She cringed when she heard the distinct sound of an energy ball connecting with someone's flesh. "I'm going to try and help your father, dearest, so you must promise me that you will stay where you are."
Isabelle gazed intently into the violet eyes shining in front of her. They were so lovely, so unlike her own. The woman was beautiful, so beautiful she knew that if Garrick were awake from his nap, he would say she was an angel who had come down from heaven to make their father smile. She had only seen her father smile a few times in her short life and she wished desperately to see him laugh and smile all the time. She had hoped that her doll, Lily Katherine, would make him smile, but she thought that it was possible that Lily Katherine only made their caretaker Lily smile because it looked like her. "I don't want to be alone," she said above the noise.
Rei could feel her blood pulsing in her veins. She needed to help Jadeite, her limbs flexed with tensed movements and fire budded at her fingertips. "Isabelle. . .you must stay here for your own good. It is the only way to keep you safe."
Isabelle flicked her gaze behind her and was surprised to see the outline of three large birds gliding toward her. "Ares! Tyche!" she yelled to the snowy owl and dark hawk. She looked back at Rei and saw the undisguised worry in those violet eyes. She reached out a small white hand and placed it gently on the flushed cheek of the raven-haired angel. "Do not worry, angel," she whispered, "I have Ares and Tyche to keep me company. Please help my papa and wake Garrick up so he won't have to be alone too."
Rei felt tears sting the backs of her eyes, but blinked them back and kissed the little girl's hand. "I will try my best," she said gently.
'We will watch the child,' Rei heard a familiar whisper. She turned her face up to meet the soulful eyes of Eurus and a gasp escaped.
"Where have you been?" she asked loudly.
'I will explain all to you when this horror has died away. Just know that magic was involved.'
Rei frowned slightly then gave one last sad gaze to the blonde princess who sat ensconced in bushes and birds, then turned to look at the scene before her. A sob caught in the back of her throat as she took in the blood and the scent of burnt flesh. Jadeite had his hands wrapped around Sora's neck and Sora had the sole of his foot pressed hard into Jadeite's gut. The blood trickling down Jadeite's arm made her stomach dance and the sight of Sora's insane eyes made her blood boil. With a prayer to Mars, she raised a finger to her temple and shot the other hand out, pointing it directly at the ground where Sora lay. With a small tug from the energy surrounding her home planet, she sent out a great tower of fire and watched the two men leap apart, Sora rolling wildly in the dirt and Jadeite falling back, clutching his stomach. "Rei. . ." he whispered.
She rushed to him, tears falling down her cheeks. "Jadeite. . .are you all right?" she called.
"I-"
"Enough!" Sora cried out, raising a shaking hand.
Rei dodged the bolt of energy that shot through the air and landed heavily on her side in the dirt. She gathered fire in her hand and pushed it toward him with enough force to burn several trees to stumps and let out a muffled curse when he leaped to the side and watched as the fire merely grazed his side. She stood quickly and pulled back her arm, with her other extended before her and shot arrow after arrow at him, each more brilliantly whiter than the last. He slipped and twisted out of the way of most of them, but yelled out when one struck hard into his thigh. Rei could see the fiery end vibrating with the force of the hit.
She easily side-stepped the energy attack he threw at her as she scrambled to Jadeite's side, "Jed. . .please say you're well. . ." she said, her breathing hitched.
Jadeite reached a hand up to cup her face and gave her a weak smile. "Barely. . ." he said. Before Rei could come up with a response to that, a cloud of smoke washed over them and had them gasping for air. "Rei!" Jadeite called out.
"Nothing like a dose of smoke to awaken the sense," Jadeite heard a voice sneer near his ear. He swung around agilely and landed a punch in the tree just behind him. He heard the sickening sound of bone slamming into the hard trunk and ignored the pain that blossomed in his hand to try and scan the clearing. The smoke burned his eyes, filled his lungs until he could not draw breath. "Rei. . ." he choked.
Rei, following the sound of Jadeite's voice, rested an urgent hand on his shoulder and helped him stand. She had a ball of fire blazing at the tip of her finger and carefully held it close to his body so that she could examine the hurt he suffered. The slash on his arm had stopped bleeding, but he clutched at his ribs as though trying to force a pain from his flesh. There were bruises on his face, another gash on his thigh and his hand was scratched and bleeding. "Jadeite. . .you're badly hurt," she said softly.
Jadeite turned to look at her through the hazy light and brushed the hair from her temples. "My heart has been torn into miniscule pieces. . .only you and Belle hold the rest. My happiness depends on the survival of my wife and child. . .yes, I would say I am badly hurt. . ." He gently leaned toward her and kissed her forehead, "He is gone. . ."
Rei closed her eyes briefly before reaching up her free hand to smooth it over his pale cheek. "He will come back. . ." she whispered.
He nodded slowly then half-heartedly attempted to clear the smoky haze. When the clearing was somewhat free of the stinging burn, he turned to seek out the small body he knew lay only feet away from him. He saw the crumpled body, lying delicately in the dirt, the arms stretched in front of him and the legs bent. The dirt was soaked with blood and the pale skin of the boy glowed like the moon's gentle glow.
Jadeite made his way toward Garrick on shaking legs. His son was dead. . .
"Garrick. . ." he said softly. The silence he received only made his eyes water all the more. He knelt heavily down beside the small boy and reached out trembling hands to grasp the boy to his chest. The dark line that now adorned his son's neck made the grief stronger, made his hatred deeper. "This is my fault. . .You have lived with nothing but hardships since you were born. Your life was full of mistakes that I made. I am terribly sorry; more sorry than you can imagine," he whispered to the still figure. He was unaware the tears that slid down his cheeks and splashed onto his son's. "I wasn't a good father to you. . .or to Isabelle. . .perhaps it is better that you have left earth and have traveled to a place far more beautiful than any place can be imagined. I could not give you the life you deserved. . .but now you will have it. I will mourn you dearly, Hawk. . .for I love you more than words can say. When I first glimpsed you in the midwife's hands.I felt such joy. And now. . .and now I am. . ."
The words stopped at that point for his lips could no longer move and the tears that blurred his vision prevented him from seeing anything but the blood soaked garment that adorned his son. He could faintly hear the sounds of men slashing through the forest to get to him and Rei. He could hear Tyche and Ares whispering to a silent Isabelle and could feel his firebird's pain seeping into his bones. And yet, he could not release his hold on his dead son. The cold skin of his only son's skin only made his tears hotter and his pain unbearable. The fact that Sora had fled in the midst of smoke made his innards burn. Everything had gone wrong. . .his life was changing too quickly and he could not control it.
Rei took several slow steps toward the brush where Isabelle sat, her arms clutching her knees to her chest. "Is the bad man gone? Is Garrick awake? Is papa going to take us home?" she asked quickly.
Ares, Tyche and Eurus merely sat on their own, there heads down and the light that usually surrounding them dull. "Help him, Eurus. . ." Rei pleaded.
Eurus sadly shook his head and the words that fell into Rei's mind made her throat close. 'The boy's blood has been cold too long. . .'
"Isabelle. . ." Rei said softly, motioning for the little girl to come to her.
Isabelle did not hesitate in clutching at the lovely woman whose eyes made her feel safe. "All is well?" she asked in that sweet innocent voice that made Rei choke on her tears.
All Rei could do was shake her head and hold the child closer to her. How would she explain that her father mourned her dead brother?
"Rei!"
She turned her head in the direction of the shout and when she saw Endymion jumping over bushes, sword in hand and Nephrite hot on his heels, the dam holding her tears broke apart and she flew to him, Isabelle held firmly in her arms. "Endy!" she cried, burying her head against his shoulder.
Endymion dropped his sword as soon as he saw her and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could. The small girl in her arms made no protest when he brushed blonde hair back from her brow. "What's happened?" he asked.
"Sora. . ."
Endymion and Rei turned to look at Jadeite, who stood very still, a dead Garrick draped in his arms. "Sora. . .I fought him. . .he killed Garrick. . .he fled in a flourish of smoke. . ."
Nephrite came up behind Jadeite and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jadeite. . ."
"He was insane with accusations. An innocent life was taken. . ."
Endymion stared disbelievingly at the dead boy and the broken Jadeite.
"Jed. . ." Rei whispered.
Jadeite turned his eyes to her and for the first time since Sora ran, his eyes cleared completely and Rei could see every emotion stirring in those blue depths. She gently disengaged herself from Endymion and walked toward him with Isabelle in her arms. "I am sorry, Jed. . .I wish this didn't have to happen. . .I wish I had not run away and tried to save the children on my own. . .I wish-"
"Firebird. . .wish for Sora's demise. . .that's all you need do. . ." he said softly. He turned hard eyes on Nephrite and motioned toward the east. "We return to your palace. . ." he said, "And once everyone has recovered. . .we finish this. . ."
* * *
'A spell stronger than any I have felt before has made it impossible for me to be near you, princess. It was as though some evil force grasped hold of my wings and pinned them to my side, then tied up my connection to the magic of the universe. I felt helpless and powerless and as like any common fowl.'
Rei turned to look sadly at the flaming bird by her window and shook her head in confusion. "But what spell could be strong enough to hold a phoenix, hawk, and owl imprisoned? Not to mention preventing any communication to be made between Earth and the Moon. It does not make sense. . ."
'I know not either, princess. To my knowledge.a spell has not been this strong since the star of Andros was blown apart by the Princess Minako's great uncle.'
