A/N Yay! Chapter 8 is here. Okay, it's Valentine's Day in this story, so lots of fluff here. I'm not really going to say a whole lot, because I don't want to give anything away. So let me move on with my hugs so you can move on with reading. BIG HUGS TO:
Charmed Serenity3
Atem's Sister Atea
tiny2008
Luthien Morgon
sunbeam07
amaramichelle
MeganLeBlanc
KageNoNeko
Seredhiel05
SailorMercuryROCKS
GoldenDragon326
anime-lover10
S dot Serenity
nileena
ange de l'aube
ElisabethBoleyn
Thanks bunches and bunches you guys! My muse goddess has been giving me little rest lately, and my poor fingers are feeling it. While this story is my number one priority right now, I hope to soon start posting the prequel to What If, right now called Rekindled soon, I'm also working on Redeemable Sin and Kingdom of the Silver Sun. So I have a lot on my plate. I always try to not have too many projects going at once, and I always fail…lol. Anyway on with the show. This may be my longest chapter ever!
ENJOY!
The Galactic Trinity
Chapter 8
Cupid Goes to Bat
"What is it with us and trees lately?" Katie hissed. "It seems like every time I turn around we're hiding in one."
"It's because these assholes can't come up with a more original place to attack than the park," DJ grumbled next to her.
"Well they're not exactly known for their brains, are they?" Alex retorted. "What sucks is that we're stuck up here while all the action is going on down there."
As if to punctuate his words a cry came from below, "Silver Moon! Crystal Power Kiss!" and the night lit up with bright silver light. The sentinel the attack was launched at saw it coming and jumped out of the way.
"I missed? How could I miss? It was right in front of me!" Sailor Moon screeched.
"It's called being out of practice, Meatball Head! But I would think that you would be used to that by now," Sailor Mars said as her flaming bow appeared in her hand and she aimed at the sentinel. "Mars Flame Sniper!"
Sailor Moon snickered as the sentinel easily dodged the fiery arrow. "What was that you were saying about being out of practice, Pyro? Mercury, any idea what these things are or where they came from?"
They knew exactly what they were up against and who had sent them thanks to the information DJ, Alex, and Katie had given them, but for the sake of protecting the teens' location they had to act like they didn't know anything.
Mercury typed swiftly on her computer. "They seem to be some kind of a wolf hybrid that's been infused with a dark energy of some kind. My scans are showing that the spikes on their body and their teeth are highly venomous, so try not to touch them or get bitten."
"Right," Sailor Moon said, repressing the urge to roll her eyes at the facts she already knew. "Any idea how much longer until the others can get here?"
Mercury shook her head. "I'm not sure, but it take some time, they weren't exactly close by."
"Great," Sailor Moon muttered sarcastically. They were down six scouts and had no generals. Lita and Mina, along with the four generals, had gone to the airport to pick up some final shipments of things that had come in for the boutique and the restaurant. That was way across the city, and Tokyo wasn't exactly a small place. Michelle had a performance in Kyoto, and Amara and Hotaru had accompanied her. They weren't due back until morning. Trista was nearby, very near in fact, but she was with DJ, Alex, and Katie. None of them would show themselves unless it was absolutely necessary.
So it was up to Sailors Moon, Mars, Mercury, Crescent Moon, and Shadow, along with Tuxedo Mask and Andrew, to see what damage they could do.
Sailor Shadow ducked as one of the two sentinels they were facing leapt at her. "Oh man, you suck! Why don't you try this on for size?" Her hands glowed blue as she gathered energy together to shoot a blast at it. She whooped in glee as it impacted the wolf with a boom and a flash of light.
Her mouth fell open in shock a moment later when the light faded to show the beast still standing there. It looked a little banged up, but it was still on its feet, and it snarled in anger.
"No way!" she shrieked, stomping her foot in anger. "There's no way in hell that overgrown lapdog survived that! It was a direct hit!"
The others were stunned as well. There weren't too many things that could stand up to an attack from the Celestial Crystal. Discord must have done his homework this time. These were nothing like the youma he had sent to fight them in the past.
"I can't believe it," Katie whispered. "I've seen mom and the others take out sentinels fairly easily back home. Why are they having such a hard time?"
Pluto shook her head. "They're not as powerful now as they are in the future. The scouts don't power up to their eternal forms until Serenity creates Crystal Tokyo. And it takes a lot of energy for Serena, Darien, Jess, and Andrew to hold their ultimate forms, so they only call upon those transformations in cases of extreme emergency."
"I keep forgetting that here they are only a few years older than us," DJ murmured. "I guess they still have some growing left to do too."
"Yeah, but it's weird watching this," he winced as he Tuxedo Mask barely miss getting skewered by one of the wolves spikes as he snatched Crescent Moon out of its path. "They're going to get hammered if this keeps up. Can't we go help them?"
Pluto was studying her garnet orb. "Not yet. We need to wait a little longer and see what happens. If you do have to get involved in this fight we have to make it appear that I brought you here from another time. I only got a few minutes warning of this attack, so I'm pretty sure this is just a random strike to try to pull you out of hiding. I don't think they know for sure that you're here. If you put in an appearance to early it will look suspicious. Don't worry about the others, they can handle themselves."
A howl came from below, and they looked down to see one of the wolves writhing on the ground with a red rose that was glowing with golden energy lodged in one of its shoulders.
Tuxedo Mask turned to Sailor Moon and Crescent Moon. "Would you ladies like to do the honors? Try attacking it together."
Sailor Moon brought her moon tier up in front of her at the same time Crescent Moon readied her wand.
"Silver Moon! Crystal Power Kiss!"
"Moonlight Serenade!"
The two swirling silver attacks combined together and slammed into the wolf. It let out one last shriek before dissolving into dust.
"So that's how they want to play," Mars muttered as flames began snapping at her fingertips. "Let's see him get out of this. Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" she called out, using an attack that she hadn't used in a long time. It didn't impact the sentinel, but she hadn't been aiming for it.
The beast growled as it found itself trapped inside a blazing circle of fire with no way out. Sailor Mercury grinned as a harp appeared in her hands. "A little help?" she asked Sailor Shadow.
Sailor Shadow returned the grin. "Ready when you are."
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
The darker blue of Sailor Shadow's attack joined the tendrils of light blue energy. The combined energies flew through Mars's fire, and in seconds the sentinel was no more.
"Aw man, I didn't get to do anything," Andrew grumbled. "I may as well have just stayed home."
Sailor Shadow patted his cheek. "I'm sorry sweetie. Next time I'll save a shot for you. But it is nice to see you transformed again. I almost forgot what a bad boy you look like in that black leather and sunglasses."
Up in the tree, Alex was agreeing with Andrew. "That's it? It's over? I should've just stayed at the apartment."
"This isn't over," Pluto said tersely. "I sense a temporal rift opening."
The words were barely out of her mouth before there was a flash of light from below and a swirling portal opened. Two figures stepped out from it.
The taller one inclined his head to Crescent Moon. "Good evening, Rini. Fancy finding you in this time. I knew you were gallivanting around in the past again, but this is just a sheer stroke of luck coming across you like this."
"Jack and Sasha," Crescent Moon sneered. "I can't say I'm all that surprised to see you here. My parents had their suspicions about you."
"Is that so?" Sasha replied in a cold voice. "Well it doesn't matter. You know who we're looking for and I think you know where they are. So why don't we do this the easy way and you just tell us."
"Uh, Rini. Who is she and what is she talking about?" Sailor Moon asked, playing along with the charade.
Crescent Moon shrugged. "They're nobody important, just a couple of pain in the asses that are after some people I know. They're really nothing more than pathetic lackeys."
Sasha's green eyes were cold and calculating. "Be careful what you say, Princess. You know who we're working for and what he's capable of. Now I'm going to ask you again. Where are they?"
