A/N Hey guys! I finished editing this sometime in the wee early hours of the morning, so I thought I'd kick my weekend off a day early by updating. Yay me! Okay, so this chapter is nice and long, and it is a mix of humor and drama like I always try to provide, but it's really just a bridge to cover the day between Katie and DJ's attack and the day of Metallia and Beryl's upcoming attack. Things are going to get tricky as the senior members of our hero squad begin banding together for the upcoming fight while things begin to deteriorate rapidly between the younger guys, but I'll let you read and see for yourself. In the meantime, it's time to give out my hugs to all of my wonderful reviewers. BIG HUGS TO:

SlackerDee

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Thank you so much for the inspiration guys! You are the best. I hope you all like this chapter. I'm going to let you get to it now.

ENJOY!

The Galactic Trinity

Chapter 17

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The clearing at the top of the bluff was still and silent as a dark figure dropped from a tree branch. Her feet moved soundlessly across the grass as she crossed over to the piece of ground that was darker than all of the rest. She fell to her knees and held a hand over the spot that was still damp from the blood that had come from the girl that had laid there just a short time before.

"So it's begun," she sighed heavily. "The wheels of fate have been set into motion. Now I just have to make sure to change the path that destiny seems bound to take."

"I guess you're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you?" a deep voice spoke from the shadows of the trees.

She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I can't say that I'm proud of anything that I've done in the past fifteen years. All I can do is keep hoping that things will turn out differently this time. I hated setting that sentinel on our past selves, but it had to be done."

"Because Discord said so?" he sneered. "I can't believe that you almost killed your past self in order to keep that bastard happy!"

"Do you think that I liked doing it?" she snapped back. "Believe me, if I could have prevented the whole damn thing from happening I would have. I hate watching all of this happening all over again as much as you do, but I don't have a choice in the matter. You, on the other hand, don't have to be here. So why don't you go home and let me do what I have to do."

She heard a rustling sound behind her as he stepped closer to her. "That's not going to happen, Kat. I've already told you, I'm here to do what I can to save both of you from death. And if that means throwing myself in front of that sentinel to keep Alex from dying and you from letting that devil take your soul, then that's what I'm going to do. I'll fight you every step of the way if I have to."

She stood slowly, careful to keep her back toward him and her eyes closed. Her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult? I was getting along just fine until you showed up and started messing around with things. Yes, my past self almost died tonight. But did you ever stop to think that you are the reason that she was injured so badly?"

A sharp breath hissed past his teeth. "What are you talking about? It's not my fault that you had a hard time controlling that sentinel."

She shook her head. "No, I take the blame for that part. That wolf was a lot stronger than I gave it credit for and I should have kept a tighter rein on it. I'm just glad that I was able to flash it out of here before it turned on Alex and Emma too. I'll probably catch hell from Discord about that, but I don't care. My point is that my past self took a bit more damage in this attack than I did originally, and I think it's because of what you've told her. She's been on guard constantly since your little chat, just waiting for something to happen. So instead of being taken by surprise by the attack like you were, she was prepared to stand and fight."

"Ha!" he barked. "And you're not just as guilty as I am for meddling with past events? You changed the scenario when you convinced your past self not to break up with me over that stunt Sasha pulled. The night that wolf attacked us in our past we were both taken off guard because we were too busy arguing with each other to sense that anything was wrong until it was too late. So don't try to put all of this on me!"

He couldn't see her face, but he was pretty certain that she was rolling her eyes by this point as she retorted, "Well we wouldn't have been up here screaming at each other if you hadn't been such a total Neanderthal and dragged me here against my will. I think I was pretty clear about the fact that I wasn't in the mood to talk to you that night."

"I was tired of watching you pout!" he fired back at her. "You were the one that broke up with me after jumping to the wrong conclusions about what happened between me and Sasha and refused to listen to anything I had to say. You pushed me to my limits with your constant cold shoulder, so hell yes I carried you off so that we could have some privacy. I was trying to get the facts through that thick skull of yours!"

He heard her suck in a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the cursing he was sure she was about to hurl at him, but he was surprised instead when she just folded her arms across her chest and began tapping her foot impatiently as she grumbled, "I wasn't pouting. I never pouted over you. So get over yourself, your highness."

A laugh rumbled in his chest. "I hate to disappoint you, sweetheart, but you most definitely did pout. It would have been cute if had been over something else besides me."

She growled low in her throat. "Go ahead and laugh it up, jerk! But if you keep picking on me I'll turn around and we'll settle this the old fashioned way."

He bit back his laughter. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. The last thing I want to do right now is pick a fight with you."

Katie clucked her tongue. "Oh my! If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it sounds like the big, bad prince of Crystal Tokyo might actually be intimidated by little ole me." Then she actually giggled.

DJ stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders before leaning down to whisper in her ear, "To be honest, you scare the hell out of me, lady. No man in his right mind would stand against you as long as there was another option."

She shivered as his breath brushed her ear. "Then what does that say about you? You've stood up to me many times over the years."

He grinned as he felt her tremble under his fingers. "But I've never claimed to be in my right mind, have I? In fact, when it comes to you I'm convinced that I am completely insane." When she remained silent, he continued, "I wish you would let me help you."

She shook her head, her short, light blonde ponytail whapping him in the face. "We've already been over this several times. I already have my plan laid out, and I won't risk anybody else by involving them. I am going to stop that sentinel from killing my brother. Then the past will be changed and the future will go forward. The best thing you can do is go home and wait for it. With any luck, I'll be right there with you when everything is over."

"You're still just as stubborn as ever," he sighed.

She shrugged against him. "That's just who I am. You should know that by now. I have to go now. Please, do as I asked and stay out of this."

"I'm not making any promises," he told her.

"And you talk about me being stubborn," she muttered as she stepped away from him. When she spoke again, her voice was thick with unshed tears. "I guess I'll see ya around." And then she was gone.

"I think you're both too stubborn for your own good," Sailor Pluto commented as she appeared beside the downcast looking prince. "I've lived through a lot of centuries, but I've come across few people that had heads as hard as you two."

"And just how long were you listening in on us?" DJ growled moodily.

Pluto was unfazed by the hostility in his voice. "Not as long as you think. I'm hardly an eavesdropper after all. I prefer to leave that to Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus. I was just hoping to catch you alone for a moment."

"If you're going to tell me to go home too, you can just forget it!" he snarled. "Even if you managed to take the time key from me and sent me back, I would find a way to come back here. I'm not letting her face this alone."

Pluto held a hand up to stop his tirade. "There's no sense getting yourself so worked up. I'm not here to send you back to Crystal Tokyo. We've gone too far for that now."

A black brow arched over the rim of his dark sunglasses. "What do you mean, Trista? You sound as if you've found out something."

She raised an eyebrow of her own. "I have spent some time on Mount Olympus, and let's just say that Chronos's time mirror was kind enough to show me some unclouded visions of what the immediate future holds in store. I am still bound by certain rules, so I can't tell you everything that I saw, but I will say that your interference in this time has brought about huge changes in the timeline. As long as you can keep your Katie from interfering on that rooftop, her younger counterpart should be able to handle things on her own and prevent Alex's death from happening."

A grin quirked his lips. "I never doubted her for a second. That's why I felt confident about showing her the future. She has never given herself the credit that she deserves. But I'm sure that there is more that you're not telling me. There's no way that things will be fixed so easily."

"Very perceptive of you," Pluto drawled wryly. "There are some new events that have manifested themselves into the timeline, but as I said before, I can't tell you what they are. What is important is that you are on that roof when the time comes. Do whatever you have to do to keep Katie away from that fight. I don't care if you have to sit on her or knock her out cold, your job is to stop her from getting to that sentinel before her past self does."

"I can do that," DJ told her. "I may be banged and bruised by the time it's over, but I'll keep her out of the way."