Rei could only nod in response. She remembered the time when Andros had been blown into millions of pieces and sent to litter the universe. Though she had not been born, her mother and father had told her of the story many times as a warning what power could do to you. Minako's great uncle had been immediately sent to "The realm of no return" as she and the other senshi had dubbed it. But even as she tried her best to think of the horror of that time and tried to ponder and accept the idea that it could possibly be happening again with Sora, Jadeite continually intruded her thoughts.
As soon as they had reached the palace, he had made arrangements for Garrick's burial and when the small, private service had finished being had, Garrick lay peacefully under the ground beneath a ginkgo tree with brilliant green leaves. She had watched him kneel beside that grave and stroke the cold tombstone lovingly. The sag of his shoulders and the look of defeat that crossed his features before he knelt down made her heart ache. He had stayed there long after everyone had left and after that she had seen him only once.
She and Isabelle had formed a great bond after the battle and Rei felt near to tears every time the little girl spoke of Garrick calling her an angel. "Garrick called you an angel. Are you an angel, Rei?"
"No. . .I'm not, Isabelle. . ."
"But you look like one. . ."
It was during one of these such arguments that Jadeite stepped into the room and stood silently in the doorway. "Belle. . ." he whispered sadly.
Isabelle ran to her ran to her father and jumped into his arms. "Papa!" she cried happily, burying her face in his neck.
"Belle. . .you are well, I see. Who is it that you argue with? I have never heard such strong dispute from you," he said softly. His grip on the child was so strong and tight, Rei could see the bunching of material.
Isabelle turned to look at the lovely raven-haired girl and gave her a small smile. "My mama. . ." she said.
Rei felt such a deep, beautiful emotion when the word was spoken that she could not reply, merely nodded.
Jadeite blinked at her for a moment before setting the girl down and walking her to the small bed that stood grandly by the window. The room his daughter slept in was directly above his own and he had a private staircase leading from his room to her own through the dressing room.
Gently and sweetly, he tucked in his daughter for bed and caressed her cloud of blonde curls. "Sleep well, snippet. . .if you should need me in the night, I am but a staircase away from you and you may come and see me whenever it is you wish."
Isabelle smiled at her father and gratefully took the stuffed hawk from his arms. It was her newest toy and the only link to Hawk she had with her in Uncle Nephrite's large palace. "Good night, papa," she said.
Jadeite kissed her cheek before turning and leading Rei from the room and down the private stairwell in the dressing rooms. When they entered his bedchamber, he smiled softly at her. "I thank you for all you have done. . ." he said.
Rei nodded slightly and made to move to the door, but he stopped her by grasping her arm. "You don't know what you mean to me, Rei. . ."
"Jed. . .I. . .I'm so sorry about all that has happened. I wish I could fix everything, I wish I could-"
"You begin with the wishing again, Rei. I hope you do not mind Belle calling you mother. . ."
What could she say to that? To be looked at and clung to as only a mother could made tears bubble in the corners of her eyes. To have a little girl try and hide behind her skirts when something frightening threatened her made Rei feel as though she ruled every living being in the universe. "How could you ask me that?" she said.
Jadeite merely shook his head and released her. He turned away from her after and strode back to the bed.
When he said no more to her, she left the room. And now she sat in her own bedchamber, looking out the window at the little garden connected to her room. The gazebo looked fresh and welcoming and the cherry trees and willows swayed gently in the soft breeze. There were jasmine flowers littering the stone floor and laying gently on the chaise lounges just outside the window. She could vaguely hear Eurus speaking to her, repeating all the history of that ancient event when a star was destroyed. She knew it all, had heard it all before from Ami, but dared not make a comment.
She wondered what Jadeite was doing now. . .what he was thinking. She wondered how her brother was reacting to all the activity on Earth. . .did anyone even know that she was living in Spain with a husband and a daughter? Did any of her friends know that she had a bruise on her shoulder from where she fell to the ground to avoid an energy ball that could singe the skin of even the tough Makoto's backside? Why was the spell still so strong that she had heard no word from her friends and family? Eurus said that the spell prevented any information to leek from Earth to the Moon, much less any other planets. Apparently Sora had gained and strengthened himself until his power was so great that it interfered with even the Queen Serenity. How had her world been turned upside down so quickly?
"Eurus. . ." she finally said when she heard Eurus repeating his story of magnificent spells cast by evil-doers. "I would like to reflect on this information alone. . .would you mind perching on Isabelle's window sill and singing her to sleep? It is near midnight and I can feel her restlessness as if it were my own. . ."
Eurus only looked to his mistress with worried eyes that she did not see. She had never sent him away before. She had always requested that he sit beside her; argue with her about the difference between the God of Mars and the Goddess of Venus. They had spent hours debating who was the stronger for Rei believed with all her heart that the God of Mars had come to her in a vision and predicted great conflict with the child of Mars while Venus had slipped into Eurus's mind and promised great love for the child of Mars. Neither understood that the child of Mars was indeed Princess Rei. And as Eurus stared into the sad eyes of his one true love, he understood that the vision Rei had had and the promise he had been made had finally been fulfilled. 'I will do as you bid, princess. . .but I shall forever be at your side. . .
Rei merely nodded her head and blinked back a sigh as she felt the warmth of Eurus's wings dance over her and away. She was alone now, with only the trees and blossoms to keep her company. She slept in a room that was meant for the Princess of Jupiter for it was abundantly clear now that Rei looked at the room again, that his room was in the colors of Jupiter. Greens and pale pinks glimmered in the moonlight. She felt as though she were sitting in the forest, ensconced in the palace of Jupiter.
When she heard her door open and close, she assumed it was Mistress Rosemary, come to fill the outdoor bath for her. "I will not need the bath tonight, Mistress. The air is not as calm as it seems and the worry that filters through this palace is enough to make even the happiest man alive weep with sadness," she said, not bothering to turn around from the window.
"Then the happiest man alive must in truth be the saddest," came the reply.
Rei turned quickly to stare into the soft blue eyes of her husband. Husband. . .it was such an odd sounding word. "I thought you would be sleeping," she said.
Jadeite leaned back against the door and gave a great sigh. A sigh so deep that Rei felt the room fill with heaviness. "I could not sleep."
"And what would you have me do?" Rei fairly snapped. She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but the fact that he had not come to see her in days made her as angry as Ami was nice. Not once had he come to see how she faired. Understandably he had been through all the torments in several months that one should only be allowed to go through within a thousand years, but she didn't understand why he did not think she had not been affected by any of it. She was haunted by images of blood seeping from a small boy's neck. She blinked and she saw Jadeite with blood soaking his clothing, his hair in tousled disarray and a weak smile on his lips. She too was plagued by Isabelle's innocent questions. Did he not see that?
Jadeite merely stepped further into the large chamber and sat down on one of the delicate looking white sofas. "I have come in hopes that you will help me to my bed. . ." he said.
She didn't bother commenting to that for she felt it was the most ridiculous request imaginable. "I suggest you find solace elsewhere."
"I have come to apologize. . ." he whispered.
The shutter that flitted through her was momentary and though she promised herself she would not kneel before him and stroke his face and wrap her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him, she found her legs carrying her toward him. "Apologize?"
He dropped his head into his hands. "I have been terrible with you. I have ignored you during this most traumatic time. I have not come to you with explanations. I have not held you while you wept-"
"I have not wept!" she said incredulously.
Jadeite lifted his head and stared hard at her. "Rei. . .I know you better than I know myself at this moment. I can feel your tears as if they were my own. I can feel your pain and anger radiating off you and all the while I have not come to you," he said softly.
Rei could only stare at him. This man who she had unknowingly pledged her life to was telling her what she knew all along. She could sense him as well. . .could feel his pain as he stared down at the little gray tombstone with Garrick's name on it. She could hear his silent tears dripping down his cheeks when everyone else was busy eating their supper. She could smell his fear as he stood facing Sora and she could understand his every slow movement from that day on. But she could also feel his smile before he gave one. Her heart swelled with happiness as he laughed or as he gazed with pride at his daughter. Why hadn't she understood what was racing through her? Sora had said before she could even think it. "I love you. . ." she said suddenly.
Jadeite blinked at her for a moment before shaking his head as if to clear cobwebs. "What did you just say?"
Rei, red with embarrassment, turned away from him and began walking toward the wall of glass, searching blindly for the door she knew to be there. "The air is cool, Jadeite. Perhaps we should take Isabelle out for a stroll later. . ."
Jed bounded after her, his energy restored, and grabbed her arm as she made her way out the door. "Wait. . .tell me what it was you said. . .did my ears hear wrong?" he asked.
She turned slowly to look at him and the pleading and uncertainty in his eyes made her grin. "I said nothing. . .nothing was said, you must be turning into a deaf prince. Perhaps something harmed you in that battle. . ."
Jed reluctantly let the smile show through and pulled her closer to him. "You said something of great import and I would have you repeat the exact words that fell from that succulent mouth of yours."
She smiled brightly because he was forgetting his pain, forgetting his troubles and turning back into the seductive, jesting prince she had known before everything had gone wrong. "You can scrub my arrows until they shine silver before I tell you anything," she said with a touch of arrogance.
"Your tongue is as silver as any knife point, my dear, and that be the worst arrow of all."
"You will hear no words from me."
"You love me."
