A/N (Sere-chan slams her book closed and jumps to her feet) Oh no! I got so wrapped up reading the new Sherrilyn Kenyon book that I forgot to update my story! My readers are going to lynch meee! Where's my Silver Crystal when I need it? That would protect me. Wait, I have a big strong husband to keep me safe. Endymion! Where are you?
LOL…sorry. I guess I was just having a moment of insanity. But in my defense, I really was sidetracked by a good book. Sherrilyn Kenyon is my favorite author and I adore her Dark-Hunter series. Now she's gone and made my obsession worse with the launch of her new Chronicles of Nick series. I think Acheron and Nick sound so hot. Don't tell my hubby I said that. I've also been an absolute bum, yes I said it. I guess maybe I shouldn't have graduated so I could keep busy. (gasps) What am I saying?
Anyway, back to business. I hope some of you are still around to read this. So to make it up to all of you for the long wait, I'm treating everyone to Andrew's wonderful milkshakes at the Crown along with hugs for this chapter. So BIG HUGS AND MILKSHAKES TO:
Atem's Sister Atea
My Veggie Burger
Luthien Morgon
Seredhiel05
BmsPsylocke
amaramichelle
rainbabie
Gini Justice
GoldenDragon326
James Birdsong
sasumiofjp
anime-lover 10
CharmedSerenity3
tiny2008
nileena
LBricker88
Stashed Away
inufan155687
ElisabethBoleyn
SailorMercuryROCKS
S dot Serenity
ange de l'aube
KageNoNeko
JmacKarla
Thank you so much guys. Thanks to you this story already has over 100 reviews. You seriously rock! Anyhow, enough out of me. I'm sure you've heard enough of my insane rambling to last you a while.
ENJOY!
The Galactic Trinity
Chapter 5
The First Day
"DJ! Give me the remote!" a voice screeched, shattering through Serena's sleep fogged brain and dragging her back to reality.
"No way, Bubble Gum Brains!" a second yelled just as loudly. "You've already made me sit through an hour of Cardcaptor Sakura. I want to see if anything better is on."
"Nooo!" Rini wailed. "You'll put it on Bleach or something like that, and I don't wanna watch that!"
There was a scuffling sound and then a triumphant, "Ah ha!" followed by a piercing, "Give that back!"
Serena raised her head off the pillow and yelled at the closed bedroom door. "Both of you knock it off this minute, or I swear I'm going to go have my tubes tied!"
The noise abruptly stopped, and a few seconds later DJ's voice said in a much quieter tone, "Look, Yugioh's on. We both like that one. Is that okay with you?"
The blanket covered lump next to Serena chuckled and rolled over. "Tubes tied, huh?"
"Shut up!" she grumbled irritably. "It's either that or never let you touch me again. Take your pick."
Darien winced. "Ouch! Somebody's cranky this morning. Come on perk up! I've got the whole weekend off; remember? How often does that happen?"
"Hmph!" Serena huffed as she rolled so that her back was toward him. "That's just until one of those other so called genius doctors runs into something they can't figure out, then they'll be calling you like they always do."
"They better not," Darien growled as he scooted up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I threatened all of them with certain death if I heard one peep out of them this weekend. I'm all yours until Monday morning." He placed a gentle kiss on her neck.
"Mmm…" Serena sighed. "That sounds good. Almost too good to be true." She snuggled up closer to him, content to just lie there in his arms and enjoy the peaceful moment. But it didn't last long.
Knock! Knock! "Serena! Puu just called me and said that she would be here in about an hour. So you better get your happy ass up out of bed."
"I'm definitely getting my tubes tied," Serena moaned.
Darien laughed and kissed the top of her head before he threw back the covers and jumped out of bed in his normal, annoyingly cheerful manner. "Get up sleepyhead! I'm sure we have a busy day ahead of us."
Serena dragged a pillow over her face. "It's disgusting how perky you can be first thing in the morning."
Darien pulled the pillow off of her and tapped her lightly on the nose. "But you love me anyway."
Then he was gone into the bathroom where she heard the water start running a few seconds later. She finally dragged herself out of bed and to the closet to pick out something to wear. She studied her choices before deciding on a simple pair of jeans and a soft, comfortable sweater.
She shed Darien's giant t-shirt that she had slept in and pulled on the clothes. Then she grabbed her brush from the dresser and began attacking her hair with a vengeance, trying to get rid of all of the tangles.
Darien came out of the bathroom in nothing but his boxers, making Serena pause for a moment to enjoy the view as he walked over to the closet to get his own clothes for the day.
Then he turned his head and grinned at her over his shoulder. "Somebody's having dirty thoughts."
Serena blushed and turned her attention back to her hair. "I was not! I was just admiring the goods." She snapped an elastic band in place around her ponytail and escaped to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.
She came back out just in time to see Darien slip his arms into that hideous green jacket. She shuddered a little. She had tried on several occasions to get rid of that damn thing, but somehow Darien always found out and stopped her before she could.
She shook it off and headed out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen. She needed caffeine badly. Just as she was passing the front door, she heard a soft knock. She cursed under her breath at the delay of reaching her coffee, which she could smell from here thanks to the automatic timer, and turned furiously to the door.
"What!" she snapped as she threw it open.
Jess stood there in shock for a moment before lapsing into a fit of giggles. "Oh my god! I wish you could have seen your face. You looked like a hyperventilating hyena!"
"Ha ha," Serena said dryly.
"Oh don't be like that!" Jess scolded. "Especially when I come bearing gifts. I thought you could use one of these." She held a cup out in front of her.
Serena moaned as she breathed in the scent of fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, and whipped cream. "You are a lifesaver. I mean it. You are a saint, an angel straight from heaven, a…"
"I get the picture," Jess said with a laugh and handed over the cup before following Serena inside.
They paused before entering the kitchen and glanced into the living room where a wrestling match was happening on the couch. Evidently Yugioh was over, and the battle to see who got to pick the next show was on.
Serena smirked. "Tubes tied," was all she said, and the two teens jumped away from each other as quickly as they could.
Darien chuckled as he came down the hall. "Threatening them again, my love? You're going to give them a complex if you keep that up."
"Hell, she's a bigger woman than me," Jess retorted. "I wouldn't be threatening to have my tubes tied, I'd tell Drew that he'd have to go get clipped or sleep on the couch for the rest of his life."
"I heard that," Andrew said as he came in through the door. "What have you got to complain about anyway? Our two have been as quiet as church mice. You can hardly tell that they're even there."
Jess rolled her eyes. "Sure, now they are. But they weren't last night. Thank goodness I don't get migraines anymore, or all of that squabbling would have given me one."
They had returned home the night before and settled down with the pizza, thinking that they could take the opportunity to talk with the kids and get to know them a little better.
Wrong! It had been a night filled with high-strung teenagers running on adrenaline and rampant emotions. DJ and Katie took the cake though. The two of them had hurled insults at each other faster than Sailor Jupiter could hurl lightning bolts. It had almost been a blessing when Katie had screeched that DJ was a 'low down, rotten, son of a bitch that walked around like he had a stick up his ass' and had stomped out of the apartment.
"Maybe things will calm down now that they've all had a chance to rest up a little," Serena said doubtfully as she watched the silent tug of war with the remote that was now ensuing in the living room.
Finally DJ gave up the battle. "Fine! Take the stupid remote, Rini! I've got other things to do anyway." He shoved himself off the couch and stalked from the room.