Crescent Moon glared back at the strawberry blonde. "I don't know. All I know is that Sailor Pluto has hidden them someplace safe to keep them away from you. Now why don't you go back and cry to your boss like the losers you are."
"Why you little…" Sasha snarled as she took a threatening step forward.
Jack grabbed her by the arm. "Patience, darlin'," he drawled. "All may not be lost yet. We know that they have been making time jumps whenever there is trouble, and I'm sure this time will be no exception. So let's ramp things up and see if they put in an appearance."
He gestured to the portal, and four guardians, two male and two female, accompanied by four more sentinels, this time wildcat ones, stepped through.
He chuckled darkly as the assembled heroes took fighting stances. "Let's see how you fair against these warriors. If my theory is correct, the ones I'm seeking will show. After all, they don't want any of you to go dying and changing the future on them."
Before any of them could blink, the guardians and sentinels had blurred into motion and had them surrounded.
"Damn, they're fast!" Sailor Moon grumbled.
"Yes they are," Jack said smugly. "They are among some of the most perfectly engineered fighting machines ever created, and I believe they are more than enough to take you out." He looked around at the surrounding trees and called out in a loud voice. "Do you hear that Phantom, Phoenix, and Eclipse? You can't hide forever. I have your entire future right here in the palm of my hand. Are you really willing to risk it in a pathetic attempt to save yourselves."
Sailor Moon and the others held their breath, knowing that DJ, Alex, and Katie were close by, but not knowing how they would react. Pluto had a plan in place to protect their location, but she had been hoping to keep them out of this fight if possible.
Up in the tree, all three teens were cursing.
"That son of a bitch!" Katie hissed. "How I would love to rip him limb from limb!"
"You've gotta let us go down there now, Pluto," DJ demanded. "There's no way that they can go up against four guardians and four sentinels by themselves. They'll get creamed!"
Alex didn't say anything, but his head nodded emphatically in agreement.
Pluto sighed. "Very well. But all of you be extremely careful. This is exactly what Discord wants you to do. We're walking right into his trap, but we can't risk Serena and the others."
She waved her staff and teleported them to the ground about fifty yards away from the fight to simulate a time jump, pretty sure Discord was looking for that. The moment their feet hit the ground, the three younger ones took off running toward the battle.
They pulled up short when Pluto coughed slightly. "Don't you think it would be wise to transform before rushing into a fight?"
The three looked sheepishly at one another before activating their transformations and hurrying away once more. Pluto just shook her head in bemusement before following them.
Back at the scene of the fight…
"This is really starting to piss me off," Sailor Shadow snarled as she eyed the guardian closest to her. "I say if they wanna dance, we give it to them." She sprang at the voluptuous blonde with glowing red eyes, fists flying.
"Damn it, Jess!" Andrew yelled, jumping after his hot-tempered fiancé. He knocked her to the ground barely a second before the guardian shot an unexpected energy blast at her. The woman growled in irritation as she manifested a pair of sais in her hands and began to close in quickly on the winded couple.
It seemed that the other enemies had grown tired of waiting as well, and lunged at the remaining heroes. The scouts and Tuxedo Mask began powering up quickly in hopes of getting a shot at a close attack, but they were moving too fast.
Suddenly everything seemed to go into slow motion. Tuxedo Mask jumped in front of Sailor Moon and Crescent Moon as they, along with Mars and Mercury, braced for impact. Andrew rolled over, covering as much of Sailor Shadow's body as he could with his own.
Then it literally felt like all hell broke loose. A wall of blazing red-orange flames shot up between the heroes and the advancing enemies on one side. One of the guardians screamed shrilly as she impacted the wall before she could stop and was turned to ashes.
On the other side of the group, a barrier of swirling bright gold appeared, catching a snarling leopard looking sentinel by surprise as it disappeared in a poof of dust.
"Dead Scream!" was called out before a glowing fuchsia ball of energy sped through, taking out another sentinel that looked like a cougar.
Andrew's head snapped up when the expected blow never came and he heard the commotion. He and Sailor Shadow both looked in surprise at the guardian that was barely three feet from them, twisted and tied up in ropes of silver energy. The ropes flashed bright silver before the woman screamed and turned to smoke.
"Ah ha!" Jack cried as the energies faded. He looked around in anticipation. "I knew it! I knew that you would show up! Where are you?"
"Maybe you should get your eyes checked, asshole! We're right here!" a female voice answered.
Everyone turned toward the voice to see the four figures standing in the shadows of the trees. One tall slender one was standing over to the side while the other three leaned casually against a tree trunk.
Jack grinned. "Well, well, if it isn't little Miss Mental Disorder herself. How ya doin, sweetheart? Have you been thinking about our last little…encounter? I know I have."
"That tears it, you bastard!" the slightly shorter person in the center of the three snarled and ran forward, followed by the others.
Sailor Moon and the others knew that they had to act surprised at the appearance of the three newcomers, and it wasn't hard to do. Gasps left them all as they got their first look at the teens from the future in their transformed states.
Sailor Eclipse was prepared to lunge at the grinning Jack when Phantom and Phoenix each grabbed one of her arms to hold her back.
"Let it go, Kat. He's not worth it. Stay focused," Phantom leaned down to whisper in her ear. He was relieved when she took a deep breath and relaxed her stance.
Sasha eyed them jealously. She had no interest in the prince personally, but it still angered her that DJ had thrown her over for that raving schitzo. She smiled coyly at him and batted her lashes. "Looking good there, stud. How about you give me a hello kiss? It's been a while."
"Back off, Sasha," Phantom growled at her. "What the hell are you doing here?"
She painted a hurt look on her face. "Why looking for you of course. Aren't you happy to see me?"
"I'd rather be face to face with a pit viper than a lying, backstabbing bitch like you!" he sneered.
Her face went red with fury. "How dare you talk to me like that! We'll see who laughs last. You think you can just kick me aside like a homeless puppy! I'll dance around your rotting corpse, you son of a bitch!"
"Ya wanna try!" Eclipse said, shoving her way in front of Phantom. "If you're feeling froggy enough then leap. I'm down for a good old-fashioned bitch fight! Bring it on!"
Phantom and Jack had their hands full for a moment pulling the two snarling girls away from each other. During the lull, Pluto walked over and joined the others.
"Pluto, what's going on? Who are these people?" Tuxedo Mask asked, keeping up the ruse of not knowing the teens.
"I'm so sorry this disturbed you, your highness," Pluto replied, bowing her head. "It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with. It's just a little disagreement that doesn't belong in this time. We will be moving on in just a few minutes."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Jack snarled. "My orders are to kill you on sight, and that's what I'm going to do." He snapped his fingers and the remaining guardians and sentinels stood at attention.
Phantom, Phoenix, and Eclipse all fell into defensive stances, back to back so that none of them were open to a cheap shot. Sailor Moon and the others looked like they were about to jump in as well, but stopped when Pluto held up a restraining hand.
Things looked like they were about to get ugly when the night suddenly lit up green and orange.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"
The combination of razor sharp oak leaves and flying golden hearts slammed into one of the guardians and he crumbled into dust.
Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus raced into sight, followed closely by the four earth generals.
"Well this just keeps getting better and better," Jack said in amusement. "The more people that show up, the more leverage we have against you." The portal reappeared behind him. "Maybe I should call in a few more reinforcements and see how they fair against them."
"No!" Phantom, Phoenix, and Eclipse all yelled together, fear for their parent's past selves and their friends evident in their eyes.
Then a booming voice came from the portal. "Fall back you two!"
"No way!" Jack protested.
Sasha agreed. "But we've got them right here. Why should we give up?"
"Are you two questioning me?" the voice demanded. "I gave you an order and I expect you to follow it!"
The two teens hung their heads. "Yes sir."
They disappeared through the portal along with their remaining forces.