Rei had to bite her tongue so that she wouldn't retort to that. Of course she knew he had heard her when she mistakenly said what she did, but she wasn't prepared to hear it uttered from someone else. "I. . .I don't know what you're talking about," she said softly.
Jed grinned broadly and pulled her close to him. "You are in love. . .with me," he said before he placed a sweet, lingering kiss to her lips.
Rei could feel her heart soar, could feel her knees weaken, but she refused to succumb completely to those feelings. She didn't like feeling vulnerable and her love for him without any expression of love from him made her feel as though she were standing in front of hundreds of armed soldiers without a weapon to hold in her hand. "You are mad. You are daft. To think that I could love someone as stubborn and conceited and insane as you has got to be the most ridiculous-"
"I love you as well," he whispered as he reined kisses along her jaw line.
"But how-why-"
"How and why do I love someone as stubborn as you? I could tell you naught. But believe me when I say that my reason for not running after Sora after the smoke was because I wanted to see you safe. I brought you with me from my home to Nephrite's because I could not bear to be separate from you," he whispered as he caressed her ear with his lips. He felt her relaxing, felt her body responding to his own. It had been too long since he touched her. It seemed like years rather than days and the feel of her body pressed so closely and intimately to his own made his head spin. She had twined her arms around his neck and was leaning heavily against him as he nipped and kissed her delicate ear. "I believe I loved you from the first, but was too blind to see it. I never fully understood the emotion that ran through my veins like hot oil, but I believe that when I first came to grips with my love nearly fell over with wanting."
Rei buried her face against his shoulder and the tears that fell from her eyes were unexpected. "Jed. . .I love you. . .I love you so much I don't understand it. It scares me. . ."
Jed pulled her so tightly against him that she felt the air escape her lungs but she dared not tell him to release her. It felt so wonderful to be held so surely against him. He kissed her forehead several times and smoothed his hands over her back as he tried to calm her. She had never cried like this in front of him and he felt strangely touched that she chose to do it with him and seek comfort from him. "Hush, sweetheart. . .all is well. We love one another and that is all that matters. . ."
Rei hiccupped against him and shook her head. "Sora. . .he will destroy it. . .he is crazed, Jed. . .he will see us torn apart. . ."
Jed bent slightly so that he could swing her up into his arms, then walked with her to the bed where he leaned back against the headboard and set her gently on his lap. "Darling. . .Sora is nothing. I care more for you than for killing Sora. He is crazed, yes. I have a feeling that he was the one blocking my memory of ever receiving a missive from Endymion stating that the Princess of Mars had been kidnapped when I first met you. I believe he cast a spell on me that made me forget ever knowing a Princess Mars, but you need not worry about him. You need not worry about anyone. I will care for you, Rei. . .I will protect you and nothing will change that."
Rei leaned back in the circle of his arms to look hard at him. "I could not survive were I taken away from you or you taken from me."
"You need not worry, love. . .please, do not look at me so. . .everything will be well. . .I promise you that."
She tried to blink away the tears that threatened to spill and instead, leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. It was a kiss so full of longing and fear that Jadeite could do more than deepen it. He tangled his hands in her hair, pulling her head closer to his by the second. He felt her tentative tongue touch his own and growled with pleasure. "Oh gods, Rei. . .I love you. . ." he groaned as she began untying the laces of his shirt. He felt her small, delicate hands slip inside and caress his smooth chest. Her slim fingers traced circles in his flesh, trailed fire down his abdomen and he nearly ripped his breeches off. He could feel her urgency, her need of him and he almost spilled himself on the spot.
She was surprised when he pushed her to her back and unlaced the front of his breeches so quickly. He was hungry for her, she could sense it in every bone of her body, could taste it on her tongue as she dragged it over his own. She watched with wonder in her eyes as he grasped a handful of her bodice and ripped it down the center then cried out with pleasure when his mouth descended upon her breasts. Her heart raced, her skin tingled with pleasure and her belly grew heavy with desire. "Please, Jed. . ." she whispered as she tugged at his breeches. They fell away with a whisper and her dress shimmered with light before it fell away and burst into millions of white rose petals.
Jed reached a hand down and grasped one of the silken petals in his fingers, then smoothed it over her skin, enjoying the whimper she made as he dragged it across her nipples. He leaned down and kissed her belly then kissed a hot trail lower and lower until he could feel her desire pushing at the seams of her control. "You are so beautiful," he sighed as he stroked her soft white skin.
She moaned and writhed as he touched her. She felt consumed by pleasure, like a roaring ocean in a storm. Waves slipped over her and through her. She could feel Jadeite all around her, could taste and smell him with every breath she took and the scent of him, so masculine and earthy, made her heart pound harder and harder against her chest. She knew she had never and would never love anyone as much as she loved this man. He made her feel powerful and beautiful, unlike anyone ever had.
"Jed. . ." she whispered when he came back up to her. He was grinning like a schoolboy who had just figured out the answer to one of life's unanswerable questions. He rubbed his chin against her breast then pressed a thigh between her own. "Jed. . ." she cried out.
He felt different when he entered her, more alive, more powerful than he had ever felt. She was collapsing around him, milking his energy from him as she lifted her hips to meet each of his thrusts. She grasped him to her as though he would disappear in the next instant and her trust and love for him sent him blissfully over the edge. His heat filled and flowed through her and within the next second, he had fallen, sweaty and limp on top of her.
"You have taken all my strength from me. I am but a man at your mercy. . ." he breathed into her neck.
Rei stroked his head and marveled at the wonder they just shared. "You are at no one's mercy. . ."
Jadeite rose up on his elbows and stared down into her lovely violet eyes; eyes that were still glazed with passion. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he asked quietly.
"If it is as much as you do to me. . .then I know very well," she said as she smoothed a blonde curl off his brow. She smiled warmly at him as he came down and hugged her.
The next instant, Jadeite was alert and stiff on top of her. "Jed. . .what's wrong?" she asked. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt the presence. She felt a new warmth flood her, a beautiful and caring warmness that flooded her heart. "Belle. . ." she whispered so softly that Jadeite could not hear her.
Jed rolled off her and sat up in the large white bed, the sheets drawn up to his hip. "Belle. . .what do you here?" he said to the small girl who stood in the doorway to the room. He only hoped she had not been standing there long. . .for when he was within his fiery goddess, his brain did little but think of her. He would not have felt the energy of his daughter.
Belle stood silently, the stuffed hawk clutched tightly in her arms. "You were not in your room," she said on a whisper.
"No, I was not. . .I was and am with Rei, snippet," he said gently.
Belle shifted on her small feet and blinked up at him before leaning over slightly to see Rei clutching the silk sheets close to her body. "What is my mama doing in bed with you?" she asked.
Rei felt that same warmth flood through her at the relationship the little girl distinguished, then felt Jed clutch her hand beneath the covers. "Your papa and I are married, darling. . .there is no harm in sharing a bed," she said, then bite her tongue because of her choice of words. "I mean. . .there is no reason why we should not sleep together. . .oh!" she cried, turning a charming shade of pink.
Jadeite chuckled softly then squeezed her hand again. "What Rei is trying to say is that I was having terrible nightmares so I came to her to be safe." He received a glare for his answer from his lovely wife.
Belle cocked her head to the side in a motion exactly like Rei's. "I had a nightmare too," she said.
Rei frowned a bit at that.
"Come, join us in the bed, snippet. There is much room to be filled," Jadeite said with a smile.
"Jed!" Rei cried, embarrassed now because of their state of undress.
Jadeite merely smiled at her and watched happily as his daughter climbed up the step and onto the large bed. She wriggled her way in between the two of them and leaned back against the headboard, just as Rei was, with her knees bent. "You make my papa laugh. . ." she said happily.
Jadeite and Rei both looked at the small girl. "I never laughed before?" Jadeite asked with a smile.
Belle looked very thoughtful before she spoke. "You only laughed with Garrick and me. I never saw you laugh with anyone else."
Rei turned curious eyes to Jadeite and gave him a smile so beautiful it made his heart ache. "I suppose I never had much reason to laugh until Rei came into my life," he said gently. He wrapped an arm around Belle's shoulders and managed to find Rei's hand on the other side. "Rei makes me very happy."
Belle nodded as if in satisfaction, then turned to look at Rei. "I had a bad dream," she said softly.
Rei broke her gaze with Jadeite and looked down at the adorable blonde angel sitting beside her. "Tell me. . ." she whispered.
"I dreamed about that man. He was angry and holding a sword above papa's head. . ." she trailed off and turned to her father, worry clear in her eyes. "He was yelling and said he would do the same to you as he did to Garrick."
Jadeite frowned slightly and used his free hand to stroke his daughter's cheek. "What else did you dream, Belle?"
Belle took a deep breath and stared down at the stuffed hawk toy in her lap. "He was glowing black and Lily was with him. They both looked very mad. But Lily was always mad at Garrick and me. She said we were a nusant. . .papa, what's a nusant?"
"Nuisance, darling. It means she wasn't a happy woman."
"The bad man said he would make people suffer. He said he'd see Jason revinged. . ."
"Revenged."
"Yes. . .that's what he said."
Rei looked up at Jadeite and she saw the darkening worry. "What will we do?" she asked.
Jadeite idly stroked a finger over his chin then heaved a deep sigh. "We have to sleep right now. . .we are of no use without sleep," he said.