He stopped when he saw the four adults standing in the entry hall. "Hey, everyone. Is Alex up yet?"
Jess nodded. "Kinda. He and Katie were both up early, but Katie mentioned something about going up on the roof and Alex was dozing off on the couch while watching Yugioh."
A mischievous grin split DJ's face. "Sweet! I can't pass this up," he said, and slipped out the front door.
"I don't even want to know," Serena groaned and took a long sip from the cup in her hand, savoring the sweet flavor and silently begging for it to work its magic on her.
"Maybe this will perk you up, Sere," Andrew said as he held up a platter of his melt in your mouth cinnamon rolls. "They're fresh from the oven."
Serena practically drooled. "I could kiss you, Drew!"
Andrew smirked at her. "Sorry, I'm already taken," he said. He snaked an arm around Jess's waist and pulled her to his side.
"Ew! No public displays of affection!" Rini muttered as she walked through, snagging a cinnamon roll off the plate. "I would like to keep my eyesight, thank you very much."
"Ah, but we're not in public, are we?" Jess said snidely as she placed a big, smacking kiss on Andrew's cheek.
Predictably, Rini made the appropriate gagging noises. "Whatever, Jess. You're such a spaz queen. Anyway, where is that stupid brother of mine? There's nothing good on so I was going to let him have the damn TV."
"He went to see Alex," Serena mumbled as she licked gooey icing from her fingers. "Jess said he was dozing on their couch watching TV."
Rini's eyes widened. "And you let him? Are you insane?"
Serena looked bewildered. "Why? What did I do?"
"You've got a lot to learn," Rini sighed with a shake of her head. "Oh well, it should make for a good show."
She walked to the door and opened it just in time for them all to hear a loud bellow come from the apartment next door. "Shields! You're a dead man!"
The door to Andrew and Jess's apartment flew open and DJ ran out into the hall with a big grin on his face. But a moment later he was knocked to the floor as a blur streaked out the door and tackled him.
"Dude! I can't believe you did that!" Alex tried to say in an angry tone, but everyone could hear the laughter in his voice. "That shit was cold!"
"It woke you up, didn't it?" DJ grumbled as they wrestled. Somehow he managed to flip so that he had Alex pinned to the floor.
"Boys, boys, boys," Katie said as she came through the door that led to the stairs that went up to the roof. "Just when I think the two of you might be growing up just a little bit, you have to go and prove me wrong."
Alex grinned at her. "Hey, Kat! Want to help a brother out? He stuck ice down my shirt."
She tilted her head for a moment, contemplating the two of them sprawled on the floor. "Nah, I think I'll pass this time. I'm just not feeling it today." Then she spied the plate that was still in Andrew's hands. "Ooo…cinnamon rolls!"
She jumped over the two of them on the floor and almost ran to Andrew where she grabbed one of the sticky buns and took a big bite out of it.
Alex and DJ had frozen at her words and stared at her in incredulous disbelief as she stood there savoring the warm sweetness that melted on her tongue.
She noticed the silence and looked at the two of them in confusion. "What?"
They both sat up, still looking at her like she had grown a second head.
"You…you…you…" Alex stammered, unable to get the words out.
DJ smacked him on the back of the head to shut him up. "What he's trying to say is you have never in your whole life passed up on the opportunity to try and kick my ass."
The familiar icy look slid back into place on her face. "Why, did you feel like getting kicked around this morning?"
DJ gulped. "N…no."
She smirked at him. "Then count your blessings that I'm in a fairly decent mood today."
The elevator dinged an opened to show Trista standing there. She took in the chaotic scene with a look of amusement on her face.
"Okay boys," she said as stepped through the doors. "Time for horseplay later. We have business to discuss."
In minutes they were all gathered in Darien and Serena's living room with coffee and what was left of the cinnamon rolls. The three newest arrivals held their breath in anticipation as the time guardian began to speak.
"First off, your parents were relieved to hear that you arrived here safely and without incident and they all send their love. They also told me to tell you to behave yourselves and all of that other advice that parents always go on about. But since they wrote you letters saying all of that in their own words, I'll skip that part."
That brought a round of chuckles from everyone. Even the past forms of the future parents found it humorous, although a couple of them, Serena and Jess in particular, couldn't quite picture themselves as lecturing mothers.
"Okay, next up," Trista continued. "You're not under house arrest here. You are free to go out and enjoy the city and have fun. But for safety's sake it would be best if you didn't go out alone. So try to keep someone else with you. The only stipulation is that all three of you attend school while you are here."
Three sets of eyes widened in surprise.
"Whoa!" DJ breathed out.
"Are you serious?" Alex whispered.
"You mean real school?" Katie said softly. Then she screeched, "YES!" and pumped a fist in the air.
"What is it with you Crystal Tokyo kids actually enjoying school?" Serena asked in dismay. "Rini acts the same way every time she comes here."
DJ explained it too her. "Because back home Amy and Zoicite teach us. None of us have ever been allowed to go to regular school. I guess it was a security issue."
"Anyhow," Trista broke in and handed each of the teens an envelope. "I took the liberty of enrolling all three of you at Azabu High School. Because of the advanced curriculum that you have studied in Crystal Tokyo, I forged records to show that you are seniors. I figured any grade lower than that would be nothing but boring review for you. Rini is already attending classes there as well, so this will keep the four of you together."
"Great," Rini muttered. "Just what I need, the Treacherous Trio invading every aspect of my normal life."
"Come on, Rini. It won't be that bad," DJ insisted. "If you want to, you can pretend that you don't even know me."
Trista cleared her throat. "Not exactly. I had to come up with a cover story for you, so on paper you three are American exchange students. I figured that wouldn't be too hard since you all speak flawless English. As you also know, Rini uses the last name Tsukino when she is here and poses as Serena's cousin. Since the resemblance between Darien and DJ is so noticeable, the only plausible explanation I could come up with was to invent a long lost cousin for Darien as well."
Darien nodded his head. "That makes sense. Nobody outside our immediate circle of friends really knows about my past anyway, so no one should question it."
"That's what I thought," Trista said. "So it would strange if Rini and DJ pretended not to know each other since their 'cousins' are engaged." She turned to Alex and Katie. "As for you two, I figured too many questions would pop up if you ran around with the last name Furuhata, so I thought that you could pose as Jess's cousins from her mother's side and use her maiden name. If that's okay with you Jess."
Jess waved a hand. "That works for me. Alex and Katie Morgan, it kind of has a ring to it."
Trista sighed. "So that's settled. Inside those envelopes you'll find everything you need for your new identities, including birth certificates and identification. Your class schedules are in there as well."
They all three ripped open the envelopes eagerly, and took a moment to look over the documents that were the keys to their new lives. DJ and Alex whooped when they saw the shiny driver's licenses and then put their heads together to see if they had any classes together.
"Sweet!" DJ crowed. "We have Trig, French, Literature, and Chemistry together."
"All right!" Alex cheered. "What about you, Kat? Do you have any classes with us."
When they didn't get an answer, they turned to look at her, surprised to find her extremely pale. She held her class schedule in a shaking hand.
Katie's head spun. She did indeed have the same classes as the boys in the morning, but it was her afternoon classes that shook her up. She glared up at Trista. "Advanced Music and Composition?"