"Well I guess we better be going," Pluto stated as she saw how hard it was for the two groups to keep from rushing to each other. She hurried over to the three teens and quickly flashed them back in time a few years. They appeared in a dark alley behind a building.
"You three did good tonight," she told them. "Serena and the others may have been seriously hurt tonight if you hadn't stepped in. You should be proud of yourselves. Now why don't you detransform and I'll take you back. I'm sure they're anxious to see you after tonight's events."
The three nodded silently and returned to their civilian forms before stepping close to Pluto again and allowing her to transport them back to Serena and Darien's apartment. After a few parting words, she left them alone in the silent, empty apartment.
"I have a really bad feeling about this," Katie said as she sat down on the couch and put her face in her hands. "Maybe we shouldn't be here after all. We're putting everyone in danger."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Alex grumbled as he took a seat next to her.
DJ sat on her other side. "Me too. Maybe we should ask Pluto to take us to another time where we don't have to worry about the others getting caught in the crossfire."
"I hate this!" Katie whispered furiously. "I was really starting to like it here, and now it gets all screwed up!"
The three of them sat in silence for several minutes, thinking about their predicament and what should be done about it. They had all grown extremely fond of their parent's past selves and those of the people they had always looked at as being their family, and they didn't want to see anyone get hurt.
They jumped up when they heard the front door flung open and the pounding of running footsteps. They had barely made it to their feet when Serena and Jess burst into the room followed closely by Darien and Andrew. Rini brought up the rear at a more leisurely pace. The future mothers wasted no time in pouncing on their children.
"Omigosh, you guys were amazing!" Serena gushed as enveloped DJ in a tight hug.
Katie and Alex were trying to avoid strangulation as Jess latched on to both of them. "I never thought I would be so happy to see anyone that made my fighting look wimpy. You guys rock! I think I may have to start training with you."
Darien and Andrew had stood back some and noticed that none of the teens looked particularly happy at the moment.
"Hey, what with you three? You look like you've lost your best friend or something," Darien said jokingly.
"Yeah, you should be proud of yourselves. You kicked some major ass and pulled us out of a rut," Andrew agreed.
"That's the problem," Alex muttered.
"What do you mean?" Serena demanded.
DJ sighed, "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but we've been doing some thinking. And we think we should ask Pluto to take us to another time."
Serena looked at him in astonishment. "But why? Did we do something wrong?"
Katie shook her head. "No. None of you have done anything wrong. We just don't want anyone to get hurt because we're here. This is our fight, and you shouldn't be dragged into the middle of it until it's time for you to be."
"Oh please! Spare me the martyrism!" Rini groaned with a roll of her maroon eyes. "Do you honestly think that our parents would have allowed you to come here if it wasn't the right place and time for you to be? And if things weren't going according to how the timeline should Pluto would be howling her head off right about now. Believe me, I know. Now I am tired and going to bed. Good night!" She stomped down the hall to her room and closed the door firmly behind her.
"Wow! Helios must have screwed up big time," DJ said barely above a whisper. "I haven't seen her this uptight since he missed that ball last summer and she thought he was sneaking around with someone else."
"Putting Rini's love life drama aside," Jess interjected. "Let's get back to you three. She was right about one thing; you are here for a reason. You're not dragging any of us into anything against our will. If I remember correctly, we volunteered to help you. So I don't want to hear any more crap about you going and hiding in another time. Did I make myself clear?"
All three hung their heads sheepishly. "Yes ma'am."
It was a couple of hours before dawn. It was also the darkest part of the night. Even if anyone had been looking, they probably wouldn't have seen the dark figure that walked out onto the balcony of the apartment twenty stories up or seen the same figure jump the ten feet through the air to the neighboring balcony.
This person accomplished it easily enough, and he slipped as silently as a thief through the sliding doors of the dark apartment. He snuck silently through the living room, using his memory of where the furniture was located to keep from running into anything, before treading lightly down the hall to the door he was seeking.
He gently turned the knob and eased the door open just a tiny bit. Luck was with him and the curtains were open a little, just enough to allow enough moonlight to illuminate the two people inside the room, two people that were blissfully unaware of his presence.
Ignoring the boy snoring away on the futon, he tiptoed across the room until he was standing by the bed. His sky blue eyes brightened as he took in the sight of the sleeping girl before him. She was curled on her side; he knew that was her preferred way to sleep, with one hand tucked under her chin. Her long, light hair was splayed out across the pillow with a few loose pieces lying on her sleep-flushed cheek.
He smiled a little as gently brushed the silky strands back from her face. Giving into temptation, he leaned down and placed the softest of kisses on her cheek.
"Happy Valentine's Day, my little fairy," he breathed softly. "I promise I'm going to make this a day that you'll never forget."
He left a package on the table next to her bed and slipped back out as silently as he had come.
"Dare," Serena whispered. "The water's getting cold, and I still need to rinse the conditioner out of my hair."
"I don't want to move," he mumbled from where he had his face buried in the crook of her neck. "You've drained me woman."
She giggled and pushed lightly at his shoulder. "You're such a drama king sometimes. Now I'm serious, I've got to finish my hair."
He groaned, but pushed away from the wall where he had her trapped, freeing her so that she could dart up under the showerhead.
She squealed as the cooling water hit her. "Cold! Cold! Cold! I knew I should have finished what I was doing before I let you distract me."
"I didn't hear any complaints out of you," he said smugly, his voice a little garbled. Thank goodness the shower had two showerheads.
Serena finished as quickly as she could and turned off the water. She stepped out onto the rug and grabbed a towel from the rack. She dried off quickly and wrapped the towel around her body before winding a second one around her long wet hair. She went to the one of the double sinks and pulled out her make up bag to start applying some light cosmetics for the day.
She heard the second showerhead turn off. In the reflection in the mirror she could see Darien emerge from the shower, but she purposefully kept her eyes averted and focused on the task at hand…at least until she felt his arms come around her from behind.
She looked up to meet his mischievous eyes in the mirror. "I thought you said I drained you," she said impishly.
He nipped at her earlobe. "I recovered."
Serena shivered at the sensations running through her, but got control of herself enough to turn and put a restraining hand on his chest as he leaned in to kiss her. "Down boy! Haven't you had enough excitement for one morning? We have a busy day ahead of us, and I have an appointment with Mina in…" she picked up her watch from the bathroom counter, "an hour. Save some of that energy for later tonight. You're going to need it."
She gave him a peck on the cheek and slipped around him to walk out of the bathroom with a saucy sway of her hips.
"You're asking for it!" Darien growled and lunged for her.
Serena squealed and ran across the bedroom. Darien chased her around the bed and caught her as she tried to climb across it to escape him. He flipped her over so that she was pinned under him.
"Darien I, mphh…" Serena began laughingly, but was cut off as a pair of soft lips covered hers. She sighed and melted into the kiss like she always did. She never could win against him when he played like this.
At least until he pulled away from her so they could catch their breath and her eyes landed on the clock on the nightstand. "Oh my god! I'm going to be late if I don't get moving," she said frantically, calling on an extra burst of strength to push the larger, heavier man off of her.
"Serena," Darien groaned as he rolled onto his back and watched her as she flew to the closet and began rummaging through her clothes.
She quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater before running to the dresser and pulling open drawers. "I'm sorry, honey! But I promised Mina I would be her first client for the opening of the salon, and I know she has a busy day planned. I don't want to throw off her schedule by showing up late. You're a doctor; you know what it's like when one patient is late for an appointment. You run behind for the rest of the day after that."
Darien begrudgingly pushed his lust filled thoughts aside. He could respect her logic and her eagerness to not disappoint a friend. He got up off the bed and began gathering his own clothes together. Serena gave a silent sigh of relief when she saw him bypass the dreaded green jacket in favor for one of black leather instead.