He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and gave a tug of magic that pulled a pair of dark brown breeches from the trunk in his room to cover his body, then leapt out of bed. "Come, snippet. We shall put you to bed."
"But papa. . .I don't want to sleep in my room. . ."
Jadeite was torn. He didn't want to be the evil father by making his young child go back to a room she hated, alone and frightened, but he couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to be alone with Rei. He needed Rei's comforting touch, her beauty and courage. He needed her love.
"Listen to me, darling," he said softly to Isabelle. He was bare-chested and his hair was tousled, but he gave off such a strong sense of command that Belle jumped off the bed and flew to him with wide eyes. "Nothing bad will happen. Ares, Tyche, and Eurus will be there to watch over you completely and if you like, I'll ask Tyche to cast a small spell on you.just a small one, Belle," he added quickly when he saw the little girl open her mouth to protest. She had always hated being the object of someone's magic abilities. "You will sleep soundly and without worry. I will right here if you have need of me. And Rei will be here as well. . ."
For some reason, the reassurance that Rei would be near seemed to calm her and she willingly grasped her father's hand and allowed him to lead her down the flowered corridors and back to her room.
Rei lay in the large bed, the silk sheet wrapped tightly around her. She smiled at the thought of what she and Jadeite had just shared and gave a sigh of pleasure. He loved her. . .and she loved him. There wasn't any more that she could as for.
"Rei! I hope you are decent, for I am coming in," she heard from the door.
She wished she could have taken back her words. She would have asked for privacy from the man who thought himself her brother. "Endy. . .go away," she said loudly.
"I will not go away. . .we must talk. I know it is late. Goodness, it is almost dawn!"
She rolled her eyes to the white canopy and gave another sigh, this one of complete frustration. "Endy. . .it is hardly dawn. The moon is still high in the sky," she called back, "Please, leave me be and go to sleep."
"Rei. . .I have been talking with Nephrite and we think we have devised a plan. . .I must speak to you now. I want you safe and protected and I want this over so that I am not doing as I am now. . .spending hours awake creating inane plans," he yelled. His voice was muffled by the door, but his purpose was clear and she could sense his growing impatience. "I am coming in."
"No!" she cried as she jumped off the bed, the long white sheet twisted about her body. It was too late. She had made it to the center of the room before Endymion came storming in.
"Rei, I believe that Neph and I-oh. . ." he said when he saw her standing perfectly still, only a silken sheet hanging from her delicate form. "Well. . .I. . ."
Nephrite came in behind him and stopped to stare at the beauty before him, his mouth dropping open in astonishment. "Gods, Rei. . .you are the loveliest creature in this universe. I swear that if Jadeite had not snatched you up so quickly, I would be asking for your hand in marriage," he said with awe.
Rei merely rolled her eyes and walked toward the fireplace where she threw herself onto one of the high-backed arm chairs. "Say what needs be said," she said angrily.
Nephrite immediately sat in the chair opposite her and leaned forward. "Are you sure you wish to stay married to this blonde-haired general? He has caused you many troubles in the past few months," he said softly, admiring the way her raven hair fell across her silk clad breasts.
"She is perfectly content with the 'blonde-haired general' and I will see to it that she is never disappointed," Jadeite said from the doorway. His eyes were blazing with fury and his posture proved he was ready to battle the next person who questioned his marriage. "What do you two idiots want? Cannot a happily married couple have a few hours away from all the horrors of everyday life?" he asked.
Rei smiled up at him and nodded toward the offending Nephrite across from her. "I wouldn't mind those few hours. If you wouldn't mind, Jed, would you please remove this insolent wrench from my sight so that I may obtain a few hours of decent sleep?" she said sweetly.
Jed's lips twitched with laugher, but he dared not break down in front of the two. "Come. . .say your piece and be done. My princess does not appreciate your company."
Endy cleared his throat from behind the chair Rei sat in and motioned for Nephrite to get up. "We have been thinking, Jadeite. . .Sora wants to destroy your family. . ."
Rei looked up into the eyes of her husband after Endymion had made his comment. They had been so full of laughter and joy just before he was reminded of the incident; now he was stiff, his eyes dark with anger and pain. "What of it?" he snapped.
Endymion mentally bit his tongue for being so insensitive, but pressed on. "Nephrite and I believe that if you played with his mind then he would not come after Isabelle or Rei. . .but instead go directly to you."
Jadeite frowned in thought.
"What Endymion is saying is. . .if we were to stage an argument between yourself and Rei. . .an argument so real and so hateful. . .it is very possible that he will push Rei out of his mind. After all. . .his main target is you. You said yourself that he promised he would see you suffer. If you had no one cared for. . .then he would have no reason to use them to get to you," Nephrite clarified.
"You want me to fight with Rei and send her off?" Jadeite asked as he made his way toward his wife. He sat tiredly on the arm of her chair and unconsciously took her hand into his own. He stroked a thumb across her fingers before he spoke again. "I could never-"
"Jed. . .perhaps it is worth a try," Rei said softly.
Jadeite looked down at her and the uncertainty and grief that swam in those lovely blue orbs made her regret her words. "What of Isabelle? If he turns his attention away from Rei, he will go to Belle. . .not straight to me."
Nephrite and Endymion exchanged looks. "Well. . .the thing about that is. . .uh. . ."
"We would need to do something drastic for we know that a girl of three, almost four, would not be able to lie well," Endymion provided.
"How drastic?" Rei asked.
"Stage her death."
"What?" Jadeite shouted. "I will not have it! How can you suggest a thing? The child will not understand!"
"Jadeite, calm yourself. We will not kill her. We will simply make it seem as though you were so disgusted by your child that you paid her no attention. She will be taken to safety. . .hidden away from all this terror," Endymion reassured.
"You ask for much," Rei said.
"It is the only way. . ."
"No. . .there must be another way!" Jadeite yelled.
"There is none!" Nephrite shouted in response. "You know that, Jadeite! The three of us have spent long nights thinking and this is the only solution Endymion and I could come up with. Your child will not be dead and your wife will not disappear! It will be but temporary."
"But they will be taken away!" Jadeite cried.
Nephrite and Endymion looked at him with concern. He had never been this reluctant to a good plan. "Jadeite. . .it will not be for long. . ."
Rei squeezed his hand as he stewed. "Jed. . .Isabelle will be safe. . ."
"But I cannot be separated from the two of you. Even if for a day. . .I will worry constantly. . .I will not fight with my usual strength. . .I will-"
"Hush, Jed. . .I will not leave you alone. I will be just within grasp. . ."
Endymion and Nephrite exchanged glances again before each put an encouraging hand on his shoulder. "Think it through the night, Jadeite. You do not have to say yes. . .you may say no. . .but just understand that we do not know when Sora will decide to strike again. If we were to get his attention we could anticipate his next move. Please consider it," Endymion said before he and Nephrite made their way from the room.
As soon as the door closed, Jadeite sprung to his feet and grabbed Rei out of the chair. "This is crazed," he said as he pulled her tight against him.
"Jed. . ."
He shook his head and led her to the bed where he pushed her down and climbed on top of her. He gently pried the sheet away from her body then settled tenderly between her legs. "Do not say a thing, firebird. This is our honeymoon. . .I want no talk of death or arguments. I want you. . .that's all I want," he whispered as his lips met hers. "I cannot deny it is a good plan. . .and I know that by morning my answer will be yes. . .but I do not wish to discuss it."
"All right, Jed. . ." Rei murmured. She traced the half healed slash on his arm and closed her eyes as he stroked her skin. "Let us just have tonight. . ."
Jadeite gave up a grin at her words and kissed her heart where he felt her pulse picking up speed. "Tonight. . ." he sighed.
* * *
The morning brought bright sunshine and happy birds and cool breezes, but the four adults who sat at the breakfast table were not so happy about the new day. "So. . .we will plan for everything to happen tomorrow night. The murdering bastard will hopefully show his face the next day. We will destroy the evil that threatens our family," Endymion said fiercely.
Rei looked beside her at the brooding Jed. Yes, everything would be well. . .evil would not win.
* * *
"Yes, you idiot prince, come to me," Sora taunted in a voice as sharp and hard as the tip of his steel blade.
Jadeite could feel his blood pumping through his veins, could feel pain and emptiness welling inside of him, trying it's best to surface, but he would not allow it. With a cry of rage, he sprang toward Sora, his sword high above his head.
"How could you, Sora?" he screamed, "You have killed an innocent and I will not allow you to go unpunished for it." He thrust his sword toward Sora, barely managing to knick his upper arm. He ducked when Sora swung his sword toward his head, parried as the blade came flying toward him. He threw up his arm at the same time Sora brought his down and the swords clashed so loudly the vibrations shook the clearing.
"What do I care for righteousness or respectable morals? I have been wronged in this world and you will pay for what you did! I will see you rotting before my feet before I allow you to kill me. There are no words to describe the evil you have done to me! You have killed my brother, my only relative, and I had to stand by and comfort you when the news was brought home! You were so vulnerable because you had seen him perish, while I was shoved into a corner and given his ring to comfort myself! So what reason do I have to show mercy to you?"
Jadeite paused briefly in their battle to frown at Sora and slipped out of reach of Sora's clumsy strokes. He briefly noted that something warm and thick was oozing down his arm, but refused to turn and look. Instead, he spun on his heel and raised his sword in the air, only to bring it down heavily into Sora's right thigh. The harsh yell of pain that fell from his mouth only spurned Jadeite on and he deftly kicked the darker man in the stomach then brought his left fist up hard against his chin. Sora staggered back, then came charging again.