Trista didn't even flinch at the accusatory tone in the girl's voice. "Yes. Michelle teaches those classes, and I thought that it was time for you to get back into the swing of things. I spoke to her last night, and she's anxious to meet you."
Katie felt sick. The cinnamon roll she had eaten now felt like a solid lump in her stomach. The lighthearted attitude that she had felt all morning fled as coldness began to seep into her. "I can't take those classes."
Trista pinned her with a firm, yet kind look. "Of course you can. You've been fast tracking yourself for years to try to gain admission into Julliard. I know that the last few months have been crazy, but it's time to move on. These classes will be good for you."
Katie continued to stare furiously at the time guardian, her cheeks burning and her breathing labored. A brief spark of silver shown in her eyes for a moment before it faded as she jumped at the hand that landed on her shoulder.
"Chill, Kat," Alex said softly. "She's right. We all need this. Remember what we were told last night. Think of this as your first step."
"Okay, I'm feeling left out," Jess complained. "What are you guys talking about? Music classes? Julliard? Katie, are you a musician?"
Katie took a deep, calming breath as she shared a last understanding look with her brother. Then her eyes caught and held DJ's. He gave her a grin and an encouraging nod, making it possible for her to turn to her future mother with a small smile.
"I guess you could say that," she whispered. "I've been known to dabble in music a little bit."
"Cool!" Serena exclaimed. "So if we have the three of you starting school on Monday, you know what that means."
Darien and Andrew both groaned and buried their faces in their hands as Serena, Jess, and Rini all squealed together, "Shopping!"
"This one's too big in the waist. I need a smaller size," Katie declared as she tossed the skirt over the door to the changing room.
Jess sputtered as the navy blue fabric of the Azabu High School uniform skirt smacked her right in the face. "Nice aim," she muttered sarcastically. "I don't know if they have a smaller size. What are you, like a size 0 under that sloppy sweatshirt you were wearing?"
"Ha ha," came the caustic reply. "The 6 is too big. Let me try a 4."
"Whatever you say, Toothpick," Jess quipped as she hurried out of the dressing area and back out into the store to exchange the skirt for a smaller size. On the way she passed Serena and Rini who were digging through one of the sales racks and emitting squeals of delight.
"Ohh! Look at this one!" Serena gushed as she pulled a sparkly red, spaghetti strapped dress from the rack. "This is just too gorgeous. I have to try this on. Raye would go nuts if she saw it on me."
"At least it's not pink or white," Jess said as she dove into the sea of uniform skirts to find the size Katie needed. "You've come a long way in learning how to wear colors since I met you."
"Says the woman that always seems to wear the same color," Rini snorted. "Do you even own any clothing that isn't blue?"
Jess emerged from her hunt and plucked at the hem of her royal blue sweater. "Hey! I like blue. You don't have a lot of room to talk, Little Miss Pink! How many pink shirts are hanging in your closet?"
Rini flushed but said nothing, knowing it was true. Jess grinned in triumph as she swept back into the dressing area. Without thinking, she pushed open the door to the changing room Katie was in instead of just tossing the skirt over to her.
"Here. I think this one will fit…" she began before her voice trailed off.
Katie jumped and grabbed her large black sweatshirt and held it up in front of her, hiding the fact that her upper body was bare except for the lacy bra that she was wearing.
Jess's eyes widened as she focused on what she had seen before the shirt blocked her view. Katie had the same lightly sun kissed complexion that she had, but it was marred by a faint collection of white scars that marked her arms and chest. One in particular was worse than the others. It was an angry red color and ran from her left shoulder down almost to her elbow.
Jess raised a shaky hand to her mouth. "Katie…what happened?"
The fear and panic in her future daughter's hazel eyes vanished as they became hard and angry. She stomped forward and snatched the skirt from Jess and then growled. "Get out!"
"But…but," Jess stammered in shock.
Katie sent her a look so full of venom and malice that it sent a shiver down her spine. "Do have to draw you a picture? I said get out!"
Not knowing what else to do, Jess fled. She heard the door slam loudly behind her as she stopped to lean up against the wall to catch her breath. It seemed like she had finally uncovered one of the reasons why Katie had such a cold, distant attitude. She longed to rush back in there and demand to know how she had gotten those scars, but she knew that doing that would probably just stir up more animosity.
The sound of laughter reached her ears and gave her a new idea. She may not be able to get any answers out of her future daughter, but she had three other people that she could make talk.
She marched back through the store, grabbing the giggling Rini on the way. She heard the younger girl protest and try to pull away, but she tightened her grip on her as she pulled her from the store. Faintly she heard Serena's exclamation of surprise and knew that the blonde was following them.
She stomped out of the store, pulling the struggling teen behind her, and made a beeline for the four males that were currently sitting on the edge of the fountain in the center of the mall. The boys had finished their shopping in less than an hour. Now they were playing the waiting game while the women shopped.
Andrew's head came up and a big smile lit his face when he saw Jess coming toward them. "Hey honey. Are you girls about…"
He broke off midsentence as she held up a hand to stop him. He gulped when he saw the look on her face that meant that she was trying very hard to keep her emotions under control. Uh oh, something must have upset her pretty bad.
She pushed Rini down to sit next to DJ and Alex and pinned all three teens with a murderous look. She took in a deep breath. "Okay, spill it! What the hell happened to her?"
All three fidgeted nervously. Alex suddenly seemed to find the ceiling very interesting while DJ had his eyes glued to the floor. Rini looked all around, trying to avoid eye contact as she mumbled, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Jess's eyes flashed bright blue for a second and little ripples danced across the surface of the fountain's water before calming back down. The trio scrambled back from her a little, almost falling into the water.
"Don't play dumb with me," she ground out. "You three know exactly what I'm talking about. I want to know what happened to my future daughter to make her look like she's a walking pincushion. It looks like someone has been using her as target practice."
"What!" Andrew exclaimed as he jumped up to stand next to her. "What are you talking about?"
She whirled to face him with a furious, yet heart broken look. "I'm talking about the fact that our future daughter is covered in scars. They're all over her arms and chest and god knows where else. I want to know how she got them."
"Oh, the poor thing," Serena cried softly with tears in her eyes. "Something really bad must have happened to her. Rini, can't you tell us?"
The pink pigtails swished back and forth violently as Rini shook her head. "I can't say anything, you know that. It could change the timeline and mess up the future."
Next to her, DJ let out a huge sigh. "We don't have to tell them everything, but they do deserve to know that Katie wasn't always the way she is now. None of us really know what she went through since she won't talk about it, but I can imagine that it was hell."
Alex elbowed him hard in the ribs, making him hiss out a sharp breath. He shot an infuriated look at his friend. Alex ignored the death glare and turned his eyes to look pointedly over Serena's shoulder.
Everyone turned and fell silent at the sight of Katie standing behind them with her fists clenched and furiously flashing eyes. She was shaking so much that even her hair seemed to quiver.
But when she spoke, her voice was deadly calm. "So you want to know about these?" she asked, pushing back the sleeve of her sweatshirt to show some of the less hideous looking scars. The adults all cringed a little at the sight of them.
She focused her gaze on Rini, DJ, and Alex. "Why don't you guys go ahead and enlighten them. Tell them about how Discord targeted me first because I am the weakest. Tell them how I was a disgrace to the sailor scouts when I failed to defend myself against one freaking guardian. I was captured and locked in the dark for three days while that bastard fed on every fear and doubt that I had in my mind and twisted them around until I wanted nothing more than to lay down and die."