Pluto graced him with a rare smile. "Good! Then I'll leave her to you. Now you should probably return to your proper time for now. My garnet orb has been working overtime to try and protect both you and Katie from the effects of having two of you in the same time, and it could use a rest."

Then she reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a small package. "By the way, Katie gave this to me some time back and told me to give it to you if things went wrong. She wouldn't be happy to know that I gave it to you anyway. But I don't feel that I have the right to keep it anymore."

"What is it?" he asked as he took the small box tied with a silver ribbon.

Pluto looked insulted. "How would I know? I don't make it a habit to pry into people's private affairs. I am only the delivery person. But anyway, it belongs to you."

"Thank you," DJ said softly as he untied the ribbon. He was barely aware of when Pluto teleported away. He lifted the lid of the box and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of what was inside.

Nestled on a bed of soft white cotton was the silver charm bracelet with the dangling crescent moons that he had given to Katie so long ago. He picked it up with trembling fingers and held the delicate piece of jewelry in the palm of his hand. He'd had no idea that she even still had the bracelet. There was a folded piece of paper inside the box as well, and he plucked it up before carefully unfolding it to read the words that were written in Katie's flowing handwriting. It was short, sweet, and to the point.

My Dearest Prince,

Please don't hate me for what I have done. I thought I could make everything better. I guess I was wrong. Believe me when I say that I never stopped loving you for one single second and missed you like crazy every moment of the last fifteen years. I'm sorry that I couldn't set things right and return to you like I wanted to, but I had to try. I hope that you can think of me with a smile from time to time and remember me as I once was instead of the vile betrayer you have thought me to be for so long. You have always lived in my heart, and you always will. Thank you for the love you once showed me, my love. I will continue to love you even as I join Alex in the afterlife.

Always Yours Forever,

Tinkerbell

DJ balled the note up in his fist and clenched his eyes shut as he fought down the urge to scream his frustrations to the night sky. After several seconds and many deep breaths, he opened his eyes once more to look out over the dark waters of the bay. A wry grin twisted up his lips.

"You're not saying goodbye to me yet, Kat," he whispered to himself. "I won't let you."

She pushed aside the oppressive blackness that she felt like she had been swimming in for so long. It was a struggle to so, almost like trying to claw your way out of a grave after being buried alive. It would have been easier to just give in to the darkness and go back to sleep, but the anxious feeling boiling in the pit of her stomach told her that it was more important that she woke up.

Katie's hazel eyes fluttered open slowly and she found herself staring at a white blur. She blinked several times until her vision finally focused enough to see that what she was looking at was a white ceiling above her.

She felt a weight next to her side and looked down to see someone sitting in a chair, leaned over with their head resting on the mattress beside her. The long spill of honey colored curls that she had always envied over her own straight, pale hair told her the person's identity immediately.

"Mom," she rasped in a dry voice as she raised a heavy hand to tap her shoulder. "Mom," she tried again when she got no response.

The woman beside her still didn't move. She pushed harder against her and tried to speak louder. "Jess!"

Jess's head snapped up, her eyes surprisingly alert for someone that had been out cold only a second before. "Hey Sleeping Beauty! I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up. How do you feel?"

Katie grimaced at the question. "I'll be flat out honest with you. I feel like shit. My head is spinning, my mouth is as dry as a desert, and there's not a muscle in my body that doesn't ache."

Jess winced in sympathy. "I can believe that. That sentinel worked you over pretty good. Darien's become nothing short of a miracle worker with the Golden Crystal, but you lost a lot of blood and that's something that even he can't heal."

Katie closed her eyes and nodded slowly to keep from making herself dizzy. Then she whispered the most important question on her mind. "How's DJ? That White Fang reject didn't go after him again once it got me down did it?"

"No, he's perfectly fine," Jess reassured her as she reached over and smoothed the younger girl's bangs back gently. "Your brother and Emma showed up about the same time you got knocked out and the sentinel vanished. DJ had a pretty nasty bump on the head, but he was able to take care of that easily enough."

"Good," Katie sighed deeply. "I was so scared for him. He was lying so still and blood was just pouring out of him. I was afraid that he was going to die. I thought we both were." She opened her eyes to look sheepishly at her future mother. "Are you mad at me? I know I promised that I'd stay in a busy area, but I just felt like I needed to get away for a while."

Jess shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm not mad. I understand the need to go someplace peaceful and think when things get to be overwhelming. And I'm proud of the way you stood up to that monster. I would have done the same if somebody I loved had been injured. So no, I'm not angry. I'm just glad that you're okay."

Katie sat up carefully, groaning as her body protested the movement, and pulled Jess into a clumsy hug. "Thanks, mom. I thought for sure you'd read me the riot act for this."

Jess giggled and returned the embrace carefully. "Come on! I'm not completely unreasonable, am I?"

"No, I guess you're not," Katie replied with a light laugh as she sat back and pushed her hair out of her face. Her nose wrinkled up in disgust. "Yuck! My hair is all stiff and gunky."

"You were practically a red head when we found you," Jess told her. "I tried to get as much blood out of it as I could, but you definitely need a good shampooing. A hot shower will probably make you feel loads better if you feel up to it. And you could probably use a good meal to help build up your strength. Drew's been in the kitchen cooking up all sorts of things ever since Darien told him that you would need some good nutrition to build your blood back up."

Katie grinned wryly. "That's dad for you. When disaster strikes, he heads for the kitchen. He once told me that cooking was better therapy than seeing a shrink. He's almost as bad as Lita."

Jess returned her grin. "That sounds like him. But at least you never go hungry with him around. Now do you need some help getting to the shower?"

"I think I've got it," Katie told her as she got up slowly, leaning against the nightstand as the room spun crazily around her. "Could you get me some clothes though? I'll pass out if I have to bend over to get in the bottom drawer."

"Sure thing!" Jess chirped as she quickly retrieved a white t-shirt and a pair of black drawstring pants along with clean undergarments. She saw her future daughter safely to the bathroom and then made her way down the hall to let the others know that Katie had rejoined the land of the living.

She stepped into the living room and cast a critical eye over the two teenage boys that were glowering darkly at each other from opposite sofas. Serena sat in a chair between them with one eye on the TV and the other on their new resident troublemakers.

"Katie's awake and taking a shower," she announced to the room as a whole.

"Thank goodness!" Serena sighed at the same time Andrew said the same thing from where he was looking through the opening over the breakfast bar where he was mixing something in a bowl.

"Perfect timing," he said with a grin. "I was just making blueberry pancakes. I know they're her favorite."

"I'm sure she'll be grateful for them. The way her stomach was growling reminded me of an angry bear," Jess said jokingly.

Then she spun on Alex and DJ. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but you both better keep it under control when she comes out here. She's recovering from a life threatening experience, and the last thing she needs is to deal with your drama. If we have to break up one more fight between you, I swear I will kick both of your asses so hard that no amount of crystal healing power will be able to put you back together again. Do I make myself clear?"

The scowls never left either one of their faces, but they both nodded tersely. They knew that she meant business and the last thing they wanted to do was get on the bad side of her temper.

"She's right, you know," Serena commented as Jess walked over to the breakfast bar and the cup of coffee that Andrew had placed there for her. "Both of you have been acting like a pair of bullies all night and enough is enough. I know both of you were raised better than this, and I would think that your primary concern would be Katie and her well-being. So why don't both of you set your hostilities aside and concentrate on helping her feel better?"

"I will if he does," DJ snarled as he shot a dark look at his newfound nemesis. "He's the one that started it by taking that cheap shot at me. It's pretty shitty to blindside somebody when they're not looking."

"Screw you, Shields!" Alex fired back. "You had no business taking her off to a secluded place when you know we've practically got targets painted on our backs. But I guess you must have been thinking with the wrong head. People only go up on that bluff for one thing. I can't believe you put my sister in danger just for a chance to get in her pants."