Jadeite jumped out of the way as Sora came for him, then grabbed him by the back of his tunic and pushed him against one of the trees surrounding them. Sora merely shook his head to relieve himself of the dizziness then turned to glare at Jadeite, blood dripping down his chin where his teeth had hit his lip. "It will take more than that to beat me," he sneered.
Jadeite's cheek muscle flexed with his anger, but he simply nodded and raised a hand toward the air and stretched the other out in front of him.
"Papa!" Rei heard the little girl behind her cry out.
Rei bent forward to scoop the child into her arms, then moved toward the surrounding trees to protect her. "You mustn't yell out for your papa at the moment, darling," she whispered. She turned the child's head away as the young and innocent eyes scanned the clearing for her brother. "Listen to me, Isabelle.you must stay just where you are. Do you understand? You must not move from this spot."
"Why? What's wrong with Garrick? Why is Papa fighting that man who took us?"
The uncertainty and slight catch in the girl's voice made Rei want to sink back into herself and absorb all the horrors into herself if only to protect the innocence before her. "Your brother is sleeping, Isabelle. . .he is sleeping a deep deep sleep that he may possibly never wake from. Your father is trying to hurt the man who hurt Garrick. It is a very messy affair and a beautiful little girl like you should not have to worry about such things," she said softly. She cringed when she heard the distinct sound of an energy ball connecting with someone's flesh. "I'm going to try and help your father, dearest, so you must promise me that you will stay where you are."
Isabelle gazed intently into the violet eyes shining in front of her. They were so lovely, so unlike her own. The woman was beautiful, so beautiful she knew that if Garrick were awake from his nap, he would say she was an angel who had come down from heaven to make their father smile. She had only seen her father smile a few times in her short life and she wished desperately to see him laugh and smile all the time. She had hoped that her doll, Lily Katherine, would make him smile, but she thought that it was possible that Lily Katherine only made their caretaker Lily smile because it looked like her. "I don't want to be alone," she said above the noise.
Rei could feel her blood pulsing in her veins. She needed to help Jadeite, her limbs flexed with tensed movements and fire budded at her fingertips. "Isabelle. . .you must stay here for your own good. It is the only way to keep you safe."
Isabelle flicked her gaze behind her and was surprised to see the outline of three large birds gliding toward her. "Ares! Tyche!" she yelled to the snowy owl and dark hawk. She looked back at Rei and saw the undisguised worry in those violet eyes. She reached out a small white hand and placed it gently on the flushed cheek of the raven-haired angel. "Do not worry, angel," she whispered, "I have Ares and Tyche to keep me company. Please help my papa and wake Garrick up so he won't have to be alone too."
Rei felt tears sting the backs of her eyes, but blinked them back and kissed the little girl's hand. "I will try my best," she said gently.
'We will watch the child,' Rei heard a familiar whisper. She turned her face up to meet the soulful eyes of Eurus and a gasp escaped.
"Where have you been?" she asked loudly.
'I will explain all to you when this horror has died away. Just know that magic was involved.'
Rei frowned slightly then gave one last sad gaze to the blonde princess who sat ensconced in bushes and birds, then turned to look at the scene before her. A sob caught in the back of her throat as she took in the blood and the scent of burnt flesh. Jadeite had his hands wrapped around Sora's neck and Sora had the sole of his foot pressed hard into Jadeite's gut. The blood trickling down Jadeite's arm made her stomach dance and the sight of Sora's insane eyes made her blood boil. With a prayer to Mars, she raised a finger to her temple and shot the other hand out, pointing it directly at the ground where Sora lay. With a small tug from the energy surrounding her home planet, she sent out a great tower of fire and watched the two men leap apart, Sora rolling wildly in the dirt and Jadeite falling back, clutching his stomach. "Rei. . ." he whispered.
She rushed to him, tears falling down her cheeks. "Jadeite. . .are you all right?" she called.
"I-"
"Enough!" Sora cried out, raising a shaking hand.
Rei dodged the bolt of energy that shot through the air and landed heavily on her side in the dirt. She gathered fire in her hand and pushed it toward him with enough force to burn several trees to stumps and let out a muffled curse when he leaped to the side and watched as the fire merely grazed his side. She stood quickly and pulled back her arm, with her other extended before her and shot arrow after arrow at him, each more brilliantly whiter than the last. He slipped and twisted out of the way of most of them, but yelled out when one struck hard into his thigh. Rei could see the fiery end vibrating with the force of the hit.
She easily side-stepped the energy attack he threw at her as she scrambled to Jadeite's side, "Jed. . .please say you're well. . ." she said, her breathing hitched.
Jadeite reached a hand up to cup her face and gave her a weak smile. "Barely. . ." he said. Before Rei could come up with a response to that, a cloud of smoke washed over them and had them gasping for air. "Rei!" Jadeite called out.
"Nothing like a dose of smoke to awaken the sense," Jadeite heard a voice sneer near his ear. He swung around agilely and landed a punch in the tree just behind him. He heard the sickening sound of bone slamming into the hard trunk and ignored the pain that blossomed in his hand to try and scan the clearing. The smoke burned his eyes, filled his lungs until he could not draw breath. "Rei. . ." he choked.
Rei, following the sound of Jadeite's voice, rested an urgent hand on his shoulder and helped him stand. She had a ball of fire blazing at the tip of her finger and carefully held it close to his body so that she could examine the hurt he suffered. The slash on his arm had stopped bleeding, but he clutched at his ribs as though trying to force a pain from his flesh. There were bruises on his face, another gash on his thigh and his hand was scratched and bleeding. "Jadeite. . .you're badly hurt," she said softly.
Jadeite turned to look at her through the hazy light and brushed the hair from her temples. "My heart has been torn into miniscule pieces. . .only you and Belle hold the rest. My happiness depends on the survival of my wife and child. . .yes, I would say I am badly hurt. . ." He gently leaned toward her and kissed her forehead, "He is gone. . ."
Rei closed her eyes briefly before reaching up her free hand to smooth it over his pale cheek. "He will come back. . ." she whispered.
He nodded slowly then half-heartedly attempted to clear the smoky haze. When the clearing was somewhat free of the stinging burn, he turned to seek out the small body he knew lay only feet away from him. He saw the crumpled body, lying delicately in the dirt, the arms stretched in front of him and the legs bent. The dirt was soaked with blood and the pale skin of the boy glowed like the moon's gentle glow.
Jadeite made his way toward Garrick on shaking legs. His son was dead. . .
"Garrick. . ." he said softly. The silence he received only made his eyes water all the more. He knelt heavily down beside the small boy and reached out trembling hands to grasp the boy to his chest. The dark line that now adorned his son's neck made the grief stronger, made his hatred deeper. "This is my fault. . .You have lived with nothing but hardships since you were born. Your life was full of mistakes that I made. I am terribly sorry; more sorry than you can imagine," he whispered to the still figure. He was unaware the tears that slid down his cheeks and splashed onto his son's. "I wasn't a good father to you. . .or to Isabelle. . .perhaps it is better that you have left earth and have traveled to a place far more beautiful than any place can be imagined. I could not give you the life you deserved. . .but now you will have it. I will mourn you dearly, Hawk. . .for I love you more than words can say. When I first glimpsed you in the midwife's hands.I felt such joy. And now. . .and now I am. . ."
The words stopped at that point for his lips could no longer move and the tears that blurred his vision prevented him from seeing anything but the blood soaked garment that adorned his son. He could faintly hear the sounds of men slashing through the forest to get to him and Rei. He could hear Tyche and Ares whispering to a silent Isabelle and could feel his firebird's pain seeping into his bones. And yet, he could not release his hold on his dead son. The cold skin of his only son's skin only made his tears hotter and his pain unbearable. The fact that Sora had fled in the midst of smoke made his innards burn. Everything had gone wrong. . .his life was changing too quickly and he could not control it.
Rei took several slow steps toward the brush where Isabelle sat, her arms clutching her knees to her chest. "Is the bad man gone? Is Garrick awake? Is papa going to take us home?" she asked quickly.
Ares, Tyche and Eurus merely sat on their own, there heads down and the light that usually surrounding them dull. "Help him, Eurus. . ." Rei pleaded.
Eurus sadly shook his head and the words that fell into Rei's mind made her throat close. 'The boy's blood has been cold too long. . .'
"Isabelle. . ." Rei said softly, motioning for the little girl to come to her.
Isabelle did not hesitate in clutching at the lovely woman whose eyes made her feel safe. "All is well?" she asked in that sweet innocent voice that made Rei choke on her tears.
All Rei could do was shake her head and hold the child closer to her. How would she explain that her father mourned her dead brother?
"Rei!"
She turned her head in the direction of the shout and when she saw Endymion jumping over bushes, sword in hand and Nephrite hot on his heels, the dam holding her tears broke apart and she flew to him, Isabelle held firmly in her arms. "Endy!" she cried, burying her head against his shoulder.
Endymion dropped his sword as soon as he saw her and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could. The small girl in her arms made no protest when he brushed blonde hair back from her brow. "What's happened?" he asked.
"Sora. . ."
Endymion and Rei turned to look at Jadeite, who stood very still, a dead Garrick draped in his arms. "Sora. . .I fought him. . .he killed Garrick. . .he fled in a flourish of smoke. . ."