The tears that had been brimming in her eyes spilled over. "Now is everyone satisfied? You can all stop speculating about why I'm as screwed up as I am. For a few hours I deluded myself into thinking that being here might help fix whatever's wrong with me, but I guess I'm just defective."
"Shut up!" Alex yelled suddenly as he lunged to his feet. The anger on his face mirrored hers. "It wasn't your fault that you were taken. If I had been paying attention to the vibes I was feeling that night instead of sneaking champagne and dancing, things might have been different. You know I can always sense when something is wrong with you, but by the time I realized it that night you were already gone."
Katie sucked in a deep breath. She had never known that her brother felt any blame for what had happened to her. "Alex, it was my fault. I left the party and went home alone. I was stupid enough to not have my transformation pendant with me. And even so, I should have been able to get away from him. Isn't that what all the training we've been through was supposed to prepare us for?"
He shot her an exasperated look. "You were attacked by a knife wielding maniac. I don't think anyone would have expected you to be able to fight him off by yourself. And you were never weak. Hell, you've kicked mine and DJ's asses more times than I can count. You've even given Lita and Amara a run for their money. How could you be weak and do that?"
She sniffled and hung her head to stare at the floor. "I don't know. I feel so confused most of the time. I tell myself that if I keep training that I will become strong enough to actually make a difference."
She jumped as she was pulled into a sudden hug. Her head snapped up, thinking that it was Alex who was embracing her, but was surprised instead to find herself staring into her mother's past self's intense blue eyes.
"Oh boy have you come to the right place," Jess said shakily. "I can tell you a thing or two about feeling out of place. Been there, done that, got a souvenir t-shirt to prove it."
The sincerity of her words made Katie freeze for a moment as she thought back on the carefully written words in the letter from her mother that she had read a few hours before.
'I know that you have been scared, lost, and confused these last few months, and it has shredded my heart into a million pieces to watch you go through such a hellish ordeal. But I want you to know how much I love you and how proud of you I am. I know I have never really gone into some of the events that happened to me when I was young, but believe me when I say that I understand the way you are feeling right now, probably more than you know. I hate that you are not here with me now, but I want you to know that no matter what time you are in; you can always depend on me to be there for you. Trust in my past self. She can help you understand and work through the emotions that have been plaguing you.'
Katie felt the icy barrier that she had erected around herself crack a little more. "Momma," she whispered softly as she returned the hug and buried her face in Jess's shoulder.
Sensing the need for them to be alone, the others began to drift away. Serena latched onto Darien's arm as they walked away. Rini grabbed a protesting DJ by the collar and began dragging him after them.
Andrew approached his future wife and daughter slowly. He laid a comforting hand on top of Katie's head for a moment before slipping a set of keys to his fiancé. "Alex and I will catch a ride with Darien and Serena. You two be careful, and I'll see you at home."
Jess nodded her head and watched as Andrew walked away with Alex, the younger boy looking back over his shoulder worriedly at his twin. Jess gave him an encouraging smile and mouthed the words, "She'll be okay," to him, making him grin at her.
She turned her attention back to the trembling girl in her arms. Though she had only known Katie for about sixteen hours, she had seen enough of her personality to know that while the girl had inherited some of her father's easy going personality, she also had a lot of her in her and probably wouldn't want to make a big issue out of this little breakdown.
So she tried her usual direct approach. "Cool! I can't believe we got rid of all of them that easily. Now we have the mall to ourselves and my credit card is just itching to be used. Not to mention Drew left me the keys to his Mustang, and I just love driving that car. The afternoon is ours. So, did you finish picking out your school stuff?"
The light blonde head on her shoulder lifted up to reveal a tear streaked face and slightly reddened, puffy eyes, but a genuine smile tilted up Katie's lips and her hazel eyes were clear and sparkling.
"Yeah, I did," she replied. "But I kinda left it all in the dressing room when I ran out." Then she giggled. "That stuffy saleslady looked really pissed when I ran by her. Crazy old bat."
Jess giggled too. "She probably works on commission. Let's go really piss her off by taking everything she probably just hung back up back off the rack again. That'll teach her to mess with us."
Katie laughed as she wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve. "I never knew you had such a devious side to you."
Jess gave her an exaggerated wink. "Well, what kind of mother would I be if taught my kids how to cause trouble? But the moral of the story is that I'm not your mother yet, so there's no excuse for us not to have fun."
Katie answered her grin with one of her own. "Lead on, oh wise teacher. I am your willing student."
Darien juggled the grocery bags in his arms as he fumbled with the keys to unlock the door. He finally succeeded in sliding the key into the lock and pushed the door open with his foot as he made his way into the darkening apartment.
"Sere, I'm back," he called out toward the living room as he walked into the kitchen and set the bags on the counter. Not hearing a response he tried again. "Serena."
He still didn't hear anything, so he went to make a quick check of the apartment. All of the bedrooms were empty as well as the living room. He frowned as he clicked on a lamp and looked around for a note telling him where everyone was. When he didn't find one, he pulled out his cell phone to dial his fiancé.
As his finger hovered over the call button, a flicker of movement from the glass doors caught his eye, and he turned to see DJ standing out on the balcony. He was leaning against the railing as he looked out over the late afternoon city.
Darien was struck once again by the resemblance between him and his future son. From the back it would be hard to tell the difference between the two of them. Granted, he was a few inches taller and was broader through the shoulders. But with both of them having the same tousled black hair, it would be an easy mistake to make.
He slid the door open and stepped out quietly to take up an identical pose next to the brooding boy. "Hey, what's up? Where did everybody go?"
DJ jumped at the sound of his voice and Darien saw a flash of silver in his hand before his fist closed tightly around whatever he was holding. "Oh hey! Uh, mom…I mean Serena and Rini ran over to the Tsukino's house. I think they said grandma had baked something. Alex went with Andrew to the arcade for a while, and Katie and Jess haven't made it back yet."
Darien noticed that this last part was said in a miserable voice. "You three have been through a lot lately, haven't you?"
DJ nodded slowly. "Yeah, but Alex and I haven't been through a fraction of what Katie has. Today was the first time that I've ever heard her talk about it. I knew it had been bad, but to hear what she said let me know what a nightmare it must have been. Her physical injuries were bad enough, but to lock her up in the dark…she's scared to death of the dark. It must have been torture for her."
Then a lopsided grin appeared on his face. "She'd probably kick my ass for saying that. I'm not supposed to know that she still sleeps with a nightlight, but Alex can't keep a secret to save his life."
Darien chuckled. "Just like his dad. Drew's the same way. I think there's something in the Furuhata blood that turns them into gossip queens. They can't help themselves." Then he sobered a bit. "So the three of you are pretty tight, huh?"
DJ shrugged. "Alex and I are. We've been best friends since before we could walk or talk. Katie and Alex…well they're twins. I don't think you can get any closer than that. They have this, I don't know…thing between them. It's like they know what each other are thinking. They finish one another's sentences sometime. It's really creepy."
Darien realized that DJ had danced around the topic of his and Katie's relationship. He had a feeling after observing the two of them together that there was more between the two teens than met the eye.
"So," he began casually. "What about you and Katie? You two seem to butt heads a lot."