In minutes Serena was ready and she hurried to the kitchen to grab a quick cup of coffee before she left. She walked into the room to find Rini sitting at the table with a steaming mug of cocoa in front of her with a scowl on her face.
"Good morning, sweetie," she greeted her cautiously, not sure of what kind of reception she would get. And rightfully so.
"What's so good about it?" Rini snorted into her cup. "It's Valentine's Day. La Ti Freakin' Da! Who cares?"
"Okay, what gives?" Serena asked, taking her cup and sitting down across from her. "You've been in a pissy mood since yesterday. I thought you were looking forward to today. What's going on? Did you and Helios have a fight?"
Rini shoved back from the table. "I don't want to talk about it! Oh, and by the way, I wish and Darien would have the consideration to remember that while there are two bathrooms in this apartment, they do share a wall. Do you know how disgusting it is to hear to supposedly grown people going at it first thing in the morning like a couple of horny teenagers? It about made me physically ill!"
"Rini, honey," Serena begged. "I can tell you're upset. Please talk to me. I want to help."
Rini sighed. "It's not that big of a deal. I'll get over it. It's just personal, okay. Can we just leave it at that?"
Not wanting to push it, Serena agreed. "Sure. You're still coming with me to Mina's shop aren't you? She's expecting us."
Another sigh. "Yeah. I'll be ready in a few minutes." With that, the pink haired princess walked dejectedly out of the kitchen.
"Good morning, pumpkin," Serena heard Darien greet Rini in the hall. "How are you this morning?"
"Grr…men!" she heard her future daughter growl and then the sound of stomping feet before a door slam.
A very confused Darien walked into the kitchen a moment later. "What did I do? Rini just ran from me like I had a contagious disease or something."
Serena tried to look sympathetic. "I don't think you did anything. She's just got some girl things going on right now, and…" she flushed a little. "I think we might have been a little vocal while we were in the shower."
Darien's face went brick red. "Oh!" was all he could say.
They were saved from more personal embarrassment by a frantic knocking on the front door. Darien made a quick escape to answer it. He swung it open, expecting to find a bubbling Jess there, but was surprised to find Katie practically bouncing up and down.
"Morning Uncle Dare!" she chirped happily. "Is DJ up yet?"
"Uhh," Darien stuttered. "I don't know. I haven't seen him come out of his room yet."
"Okay," she said as she breezed by him. She was down the hall in a flash and knocking on the door to the spare room DJ was currently occupying.
Darien shook his head in amusement as he went back to the kitchen for his caffeine fix.
Katie rapped on the door lightly and waited to get a response. When she didn't hear anything, she tested the knob. Finding it unlocked, she pushed the door open. Her eyes went immediately to the blanket-covered lump in the middle of the bed.
She bounced over to the bed and plopped down on the edge before poking the lump. "Wakey, wakey sleepyhead!"
The lump grumbled and rolled over, making her giggle. She pulled the covers back to find herself confronted by a pair of sleepy looking, light blue eyes.
"Tinkerbell?" he mumbled still half asleep. He was wide awake a moment later when he felt her throw herself across his chest and hug him tight.
"Thank you so much!" she whispered. "I can't believe you remembered that strawberry cream dark chocolate truffles are my favorite."
DJ grinned to himself. So she had found his gift, but he kept his face calm. "What are you talking about? I didn't get you truffles. It must have been Alex."
She pulled back with a look of mock irritation and smacked him lightly on the arm. "You can't fool me. I don't know how you managed to get them in there, but it was so sweet. On top of that, I don't know anyone else that would have left one of these with the candy," she showed him the white rose she held in her hand.
He grinned crookedly at her. "I guess I'm busted. I just wanted you to have a little something to brighten your day."
"Well I loved it," she whispered, sinking back against him unconsciously. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he replied back quietly, focusing on her lips that were only inches from his. He was contemplating closing the distance between them when he heard someone clearing their throat.
"What going on in here?" Rini asked from the open door.
Katie jumped up. "Nothing! I just wanted to make sure lazy bones here got up on time.
"Riigghht," Rini drawled. "Are you ready to go, Katie? Mina's expecting us."
Katie blushed a faint pink. "Yeah! I just need to grab my jacket." She rushed to the door and then turned to give DJ a shy smile. "I'll see you later."
In the meantime, Serena had wandered down the hall to Andrew and Jess's apartment to see if her friend was ready to leave. Knowing Katie was at her place, she pushed the door open, knowing it would be unlocked. She knew Andrew would have left by now, and after not finding Jess in the kitchen or living room, she headed for the master bedroom.
"Jess, are you up?" she called out, knocking lightly on the door. She heard a small crash, followed by a muttered "Damn it!" before the door was wrenched open.
Jess was dressed and was obviously in the middle of restraining her long, curly, dark blonde hair in its customary french braid. Her eyes were wide and panicked. "I know I'm running late. I'm almost ready, just give me a minute."
Serena chuckled as she followed her into the bathroom where she finished her hair quickly. "Slow down. We have a few minutes to spare. And you might want to put on some make up."
Jess frowned. "I already did. You know I don't wear much; just some mascara and lip gloss."
Serena smirked and gestured to her friend's neck. "I didn't mean on your face. Mina would have a field day with that."
Jess turned back to the mirror and pulled on the neckline of her sweater. Her eyes widened as she was confronted with what was obviously a hickey on her neck. She blushed brightly and grabbed the concealer from her make up bag and began dabbing it on, cursing under her breath about Andrew and his dirty tricks.
A minute later she appeared satisfied with the results and turned to Serena. "Okay, now I'm presentable enough to greet the love goddess without enduring her interrogation. Let's get the girls and go."
"Ohh, Serena! I knew that dress would be perfect on you from the moment I saw it," Mina declared as her princess stepped out from the dressing room of the boutique. "That's why I kept it over to the side for you. Darien will burst a blood vessel when he sees you!"
Serena couldn't deny it, the dress was perfect. It was a beautiful silver and had two inch wide straps and a low neckline. The skirt was fairly tight fitting, but was loose enough to allow free movement; it fell to right above her knees.
"It's beautiful, Mina," Serena sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. "You are a genius!"
Mina beamed at the praise as the door of the next dressing room opened and Jess stepped out in a dress with the same wide straps as Serena's, only in dark blue color with a wider, swishier skirt that had a strip of silver and one of gold around the hem that brushed her knees.
Tears sparkled in her ocean blue eyes. "Mina. This dress is…omigosh!"
Mina waved it off. "I'm glad you like it. I knew it would suit you."
Rini came running out from the next room her eyes flashing with more enthusiasm than they had in the past couple of days. "I agree with Serena. You are a genius! This is exactly what I would have picked for myself."
Her dress was a pale pearly pink. The skirt was a few inches shorter than Serena's and Jess's with a fairly modest neckline and short capped sleeves.
Mina smiled widely. "And where's our last little model?"
Katie came hesitantly out of her changing room. Since she hadn't been around when Mina had ordered the stock for her boutique, she had scanned through the racks until she found something that caught her eye. Mina had shown her a spaghetti strapped dress that had made her shudder. Not only had it been the same mint green as the dress from that night months ago, but the lack of sleeves would have shown her scars from her former, tortuous experience to all.
Instead she stepped out in a dress that was short like Rini's, only it was pitch black. It was still spaghetti strapped, but was paired with a long sleeved jacket that was lined with glittering rhinestones. It showed off her slender body without drawing attention to her imperfections.
Jess was aware of her concerns, and was quick to reassure her. "You look wonderful, sweetheart. The boys at the club tonight will go gaga."
Katie blushed at the compliments. Over the last several days she had turned away quite a few wannbe suitors. Her brain had started beginning to invision old dreams that she had used to think about a certain someone, and he was the only one on her mind right now.
"So I really look okay?" she asked uncertainly.