DJ's blue eyes turned stormy. "You better stop while you're ahead, Furuhata. Just because you didn't get a chance to score last night doesn't give you the right to piss and moan to everyone else. I thought you had more respect for Katie than to assume that she'd been doing anything. Besides, even if she were it wouldn't be any of your business. She's a big girl and doesn't need you to make her decisions for her. You don't see me butting into Rini's life."

Alex shot to his feet. "I'm just trying to keep her safe, something which you obviously can't do."

"I'm so sorry I got my skull cracked open and knocked unconscious," DJ drawled sarcastically as he stood as well. "Do you think I like the fact that she was left to fight alone and had to protect me?"

Serena scrambled onto the coffee table and pushed herself between the two boys that looked to be only seconds from lunging at each other. "Stop it right now, both of you! This is exactly what I was talking about before. Now knock it off before I lock both of you up somewhere and not let either of you see her. I mean it!"

DJ growled low in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to knock that condemning look off of Alex's face, but he didn't want to go against Serena. He unclenched his fists and threw himself back down on the couch.

Alex snickered smugly. "Momma's boy!"

Jess flew over and popped her future son on the back of the head, and then she yanked him by his collar to make him sit. "Not another word out of you, Alexander, or you'll be wishing that you were dealing with Discord instead of me. Sit down and shut up before I bend you over my knee and blister your ass so hard that sitting will only be a memory."

Now DJ snickered as Alex folded his arms across his chest and looked away petulantly. "Now who's the momma's boy?"

Serena whirled on him in a fury. "The same goes for you, Darien James! You will sit here and be quiet. When Katie comes out you will both treat each other politely and with respect. And you will treat her like a princess. Do you understand me?"

"I would never treat her like anything else," DJ mumbled. "It's not her fault that her brother is acting like a lunatic."

Silence fell over the room again except for the sound of the newscaster on the TV that was reporting on the various spring festivals that would be taking place over the next couple of weeks and the clinks and sizzles that accompanied the smells coming from the kitchen as Andrew prepared breakfast. It stretched on for several long minutes.

"Geez, it's as silent as a tomb in here. Don't any of you people know how to talk?" Katie muttered grumpily as she appeared in the living room doorway. "You're all acting like somebody died."

The reaction was instantaneous. DJ and Alex both jumped up from their seats at the same time to rush toward the frowning blonde. After much pushing and shoving, Alex managed to reach her first.

He pulled her into a gentle, but still slightly smothering hug, and scolded her lightly. "You little idiot! You scared me to death! I know you have brains buried somewhere in that blonde head of yours. I just wish that you would learn how to use them."

"Please don't yell at me," Katie whispered as she returned the embrace and laid her head on her brother's shoulder. "I didn't mean to worry you. I'm sorry."

Her eyes met DJ's, and she pulled away from Alex. He seemed reluctant to let her go, but he released her after receiving a warning look from both Jess and Andrew.

Katie wandered over until she was only a couple of feet away from the dark haired prince. "Hey," she muttered quietly.

"Hey yourself," DJ forced past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled timidly. "I'm still a little out of it, but I'll be okay. How are you doing? I almost freaked out when that sentinel knocked you out."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm fine. I had a little knock on the head, but I guess my skull is as thick as you've always accused it of being after all."

She choked on a little sob and threw herself against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. DJ sent a triumphant look to Alex as he wound his arms around her waist and held her close. Alex glared back at him, but Jess's restraining hand on his shoulder kept him still.

"All right, that's enough. Let's give her some room to breathe. Besides, I haven't had my hug yet," Andrew declared as he walked in from the kitchen and carefully removed his future daughter from her boyfriend's arms. He handled her as delicately as a piece of spun glass. "How are you doing, pumpkin?"

She wiped her damp eyes and smiled brightly as she hugged him enthusiastically. "I'm okay, daddy. Now is my nose playing tricks on me, or do I smell blueberry pancakes?"

He ruffled her hair that she had left loose to trail damply down her back and chuckled. "I think you may be able to find a pancake or two in the kitchen. There are also omelets, bacon, hash browns, and several different fruits to choose from."

Katie giggled as her stomach growled loudly in response to the list of foods he rattled off. "Sounds great! I'm starving!"

A few minutes later they were all around the kitchen table, indulging in the superbly cooked meal. Serena and Jess dug in with their normal, voracious appetites. Katie was a little more subdued, but no less intent as she attacked a stack of pancakes. Andrew and DJ just shook their heads as they calmly began eating.

Alex was the only one that didn't appear to be enjoying the meal. He sat with his eyes fixed on his plate as he pushed around his food with a fork. Katie noticed this once the edge had been taken off her hunger and grew concerned.

'Lex, are you okay?' she asked him mentally.

He looked up at her in surprise, his dark blue eyes flaring wide for a moment before his shoulders slumped and he shook his head slightly. 'I don't want to talk about it right now. I'd rather wait until we can talk without certain other people listening in.' He scowled darkly at DJ.

Shocked, Katie turned a questioning look to DJ. 'Is there something I need to know about?'

DJ shrugged. 'It's nothing to worry about. Your brother just seems to think that I'm not good enough to be your boyfriend anymore.'

'What?' she shrieked as she stared in disbelief at her twin. 'Alex, how could you even think that?'

A growl echoed in her head. 'I said I didn't want to talk about it right now, but if you're so determined to push the issue I'll tell you. I want you to break up with him Kat. If you hadn't been with him last night you wouldn't have almost died!'

Her fork fell from her fingers to clatter against her plate. She forgot that they had an audience as she jumped from her seat. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Alex. What difference did it make if I was with DJ or not? We've been targeted from the very beginning, so that thing probably would have come after us no matter what. How can you blame this on him?"

Alex sat back in the chair and crossed his arms. "I got there in time to see the end of your fight. I saw the position you were in. Now tell me honestly, did you get all of those injuries because the sentinel directly attacked you, or did you get them because you threw yourself in its path because it kept going after DJ."

Her mouth opened and then snapped closed as she thought back to the battle the night before. What Alex was saying had a ring of truth to it. The wolf had paid little attention to her except when she got in its way. It had seemed unnaturally fixated on DJ, continuing to go after him even after he had been knocked unconscious.

Alex's look turned smug. "I rest my case. He dragged you off to a secluded location, making you prime candidates for an attack, and then got himself knocked out, leaving you all alone to defend him. It was a bad situation all the way around, one that should have never happened."

"But that's not the way it was!" she protested. "DJ got hurt because he was trying to protect me. That damned sentinel had me pinned down and he was trying to pull it off of me. So you better get your facts straight before you start making assumptions. It could have happened anywhere."

Alex jerked his chin defiantly. "I still think it's too dangerous for you to be alone with him."

"And you can't tell me who I can and can't spend time with!" she fired back. "Have you forgotten that we're supposed to be a team? It's our job to protect and watch each other's backs. I think you've lost sight of that little fact."

Sapphire blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "I haven't forgotten our mission or why we are here, but I have another job to do as well. I promised mom and dad before we left home that I would keep you safe. And if it means tying you to me 24/7 to keep you from getting yourself killed, then that's what I'm going to do!"

Katie gasped in outrage at her brother's words. "Just because you are seven minutes older than me doesn't give you the right to think that you can run my life. You are my brother, not my father. I don't need a babysitter."

"I'm seriously starting to doubt that," Alex grumbled.

"Hey, lay off of her! She already told you to mind your own business, so butt out!" DJ spoke up tersely.

"Well excuse me, your highness," Alex drawled with a heavy sarcastic emphasis on the 'your highness'. "But I was having a conversation with my sister, not with you. So I think you're the one that needs to butt out."

DJ's face turned as hard as a slab of concrete. "Well she happens to be my girlfriend, and I don't like the way you're talking to her. She's sixteen, not six, and she can make her own decisions."

"Both of you stop it!" Katie cried as she banged her hands on the table, making the dishes rattle. "You're both making a big deal out of nothing."