"Humph," DJ huffed in irritation. "Butting heads is putting it mildly. I swear I've never met a more infuriating person in my whole life. The earliest memory I have of her is her pushing me down and calling me a dummy. I guess the best way to describe us is tolerant adversaries. At least we were before the kidnapping. Then everything changed."
"Ah," Darien mused, reading between the lines. It seemed that his son held some feelings for the blonde spitfire. And just like once upon a time that he had tried to deny what he felt for a certain bubbly golden angel, DJ was having a hard time coming to terms with it.
"Women are mysterious creatures sometimes," he said carefully. "Men have been trying since the beginning of time to figure out the way that their minds work, but that's like fighting a losing battle. They may say one thing and mean something else entirely. Take Serena for example; when I first met her, I thought she was the flightiest, most airheaded person I had ever had the misfortune to meet. I tried to avoid her, but it seemed like karma kept throwing us together. She was so annoying that I couldn't help but ridicule her about every tiny thing that I saw as a flaw in her."
DJ thought back for a moment to that day in the park when Endymion had told him a similar story. Maybe now he could go more in depth. "So what changed your mind about her? How can you go from hating someone to loving someone? Was it because she was Sailor Moon and you were Tuxedo Mask, or was it because of your past lives?"
Darien shook his head. "I see you are pretty well informed about our past. No, it didn't have anything to do with any of those things. I know now that I had feelings from her from the very beginning, but I was just too stupid to face them. Then one day I saw her stop on the street to help a little old lady that had dropped her grocery bag. She gathered everything up and insisted on assisting the woman to the bus stop. Then I saw her consoling a little girl at the park that had fallen off the swings. I began watching her with her friends and realized that underneath her childish ways she had a heart of gold. Before I knew it, I fell in love with her. I was working up the nerve to tell her how I felt when the Silver Crystal was discovered and our pasts were revealed. But I can definitely say that Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity had nothing to do with me falling in love with Serena."
DJ opened his hand, and Darien was able to see that he had been holding a silver charm bracelet that had dangling crescent moons hanging from it. "So was it hard to do? I mean, to confess how you felt about her the first time you told her?"
Darien thought back to that day and laughed. "You have no idea. I was shaking like a leaf, fully expecting her to turn me away. I figured she would think that I was only telling her because of our pasts, but she didn't." He stopped and rubbed his head. "Of course that was also the day that we met your sister for the first time."
DJ's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yep," Darien replied. "There we were, standing on the dock by the lake at the park," he purposefully didn't tell him that he was locked in a passionate kiss with Serena at the time. After all, what kid wants to hear that about their parents? "When WHAM! This little girl came falling out of the sky and landed right on top of us. What were the chances of that happening?"
"Oh yeah," DJ muttered. "That was during the whole Dark Moon invasion. I often wondered if I hadn't been caught up in that attack if I would have come back with Rini then."
Not able to help himself, Darien reached over to ruffle the midnight hair that was like his. "Who knows? But you're here now. It's shocking, yes, but not unwelcome. Now, maybe you can come help me with the mediocre chore of putting away the groceries. I don't know what she's like in the future, but I try not to let Serena anywhere near the kitchen if at all possible."
DJ grinned. "She's still just as hopeless. Lita's threatened her with a long, slow, painful death on many occasions if she comes within more than twenty feet of the palace kitchen. Not that I blame her, mom could burn water."
"Yeah that sounds like her," Darien chuckled.
"Darien, DJ, we're home," Serena's voice filtered out to them through the open door. "Mom baked us a big chocolate cake for dessert. Did you guys want me to cook dinner tonight?"
Identical looks of panic crossed their faces as they lunged for the door at the same time. "No! We've got it!" they cried together.
"Wow! Great score," Andrew said as he leaned over Alex's shoulder to see the end result as the screen flashed 'Game Over.'
"Thanks," Alex grinned as the game then informed him that he had achieved a high score and prompted him to enter his initials. He typed in AAF before remembering that he was supposed to be undercover. He changed the F to an M.
"Are you sure you've never played Sailor V before?" Andrew asked as Alex's score appeared on the list of high scores in second place. "Nobody's been able to crack this list in years. Mina's going to flip when she sees that someone bumped her out of second."
"Nope," Alex replied as he eyed the small difference between his score and the top one. "First time. I came close to getting first though. Any idea who that is?" he asked, pointing to the initials SUT that sat firmly at the top of the list.
"Ah," Andrew sighed. "Yes I do. I think that day will live in my mind forever. It was probably about six years ago now. There was this girl that used to come in everyday after school like clockwork to play this game. She was determined to get the high score no matter what. After months of trying, she finally succeeded. I thought every glass in the place was going to shatter when she started screaming. It sounded like she was being murdered."
"She must have been good to get a score that high and been able to keep it as long as she has. Sounds like a real gamer." Alex said in a reverent voice. "It's a shame that she's probably too old now to be interested in video games and never comes in here anymore. I would have liked to talk strategies with her."
Andrew chuckled. "You can ask her any time you want to. She's still in here almost every day. The initials SUT stand for one Serena Usagi Tsukino, and I'm sure she would be willing to share her secrets with you."
Alex's eyes widened. "Are you serious? Serena? That's wicked! She played around with us a little bit on some video games when we were younger, but I never pictured her being a die hard fanatic."
"Trust me," Andrew replied. "If we had a wall of fame here, she'd be at the top, followed closely by each member of her little entourage. Actually, I take that back. Jess would be at the top for keeping the riff raff out. There are fully grown men that won't come in here anymore because they got tossed out on their asses by her."
That brought a laugh from the brown haired boy. "That sounds like her." Then he sobered some. "Do you think she and Katie are okay? Kat was really upset when we left. I don't think I've ever seen her that worked up."
Andrew turned inquisitive hazel eyes on his future son. "You care about your sister a lot, don't you?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah. We've always been really close. Some people used to joke and say that we should have been Siamese twins because it was like we were joined at the hip. But I never realized exactly how tight we were until…" his voice faded.
"Until the kidnapping?" Andrew prompted gently.
There was another nod. "Yeah. It's always been like a part of her is always hovering right in the back of my mind. I didn't ever pay attention to it until she was gone. Then it was like there was this big empty hole in my head where she used to be. I was going crazy until that night that Discord finally showed himself. I was able to sense her again, but I knew something was wrong. It didn't feel like her anymore. That probably doesn't make any sense to you."
Andrew shook his head. "It makes perfect sense. It's kind of the reverse of what happened when I met Jess. The first day she came blowing in here and ordered a cherry coke she was lost and lonely. I didn't see it then, but she was searching for companionship and for people to accept her for who she was, despite her certain, uh…abilities. You know that she lost her parents when she was only sixteen?"
"Uh huh," Alex murmured. "She doesn't talk about it much. She's told me stories about them from when she was little, but then it's like she skips over her teen years and goes straight to when she moved back here."
"That sounds about right," Andrew agreed. "She had a rough few years what with Nebula showing up and awakening her scout powers and then the accident. I've met her aunt and uncle from New York. They seem nice and all, but you can see that they look at her like she's different. Of course we can't tell them that she's a reincarnated princess from a thousand years ago that controls a powerful magic crystal. They'd probably lock us all up in the loony bin if we did. But the point is she's been through some tough times. I think that maybe if she opens up to Katie and tells her about it, it may do them both a world of good."