Nephrite came up behind Jadeite and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jadeite. . ."
"He was insane with accusations. An innocent life was taken. . ."
Endymion stared disbelievingly at the dead boy and the broken Jadeite.
"Jed. . ." Rei whispered.
Jadeite turned his eyes to her and for the first time since Sora ran, his eyes cleared completely and Rei could see every emotion stirring in those blue depths. She gently disengaged herself from Endymion and walked toward him with Isabelle in her arms. "I am sorry, Jed. . .I wish this didn't have to happen. . .I wish I had not run away and tried to save the children on my own. . .I wish-"
"Firebird. . .wish for Sora's demise. . .that's all you need do. . ." he said softly. He turned hard eyes on Nephrite and motioned toward the east. "We return to your palace. . ." he said, "And once everyone has recovered. . .we finish this. . ."
* * *
'A spell stronger than any I have felt before has made it impossible for me to be near you, princess. It was as though some evil force grasped hold of my wings and pinned them to my side, then tied up my connection to the magic of the universe. I felt helpless and powerless and as like any common fowl.'
Rei turned to look sadly at the flaming bird by her window and shook her head in confusion. "But what spell could be strong enough to hold a phoenix, hawk, and owl imprisoned? Not to mention preventing any communication to be made between Earth and the Moon. It does not make sense. . ."
'I know not either, princess. To my knowledge.a spell has not been this strong since the star of Andros was blown apart by the Princess Minako's great uncle.'
Rei could only nod in response. She remembered the time when Andros had been blown into millions of pieces and sent to litter the universe. Though she had not been born, her mother and father had told her of the story many times as a warning what power could do to you. Minako's great uncle had been immediately sent to "The realm of no return" as she and the other senshi had dubbed it. But even as she tried her best to think of the horror of that time and tried to ponder and accept the idea that it could possibly be happening again with Sora, Jadeite continually intruded her thoughts.
As soon as they had reached the palace, he had made arrangements for Garrick's burial and when the small, private service had finished being had, Garrick lay peacefully under the ground beneath a ginkgo tree with brilliant green leaves. She had watched him kneel beside that grave and stroke the cold tombstone lovingly. The sag of his shoulders and the look of defeat that crossed his features before he knelt down made her heart ache. He had stayed there long after everyone had left and after that she had seen him only once.
She and Isabelle had formed a great bond after the battle and Rei felt near to tears every time the little girl spoke of Garrick calling her an angel. "Garrick called you an angel. Are you an angel, Rei?"
"No. . .I'm not, Isabelle. . ."
"But you look like one. . ."
It was during one of these such arguments that Jadeite stepped into the room and stood silently in the doorway. "Belle. . ." he whispered sadly.
Isabelle ran to her ran to her father and jumped into his arms. "Papa!" she cried happily, burying her face in his neck.
"Belle. . .you are well, I see. Who is it that you argue with? I have never heard such strong dispute from you," he said softly. His grip on the child was so strong and tight, Rei could see the bunching of material.
Isabelle turned to look at the lovely raven-haired girl and gave her a small smile. "My mama. . ." she said.
Rei felt such a deep, beautiful emotion when the word was spoken that she could not reply, merely nodded.
Jadeite blinked at her for a moment before setting the girl down and walking her to the small bed that stood grandly by the window. The room his daughter slept in was directly above his own and he had a private staircase leading from his room to her own through the dressing room.
Gently and sweetly, he tucked in his daughter for bed and caressed her cloud of blonde curls. "Sleep well, snippet. . .if you should need me in the night, I am but a staircase away from you and you may come and see me whenever it is you wish."
Isabelle smiled at her father and gratefully took the stuffed hawk from his arms. It was her newest toy and the only link to Hawk she had with her in Uncle Nephrite's large palace. "Good night, papa," she said.
Jadeite kissed her cheek before turning and leading Rei from the room and down the private stairwell in the dressing rooms. When they entered his bedchamber, he smiled softly at her. "I thank you for all you have done. . ." he said.
Rei nodded slightly and made to move to the door, but he stopped her by grasping her arm. "You don't know what you mean to me, Rei. . ."
"Jed. . .I. . .I'm so sorry about all that has happened. I wish I could fix everything, I wish I could-"
"You begin with the wishing again, Rei. I hope you do not mind Belle calling you mother. . ."
What could she say to that? To be looked at and clung to as only a mother could made tears bubble in the corners of her eyes. To have a little girl try and hide behind her skirts when something frightening threatened her made Rei feel as though she ruled every living being in the universe. "How could you ask me that?" she said.
Jadeite merely shook his head and released her. He turned away from her after and strode back to the bed.
When he said no more to her, she left the room. And now she sat in her own bedchamber, looking out the window at the little garden connected to her room. The gazebo looked fresh and welcoming and the cherry trees and willows swayed gently in the soft breeze. There were jasmine flowers littering the stone floor and laying gently on the chaise lounges just outside the window. She could vaguely hear Eurus speaking to her, repeating all the history of that ancient event when a star was destroyed. She knew it all, had heard it all before from Ami, but dared not make a comment.
She wondered what Jadeite was doing now. . .what he was thinking. She wondered how her brother was reacting to all the activity on Earth. . .did anyone even know that she was living in Spain with a husband and a daughter? Did any of her friends know that she had a bruise on her shoulder from where she fell to the ground to avoid an energy ball that could singe the skin of even the tough Makoto's backside? Why was the spell still so strong that she had heard no word from her friends and family? Eurus said that the spell prevented any information to leek from Earth to the Moon, much less any other planets. Apparently Sora had gained and strengthened himself until his power was so great that it interfered with even the Queen Serenity. How had her world been turned upside down so quickly?
"Eurus. . ." she finally said when she heard Eurus repeating his story of magnificent spells cast by evil-doers. "I would like to reflect on this information alone. . .would you mind perching on Isabelle's window sill and singing her to sleep? It is near midnight and I can feel her restlessness as if it were my own. . ."
Eurus only looked to his mistress with worried eyes that she did not see. She had never sent him away before. She had always requested that he sit beside her; argue with her about the difference between the God of Mars and the Goddess of Venus. They had spent hours debating who was the stronger for Rei believed with all her heart that the God of Mars had come to her in a vision and predicted great conflict with the child of Mars while Venus had slipped into Eurus's mind and promised great love for the child of Mars. Neither understood that the child of Mars was indeed Princess Rei. And as Eurus stared into the sad eyes of his one true love, he understood that the vision Rei had had and the promise he had been made had finally been fulfilled. 'I will do as you bid, princess. . .but I shall forever be at your side. . .
Rei merely nodded her head and blinked back a sigh as she felt the warmth of Eurus's wings dance over her and away. She was alone now, with only the trees and blossoms to keep her company. She slept in a room that was meant for the Princess of Jupiter for it was abundantly clear now that Rei looked at the room again, that his room was in the colors of Jupiter. Greens and pale pinks glimmered in the moonlight. She felt as though she were sitting in the forest, ensconced in the palace of Jupiter.
When she heard her door open and close, she assumed it was Mistress Rosemary, come to fill the outdoor bath for her. "I will not need the bath tonight, Mistress. The air is not as calm as it seems and the worry that filters through this palace is enough to make even the happiest man alive weep with sadness," she said, not bothering to turn around from the window.
"Then the happiest man alive must in truth be the saddest," came the reply.
Rei turned quickly to stare into the soft blue eyes of her husband. Husband. . .it was such an odd sounding word. "I thought you would be sleeping," she said.
Jadeite leaned back against the door and gave a great sigh. A sigh so deep that Rei felt the room fill with heaviness. "I could not sleep."
"And what would you have me do?" Rei fairly snapped. She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but the fact that he had not come to see her in days made her as angry as Ami was nice. Not once had he come to see how she faired. Understandably he had been through all the torments in several months that one should only be allowed to go through within a thousand years, but she didn't understand why he did not think she had not been affected by any of it. She was haunted by images of blood seeping from a small boy's neck. She blinked and she saw Jadeite with blood soaking his clothing, his hair in tousled disarray and a weak smile on his lips. She too was plagued by Isabelle's innocent questions. Did he not see that?
Jadeite merely stepped further into the large chamber and sat down on one of the delicate looking white sofas. "I have come in hopes that you will help me to my bed. . ." he said.
She didn't bother commenting to that for she felt it was the most ridiculous request imaginable. "I suggest you find solace elsewhere."
"I have come to apologize. . ." he whispered.
The shutter that flitted through her was momentary and though she promised herself she would not kneel before him and stroke his face and wrap her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him, she found her legs carrying her toward him. "Apologize?"
He dropped his head into his hands. "I have been terrible with you. I have ignored you during this most traumatic time. I have not come to you with explanations. I have not held you while you wept-"
"I have not wept!" she said incredulously.
Jadeite lifted his head and stared hard at her. "Rei. . .I know you better than I know myself at this moment. I can feel your tears as if they were my own. I can feel your pain and anger radiating off you and all the while I have not come to you," he said softly.
Rei could only stare at him. This man who she had unknowingly pledged her life to was telling her what she knew all along. She could sense him as well. . .could feel his pain as he stared down at the little gray tombstone with Garrick's name on it. She could hear his silent tears dripping down his cheeks when everyone else was busy eating their supper. She could smell his fear as he stood facing Sora and she could understand his every slow movement from that day on. But she could also feel his smile before he gave one. Her heart swelled with happiness as he laughed or as he gazed with pride at his daughter. Why hadn't she understood what was racing through her? Sora had said before she could even think it. "I love you. . ." she said suddenly.