"Nothing!" Alex yelled at her. "Do you not realize how bad of shape you were in when I found you? You were soaked in your own blood, Kat! I hate to think what might have happened if Darien hadn't been close by. And I for one don't want to have to tell mom and dad that you're dead!"

Bile rose like burning battery acid in Katie's throat at his words. She had seen a small piece of what could be their future and knew that there was the possibility that she would be the one that would be carrying the grim news of his death home to her parents. At the time that the DJ from the future had shown her the scene of her brother fighting with his best friend she thought that it could never happen. But with the way the two of them were glaring daggers at each other now she could see the possibility of it actually coming true. And it was all over her.

She pushed away from the table a little unsteadily. "I'm going to go lay down. I'm not feeling so good," she mumbled as tears began prickling her eyes. She stumbled from the room, gripping the walls and doorframe for support. Behind her she heard the adults lighting into the guys for arguing in front of her, but she knew that it wouldn't make a difference. The future she had seen was coming true right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it. They were both too hard headed to back down.

Her stomach heaved and she lurched into the bathroom where she lost every bit of the breakfast she had eaten into the toilet. Weak and shaking, she brushed her teeth and washed her sweaty face before staggering to her room and the bed that awaited her. She felt cold so she pulled the blankets all the way up to her chin and closed her eyes, praying that the room would soon stop spinning.

She was still awake some time later when she heard the door open and soft footsteps padded into the room. She felt his energy, but kept her eyes closed and didn't acknowledge him.

"I know you're awake, Kat," Alex said softly from right beside her. "I know you're mad at me too, and for that I am sorry. But I only have your best interests at heart. It killed me to see you injured so badly and I never want to go through that again, okay. I guess we can talk later after you've rested up some more."

She felt his hand on her shoulder and had to fight back her tears. It wasn't until she heard him leave the room that she allowed them to trickle out from under her eyelids to roll down her face and soak into the pillow. She loved her brother deeply and knew that he was only looking out for her, but couldn't he see that he was tearing their group apart with his narrow mindedness?

She rolled to her side and curled into a ball, clenching her teeth together to still their chattering. She felt absolutely miserable. Sure she had known that things were going to blow up at some point between Alex and DJ, but her little visitor from the future had never told her that it was because of the issue of her safety. He had been very vague with his explanation and said that it was a petty, juvenile argument. And she totally agreed with him. Both of the guys were being thick headed.

She must have dozed off a little because the next thing she knew she felt fingers gently wiping away the tear tracks on her cheeks and a pair of warm lips brush against hers. Then DJ's voice whispered softly in her ear, "Sleep well, my fairy princess. I love you."

And surprisingly enough she did. She slipped easily into the realm of dreams and fell into a deep, rejuvenating sleep thanks to the fact that Helios was nearby and sensed her inner turmoil.

"Are things going as planned?" Metallia asked the woman that was knelt in front of her.

"Yes, your majesty," Beryl replied smoothly. "All available youma are preparing for battle as we speak. They will be ready for your command."

"Very good. You've done well, Beryl," Metallia replied in a slightly bored tone. She seemed more concerned with examining her manicured nails than the upcoming fight. "Have you finished your own preparations?"

Beryl kept her head down to hide the glint in her eyes. "I have, my queen. I only await your orders."

"Then there seems to be nothing more for us to do except wait for Lord Discord's signal tomorrow night. You may go now," Metallia dismissed her casually.

"Of course, your majesty," Beryl said as she rose to her feet and made to sweep regally from the chamber.

Metallia's voice made her pause. "Oh, one more thing, Beryl."

The red head looked back over her shoulder. "Yes?"

A deceptively serene smile turned up Metallia's lips. "Princess Serenity is mine. You may do what you like to any of the others, but I will be the one to take the life of that moon brat. It will be my revenge on Queen Serenity for daring to seal me away all those centuries ago. Oh, and try to steer clear of that half-breed abomination as well. Discord has plans to deal with her himself."

A flicker of something that could have been fear flashed in Beryl's eyes for the briefest of moments. "Discord will be present for the battle as well?" She hadn't been expecting that.

Metallia shrugged elegantly as she stood and walked over to a long mirror hanging on the wall. She preened for a moment as she studied her reflection from different angles. How she enjoyed inhabiting this body. Then her eyes met Beryl's in the mirror. "He is planning on making a brief appearance. Honestly, my dear, I don't think you comprehend the magnitude of how big this fight will be. Let's see, how can I put it? It's almost like several small missions rolled up into one large one. We do have multiple targets to deal with after all."

Beryl nodded jerkily. "I understand, my queen."

The look in those staring eyes hardened like stone. "I hope you do, Beryl. Remember, there is no room in the future of the Dark Kingdom for those who can't do their jobs. Those who fail will be eliminated."

Beryl bowed low and then strolled leisurely from the room. Once in the corridor her steps quickened as she hurried to the security of her magically sealed chamber. She briefly considered finding a way to get a message to Talon about this new development, but then changed her mind. She had already risked too much by informing him about the attack so that he could warn Endymion about it. Her main objective in this was to keep the earth prince alive. And if Serenity could manage to destroy Metallia, that was fine with her. It would be one less thing that she would have to deal with later.

Darien pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Let me get this straight. You're telling me that Beryl came to you and told you all about this grand plan that Metallia and Discord have cooked up to unleash their combined armies on the city and you actually believed her?"

"Are you calling me a liar, Endymion?" Talon growled from where he was sitting on one of the sofas in Serena and Darien's living room. Then he yelled, "Ouch!" as something tugged painfully on his ear.

"Behave yourself!" Anya hissed next him as she released his now throbbing ear. "You can't blame him for being skeptical so don't get your underwear in a twist."

"For God's sake, woman! You need a serious manicure to cut those claws of yours! Those things are deadly weapons!" he howled.

Anya rolled her eyes at him. "Suck it up and take it like a man! Nobody wants to listen to you throw a temper tantrum right now. We have more important things to discuss."

"But this doesn't make any sense," Serena mumbled. "Why would Beryl pass on inside information to us. There's definitely no love lost between us."

Talon sat back, still rubbing his offended ear. "Don't get me wrong, I don't think for one second that she's doing this to help you. She's still just as greedy and self-centered as she always was. What it basically boils down to is that she has the same objective that she's always had; which is to kill you, Serenity, and take the Silver Crystal for herself. She wouldn't be opposed if she could manage to snag your little princey there up as well. But evidently Metallia and Discord's methods are interfering with what she wants, so she's looking for a way to thwart them. It's typical of her. I always said her father spoiled her too much."

"This couldn't happen at a worse time!" Serena moaned in despair. "Amara had a race out of town this weekend and Michelle went with her. And Hotaru's off with that stupid brother of mine on a supposed camping trip," she shuddered a little at the mental images of what her younger sibling was possibly doing with the young scout of destruction. "Sammy will kill me for ruining his trip, but he'll get over it. Nobody ever knows when or where Trista will turn up. And now we have Katie out of commission from the attack last night. We may be down five people."

Jess snorted from where she was sitting on the ledge of the breakfast bar. "So we may be missing a few members of the team, but there's still plenty enough of us to take them on. We just may need to kick ass a little harder to make up for the loss."

Talon quirked an eyebrow at her. "So are you saying that you've kept up with your training regimen? That's good. I was under the impression that you had let your time become consumed with school and other domestic things."

She flushed guiltily. The truth was that the rigorous training sessions that she had endured on an almost daily basis at the hand of Nebula since she was thirteen had dwindled down to almost nonexistent over the last couple of years. She couldn't even remember the last time that she'd had a good, muscle burning workout.

Still she scoffed at Talon. "Fighting is like riding a bike. You don't forget how to do it."

Talon smirked at her. "Oh really?" He blurred into motion quicker than anyone could blink.

Before Jess could even process what had happened, Talon had appeared behind her and locked an arm around her neck. He chuckled deeply. "You're slipping, princess. Two years ago I never would have been able to pull that off. You've let yourself grow complacent with your everyday life and have lost the edge that made you such a formidable fighter. You need to get that drive back if you hope to fight successfully in the coming battle."