Serena laughed. "Are you kidding? We're going to have to probably sedate Andrew to keep him from snapping at any boy that comes near you."
Katie turned to her reflection. Did she really look that good? Did she dare hope that she possibly have a chance at her old dream of claiming her Prince Charming for herself?
Just then Trista stepped into the dressing area. "Katie, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"So what have you got planned for the rest of the day?" Alex asked his best friend lifelessly as he looked around the crowded arcade.
DJ shrugged. "Nothing much, I guess. I'm looking forward to the opening of Raye's club. It might be fun."
"Yeah, maybe," Alex muttered. "I'd rather be back home. There we know that it will be a party worth going to."
"It could be interesting here too," DJ told him. "Who knows what might happen."
"Not interested," Alex grumbled to himself, but he lightened up a moment later when he saw his sister walk in. She didn't look a lot different than usual. Her hair was maybe an inch or two shorter than usual, and her bangs barely brushed her eyebrows, but there was a glow around her that grabbed his attention.
There was a girl beside her that had long brown hair and large, chocolate brown eyes. Alex tried to ignore her, but something about her caught his attention. Before he knew it, the two girls were standing next to the table the two boys were sitting at.
"What's up guys?" Katie asked innocently.
"Nothing much," DJ answered. "Just hanging out."
"That's cool," she said, swiping a few fries off the plate in front of DJ.
"Hey!" he protested, but she just grinned at him and popped the fries in her mouth.
"So who's your friend?" Alex asked, gesturing to the girl beside her.
"Oh, just someone Trista introduced me to," Katie replied casually. "She's new around here we thought it would be fun to just chill together."
The girl next to her giggled and then turned the full force of her eyes on Alex. "You don't mind, do you, Cupcake?" She flashed him a peace sign.
Alex almost choked on the sip of soda he had just taken and his dark blue eyes grew so wide that almost looked like they were going to pop out of his head. He was out of his seat in a flash and had the girl by the arm, ushering her toward the back exit of the arcade.
The brunette girl turned and gave Katie a thumbs up with a sly grin.
DJ had a look of shock on his face. "Was that…Was that really…"
Katie put a couple of fingers against his lips. "Yes it was. Now take a deep breath, you're stuttering."
Alex had reached the door leading to the alley and hurried through it. Once outside he pushed the girl gently against the wall and pinned her in with a hand on each side of her head. There were the beginning of tears sparkling in his eyes and his voice shook as he whispered, "Em?"
She smiled at him and pulled a pink pen from her pocket. A flash of light later, and his blonde haired, gray-eyed girlfriend had taken the place of the brunette.
"Surprise!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby! Aunt Serena loaned me the Luna Pen so I could come and see you without tipping anyone off about my identity."
"I can't believe you're actually here," he sighed as he held her close. "I'm scared I'm going to wake up and find out that this is all just a dream."
She pulled back a little so she could look at him. "I promise it's not a dream. I'm really here. I've missed you so much, Alex."
He pulled her tighter against his chest. "I've missed you too." And then he kissed her with all of the pent up emotions that had been bottled up inside of him since the last time he had seen her, and she responded just as eagerly.
Discord grinned as he looked at a scene in the river of time. He watched as the prince of Crystal Tokyo laughed and joked with the girl across the table from him. His suspicions from the night before were now confirmed. There had been no mistake about the anxiety that had been pouring off of Serenity and the others. They may have acted like they didn't know the brats, but he hadn't believed that they would have been quite as concerned if they had been strangers.
"So my little lost lambs are hiding with their parents after all. This could prove to be beneficial," he mused to himself. "Emotional blackmail does have its uses from time to time."
His gaze fixated on the blonde girl. "Hmm, it seems my little pet has regained some happiness in her life. That just won't do at all. I think it's time to remind her how precarious life can be."
"Sasha, my dear," he called out gently.
The strawberry blonde was at his side in an instant. She scowled at the vision before her before turning to Discord with a smile. "Yes, grandpa?"
He contemplated her for a moment. "My darling girl, I have a plan that I believe you can help me with. How would you like to play a little game with the prince and that fragile little girl?"
Her green eyes gleamed in delight at the thought of taking some revenge on those two. "I would love to."
Darien looked at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. "Sere! Aren't you girls ready yet? Lita's going to give our table to someone else if you don't come on."
"Almost ready," her voice came from the master bedroom where she had been closed up with Rini, Jess, Katie, and Emma for over two hours getting ready for the evening. Emma had reassumed her disguise, but everyone there had been told that she was Alex's girlfriend that was visiting from Crystal Tokyo. Jess was the only one to know that she was in disguise since she had seen the picture on the computer, but she didn't question why the disguise was needed.
"Are they still primping?" DJ asked as he came out of his room. "They're going to waste the whole night in there if they don't hurry up."
"Tell me about it," Darien groaned as he went to go answer a knock at the door. "Oh, good evening, Helios."
The priest shuffled his feet nervously. "Your highness. Is Rini here?"
Darien waved him inside. "Come on in and join the party. We're waiting on the women to get ready." He was closing the door when Andrew and Alex showed up, so he swung it wide again to let them in.
"Serena!" he called down the hall again. He became a little incensed when he didn't receive an answer this time. "Serenity! It's getting late! Are we going or not?"
The bedroom door slammed open. "Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me, Endymion! I've been in here slaving away, doing all I can so I can look my best for you. And this is the thanks I get?"
Darien stared in awe at the vision she presented in the silver dress she had gotten from Mina. Her long golden hair had been left loose to curl and wave gently down her back. Strappy silver heels and expertly applied make up completed the look.
"You look stunning!" he said reverently.
The anger melted from her face. "Thank you. You're looking pretty dashing yourself," she told him, taking in the black slacks and red button down shirt he was wearing.
"Serena move it! Your big butt is blocking the door," Jess complained from behind her as she pushed by. She rushed to the living room where she twirled in front of Andrew to show off her new dress. She had foregone her usual braid and had gathered her curls back in a gold clip. "What do you think?"
He snagged her around the waist and pulled her close. "Gorgeous, as always. I'm not going to be able to let you out of my sight tonight. The men will be all over you."
She waggled her left hand with the sapphire engagement ring in his face. "They'll be fighting a losing battle then. I'm all yours." She eyed his khaki trousers and sage green button down appreciatively. "I may have to scratch a few women's eyes out tonight myself."
"Hey, keep it PG, there are minors present," Rini grumbled as she and the two other younger teens came out of the bedroom. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Helios there. "What are you doing here?"
The Elysian priest hurried over to her with pleading eyes. "Rini, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I tried to tell you last night, but you shut me out of your dreams."
Rini lifted her head haughtily and looked away. "You have some nerve to show your face around here after you insulted my intelligence the way you did yesterday. I am not a child that needs to be babied. I am almost eighteen years old, damn it! You need to get over yourself."
"Ooo, this is going to be good," Katie whispered gleefully as she and Emma slid unobtrusively across the room to join DJ and Alex.
Emma's head bobbed eagerly. "I wish you guys could see what I see. The sparks that are flying off of those two are better than fireworks."
"Hah!" Katie retorted. "He deserves whatever she dishes out to him. That's what he gets for being a jackass."
Alex perked up at this. "So she told you guys what happened between them?"
"Oh yeah," Katie replied. "It seems our normally mild mannered Helios got bitten by the green eyed jealousy bug. While he and Rini were at the mall yesterday a couple of boys from school approached her and invited her to a party that someone is giving tonight. She turned them down of course, but Helios flipped. He started criticizing her pretty harshly, saying that she shouldn't always be so friendly to people and wear such short skirts."
Emma giggled. "Then he practically committed relationship suicide when he told her that she was a princess, not some commoner, and she needed to remember her station and act accordingly."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Idiot! No wonder she's been so pissed. He should have known better than to say something like that to her. But it is kinda fun to watch him grovel."
