FINALLY HOME

DIANA CRESCENT

Chapter Forty-Eight: Elucidation

Okay---hope you all liked my last chapter, I'm actually starting this the same day I finished the one before it.

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Serena?-- Lexi's voice rang into her head not an hour after they had last talked about Peter Pan.

Yeah?--

What are we going to do about that mass assassination thing?--

Oops.--

Yeah, oops. I don't think that they're going to take my reasons as a good reason to not attack.--

Oh well. I'll talk to Pluto. Maybe she'll have something up her sleeve for us.--

Good luck.--

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Okay, so getting to The Cauldron takes time and effort. It also takes "Following the Leader" to be sung without stop 5428.34 times. If she never heard that song again, it'd be too soon.

She hadn't remembered the "operation" until she'd come across her notes that were decorated in sunglasses. Well, this was going to be interesting. Can you say 12 angry gods? She could.

Fate walked into her newly established room. "It is good to see you again Lexi. How are you? And Serena?"

"I'm dandy and so is Serena. You should know that."

"I control the physical side of things, not the emotional. You should know that, Lexi." Fate said, smiling. Her black hair and eyes betrayed her dark side while her smiled made her seem almost nice.

"Yes, that's exactly why Thanatos is marrying a lovely little nymph, Serena is re-battling Chaos, and I'm not dead. Lovely." She said cattily. That was the way of their friendship.

"Which is why Thanatos will not marry a lovely little nymph, Serena will defeat Chaos, and you will die anyway. Fate is a bitch, Lex. You know that."

Lexi's mouth hung open. That was a lot of information to divulge.

Fate simply laughed at her open mouth and began to saunter away.

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SIX WEEKS LATER

Serena was opening the door to her office. It'd been a long time since she'd been here. . .which now that she got a good look at her office, that wasn't so hard to believe. –How did they function while I was gone!—

Though from the looks of things she would say they didn't.

She jumped when she felt arms encircle her, but then sighed and relaxed. They belonged to her boyfriend-turned-fiancé-now-lover.

Worry crossed her mind as she thought of the lover part. Oh, nothing to worry about him in that part. Definitely not. It was her she was wondering about. She was supposed to start her you-know-what, but had not. She'd been waiting for nearly three weeks. She was off on Saturday because of some meeting or other for the boys and had made an appointment. She wanted a baby, but was worried about being pregnant while fighting Chaos.

"Why so silent?" Heero's baritone voice sent a shiver up her spine. The boy was a born lover as he had proved many nights. . .many times many nights.

She turned to study his face. She was almost certain she was with child. She wondered what her baby would look like. Would her child have its father's messy brown hair and Prussian blue eyes? Or her silvery blonde hair and sky blue eyes? Or a mixture. She smiled. "Nothing. I was just thinking about the future."

"Ours? Or in general?"

"Both."

Heero looked at her. There was something different.

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Raye laughed as Wufei spun her in circles throughout the library. His slanted eyes shown with a light all their own. They were full of brightness and life. His hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail, as always.

Raye smiled, and watched as the light crowded into her vision and then shot out, like some weird, old space movie or the twilight zone.

And there she was, staring out at the battlefield of doom. They were there, something was different though. Earth was no where in sight. In truth, she did not know where they were, but a part of her recognized the scene as The Cauldron.

Chaos had attacked there. Serena's turning into an oracle. She sent Lexi there on the pretenses that it was in danger. And it really is.

She knew in her heart this was their final battle, but what would happen, she didn't know.

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"I don't know what happened. We were in the library and the next thing I knew, she was out." Wufei was pacing back and forth with the guys. The girls had crowded into the room, sufficiently making it too crowded for anyone else.

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"And that's what I saw."

They all sat and waited for Serena's response to Raye's tale.

"I'm pregnant."

But not that response.

"What?" Amara was quiet in her question. But the concern was evident.

"We have to fight. But I don't want to lose my child. I'm going ahead and telling you know so that we are prepared."

"Does Heero know?" Amy was quiet as well.

"No. And I don't want him knowing. So all of you have to keep quiet as well. I'd also appreciate it if we fought without the guys. If we could get away with it just us against Chaos, that would be best. If I live, but I lose this baby, Heero will never know. If I die, but somehow this baby lives, it'll have someone to love it and watch over it."

And there it was. Their silent agreement to keep the guys safe and their silent agreement that the baby came first, even before Serena.

Mina began shouldering responsibility. Serena needed help now, and she'd be there. "Serena, go ahead and tell Lexi everything. We need to go ahead and start out, so everyone get your things together. We leave tonight. Lucretia, can you stall for us?"

"Maurimaya and I will do whatever it takes. Just be careful."

They understood why Mina was taking over. Serena needed someone to take over. She was afraid for the life growing inside of her.

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Lexi went looking for Fate. She found her stirring stars in a pot like one would a soup.

"Will Serena lose her baby?"

Fate looked up. "Yes."

"No."

"Yes, Lexi. I control the way of things. It is best if she loses the child."

"Why?"

"It is not up to you to question Fate Lexi."

"Who are you to play God?"

"Lexi, be reasonable."

"There is no reason in Fate. Logic doesn't exist to you." Lexi stormed of then, disgust written on her face. She would never, after this moment, feel any kinship nor love towards the demi-goddess.

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Lucretia passed them each a remote. "Thanks to your powers, if you push the button, your Gundams can be there in a few minutes. Don't wait until your need is dire."

"Thanks Noin." Michelle said. They were all dour, and quiet, had been for the past few hours.

"Do you think you'll have to wait any when you get there?" Maurimaya asked, worried for them.

"I don't think so." Raye whispered.

"Come back. ALL of you." Kaori Knight said, mentioning the baby.

"Is there anything we really need to look out for?"

"Chaos has some nymph on his team. She's powerful and tricky, but, any of you could take her easy. Don't under-estimate her though, and don't let her out of your sight."

"Thanks."

They said their last good byes and teleported, none knowing if they would ever come back.

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Lexi stood, waiting for their arrival. Destiny, who had been somewhat absent in her arrival at The Cauldron, waited with her.

"You know, Galaxia, there are ways to bypass Fate. You'll know when the time comes."

"What?"

"It is not the child's destiny to die. Not yet."

Lexi smiled, her eyes watery from that information. "Thank you."

"Fate tells you things, but doesn't not reveal all that she has put into place. I do come in and arrange things as well. It is not just my sister."

Lexi nodded, but before she could say anything more, the scouts arrived.

It was time for the end.

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Okay, I'm going to go get started on the next chapter, because I'd like to finish this before I go off to college.