"Get off of me!" Jess ground out as she pushed herself off of the bar and dragging him with her. As she hit the floor she took a step back toward him and bent down, sending him flying over her head to land on the floor with a crash. In the blink of an eye she was on top of him with a glowing blue hand pressed against his neck.

"What the hell are you trying to prove?" she demanded. "I could rip your throat out in a heartbeat. But I know you better than that, and I know that you're only doing this to point out something. So what is it?"

He grinned up at her. "I was just trying to make sure that all of your amazing abilities were still intact, that's all. It's been a while since you've had to use them and I wanted to make sure that you haven't gotten too rusty. But controlling your crystal and having physical power is only half the battle. Don't forget that you have to carefully guard what resides inside your head as well or it my be used against you."

His jet black eyes locked with hers, and she was sucked deep into her memories.

The kids in her kindergarten class made fun of her because she begged them not to pull the leaves off the bushes that surrounded the playground because it hurt them and she could hear them screaming in pain.

Daddy's arms were so warm when he carried her home after she fell off her bike the first time she tried riding it without training wheels. Then he put a band-aid on her skinned knee and took her out for ice cream.

Momma's hands were so soft as they brushed her hair. She loved it when her mother would come into her room every night and brushed her hair before reading her a story.

Her family was moving to California and she didn't want to go. She wanted to stay in Japan. But her parents said it was a good move and maybe she could make some friends there. They just didn't realize that she was different from the other kids. Weird things always happened around her and people called her a freak.

Momma's pet Chihuahua liked to bark and chase Nebula around the house. She always laughed at the sight and considered it payback for all of the long hours of torturous training that bossy feline made her go through.

Momma and Daddy waved to her as they pulled out of the driveway. If only she had known then that they would never be coming home again. She would have screamed and begged for them to stay home that night if she had known.

"Stop it!" she screamed at the man beneath her. She grasped him by the front of his shirt and shook him hard, making his head bang against the floor. "You bastard! How dare you break into my mind!"

Talon was unfazed by her violent outburst. "I was just proving to you how lax you've become. The young Sailor Shadow I met two years ago never would have allowed me to get the drop on her so easily. You need to become that person again if you want to have a hope and prayer of making it through this fight."

She let go of him. "Fine, I get it. I guess I have gotten a little lazy lately."

He grinned up at her. "So did you ever learn how to ride that bike?"

"Piss off!" she ground out as she pushed herself off of him. "Anya, you better do something about your husband if you want that child of yours to grow up with a father. He's seriously ticking me off!"

"Leave her alone, Talon! You've done enough," Anya snapped waspishly and pointed to the seat next to her. "Now get over here and behave yourself before I make you sleep on the couch for the next century!"

"Okay, okay. Damn pregnancy hormones!" he muttered under his breath as he got up off the floor.

Her chocolate brown eyes blazed furiously. "What was that?"

"Nothing, dear," Talon hastily reassured her as he sat down next to her and patted her hand consolingly.

Jess bit down hard on her lip to stifle her giggles when Anya looked at her with a grin and a sly wink. Who would have ever thought that the mighty Talon could be reduced to groveling by a tiny slip of a woman?

Andrew sat his coffee cup down on the bar with a thud. "If we're done with this round of 'Who Can Piss Jess Off?' , can we get back to the subject of the fight, please?"

Darien nodded his agreement. "Right. So they're planning on setting groups of sentinels, guardians, and youma loose at different points all around the city? Doesn't take a genius to figure out that they're trying to split us up."

"It doesn't look like we'll have much of a choice," Serena replied wearily. "We won't be able to stay all together and try to take down one group at a time. They would be able to destroy over half of the city by the time we got around to them all."

"Then we'll just have to split up into smaller groups," Jess said seriously. "If we can get the outers here we can break off into groups of four. You know that the kids aren't going to sit out even if we ask them to, so if we include them we should have enough people to form at least five or six groups."

Darien ran an agitated hand through his hair. "I guess that's the best we can do. It would be even better if we knew exactly where they were going to strike. I don't guess Beryl told you the specifics, did she, Talon?"

He shook his head. "No, she was pretty stingy with the details. I don't know if it was because she didn't want to say or if she simply doesn't know. There's quite a bit of tension brewing between her and Metallia right know, so it's possible that she hasn't been let in on the full plan. You should probably also know that Metallia is definitely the one running the show. She has claimed a physical body as well."

"Oh that's just great!" Serena moaned. "It's easy to spot a big black cloud of vapor. But if she has taken on a human form that's going to make her harder to locate. She could walk past any of us on the street and we wouldn't know it. Do we have any kind of a description?"

Talon answered in the negative. "No. Like I said before, Beryl has her own agenda so she didn't tell me any more than she felt like she had to. I think what she's really hoping for is that you will take care of Metallia for her and get her out of the way. But deep down she's still plotting to steal the Silver Crystal and take over the world."

"She can try," Darien growled as he put an arm around Serena and pulled her against his side. "I can't believe she's still going on about the same thing after all of this time. You would think she would have gotten over it after a thousand years and being beaten twice."

"The bitch definitely needs to get a life," Jess agreed as she hopped down from where she had sat on the bar once again. "I guess we'll just have to kick her ass too. In the meantime I think I'm going to squeeze in a little practice. Talon is right, I haven't had to really fight in so long that I feel rusty."

Just then Rini and DJ walked in from the direction of the bedrooms. Jess squealed and ran over to throw an arm around each of them. "Ah ha! Just the two people I wanted to see. My wonderful, dear, younger almost siblings, would you two be willing to do your would be older sister a huge favor?"

Rini jerked away from her and eyed her warily. "Are you high or something? I don't like that look on your face. You're up to something sneaky."

Jess pretended to pout. "I am not. I just felt like doing a little bit of training and thought that you two might be willing to be my sparring partners."

"Now I know you've been smoking crack!" Rini exclaimed. "There's no way that I'm sparring against you."

"Oh, come on!" Jess pleaded. "Why does no one ever want to practice with me?"

"Maybe because you scare the crap out of them," DJ replied with a smirk. "It's the same reason why I won't spar with Katie. I like to walk away from training matches with my limbs still intact."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Jess protested. "Oh I know! I'll ask Alex to help me. He's been in such a bad mood that I bet he needs to work off some excess energy."

Rini snorted. "Good luck with that! You'd have a better shot at getting Amy to spar with you than him. Face it, the only person that would be crazy enough to go up against you is Katie, and she's out of commission at the moment. But I have to admit that it would be an interesting match since you two have the same fighting style."

"This isn't fair!" Jess wailed. "If nobody will train with me I'll be stuck having to use the hologram chamber under the arcade, and that's no challenge!"

"If you're looking for a challenge, I'll be happy to oblige," Talon spoke up in a quiet, but commanding voice. "In all of the time that I spent chasing you, we never had a chance to go against each other. I'd like to see what I missed out on."

A manic light entered Jess's eyes and they gleamed bright blue for a moment. "You're on! Just let me go check on Katie real quick and then we'll get this party started."

She spoke softly to DJ before she left. "I'm going to pull Alex off of his guard dog duty and make him go with me. That should give you some time to spend with Katie without him glaring daggers at you."

DJ grinned widely at her. "Thanks Jess."

Andrew groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Great! Why did you have to egg her on, Talon? You know how she gets."

Talon looked smug. "Yes I do. But I have always admired her spunk."

"Hey! Where are you going?" Darien asked as Serena scrambled off the couch.

"To call the scouts," she called back to him. "I need to see if I can get in touch with the outers and the other girls need to be filled in on what's going on. I think I'll call a meeting at the clearing by the middle school. I could use a little practice myself. I don't feel ready for this fight. If we're going to be going up against Metallia, then I need to get my head in the game."