The two girls nodded in agreement, but DJ was focused on the girl at his side. His sister's love life took a back burner when compared to the delicate beauty beside him.
He cleared his throat nervously. "You look really nice, Kat."
She looked at him in surprise. "Oh, thank you. Mina helped me pick out the dress. You look pretty sharp yourself. Are you and Alex trying to be the twins for a change?" She smiled as she took in the fact that both boys were dressed in jeans and black button down shirts. But where Alex's was tucked in with only the top button undone, DJ looked casually rumpled. His shirt was left untucked with the sleeves rolled back to his elbows and he had left the top couple of buttons loose.
"Uh, thanks," he muttered, trying his best to keep from blushing. "Looks like Rini and Helios are working things out, so I guess we're getting ready to leave."
The four teens watched jealously as Serena handed Rini the keys to her car with the instructions to be very careful while the rest of them were stuck either riding with the adults or walking. Since it was a mild night, they were seriously considering the walking option, at least until Darien and Andrew turned to them.
"Both of you boys said that you have motorcycles back home, right?" Andrew asked.
Alex and DJ nodded uncertainly, not sure where this was going, but their faces brightened when each of the men pulled a key from their pocket.
"If we let you borrow our bikes for the evening," Darien began seriously. "I want you guys to promise me that you will be very cautious. There will be no showing off or hot rodding. And if either one of you comes back with a ticket of there is a scratch on either one of those bikes, you will not be allowed this privilege again. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir!" both boys responded eagerly.
Alex snatched the key from Andrew's hand and raced from the apartment, pulling a squealing Emma behind him.
Katie looked down dejectedly. Here she was the odd one out. She'd be stuck riding with her parents like a little girl while the others were off having fun. Unless some miracle happened, she knew her chances were about a million to one that Jess would let her borrow her car just to save her embarrassment. Then an outstretched hand appeared in her line of sight.
"Are you ready?" DJ asked softly.
Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?" She was floored. It wasn't like she was his date or anything, so she hadn't been expecting this. They were just friends.
He gave her a crooked grin. "Sure. Unless you want to ride with the old people."
"Oh, hell no!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the door. "We are so out of here."
The sound of the adult's laughter followed them down the hall to the elevator. Once they were inside and the door closed, an awkward silence fell.
"Uh," Katie murmured, trying to break the ice. "Thanks for offering me the ride. You didn't have to."
He shrugged. "I figured it made sense since you and I are the only two that are going stag tonight. Us single people have got to stick together, and I was pretty sure you didn't want to be a third wheel. Anyway, you can be my armor for the night."
"What do you mean?" she asked, not sure if she liked the sound of that.
He held up his hands placatingly. "I didn't mean that in a bad way, I promise. It's just that the girls here are just as pushy as the ones back home, and I don't want to deal with that tonight. So maybe if you and I stick together, they'll think I'm with you and leave me alone."
She arched a brow at him. "Are you asking me to pretend to be your date?"
"Yes…no…wait a minute, that didn't come out right," he sputtered. He took a deep breath and dove in. "I'm asking you to be my date for the evening. I want you to have dinner with me and maybe later we can do a little dancing at Raye's club. What do you say?"
She swallowed hard and tried to control her pounding heart. She couldn't believe it. DJ Shields had just asked her on a date. Finally! She tried to answer casually. "Sure. I'll be your date tonight. We don't need your fan club getting any bigger and inflating your ego even more. You may float away if it gets any larger. I'll protect you from the squealing masses."
She expected a witty comeback from him, but instead he smiled. "Great! Thanks Tink. Now let's go have some fun!"
The elevator dinged and they stepped out into the parking garage just in time to see Alex roaring out into the street on Andrew's black motorcycle with Emma behind him, the skirt of her peach colored dress flapping in the wind.
DJ took her hand and they walked over to where Darien's blue bike was park next to his car. He handed her one of the helmets hanging from the handlebars and strapped his on. He straddled the bike and started it, then he patted the seat behind him to tell her to get on.
Katie swung a leg over the seat and adjusted her skirt so it wouldn't fly up. Then finally, just like she had always dreamed of, she wrapped her arms around DJ's waist and laid her head against his back.
DJ grinned at the feel of her behind him as he gunned the bike out of the garage and into the Tokyo night.
"So was everything okay?" Lita asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"Do you even have to ask?" Serena replied. "This dinner was everything I've come to expect from you, and then some. You outdid yourself."
"It was phenomenal," Darien agreed. "I hope the chefs you have in the kitchen are prepared to work hard, because I see this place staying packed."
Lita beamed. "Thanks guys. Now I guess I better go check in with everyone else and see if they were impressed as well."
She walked away, weaving through the tables as she stopped occasionally to check with her customers to ensure that they were pleased with their food and their service. She looked very muck like a successful restaurant owner in her white chef's jacket and black slacks. Of course right now, a good portion of her customers were her friends.
Even though everyone was there together, Lita had scattered all of the couples around so that they could have a little privacy on this romantic night. The only ones missing were the outer scouts. They had dined at an earlier time and had left to browse some of the shops before they closed for the night. Everyone had been surprised when they heard that Hotaru had brought a date with her. Lita seemed greatly amused by this, and told the others that they would just have to wait and see for themselves.
Serena looked around at all of the happy couples, glad that her and Darien's table was situated in the corner so that she could see the entire restaurant.
Amy and Zoicite were the closest to them, and the two of them were speaking quietly together as they leisurely finished their meal.
A little further away, Raye was pressuring Jadeite to hurry up so that they could get back to the club and make one last check that things were ready before they opened the doors.
Nephrite, like Lita, was making a circuit of the restaurant to make sure things were running smoothly, but the couple kept exchanges smiles and glances with each other.
Since Mina always loved to be the center of attention, her and Kunzite were seated in the middle of the room. The energetic blonde was jabbering away about something while the quiet general watched her indulgently.
Rini and Helios had seemed to patch up their disagreement, and the pink haired teen seemed to be back to normal, laughing with her soon to be betrothed.
DJ, Katie, Alex, and Emma were supposed to all be seated together at one of the larger tables, but Serena had seen the wink and smile that had been shared between Mina and Lita when they had arrived. The end result was that the two young couples were seated at neighboring tables instead of together. Alex and Emma were completely entranced by each other, while DJ and Katie seemed to be content just being together.
Darien reached across the table and covered Serena's hand with his. "What are you thinking about, my love?"
She turned a brilliant smile on him. "Just how happy I am right now. My life is about as close to perfect as it can get right now. I have you, and all of our friends are doing well. Everything is just wonderful."
Darien chuckled and reached into his pocket to pull out a small wrapped box. "I was going to wait until later to give this to you, but this just seems like the right time." He handed her the gift.
Serena eyed him curiously as she took it. "What have you done now?"
"Open it and find out," he said with a smile.
She carefully removed the paper to find a small, black velvet jewelry box. She opened the lid and caught her breath as tears sprang to her eyes. "Darien…this is…"
"Do you like it?" he asked anxiously.
"Like it? I love it!" she declared. "Where in the world did you find this?"
"I had it made," he told her. "I knew what I wanted, and Jess helped me out by drawing the design. I took it to Molly's mother, Mrs. Osaka, and she made it for me."
"It's so beautiful," Serena whispered in awe as she gently touched the necklace. It was a finely crafted crescent moon made out of white gold with a rose wrapped closely around it. The stem of the rose was comprised of what appeared to be many tiny emeralds, while to bloom was made from a sparkling ruby that had been cut into a flower shape
"I can't believe you did this," she said softly, then she giggled. "But don't you think it makes a bit of an obvious statement? You may as well tattoo that we're Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask across our foreheads."
He plucked the box from her fingers and removed the necklace from it. "Nah, it's actually more common than you think. I've seen lots of things besides just jewelry with moons and roses on them. I think we may have sparked a trend."