Jadeite blinked at her for a moment before shaking his head as if to clear cobwebs. "What did you just say?"
Rei, red with embarrassment, turned away from him and began walking toward the wall of glass, searching blindly for the door she knew to be there. "The air is cool, Jadeite. Perhaps we should take Isabelle out for a stroll later. . ."
Jed bounded after her, his energy restored, and grabbed her arm as she made her way out the door. "Wait. . .tell me what it was you said. . .did my ears hear wrong?" he asked.
She turned slowly to look at him and the pleading and uncertainty in his eyes made her grin. "I said nothing. . .nothing was said, you must be turning into a deaf prince. Perhaps something harmed you in that battle. . ."
Jed reluctantly let the smile show through and pulled her closer to him. "You said something of great import and I would have you repeat the exact words that fell from that succulent mouth of yours."
She smiled brightly because he was forgetting his pain, forgetting his troubles and turning back into the seductive, jesting prince she had known before everything had gone wrong. "You can scrub my arrows until they shine silver before I tell you anything," she said with a touch of arrogance.
"Your tongue is as silver as any knife point, my dear, and that be the worst arrow of all."
"You will hear no words from me."
"You love me."
Rei had to bite her tongue so that she wouldn't retort to that. Of course she knew he had heard her when she mistakenly said what she did, but she wasn't prepared to hear it uttered from someone else. "I. . .I don't know what you're talking about," she said softly.
Jed grinned broadly and pulled her close to him. "You are in love. . .with me," he said before he placed a sweet, lingering kiss to her lips.
Rei could feel her heart soar, could feel her knees weaken, but she refused to succumb completely to those feelings. She didn't like feeling vulnerable and her love for him without any expression of love from him made her feel as though she were standing in front of hundreds of armed soldiers without a weapon to hold in her hand. "You are mad. You are daft. To think that I could love someone as stubborn and conceited and insane as you has got to be the most ridiculous-"
"I love you as well," he whispered as he reined kisses along her jaw line.
"But how-why-"
"How and why do I love someone as stubborn as you? I could tell you naught. But believe me when I say that my reason for not running after Sora after the smoke was because I wanted to see you safe. I brought you with me from my home to Nephrite's because I could not bear to be separate from you," he whispered as he caressed her ear with his lips. He felt her relaxing, felt her body responding to his own. It had been too long since he touched her. It seemed like years rather than days and the feel of her body pressed so closely and intimately to his own made his head spin. She had twined her arms around his neck and was leaning heavily against him as he nipped and kissed her delicate ear. "I believe I loved you from the first, but was too blind to see it. I never fully understood the emotion that ran through my veins like hot oil, but I believe that when I first came to grips with my love nearly fell over with wanting."
Rei buried her face against his shoulder and the tears that fell from her eyes were unexpected. "Jed. . .I love you. . .I love you so much I don't understand it. It scares me. . ."
Jed pulled her so tightly against him that she felt the air escape her lungs but she dared not tell him to release her. It felt so wonderful to be held so surely against him. He kissed her forehead several times and smoothed his hands over her back as he tried to calm her. She had never cried like this in front of him and he felt strangely touched that she chose to do it with him and seek comfort from him. "Hush, sweetheart. . .all is well. We love one another and that is all that matters. . ."
Rei hiccupped against him and shook her head. "Sora. . .he will destroy it. . .he is crazed, Jed. . .he will see us torn apart. . ."
Jed bent slightly so that he could swing her up into his arms, then walked with her to the bed where he leaned back against the headboard and set her gently on his lap. "Darling. . .Sora is nothing. I care more for you than for killing Sora. He is crazed, yes. I have a feeling that he was the one blocking my memory of ever receiving a missive from Endymion stating that the Princess of Mars had been kidnapped when I first met you. I believe he cast a spell on me that made me forget ever knowing a Princess Mars, but you need not worry about him. You need not worry about anyone. I will care for you, Rei. . .I will protect you and nothing will change that."
Rei leaned back in the circle of his arms to look hard at him. "I could not survive were I taken away from you or you taken from me."
"You need not worry, love. . .please, do not look at me so. . .everything will be well. . .I promise you that."
She tried to blink away the tears that threatened to spill and instead, leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. It was a kiss so full of longing and fear that Jadeite could do more than deepen it. He tangled his hands in her hair, pulling her head closer to his by the second. He felt her tentative tongue touch his own and growled with pleasure. "Oh gods, Rei. . .I love you. . ." he groaned as she began untying the laces of his shirt. He felt her small, delicate hands slip inside and caress his smooth chest. Her slim fingers traced circles in his flesh, trailed fire down his abdomen and he nearly ripped his breeches off. He could feel her urgency, her need of him and he almost spilled himself on the spot.
She was surprised when he pushed her to her back and unlaced the front of his breeches so quickly. He was hungry for her, she could sense it in every bone of her body, could taste it on her tongue as she dragged it over his own. She watched with wonder in her eyes as he grasped a handful of her bodice and ripped it down the center then cried out with pleasure when his mouth descended upon her breasts. Her heart raced, her skin tingled with pleasure and her belly grew heavy with desire. "Please, Jed. . ." she whispered as she tugged at his breeches. They fell away with a whisper and her dress shimmered with light before it fell away and burst into millions of white rose petals.
Jed reached a hand down and grasped one of the silken petals in his fingers, then smoothed it over her skin, enjoying the whimper she made as he dragged it across her nipples. He leaned down and kissed her belly then kissed a hot trail lower and lower until he could feel her desire pushing at the seams of her control. "You are so beautiful," he sighed as he stroked her soft white skin.
She moaned and writhed as he touched her. She felt consumed by pleasure, like a roaring ocean in a storm. Waves slipped over her and through her. She could feel Jadeite all around her, could taste and smell him with every breath she took and the scent of him, so masculine and earthy, made her heart pound harder and harder against her chest. She knew she had never and would never love anyone as much as she loved this man. He made her feel powerful and beautiful, unlike anyone ever had.
"Jed. . ." she whispered when he came back up to her. He was grinning like a schoolboy who had just figured out the answer to one of life's unanswerable questions. He rubbed his chin against her breast then pressed a thigh between her own. "Jed. . ." she cried out.
He felt different when he entered her, more alive, more powerful than he had ever felt. She was collapsing around him, milking his energy from him as she lifted her hips to meet each of his thrusts. She grasped him to her as though he would disappear in the next instant and her trust and love for him sent him blissfully over the edge. His heat filled and flowed through her and within the next second, he had fallen, sweaty and limp on top of her.
"You have taken all my strength from me. I am but a man at your mercy. . ." he breathed into her neck.
Rei stroked his head and marveled at the wonder they just shared. "You are at no one's mercy. . ."
Jadeite rose up on his elbows and stared down into her lovely violet eyes; eyes that were still glazed with passion. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he asked quietly.
"If it is as much as you do to me. . .then I know very well," she said as she smoothed a blonde curl off his brow. She smiled warmly at him as he came down and hugged her.
The next instant, Jadeite was alert and stiff on top of her. "Jed. . .what's wrong?" she asked. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt the presence. She felt a new warmth flood her, a beautiful and caring warmness that flooded her heart. "Belle. . ." she whispered so softly that Jadeite could not hear her.
Jed rolled off her and sat up in the large white bed, the sheets drawn up to his hip. "Belle. . .what do you here?" he said to the small girl who stood in the doorway to the room. He only hoped she had not been standing there long. . .for when he was within his fiery goddess, his brain did little but think of her. He would not have felt the energy of his daughter.
Belle stood silently, the stuffed hawk clutched tightly in her arms. "You were not in your room," she said on a whisper.
"No, I was not. . .I was and am with Rei, snippet," he said gently.
Belle shifted on her small feet and blinked up at him before leaning over slightly to see Rei clutching the silk sheets close to her body. "What is my mama doing in bed with you?" she asked.
Rei felt that same warmth flood through her at the relationship the little girl distinguished, then felt Jed clutch her hand beneath the covers. "Your papa and I are married, darling. . .there is no harm in sharing a bed," she said, then bite her tongue because of her choice of words. "I mean. . .there is no reason why we should not sleep together. . .oh!" she cried, turning a charming shade of pink.
Jadeite chuckled softly then squeezed her hand again. "What Rei is trying to say is that I was having terrible nightmares so I came to her to be safe." He received a glare for his answer from his lovely wife.
Belle cocked her head to the side in a motion exactly like Rei's. "I had a nightmare too," she said.
Rei frowned a bit at that.
"Come, join us in the bed, snippet. There is much room to be filled," Jadeite said with a smile.
"Jed!" Rei cried, embarrassed now because of their state of undress.
Jadeite merely smiled at her and watched happily as his daughter climbed up the step and onto the large bed. She wriggled her way in between the two of them and leaned back against the headboard, just as Rei was, with her knees bent. "You make my papa laugh. . ." she said happily.
Jadeite and Rei both looked at the small girl. "I never laughed before?" Jadeite asked with a smile.
Belle looked very thoughtful before she spoke. "You only laughed with Garrick and me. I never saw you laugh with anyone else."