Darien sighed as he watched her retreat to the bedroom to call the scouts and fished his cell phone from his pocket. He scrolled down until he reached the number he was looking for and pressed the call button. It rang three times before a deep voice answered with a simple, "Hello."

"Rally the guys, Kunzite," Darien told him. "We just got handed front row tickets to an all-star fight."

"Interesting…" Kunzite drawled. "I take it that the wicked witch is coming to town."

Darien grinned at the underlying enthusiasm in his friend's voice. "Just make sure to sharpen your blades. We're going on a bitch hunt."

"So why are we here?" Jayden drawled in a bored tone as Lita pulled her car into a parking space in the middle school parking lot. "We're not supposed to train today. I had plans for this afternoon."

Raye twisted around in the passenger seat to glare at her future son. "Oh I'm sure you did have plans, mister! And I'm sure they probably involved you hanging out somewhere like a hoodlum trying to pick up college girls."

Jayden waggled his eyebrows at her. "I told you before, I like my women to be older." He leaned across the back seat to lay his head on Skye's shoulder. "Isn't that right, baby? I know you're just playing hard to get."

Unfortunately he had to lean over Hannah to accomplish this, and the blue haired girl shrieked in outrage. "Ewww! Perv germs! Get off of me you sorry, depraved excuse for a human being!"

"Quiet!" Lita bellowed. "We told you before, Serena called and told us that she got the lowdown on an upcoming attack and wanted us to meet. Rini requested that you all be brought along."

"Aww, who cares what Rini wants? I don't answer to her," Jayden grumbled. "She can boss around Skye, Emma, and Hannah because they're sailor scouts, but DJ is my leader and he's not even going to be here. He's too busy at home playing nursemaid to his girlfriend. What a wuss! Katie's a strong, beautiful female. She can take care of herself."

"Boy, if you don't shut your mouth I'm going to shut it for you!" Raye ground out between clenched teeth. "I never thought I would hear myself say this, but you are ten times worse than your father and I never thought I would meet someone that could drive me crazier than he can."

"Ooo! She told you!" Hannah crowed gleefully.

"Keep it up, Snowflake, and I'll burn every bit of those biology and geometry notes that you spent so much time organizing for next week's tests," Jayden growled.

Hannah shrieked. "You wouldn't! Jayden! You big bully!"

"Out of the car!" Lita demanded. "And both of you, stick a cork in it before I subject you both to electroshock therapy. I promise it will be very painful."

Both of the young teens huffed indignantly, but wisely kept their insults to themselves as they all climbed from the car.

"Won't people get suspicious when they see this many cars in a school parking lot on a Saturday?" Skye wondered as she looked around at the various vehicles that belonged to their friends.

"Nope!" Hannah chirped. "Mom extended the barrier around the clearing to conceal our presence completely. Nobody will ever know that we're here."

"That's Amy for you, she always thinks ahead," Lita said with a grin as she looked around. "I don't see her or Zoicite's cars here yet. They must be stuck at the hospital. But it looks like just about everyone else is here except…hmm. I thought for sure Nephrite would beat me here. He left the restaurant before I did."

Just then a large black pickup truck roared into the parking lot. Tires squealed as it slammed into the parking place next to Lita's forest green Camry. The doors flew open and out tumbled Nephrite and Jadeite, laughing and high-fiving one another.

"Do you always have to drive like a maniac?" Lita shouted. "You're going to wind up killing somebody someday!"

Nephrite grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry. Jed and I were just having a little fun. But no harm, no foul."

"You're a menace to all drivers and pedestrians," Lita grumbled sourly.

"Hellooo Baaabby!" Jadeite drawled as he swept Raye off her feet and kissed her very enthusiastically.

She squirmed and wriggled in his arms until she broke free, and then she shoved him back a few steps. "Knock it off, you exhibitionist! I swear you have a one track mind!"

Jadeite pretended to pout. "Come on, Firefly! There's nothing wrong with a little public display of affection."

Raye snorted. "You take it beyond PDA! You're so debased that you would probably do me on the hood of a car for the whole world to see and not think twice about it!"

Jadeite's eyes began to burn like blue coals. "Is that an invitation?"

Smoke curled from Raye's clenched fists. "No it is NOT! You…you…you PERVERT!"

Lita slapped her hands over a blushing Hannah's ears and shot a dark glare at Nephrite, who was doubled over in laughter. "Do you mind?" she hissed at him. "This isn't funny! Think about what kind of example you're setting for your daughter!"

Skye's eyes had glazed over as she watched Jadeite playfully trying to lean Raye back over the hood of Lita's car as she screeched at him. "That is sooo hot! I'm jealous of them. When am I ever going to find a guy that can make me feel like that?"

Jayden stepped in front of her and struck a pose. "Uh, hello! I'm right here, ready, willing, and able!"

Skye rolled her eyes and turned away. "In your dreams, Smokey!"

A shriek tore from Hannah's throat as she pulled away from Lita's hands. She flung her arms wide and dozens of snowballs appeared out of thin air and began pelting the blonde boy.

"Ow!" Jayen yelled as a particularly large snowball smashed into his face. He sputtered as he wiped the icy whiteness away from his eyes to glare at the now heaving and trembling girl. "What the hell was that for?"

She stomped over to him and poked him in the chest with a cold finger. "You are a JERK, Jayden! A BIG FAT JERK!" Then she twirled and ran away, her feet making crunching sounds where the ground froze immediately under her.

Jayden blinked in surprise. "Okay! What did I do this time? I think she's mentally disturbed. She's always getting mad at me when I haven't done anything to her. What a basket case!"

Jadeite walked over and clapped his future son on the shoulder. "Women are mysterious creatures. You'll understand where she's coming from when you get a little older."

"Ha!" Jayden barked. "I don't want to understand her. I don't think anyone could. She's freaking bipolar!" Then he stormed away as well.

"Ah…the joys of parenthood," Lita sighed.

"At least we're getting a small taste of what the future holds for us," Raye grumbled. "I hope Xanax still exists in the future, because I have a feeling I'm going to need it."

"You guys don't know the half of it," Skye muttered under her breath as she thought about the ones that had been deemed too young to come to the past and had been left behind in Crystal Tokyo.

Her brother, Nick, along with Jayden's sister, Ryssa, and Emma's brother, Kyle, hadn't been happy about missing out on this adventure. But at the ages of 12, 10, and 8, they would have been in over their heads. Hannah's little brother, six year old Corey, had been the only one to not put up a fuss, but that was only because he was too young to figure out what was going on.

"Did you say something?" Lita asked her curiously.

Skye jumped, not realizing that she had spoken out loud. "Nope! I didn't say a word. I guess we better go find everyone, huh? We don't want them to have all of the fun."

Bright hazel eyes stared beseechingly at DJ as she pleaded with him. "Please? I promise I'll be good."

"No," he told her firmly. "And don't try that puppy dog look on me. It's not going to work."

Katie sniffled and curled up next to his side. She laid her head on his shoulder and placed her lips next to his ear. "Please?"

He shivered as her breath brushed across his ear, but he was determined to not back down. "I said no, Kat! You almost died less than twenty-four hours ago and you still haven't fully recovered. You are going to stay right here on this couch and rest."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and slid herself onto his lap. "But I'm bored," she cooed softly as she leaned her forehead against his. "There's nothing to do. I feel much better now than I did earlier. I had a nice long nap and a good lunch. I even drank that yucky herbal tea that Zoicite sent over that's supposed to help me build up my blood faster."

DJ gulped as her close proximity to him caused all of his nerve endings to tingle and the blood to pound in his ears. "Well, we'll watch a movie then."

"I don't want to watch a movie," she countered.

He tried to think fast. "Then we'll play a game."

Her lower lip pouted. "I don't want to play a game."

He was growing frustrated. "Look, we'll do anything that you want to do as long as it doesn't interfere with your recovery."

She twisted so that she was straddling him, one long leg on each side of his hips. Her lips brushed his in the lightest of kisses. "Please?" she whispered softly.