She looked him over her shoulder as he moved behind her and swept her hair to the side. He unclasped the gold rose necklace that he had given her years ago before securing the new one around her slender neck.
He moved back around in front of her and whispered, "Beautiful," before leaning in to kiss her.
Serena moaned softly at the feel of his warm lips against hers. Not caring that they were in a public place, she wrapped her arms around his neck and plunged her fingers into his silky midnight hair. When his tongue swept against her bottom lip, she opened up to his invasion.
They were so caught up in each other that they didn't realize that they had an audience until Lita hissed near them. "Do you two mind? I'm trying to run a family establishment here. Besides, you're missing the show."
"Huh, what?" Serena murmured as she reluctantly parted her lips from Darien's. She glared at her tall friend. "Thanks a lot, Lita!"
Lita waved her off. "I just didn't want you to miss this," she squealed, pointing to the center of the room.
Serena and Darien both turned to see what had Lita acting like a fangirl, and both of their jaws dropped open in shock. Kunzite had risen from his seat and was now knelt down in front of Mina with what could only be a ring box in his hand. The former Venusian princess could only stare at him with shocked, tear filled eyes.
"Mina, my only love," Kunzite said in his smooth voice. "I know our relationship has hit a lot of bumps in the road, and I know it's not perfect, but I wouldn't change anything about what we share together. So I want to ask you something that I should have asked you a long time ago. Will you marry me?"
Everyone that knew them braced themselves for the earsplitting screech from Mina that they knew was coming, but were surprised when the blonde simply nodded and whispered, "Yes," while tears fell silently down her cheeks.
Kunzite grinned like a boy as he slipped a gorgeous topaz ring onto her finger and then let out a rarely heard laugh as he stood and swooped his new, still slightly shocked fiancé into his arms and proceeded to kiss her silly.
Now Serena had joined Lita in the squealing, and she was bouncing on her feet, barely able to contain her excitement. Even Amy had stars in her eyes as she watched one her closest friends experience a defining moment in her life. Raye shot Jadeite a dirty look before a large, sincere smile appeared on her lips.
Luckily all eyes were focused on the happy couple, so no one noticed Alex trying to calm down Emma. The poor girl was practically hyperventilating at the sight of her father proposing to her mother. Of course there were very few people in the room who knew of her relationship with them.
"So the stuffy general finally worked up enough balls to pop the question. It's about damn time," a voice growled near Serena's ear.
She turned and smiled at the tall blonde next to her. "Hey Amara. I was wondering where you guys were. How are you, Michelle?"
Michelle smiled in her calming way. "I'm well, Serena. We decided to take a stroll to walk off some of the wonderful dinner we had, and Hotaru and her date wanted to look through some of the shops."
Serena looked over to where Hotaru stood a few feet away next to a sandy haired blonde boy and felt a thrill for the younger girl. She had never known Hotaru to date anyone before, and she was glad that she seemed to have found someone to spend time with.
She rushed over to the black haired girl and hugged her. "I'm so glad to see you tonight sweetie. Why don't you introduce me to your date."
The boy chuckled. "I don't think introductions are needed. After all, you've known me my whole life." He raised his head to look at her with cobalt blue eyes she knew well.
Serena took a step back in shock. "Sammy!"
The opening of Blaze could be considered a rousing success. The club was filled to capacity with a line of people that were hoping to get inside the newest club lining the block. Luckily Raye had found some excellent bouncers willing to work for her, and they kept the masses at bay to keep the club from becoming overrun.
Chad, who was still working for Raye's grandfather at the temple, had accepted Raye's offer for a job as a weekend deejay, and he had done an excellent job of keeping the music going all night in a wonderful mix of hard pounding fast dance beats and slow numbers that tugged at the heartstrings.
"Okay, we're going to slow it down a bit," Chad said into the microphone as the lights dimmed. "I want to see couples only on the dance floor. So girls and guys, grab your significant other and come on out because this one's for all the lovebirds."
"Come on, Em," Alex said, grabbing his girlfriend's hand and leading her out onto the dance floor as the first soft strains of music came through the speakers.
Katie shook her head in amusement at them and then watched in contentment as Andrew walked over and offered his hand to Jess before they joined the other swaying couples.
In a scene that he had seen hundreds of times before in his life, DJ saw Darien make his way over to Serena where he bent down to whisper in her ear. Her face brightened instantly with a smile as she allowed him to take her hand and help her up before they too joined in on the dancing. His dad was such a smooth operator.
DJ eyed the girl across from him and wondered if he could pull a move like that on her. They had spent a pleasant evening together so far with no bickering, only light teasing between them. Dinner had been a little shocking when they found themselves sitting together alone at a table for two, but it had been nice. They had spent the time talking about school and some of their hopes for the future. Katie was beginning to dream about pursuing her music again, and DJ had told her about his wishes to attend medical school.
"It's kind of nostalgic, isn't it?" Katie said wistfully as she watched the couples move around the floor. "I mean, it's almost like being back home again when I see them all together like this. My parents, your parents, the scouts and generals, even Rini and Helios; it almost makes me feel a little homesick."
She looked over to DJ to find him watching her intently and blushed. "I guess I sound pretty silly, huh?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. I miss being home too. But I have to admit that the freedom we have here is kinda nice. We can be normal people instead of being known as members of the royal family or the court."
"Hmm," she mused. "That's true, it is nice to feel ordinary for once." She fell quiet and closed her eyes, swaying in her seat to the music.
DJ swallowed the lump in his throat and decided to throw caution to the wind. He stood up and rounded the table until he was beside her. Her tapped her shoulder to get her attention and smiled when she blinked her eyes open to look at him.
In a gallant move that would have rivaled any that his father could have made, he bowed slightly to her and asked softly, "Would you honor me with a dance?" And then he held a hand out for her to take.
Her eyes widened for a moment and her breath caught. Several emotions ran quickly across her face before she smiled and placed her hand gently in his and whispered, "I would love to."
Hand in hand, they walked out onto the dance floor and then turned to face one another. He put his arms around her waist and drew her body close to his as her arms came up to encircle his neck.
It was if they had danced together a thousand times before. They didn't even have to think about as they moved together, stepping lightly to the beat of the music. Blue eyes locked with hazel, and they were lost in their own little world. They didn't even notice when the song ended and another began, they just continued dancing, unaware of several sets of eyes watching them.
"Well it's about time," Alex muttered. "Looks like the two idiots are finally starting to figure it out."
Emma tapped him lightly on the arm. "Be nice! But they do look good together, don't they?"
"Yeah," Alex conceded. "But he better not hurt her. I don't care if he is my best friend. If he breaks my sister's heart, I'll break him."
Emma smiled up at him. "That's one of the things I love about you. You have such a caring heart."
He placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Let's get out of here for a while. I want to go somewhere where you can drop that disguise so I can see the real you."
She gave him a coy look. "Well then, let's go."
Serena and Darien were also watching the young couple with interest.
"Oh Darien, isn't it sweet, our little boy is in love!" Serena gushed in a low voice.
Darien couldn't help but chuckle at her. "Yeah, but don't get too worked up, they're still young."
"Hmph," Serena huffed. "They're not that young. DJ's almost the same age you were when I met you and Katie's the same age I was when we, well…you know."
Darien stopped dead in his tracks on the dance floor, his eyes going wide. "Oh shit! You're right. Maybe Andrew was right when he said he wanted to keep them apart. They are only teenagers after all. Things could get messy."
Serena laid silencing fingers on his lips. "Don't worry about it. They're good kids. DJ is so much like you. And even though she has her mother's temper, Katie's got Andrew's level head too. They'll be fine."
Darien grinned at her. "I guess you're right. They're not children and they have the right to make their own decisions about what they want in life. I just hope neither one of them gets hurt. Love can be complicated sometimes."