Rei turned curious eyes to Jadeite and gave him a smile so beautiful it made his heart ache. "I suppose I never had much reason to laugh until Rei came into my life," he said gently. He wrapped an arm around Belle's shoulders and managed to find Rei's hand on the other side. "Rei makes me very happy."
Belle nodded as if in satisfaction, then turned to look at Rei. "I had a bad dream," she said softly.
Rei broke her gaze with Jadeite and looked down at the adorable blonde angel sitting beside her. "Tell me. . ." she whispered.
"I dreamed about that man. He was angry and holding a sword above papa's head. . ." she trailed off and turned to her father, worry clear in her eyes. "He was yelling and said he would do the same to you as he did to Garrick."
Jadeite frowned slightly and used his free hand to stroke his daughter's cheek. "What else did you dream, Belle?"
Belle took a deep breath and stared down at the stuffed hawk toy in her lap. "He was glowing black and Lily was with him. They both looked very mad. But Lily was always mad at Garrick and me. She said we were a nusant. . .papa, what's a nusant?"
"Nuisance, darling. It means she wasn't a happy woman."
"The bad man said he would make people suffer. He said he'd see Jason revinged. . ."
"Revenged."
"Yes. . .that's what he said."
Rei looked up at Jadeite and she saw the darkening worry. "What will we do?" she asked.
Jadeite idly stroked a finger over his chin then heaved a deep sigh. "We have to sleep right now. . .we are of no use without sleep," he said.
He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and gave a tug of magic that pulled a pair of dark brown breeches from the trunk in his room to cover his body, then leapt out of bed. "Come, snippet. We shall put you to bed."
"But papa. . .I don't want to sleep in my room. . ."
Jadeite was torn. He didn't want to be the evil father by making his young child go back to a room she hated, alone and frightened, but he couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to be alone with Rei. He needed Rei's comforting touch, her beauty and courage. He needed her love.
"Listen to me, darling," he said softly to Isabelle. He was bare-chested and his hair was tousled, but he gave off such a strong sense of command that Belle jumped off the bed and flew to him with wide eyes. "Nothing bad will happen. Ares, Tyche, and Eurus will be there to watch over you completely and if you like, I'll ask Tyche to cast a small spell on you.just a small one, Belle," he added quickly when he saw the little girl open her mouth to protest. She had always hated being the object of someone's magic abilities. "You will sleep soundly and without worry. I will right here if you have need of me. And Rei will be here as well. . ."
For some reason, the reassurance that Rei would be near seemed to calm her and she willingly grasped her father's hand and allowed him to lead her down the flowered corridors and back to her room.
Rei lay in the large bed, the silk sheet wrapped tightly around her. She smiled at the thought of what she and Jadeite had just shared and gave a sigh of pleasure. He loved her. . .and she loved him. There wasn't any more that she could as for.
"Rei! I hope you are decent, for I am coming in," she heard from the door.
She wished she could have taken back her words. She would have asked for privacy from the man who thought himself her brother. "Endy. . .go away," she said loudly.
"I will not go away. . .we must talk. I know it is late. Goodness, it is almost dawn!"
She rolled her eyes to the white canopy and gave another sigh, this one of complete frustration. "Endy. . .it is hardly dawn. The moon is still high in the sky," she called back, "Please, leave me be and go to sleep."
"Rei. . .I have been talking with Nephrite and we think we have devised a plan. . .I must speak to you now. I want you safe and protected and I want this over so that I am not doing as I am now. . .spending hours awake creating inane plans," he yelled. His voice was muffled by the door, but his purpose was clear and she could sense his growing impatience. "I am coming in."
"No!" she cried as she jumped off the bed, the long white sheet twisted about her body. It was too late. She had made it to the center of the room before Endymion came storming in.
"Rei, I believe that Neph and I-oh. . ." he said when he saw her standing perfectly still, only a silken sheet hanging from her delicate form. "Well. . .I. . ."
Nephrite came in behind him and stopped to stare at the beauty before him, his mouth dropping open in astonishment. "Gods, Rei. . .you are the loveliest creature in this universe. I swear that if Jadeite had not snatched you up so quickly, I would be asking for your hand in marriage," he said with awe.
Rei merely rolled her eyes and walked toward the fireplace where she threw herself onto one of the high-backed arm chairs. "Say what needs be said," she said angrily.
Nephrite immediately sat in the chair opposite her and leaned forward. "Are you sure you wish to stay married to this blonde-haired general? He has caused you many troubles in the past few months," he said softly, admiring the way her raven hair fell across her silk clad breasts.
"She is perfectly content with the 'blonde-haired general' and I will see to it that she is never disappointed," Jadeite said from the doorway. His eyes were blazing with fury and his posture proved he was ready to battle the next person who questioned his marriage. "What do you two idiots want? Cannot a happily married couple have a few hours away from all the horrors of everyday life?" he asked.
Rei smiled up at him and nodded toward the offending Nephrite across from her. "I wouldn't mind those few hours. If you wouldn't mind, Jed, would you please remove this insolent wrench from my sight so that I may obtain a few hours of decent sleep?" she said sweetly.
Jed's lips twitched with laugher, but he dared not break down in front of the two. "Come. . .say your piece and be done. My princess does not appreciate your company."
Endy cleared his throat from behind the chair Rei sat in and motioned for Nephrite to get up. "We have been thinking, Jadeite. . .Sora wants to destroy your family. . ."
Rei looked up into the eyes of her husband after Endymion had made his comment. They had been so full of laughter and joy just before he was reminded of the incident; now he was stiff, his eyes dark with anger and pain. "What of it?" he snapped.
Endymion mentally bit his tongue for being so insensitive, but pressed on. "Nephrite and I believe that if you played with his mind then he would not come after Isabelle or Rei. . .but instead go directly to you."
Jadeite frowned in thought.
"What Endymion is saying is. . .if we were to stage an argument between yourself and Rei. . .an argument so real and so hateful. . .it is very possible that he will push Rei out of his mind. After all. . .his main target is you. You said yourself that he promised he would see you suffer. If you had no one cared for. . .then he would have no reason to use them to get to you," Nephrite clarified.
"You want me to fight with Rei and send her off?" Jadeite asked as he made his way toward his wife. He sat tiredly on the arm of her chair and unconsciously took her hand into his own. He stroked a thumb across her fingers before he spoke again. "I could never-"
"Jed. . .perhaps it is worth a try," Rei said softly.
Jadeite looked down at her and the uncertainty and grief that swam in those lovely blue orbs made her regret her words. "What of Isabelle? If he turns his attention away from Rei, he will go to Belle. . .not straight to me."
Nephrite and Endymion exchanged looks. "Well. . .the thing about that is. . .uh. . ."
"We would need to do something drastic for we know that a girl of three, almost four, would not be able to lie well," Endymion provided.
"How drastic?" Rei asked.
"Stage her death."
"What?" Jadeite shouted. "I will not have it! How can you suggest a thing? The child will not understand!"
"Jadeite, calm yourself. We will not kill her. We will simply make it seem as though you were so disgusted by your child that you paid her no attention. She will be taken to safety. . .hidden away from all this terror," Endymion reassured.
"You ask for much," Rei said.
"It is the only way. . ."
"No. . .there must be another way!" Jadeite yelled.
"There is none!" Nephrite shouted in response. "You know that, Jadeite! The three of us have spent long nights thinking and this is the only solution Endymion and I could come up with. Your child will not be dead and your wife will not disappear! It will be but temporary."
"But they will be taken away!" Jadeite cried.
Nephrite and Endymion looked at him with concern. He had never been this reluctant to a good plan. "Jadeite. . .it will not be for long. . ."
Rei squeezed his hand as he stewed. "Jed. . .Isabelle will be safe. . ."
"But I cannot be separated from the two of you. Even if for a day. . .I will worry constantly. . .I will not fight with my usual strength. . .I will-"
"Hush, Jed. . .I will not leave you alone. I will be just within grasp. . ."
Endymion and Nephrite exchanged glances again before each put an encouraging hand on his shoulder. "Think it through the night, Jadeite. You do not have to say yes. . .you may say no. . .but just understand that we do not know when Sora will decide to strike again. If we were to get his attention we could anticipate his next move. Please consider it," Endymion said before he and Nephrite made their way from the room.
As soon as the door closed, Jadeite sprung to his feet and grabbed Rei out of the chair. "This is crazed," he said as he pulled her tight against him.
"Jed. . ."
He shook his head and led her to the bed where he pushed her down and climbed on top of her. He gently pried the sheet away from her body then settled tenderly between her legs. "Do not say a thing, firebird. This is our honeymoon. . .I want no talk of death or arguments. I want you. . .that's all I want," he whispered as his lips met hers. "I cannot deny it is a good plan. . .and I know that by morning my answer will be yes. . .but I do not wish to discuss it."
"All right, Jed. . ." Rei murmured. She traced the half healed slash on his arm and closed her eyes as he stroked her skin. "Let us just have tonight. . ."
Jadeite gave up a grin at her words and kissed her heart where he felt her pulse picking up speed. "Tonight. . ." he sighed.
* * *
The morning brought bright sunshine and happy birds and cool breezes, but the four adults who sat at the breakfast table were not so happy about the new day. "So. . .we will plan for everything to happen tomorrow night. The murdering bastard will hopefully show his face the next day. We will destroy the evil that threatens our family," Endymion said fiercely.
Rei looked beside her at the brooding Jed. Yes, everything would be well. . .evil would not win.