A red flag flew up in his head as certain parts of his anatomy jumped to attention. He groaned and let his head fall to the back of the sofa. "Fine! But your brother is going to kill me for this."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "Don't worry about Alex. I'll handle him. I'll be right back."

DJ bit back a moan when her chest brushed against his as she climbed off his lap. He clenched his fists to keep from pulling her back down and kissing her senseless. He knew that he was giving in to her way too easy, but he just couldn't help himself. She may not be in peak form right now, but she was driving him crazy. It took every bit of willpower to keep from following her to her room and pushing her down on the bed so that he could live out the dreams that plagued him on a nightly basis.

"You're a sick man, Shields," muttered to himself. "Only an insensitive ass would even think about doing those things with a woman when she's sick."

He conjured thoughts of every disgusting thing he could think of in order to banish the images in his head that were becoming increasingly x-rated. Luckily he had both his mind and his body back under control by the time Katie came back into the room.

"Are you ready?" she asked as she held a hand out to him.

He took her hand with a smile. "I'm ready."

"So that's the story," Serena said to the group that was sitting on the ground in a semi-circle around her. "We have to be prepared for whatever Beryl and Metallia are going to throw at us tomorrow night."

She sighed in irritation as a loud boom came from behind her and the ground shook under her feet. "For the love of Selene, Jess! Do you think you could give it a rest for a few minutes while I wrap things up? I can't hear myself think with all that racket!"

Sailor Shadow pulled herself up from the crouch she had landed in after leaping out of the way of an energy blast Talon had shot at her. She grinned sheepishly as she pushed some stray hairs away from her flushed and sweaty face. "Oops! Sorry, Serena."

Then she screeched as Talon suddenly materialized behind her and tried to grab her. She dropped back to the ground and spun, lashing out with a leg to try to knock the man off his feet.

Talon easily avoided her attack and sent a fist flying at her that she easily blocked. It looked as if they were seriously trying to kill each other as they lunged at one another, punching and kicking at every available opening. But in between shots you could hear them laughing and they both had huge smiles on their faces.

"Looks like Jess is enjoying herself out there," Darien said casually to the scowling man beside him.

Andrew snorted. "I know she likes a good fight, and I'm glad she's enjoying herself. She needs this to take her mind off of things. But if that bastard hurts her, intentional or not, I'll kick him so hard his ass will crack the other way."

"Like you have to worry about that," Alex said loftily from where he was reclining against a tree. "The two of them have been doing this about every six months or so as far back as I can remember, and mom walks away the victor every time. She accuses him of taking it easy on her, but I don't think that's it. She's just that good."

"Yeah, she is," Andrew sighed as he watched his fiancé execute a series of back handsprings, ending in a backward flip before landing gracefully in her high heeled boots. "She's something else."

"Ugh! Mush alert!" Alex groaned. "I didn't mean to set you loopy. Parents shouldn't look at each other like that in front of their kids. It's creepy!"

Both Andrew and Darien chuckled at the indignant teen.

"How should parents look at each other then?" Darien asked.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. But it shouldn't involve eying one another like a juicy steak. You could scar a kid for life that way."

"I'll try to remember that," Darien said, his voice shaking with humor. He glanced over his shoulder. "It looks like Serena is wrapping things up. I better go see what's next on the agenda."

Alex glared at Darien's retreating back without meaning to. He held nothing against the man that had been an uncle to him all of his life, but sometimes the resemblance between him and DJ was so strong that you could forget for a moment which one you were looking at. And right now thoughts of his former best friend made him feel like punching something until his knuckles bled.

None of this was missed by Andrew. He nudged his future son with his foot. "You wanna talk about it?"

"About what?" Alex grumbled.

Andrew shook his head. "About why you're so angry. About what made you snap and attack your best friend."

"Ex-best friend!" Alex interjected. "And no, I really don't want to talk about it."

Andrew sighed and sat next to him, leaning back against the same tree trunk. "Alex, you're going to have to let it out sometime. You can't keep it all bottled up inside like this. We have a major battle coming up. And if you're distracted by your thoughts you could make a careless mistake. One wrong move could mean the difference between life and death."

Alex seemed to wilt before him. "I know. But right now I just can't bring myself to forgive him. Maybe I am being unreasonable, but I can't help but feel like he betrayed me. DJ is much stronger than me, he always has been. It's been a huge relief in my mind since he and Katie started spending so much time together. I knew that he would be a better protector for her than I could ever hope to be, and I never worried when she was with him because I knew that she would be taken care of. But last night…seeing her like that…I know I sound stupid, but I feel like he failed me."

Understanding lit Andrew's eyes. "Ah! I see where you're coming from. I went through something a lot like that once myself."

Alex looked at him skeptically. "You did?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah, it was with a buddy of mine that I'd met back in high school. I really looked up to the guy. He was confident and successful, and it just seemed to come so easily to him. He was everything that I was working so hard to become, and I admired him for it. He was a little aloof until you got to know him, but we soon became great pals. In my eyes he could do no wrong. Then one day that all changed."

Alex visibly perked up a bit. "What happened?"

Andrew put his hands behind his head and looked up at the tree branches above him. "I was working at the arcade one afternoon when a girl that I had known for years came by to visit. My friend and I were sitting around and talking when she came in. Before I knew what was happening they were yelling at each other and he said some pretty hurtful things to her. She got mad and stormed out. I asked him what was going on, and he said that they'd had a few run ins before. I was upset that he'd treated her like that and told him to take it easy on her, but the situation got worse. One day they had a particularly brutal fight, and he said some really nasty things that I won't bother repeating. The bottom line is that she ran from the arcade in tears. I was livid."

"What did you do?" Alex asked softly.

Andrew smirked. "I did what any red blooded man would do. I hauled his sorry ass out back into the alley and beat the shit out of him. I was pissed at him for hurting another one of my friends, but I was also upset because he had shattered the high opinion that I had of him. I told him to get lost and not ever show himself in my arcade ever again. He didn't listen to me though and kept coming around. We had a few more heated encounters after that."

Alex sat up straight. "So what happened to the guy?"

Andrew grinned and pointed. "He's standing right over there next to the girl that he used to torment so ruthlessly."

Alex's eyes widened. "Whoa! Wait a minute! The friend in your story was Darien and the girl was Serena? But you guys are so tight. I can't imagine you fighting like that."

Andrew shrugged. "It took some time to get over it. Serena and Darien started dating and I stayed watchful for a while, scared that he was going to hurt her again, but eventually I put it behind me and never looked back. We've been as close as brothers ever since. So what I'm trying to say is that this thing between you and DJ may not blow over quickly, you may even get into some more fights. But if you two are as close of friends as I think you are, you'll get through it."

"Yeah, maybe," Alex muttered as he plucked a piece of grass to twirl in his fingers.

Andrew stood and then reached down to ruffle his future son's light brown hair. "Just think about it. I don't expect any immediate miracles to come from my little pep talk. Now I think I'll go rescue Talon from your mother, he's beginning to look a little ragged."

Alex sat back and closed his eyes as he mulled over Andrew's words. Could he eventually forgive his friend for not being the strong, infallible prince he had always believed him to be? Maybe someday he could, but right now the hurt was still too fresh.

He dozed off for a while and only came awake when he felt a pair of lips tickling his ear and a sweet, soft voice whispered. "Wakey time, sleepyhead!"

His sleep clouded, dark blue eyes blinked open to look into a pair of shimmering gray orbs. He grinned. "Good morning."

Emma giggled. "Good evening is more like it. I wondered there for a while if you had slipped into a coma. I can't believe you slept right through the noise of people training."

A second amused voice spoke from beside him. "I'm not surprised. I've always said he could sleep through an atomic explosion."

Alex's head whipped around so fast that it was a miracle that it didn't spin right off his neck. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Kat?"

His sister smiled impishly at him. "That was still my name the last time I checked."