Serena smiled wickedly at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes it can, but it's completely worth it. I love you, Darien."
He pulled her tightly against him. "I love you too, Serena."
Another conversation was happening not to far away, but this one was much more heated.
"Drew, would you stop glaring at them? They're not doing anything wrong. I don't you staring daggers at Alex, and he's with a girl," Jess hissed furiously.
Andrew growled low in his throat. "That's different. He's a boy. Girls are much more fragile when it comes to emotional entanglements."
Jess grabbed him by the front of his shirt and jerked him toward her until they were nose to nose. "Don't give me that bullshit!" she spat. "Who's the one that had a nervous breakdown and had to be forced to leave my side to get rest when I was comatose for eight days, hmm? It has nothing to do with if you're male or female."
Andrew gave her a frustrated look. "I'm just scared he's going to break her heart, and then I'll have to kill him."
Jess loosened the grip on his shirt and reached up to frame his face between her hands. "All relationships have their ups and downs. I'm sure they will both probably break each other's hearts several times. But if they love each other it will all work out.."
Andrew smirked at her. "I may have lost it when I thought you were going to die, but at least I didn't almost blow up the planet like you did."
Her eyes glittered and her cheeks flushed. "You're evil to bring that up. But I didn't destroy the planet, did I? I got control of myself in time. I couldn't bring myself to wipe out the place where we'd had so many happy times."
"I know," he said, pressing his forehead to hers. "You are an amazing woman." His eyes strayed over her shoulder to where Katie and DJ had been dancing moments before, only to find them gone.
"Oh man! Where did they go?" his head jerked up.
To get his mind off of other things, Jess pulled his head down and covered his lips with hers in a hot intense kiss. She nibbled on his bottom lip to get him to open for her.
All thought of budding teenage relationships flew out of his head as heat roared through his veins at the feel of her tongue sweeping against his. He pulled her closer until her body was flush with his.
After a minute, Jess pulled back a little. "Better?" she whispered breathlessly.
"Minx!" Andrew groaned, never relaxing his hold on her. "No I'm not better. But ask me again tomorrow morning. Maybe I will be by then."
"Okay, when I said I needed some air, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind," Katie said as she walked down the path in the park next to DJ. "Haven't you seen enough of this place lately."
DJ shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But I thought a walk would be nice after being in that stuffy club. After all, it's a mild night for February. You don't mind do you?"
She shook her head. "I guess not. It was getting stifling hot in there, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was," he replied. "Why don't you take that jacket off if you're hot?"
She subconsciously crossed her arms as she thought about the spaghetti strapped dress she was wearing under it. "Uh, no, that's okay. I'm fine."
DJ grabbed her hand and pulled her to a halt. "Kat, it's all right. I know what you're hiding underneath. I saw the wounds first hand when I pulled you out of the water that night, so I know what to expect. What I never understood was why you didn't allow my dad to heal you."
She pulled her hand from his and walked away a few steps. "I guess it's kinda stupid now that I think about it," she said in a shaky voice. "I thought I needed to keep the scars as a reminder of those three days, of why I needed to become a stronger fighter. But the memories that I have in my head are more than enough of a reminder. Now I'm repulsed at the sight of myself."
He heard the tears choking up her voice and put a hand on her shoulder to turn her toward him. He slid his hands down her arms, gently uncrossing them until they hung at her sides. Then he slid them back up to her shoulders where he pushed the jacket off of them and skimmed it down her arms.
Katie kept her head down in shame when he remained silent. She had never wanted anyone to see what had become of her. She had never been vain about her body, but she had never thought that she looked bad either, until now. She felt the sobs welling up inside her and was about to turn and run when she felt a hand under her chin forcing her head up. Her heart skipped a beat when she met caring, cerulean eyes.
"Kat," DJ whispered. "Do you honestly think that this," he trailed his fingers down the largest scar on her left upper arm, "would change what I think about you? What you look like doesn't make you who you are. It's the person inside that matters. And you are a beautiful person, both inside and out."
Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she heard the sincerity of his words. "Do you really think so?" she hiccupped.
He grinned at her. "I don't just think so, I know so. Come here." He led her over beneath a large tree. "Do you know where we are?"
She looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Duh, we're in the park, silly."
He chuckled. "I know that. But don't you recognize it?"
She looked around. They were under a tree, near the lake. She thought hard before a memory popped into her head. "Hey, didn't we picnic here one time?"
"Sure did," DJ told her. "Rini, Alex, and I were sitting right here when you came dropping out of the tree holding that raggedy notebook of yours. You were so happy and bubbly, and then I had to go and screw it up like always by picking a fight."
Katie giggled. "I remember that. I had been trying to be your friend and then you turned nasty. I tried to tell myself to hate you after that day, but I couldn't. So I stayed away from you instead. You really hurt my feelings that day you know."
He sighed. "I know I did, and right after you stomped away I had a chance to think about why I acted like that, and when I figured it out I came after you to tell you something. But I chickened out."
Her curiosity was piqued. "What were you going to tell me?"
DJ held up a hand. "Before we get to that, there's something I want to give you first." He dug into the pocket of his jeans. His fist was clenched when he pulled it back out. "This belongs to you," he said quietly as he opened his hand.
"My lucky bracelet! Where did you find it?" Katie squealed when she saw her silver charm bracelet in his hand.
He gave her a crooked grin. "The first time I found it was in a little shop in Crystal Tokyo, the second time was snagged on a blanket in your room the night you went missing."
"Oh," she murmured, and then her eyes went wide. "Oh! Are you telling me that you were the mystery person that gave me this? I never could figure out who it was."
He blushed a little. "Yeah, it was me. I thought of you immediately when I saw it. I knew it would be perfect for you."
She looked confused. "But why? We were barely even on speaking terms. Why would you have gotten me this?"
He released a pent up breath. It was now or never. "For the same reason I went looking for you that day of the picnic. I love you, Kat."
She froze, staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car. "What did you say?" she whispered.
He stepped closer to her. "I said I love you."
Several heartbeats passed while Katie waged an internal debate with herself. She had finally heard the words that she had always wanted to hear from her prince, but should she confess her own feelings to him? She finally made a decision.
"I love you too," she barely breathed, taking the final step to close the distance between them.
DJ's heart was pounding like a drum in his chest. "I think I may kiss you," he said softly as his head began to descend.
Katie licked her lips nervously. "I think I may kiss you back," she whispered as she rose up on her tiptoes.
Their lips met in the softest of kisses and they both moaned at the contact. Her lips parted under his and he was quick to take advantage of it. His tongue delved inside her mouth as he reveled in the taste that was uniquely hers.
Katie felt like a fire had consumed her as wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and threaded her fingers through the glorious silk of his hair. She let out a whimper of protest when he removed his lips from hers, but sighed in satisfaction when she felt his mouth against her ear.
"I love you so much, Kat," he breathed raggedly as kissed her right below her ear. "I wanted to tell you for so long now. I can't believe this is really happening."
Her heart nearly burst at his declaration. "I love you too, DJ. More than you could ever know."
Somehow she had backed up into the tree and he pressed fully up against her front. He raised his head to look at her, emotion shining in his eyes before he dipped back in for another kiss.
Their lips had just touched when there was a loud boom and the sound of screams.
A/N There I go with the evil cliffhangers again. Well this thing was just getting too damn long, so I thought I'd end it there before we get into another fight. So DJ and Katie are together, for now anyway. Don't forget, Discord's cooking up something with Sasha, so it may mean something bad for our newly united couple. Lots of fluff in this chapter, but it was Valentine's Day. Anyhow, I'm going right now to work on chapter 9. My muse has really been kicking lately. Hope you all enjoyed, and don't forget, reviews make me smile! Lots of love!
~Sere~