Alex sighed. "I sure hope so. It's hard for me to admit this, but I'm scared. Everyone keeps talking about how Katie, DJ, and I are the ones who can save the world from Discord, and it's a lot to take in. I don't see us even being able to put a dent in him the way we are right now. The last battle we had back home knocked us all on our asses, and that was just against some of his lackeys."
Andrew clasped him comfortingly on the shoulder. "And that right there is why I think you are here. You all need some breathing space and a chance to grow into your powers some more. We're all here to help you. I think that with a little guidance, the three of you will become closer and be a formidable team. And it's okay to be scared. I'd call you crazy if you weren't. I know my knees were knocking together when we faced him a year and a half ago."
"Really?" Alex asked in shock. He thought back to that night on the bridge when he saw his father in his gleaming armor, battling bravely against the guardians and sentinels that Discord had sent against them. "You were scared during that fight?"
Andrew grinned. "You better believe it. I'm an infant compared to the others when it comes to fighting. I never even knew that I had any powers until a couple of months after I met Jess. The others have known about their abilities for years. I'm still in the learning stage myself. I wouldn't be surprised if you could teach me a few things."
"Yeah right!" Alex snorted. "I'm sure Nebula's gotten a hold of you. I've often wondered if that cat is mentally unbalanced."
Andrew winced a little as he remembered the training sessions he had suffered through at the hands of the maniacally enthusiastic feline. "Artemis swears that she is off her rocker. I feel sorry for the poor guy, she tears into him every chance she gets. And Luna always gets stuck in the middle of them trying to keep the peace."
Alex gave him a rueful smile as he thought about all the times that he had to play peacekeeper between Katie and DJ. "I know how she feels."
Andrew eyed him speculatively. After witnessing a few of the spats between Katie and DJ he had seen the way that Alex always stepped in and tried to diffuse the situation. "I'm sure you do. Anyway, I'm done with what I needed to do here. What do you say we blow this place and go home and see if the girls are back yet?"
Feeling completely at ease with his father's past self, Alex hopped up with a big grin. "Sure. Do you think I can drive back? It's not far." He had been itching to get behind the wheel every since he had seen Andrew's cherry red Mustang. Of course they had left it back at the mall with Jess and Katie. But Jess's sleek, midnight blue Camaro wasn't anything to sneeze at either.
"I don't think so." Andrew said with a laugh. "I value my life too much. Jess would have both of our heads if she found out I let you behind the wheel of her precious car."
"Oh, come on!" Alex complained. "I'm a really good driver. I promise." Then he lowered his voice. "You taught me yourself and always said that I was a natural at it. Please, Dad."
'Damn those eyes!' Andrew cursed to himself as he was confronted with the same pleading blue eyes that Jess used on him whenever she wanted something from him. And the fact that the boy had just called him dad weakened him more.
"Fine," he sighed. "But if she catches us I'm going to blame it all on you. I'll tell her you hit me over the head and threw me unconscious into the car. Then you two can battle it out."
"Yes!" Alex crowed as he snagged the keys from Andrew's hand and tore out the doors toward the car parked by the curb.
Andrew shook his head and followed his enthusiastic future son, thinking to himself about what a sucker he was.
Serena paused outside the bedroom door when she thought she heard a strange sound behind it. She listened harder, but the sound of laughter floating down the hall from the kitchen suddenly drowned everything else out.
She shot an irritated glance in the direction of the disturbance, but really the sound made her feel happy. Obviously Darien and DJ had some kind of a talk while she and Rini had been gone to her parent's, and now they were both laughing and joking together with Andrew and Alex in the kitchen where they had insisted they could take care of dinner.
Feeling a little out of place with all of their male bonding, she had gone to look for Rini. She had been a little concerned about the younger girl all afternoon. Normally Rini was as big of a chatterbox as she was, but she had been abnormally quiet every since they had left the mall earlier.
She raised a hand to knock on the door, but stopped when she once again heard the strange, muffled sound from inside the room. Her concern grew and she quickly tapped on the door before pushing it open and sticking her head inside. "Rini?"
The room held all of Serena's furniture and her childhood mementos from her old room at her parent's home. In fact, it had been arranged so that it was almost an exact copy of the room she had grown up in, right down to the blanket on the bed that was covered in moons and stars. The same bed that a certain teenage girl was currently crying her heart out on.
Serena slipped inside the room and closed the door behind her before flying to the bed and perching on the edge of it. "Rini, honey, what's wrong?" she asked as she began rubbing the upset girl's back tenderly.
The tousled pink haired head turned to the side to reveal a slightly puffy, tear streaked face. "It's nothing, really. I'm just being stupid."
"What do you mean?" Serena asked. "It has to be something to have you so upset."
Rini rolled over and then sat up before pulling her knees up to her chest. "I guess it's just pressure. I mean, I always thought that there was something different about DJ, Katie, and Alex. They started training at a very early age, even younger than me. And they always had to practice longer and harder than anyone else. But I never knew why that was. Even after I helped you seal away Discord, the thought of the Galactic Trinity never even crossed my mind. Then when Katie got kidnapped the whole story came out. I felt like such an idiot."
"Oh honey," Serena commiserated with her as she wrapped a comforting arm around her future daughter. "I don't see how you could have figured that out if no one ever told you. Why are you beating yourself up over it?"
Rini sighed and leaned her head down to touch her knees. "Because they are the only ones that can save the future and now they're here. If something happens to one of them it will be all my fault." She broke into fresh sobs.
Serena was shocked by the outburst. The thought that Rini believed that the responsibility of watching over the three teens was absurd. "Rini, you heard what Trista said earlier. They're here for all of us to keep an eye on. This burden doesn't fall completely on you."
"But it feels like it," Rini hiccupped. "I thought it was strange when my parents asked me to come back to this time while we were going through such a hard time back home. They said that they thought I needed a vacation from all of the attacks that I had been fighting against recently. And like a dummy I bought into it. Now I feel like a glorified babysitter."
Serena watched her in sympathy. "Things have been hectic in the future, haven't they?"
"Hectic!" Rini snorted. "I think screwed up describes it much better. Everything was going along like normal, and then BOOM! Utter chaos hits. Now there's attacks almost every night, sometimes more than one, and we've all been running around like chickens with our heads cut off. It sucks!"
Serena let out a dramatic sigh and flopped across the bed. "So goes the story of our lives. I think we should protest. We're princesses. We shouldn't have to do anything except lay around all day and eat ice cream while we wait for our dream prince to come and carry us off into the sunset."
She shifted her eyes back to her future daughter to find the younger girl looking at her like she had suddenly sprouted horns out of her head. And then suddenly, Rini broke into a fit of giggles.
"Omigosh, Serena!" she choked out while laughing. "You are such a goofball! I don't see how anyone that's as obviously messed up in the head as you are could possibly end up being my mother."
A sly grin appeared on Serena's face only moments before she pounced on Rini. She pinned her to the bed and proceeded to tickle her ribs unmercifully.
"Ha!" she crowed in victory. "You may think I'm mental. But I got you to laugh, didn't I?"
"Yes!" Rini shrieked. "Okay! Stop! I give up! Stop the tickling! Please!"
Serena stopped the torture and they sat up, both of them flushed, rumpled, and panting for breath.
"Are you feeling better now?" Serena asked affectionately.
The big grin stayed on Rini's face. "Yeah. I think I do."
"Sere, Rini, dinner's ready," Darien's voice floated down the hall to them.
The two of them grinned conspiratorially at each other as they made a mad dash from the room to see which one of them could reach the food first. And that was fine until they both tried to go through the kitchen door at the same time.
"Ouch! Rini, back up!" Serena squealed.
"No way, Meatball Head!" Rini protest. "I was here first. You back up, Blimp!"
"Blimp! Are you trying to say I'm fat?"
"Just speaking the truth."
"Why you little…"
"Enough!" Darien said loudly. "Both of you back up right now and go sit at the table or I promise you that neither one of you are getting a single bite."
"Sorry," both of the troublemakers mumbled and shuffled quickly to the table where they sat quietly awaiting their dinner.
DJ burst out laughing so hard that he almost fell off the stool he was sitting on at the breakfast bar. In fact, if Alex hadn't been sitting right next to him, he probably would have ended up on the floor.
"Oh man!" he gasped, clutching his stomach. "You've got guts, sis. If you had said that back home, mom would have washed your mouth out with soap."
Next to him, Alex was also laughing. "That's better than what my mom would have done. If Kat or I had the nerve to call her fat to her face, we probably wouldn't be able to sit for a month."
Rini templed her fingers under her chin and said in a mock serious voice. "Ah! You have much to learn, my young rookie time travelers. You will soon come to realize that the people here are not the same parental units that you have known. The wise Serenity knows all."
That time both boys did hit the floor. They couldn't help it. Rini had just done a dead on impersonation of Yoda from those old Star Wars movies that they had seen. The mental image of Rini as a short little green alien with big bat ears and pink pigtails was too much for them.
Andrew sat a giant platter of food on the table and then smacked Serena's hand as she reached eagerly for it. "Hold your horses there for a minute, Sere. Geez! Let me get the rest of it on the table at least before you go into a feeding frenzy."
"Are we not going to wait on Jess and Katie?" Rini asked, trying her best to be mature, but in fact she was practically drooling just like Serena at the sight of the mouth-watering food before her. "Drew, you are the god of the kitchen," she couldn't help but sigh.
Andrew barked out a laugh. "Don't let Lita hear you say that. I think she's still a little pissed that my peanut butter fudge was a bigger hit than her fruit puffs she made for the Christmas party. And don't worry about Jess and Katie, I saved some for them to eat when they get back."
A sudden pounding at the door had everyone in the apartment jumping up in alarm. They all shot startled looks at each other, wondering if there was any danger, until they heard the voices on the other side of the door.
"Serenaaa! Pleeease let me in!" Mina was wailing. "I reeeally have to talk to you."
Then Raye's gruff voice was heard. "Pipe down, Airhead! You're acting like it's the end of the world."
"Amen," they heard Lita agree. "You're acting like such a child, Mina."
Amy, always the voice of reason, broke in. "Maybe we should have called first. Serena may not even be home."
"Nooo!" Mina shrieked. "Don't say that Amy. She just has to be here."
"Oh for the love of Selene," Serena muttered as she jumped up from her chair and rushed to the door. "What the hell is wrong with them?"
She threw the door open to find her four best friends standing there. Raye had subdued the wailing Mina by putting her in a headlock and the love goddess's face was beginning to turn blue from the lack of air. Lita and Amy were both standing several feet away glancing around as if they didn't know the wrestling duo.
"What in the world is going on?" Serena demanded. "You four better have a good excuse for barging over here and making a scene like this." Then she heaved a deep breath and opened the door wider. "Get in here. Now."
All four of the women had the good grace to look sheepish as they filed silently past their princess and into the apartment. They went into the living room and sat down quietly.
Serena carefully closed the door and took a deep breath before following them. Instead of taking a seat herself, she stood before her scouts with as much poise and dignity that she could muster.
"Okay," she began slowly. "What seems to be the emergency this time?"
Amy and Lita didn't say anything, but Raye threw a scathing glance at the semi hysterical Mina before snapping, "Ask Little Miss Aphrodite complex over there. She came rushing into the apartment about twenty minutes ago, babbling like a deranged idiot. We haven't been able to make heads or tails out of anything that has come spewing out of her mouth. I think she's been drinking."
Mina's head shot up to reveal blue eyes that were swirling with emotion. "I have not been drinking, Pyro! I was trying to tell you guys what I saw, but none of you would listen to me. Nobody ever listens to me!"
Raye opened her mouth to shot back some sarcastic comment, but Serena butted in first. "Okay Mina, I'll listen. What's got you so upset? Did something happen between you and Kunzite?"
The blonde head swished back and forth violently. "No. That I could handle. Love is my specialty after all. This is…well…it's confusing as hell. I don't even know how to explain it."
Serena sighed and sank into an armchair. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"
Mina took a deep breath. "Okay. So I was at the mall doing my usual Saturday marathon…"
"Giving Kunzite's credit card its marathon, you mean," Raye retorted.
Mina glared at the fire priestess but continued. "Anyhow, I was passing by this shop when I saw Jess walk out with this girl that I have never seen before. Okay, no big deal right? They were carrying on together like they were long lost friends, so I thought that maybe she was one of Jess's friends from America that had come to visit or something. But it bothered me because I could see something between them, some kind of bond. So I went in and asked this girl that I know that works in that shop if she knew what they were up to. She told me that they introduced themselves as being cousins. I know that can't be right because Jess only has one cousin and he's a guy who is about five years older than her."
"So what are you getting at?" Lita growled, clearly getting fed up with Mina's theatrics. "Did you ever stop to think that you don't know everything about everyone's lives? Maybe she really is a cousin. Perhaps her aunt or uncle had an illegitimate child or something."
"No way!" Mina declared. "I know what I saw between them and it wasn't just two cousins out for an afternoon of shopping. I saw a soul bond between them and it's scaring me. I can only see those types of bonds between either soul mates or…or…"
"Or their children," Serena finished for her. "I was going to call a meeting with you guys tomorrow, but I guess now is as good a time as any."
Lita was instantly on guard. "A meeting? Why? Is something wrong?"
"Well…not exactly," Serena hedged. "It's kinda complicated."
At that moment, DJ decided to come strolling out of the kitchen. "Hey mom, the food's getting cold. I thought you were hungry. You better hurry up or Rini's going to eat it all. And you know what a black hole that sister of mine is. Oh hey Mina, Lita, Raye, Amy, I didn't know you guys were here." He grinned devilishly at them and disappeared back into the kitchen.
Four audible thumps were heard as the scout's jaws dropped open to hit the floor.
"Oh my," Amy whispered.
"Did he just call Serena mom?" Lita asked in a daze.
"Holy shit! He looked just like Darien," Raye squeaked.
Mina slid off the couch to land on the floor. "Somebody tell me what the hell is going onnn!" she screamed.
At that moment the door opened and Jess and Katie walked in.
"Ah, Mina," Jess said with a grin. "I thought I heard your dulcet tones all the way down in the lobby. What happened this time? Did they kill off your favorite actor in a soap opera?"
Mina jumped up and pointed a finger at Katie. "That's her! That's the girl I saw. She's the one."
Katie took a step back and pointed a finger at herself. "Me? What did I do? Geez, Mina, have you been drinking?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Mina exploded. "I am not drunk! I am, however, very confused. Just where the hell did you come from?"
"Uh…uh…" Katie stammered uncertainly.
DJ and Alex came out of the kitchen where they had been celebrating the victory of DJ stunning the scouts into absolute silence. Darien and Andrew were still in hiding in the kitchen, not wanting to face a group of temperamental and emotional women.
Raye gasped as she took in all three teens as they stood together and it was her turn to fall off her seat. "Mother of all that is holy! Just who are these kids? They have the brightest auras I have ever seen, and they get more intense the closer they get to each other."
Serena stood up and crossed over to a cabinet to pull out two bottles of wine. "Might as well sit back and relax, ladies. This may take a little while to explain."
Alex grabbed Katie's arm and pulled her from the apartment, DJ following close behind.
"Where are we going?" she hissed as they made their escape into the hall.
Alex held up several containers of food. "Let's go eat on the roof and let the adults handle the details. What do ya say?"
Katie answered with the first genuine smile that either boy had seen come from her in months, making both of them pause for a second. "I say that if that is indeed dad's orange chicken I'm smelling, then lead on."
"Jack, have you discovered a suitable place for us to strike yet?" Discord grumbled. "This has been taking some time."
"I'm sorry, Grandpa," the boy apologized. "I just wanted to make sure I found the perfect opportunity for us to strike before we acted. I think I have found it." He waved a hand toward the shimmering image in the time stream that showed a young girl of twelve skipping down a sidewalk.
"Are you sure it is wise to attack when they are older?" Discord asked. "It might be better to target them when they are younger."
Jack shook his head. "I think this is ideal. She is old enough to not always be under adult supervision, so we can catch her alone. Yet she's also young enough that she hasn't come into her powers yet. She won't be able to fight back."
"Very well," Discord agreed, using the time key that he had stolen from Sailor Pluto to open a portal. "Take one sentinel and go to that time. I want that girl dead. By killing her, we will change history. The earth will then be vulnerable and the Galactic Trinity will be fractured."
"Oh man, I'm stuffed," Alex moaned as he shuffled his way down the stairs.
"You should be. You ate three helpings," Katie teased.
DJ snorted. "Like you didn't Miss Piggy? I saw you sneaking more onto your plate when you though no one was looking."
Katie stuck her tongue out at him. "I can't help it if my dad is one of the greatest cooks in the world. Anyway, I deserved it after spending all day at the mall with my shopaholic mom."
Alex smiled to himself but remained quiet. He didn't know what had transpired between his sister and his mother's past self after they had left them earlier, and he didn't ask. He could only be grateful that it seemed like Katie was beginning to act a little bit like she used to.
She hadn't once blown up at DJ for his teasing comments while they ate, content to just tease him back. She had lapsed into a sullen silence a few times, but she was easily snapped out of it. Listening to the two of them now bickering in a nonviolent way about who made a better French Silk Pie, Andrew or Lita, Alex couldn't help but think that maybe things might possibly be able to return to normal between them.
He had just reached the bottom of the stairs when he heard a thump behind him and Katie's frantic voice calling, "DJ! What's the matter?"
He spun around to find his best friend slumped against the wall with his eyes clenched shut and gripping the handrail in a white knuckled grasp. He was pale and short of breath with a fine layer of sweat on his face.
Katie had wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him from falling, and Alex rushed back up the steps to offer support on the other side.
"What happened?" he asked in a panic.
Katie was just as panicked. "I don't know. We were just talking and then he all of a sudden acted like he was going to pass out."
"I'm fine," DJ ground out from between clenched teeth. "I just felt dizzy for a second. Now would you two mother hens quit clucking around me? And don't tell anyone about this, it's embarrassing."
"Embarrassing!" Katie said in disbelief. "You almost pitched yourself down a flight of stairs! You could have broken an arm or a leg!"
"And I can heal myself, remember?" he cut into her rant as he pulled away from her and Alex.
"Not if you had broken your neck!" she shot back. "You can't heal yourself if you're dead, you idiot!"
"Hey, hey, guys calm down," Alex said, coming between them. "He said he's okay, Kat. Just leave it alone." Then he turned to his friend. "But you promise me that if you have any more spells like that you'll say something to your dad. He is a doctor after all."
"Okay, I promise," DJ agreed. "It's not that big of a deal. I just felt lightheaded for a moment. Now let's go veg out and watch some old school TV. We saw the scouts leave while we were on the roof, so everything should be quiet now."
The twins watched him worriedly as he headed down the stairs, but kept their comments to themselves. They followed him back to Serena and Darien's apartment where they walked into a hectic scene.
Rini was sitting on one couch with her head resting on Jess's shoulder while Darien was bent over Serena, who was laid out on the second couch. She was trying to get up, but Darien was holding her down.
"I'm fine, Darien. Would you please stop making such a big deal over it?" Serena pleaded as tried once more to sit up.
"Hey, what's going on?" Alex asked Andrew, who was standing in the doorway to the living room.
Andrew shrugged. "No idea. All of a sudden Serena collapsed and then Rini almost passed out too. It was so weird. They were both just standing there talking, and then woosh, it hit them. I've never seen anything like it."
Both Alex and Katie shot a fearful glance at DJ. They both had a sneaking suspicion now as to why he had felt dizzy. They had both experienced it once themselves, and finding out that Serena and Rini were both affected too made it all the more believable. They just both prayed that they were wrong.
Their hopes were dashed when Sailor Pluto arrived in her usual puff of smoke. She turned and pinned the three of them with serious eyes. "I need you three to come with me, right now. I had hoped that we would have a few days before Discord started his crap, but unfortunately we don't."
"What do you mean, Trista?" Serena demanded, struggling into a sitting position. "What is that bastard trying to pull now? You can't take the kids from us yet, they just got here."
Pluto bowed her head to Serena. "I apologize for barging in like this, princess. But do not worry, I will return these three to you. I just need to borrow them for a couple of hours."
"Borrow us for what?" Katie steamed. "You know, I'm really getting tired of all of these cryptic answers and being jerked around to different places. What's going on?"
Pluto sighed heavily. "Discord has been searching the streams of time relentlessly for you three. But since he has been unable to locate you he has decided to strike in a different way. He has established himself at the time gate, so sometimes my visions get fuzzy. And this one almost slipped right by me. Luckily I discovered it before it was too late. I need you three to go back a few more years into the past. If you don't, the streams of time will begin to unravel and the world that we know will cease to exist."
"But what good will going back a few years do? I don't get it," DJ grumbled.
Pluto's eyes flashed bright magenta for a second. "Fine! Maybe you'll understand it this way. Discord has sent a sentinel back in time to go after Serena before she became Sailor Moon. If you don't go and stop it, it will kill her. Then the sailor scouts will never be revived, the Silver Crystal won't be recovered, Crystal Tokyo will not be created, and none of you will ever be born. The Earth will fall to darkness and become a planet of death. Is that clear enough for you?"
A/N Wow! Is Pluto suffering from PMS or what? Anyway, now little Serena of the past is in danger and it's up to DJ, Katie, and Alex to save her and protect the future. Katie must have taken Selene's words to heart because she's trying her best to change. But just like anything else, there's bound to be good days and bad ones. The past parents are bonding with their kids, awwww! Up next-Operation Save Serena! Also, our three little time travelers enter the scary world of high school. (Sere-chan stares into her crystal ball) I see things getting very tricky. Hmmmm. LOL! Hope you liked this chapter. And don't forget to make me smile, review me please. (puppy dog eyes) Lots of love!
~Sere~