"But…how…" he sputtered. Then he bellowed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

She winced a little at his tone. "Don't burst a blood vessel, Lex! I'm here because I wanted to be here. I was bored with being stuck in the apartment and wanted to get some fresh air and find out what was going on. But don't worry, I'm taking it easy. I've been ordered to not move from this spot."

Alex glanced around, realizing how many people must have left while he had been napping. Serena, Jess, Mina, and Rini were talking together not too far away. The ringing clash of swords had him looking out toward the center of the clearing. Darien and Andrew stood off to one side watching as Kunzite engaged Phantom in a fairly intense round of swordplay.

The sight made his temper flare. This was why he hadn't wanted to come here today. He'd had a feeling something like this would happen. All DJ had to do was sit at the apartment and make sure Katie rested. That wasn't that hard to do. Instead his recovering sister had been dragged across town. He knew that she was probably telling the truth when she said that it was all her idea, but DJ should have known better than to give in to her. She needed to be at home resting.

"Damn him!" he growled as he jumped to his feet. He felt Emma grab his arm and shook her off. "Stay with Kat, Em."

"Alex!" he heard the two girls scream after him as he began running, but he paid them no mind. He had his target in sight.

Phantom and Kunzite had stopped their dueling and had stepped away from each other. He saw the tuxedo-clad boy lay his sword down and use his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face. He called on his power and transformed in a fiery rush.

'DJ, look out!' he heard his sister's voice scream in his head and saw Phantom whirl around only a second before he plowed into him and knocked them both to the ground. DJ was slightly taller and heavier than he was, but surprise and momentum were on his side and he quickly gained the upper hand.

He pinned Phantom to the ground and grasped the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. He shook him so hard that the black mask flew off his face. "You stupid bastard! All you had to do was sit at the apartment and make sure she took it easy! What is so hard about that?"

The dark haired prince had gotten over his initial shock and he jackknifed his body, throwing his attacker off. He rolled to his feet and glared at Phoenix as he did the same. "I've had just about enough of your shit, Alex. Keep it up and I'll bash in that perfectly straight nose of yours."

Phoenix clenched his fists and ground out, "Bring it on!"

Phantom snarled and lunged at him, but found his way blocked as Kunzite stepped between them. A second later he felt someone grab his arms and pin them behind his back.

"Chill out!" a tight voice hissed in his ear. He turned to look over his shoulder to find Darien, no…not Darien, Tuxedo Mask, glowering sternly at him. He jerked against the restraining arms, but they didn't budge.

"Let me go, dad!" he grated as he looked over and saw Phoenix being held in the same position by Andrew. "If that little prick wants a fight, then I'll give it to him!"

Tuxedo Mask tightened his hold. "I said knock it off! Now detransform, right now!"

"Not on your life!" Phantom fired back furiously. "I'm tired of him taking cheap shots at me. We're going to end this, now!"

"That's fine with me!" Phoenix yelled as he struggled against Andrew. "I'm ready when you are!"

"Stop it!" a shrill voice screamed, jerking them both to attention. Their heads swiveled to find Katie standing nearby. Her fists were clenched at her sides and her whole body was trembling, but her face was full of contempt as she surveyed them both. Her eyes were amazingly dry and held a cold look that made them both shiver.

Her voice cut like a knife when she spoke. "Both of you are fools! We are supposed to be fighting against the enemy, not each other. I am the only one responsible for the choices I make. And I am not some object that you two can argue over in your little pissing contest. You're supposed to be protectors of Earth, but all I see are two spoiled little boys fighting over a toy. I am not a toy!"

Fatigue was catching up to her, making her pant for breath as she finished her ranting. She turned to Emma, who was beside her, and looked at her pleadingly. "Can I stay with you tonight? I don't think I can handle being around either one of them right now."

Emma pulled her sad gaze from Alex. "Sure thing, sweetie. I'm sure you could use a little peace and quiet after all of this testosterone. Let's go." She put a supporting arm around Katie's waist. Mina joined her and together they led the weakened girl away. Kunzite followed behind them.

DJ felt the fight melt right out of him and his transformation faded away. Tuxedo Mask let him go as he too changed back into his civilian form. The young prince watched his distraught girlfriend walking further away from him and felt an urge to run to her and take her in his arms to comfort her. He had only taken two steps in her direction when he found his path blocked. Sapphire blue eyes glittered dangerously at him and he steeled himself for the ass chewing that he was sure he was about to receive.

But when Jess spoke she didn't yell at him. Her voice was heavy with disappointment though, and that made him feel worse than if she had torn into him. "Let her go, DJ. She's been through enough tonight and I think you all could use some time apart to get your heads back on straight."

He wanted to tell her to go to hell and push past her anyway. Katie was hurting and he was partially to blame. But deep down he knew Jess was right. Emotions were running too high right now. To press the issue could bring more harm than good. He nodded his head dejectedly.

Jess stared at him for a long moment before moving away toward where Alex and Andrew were standing. The other boy had let go of his transformation as well and stood with his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the ground, probably anticipating a scolding from his future mother. DJ couldn't help but smirk inwardly. He hoped Jess would rip Alex to shreds. The little punk deserved it. But instead she appeared to talk to him in the same low tone she had used with him. What a letdown!

Serena came to stand before him. She had her arms folded across her chest and her big blue eyes were filled with both sadness and anger as she looked at him. For a moment he felt like he was a child again, being chastised for misbehaving or committing some breach of decorum. But this was infinitely more serious than running and yelling through the palace hallways or showing up to dinner covered in dirt when there were important guests visiting. And he was no longer a child.

"No offense, mom, but I'm not in the mood for one of your long-winded lectures," he said, cutting Serena off as she opened her mouth to speak. "I'm in a really bad mood and I don't think I can handle it right now."

He spun on his heel and stalked away, pausing for only a moment as he passed Alex. "This isn't over," he said in a low, deadly tone.

Alex's eyes met his challengingly. "No, it's not. We'll settle this later," he replied just as coldly.

DJ answered with a single nod and continued on his way.

Rini stood in stunned disbelief, her eyes darting between an equally shocked Serena and Darien and the retreating DJ. Her heart breaking for her little brother, she ran after him. "DJ! Wait up!"

"I'm outta here too," Alex declared as he walked away in the opposite direction that DJ and Rini had taken. "I'll see you at home."

Silence fell heavily over the clearing as the four flabbergasted adults looked at each other as if to ask, 'What the hell is going on?'

Discord smiled wickedly as he took a quick peek into the time stream to check on how the little Trinity holders were doing. The little blonde moon brat was crying into her pillow. The earth prince was ranting and waving his hands around as he paced back and forth in front of that pink haired twit that was the heir to the throne of Crystal Tokyo. And the solarian was venting his frustrations by repeatedly slamming his fists into an innocent tree trunk.

A rough chuckle rumbled in the evil entity's chest. He hadn't planned for this to happen, but it couldn't have gone any better if he had. United together those three posed the biggest threat imaginable to him. But as long as they were divided by anger and jealousy they didn't stand a chance against him. Now it would only be too easy to eliminate them.

Things were falling perfectly into place. The Galactic Trinity would be lost, he would get his revenge on that little half blood princess and finally obtain the power of her crystal, and he would let Metallia deal with Serenity. Then he would leave the Earth for her to do with it as she pleased while he once more traveled the universe in search of unsuspecting worlds to destroy.

He glanced over to where the essences of Chaos, Doom Phantom, and Pharaoh 90 lay in shallow stone basins. "Sorry boys, but I just don't have the energy to spare right now to wake you up. I need to conserve everything I have for this battle. But once I have the Celestial Crystal in my possession I'll have an unlimited supply of energy and I will set you free to do your worst. Once again we will dominate the universe."

He licked his lips in anticipation. Victory was almost his, and it tasted sweet on his tongue. By this time tomorrow he would once again take his place as the supreme being in existence. And the first thing he was going to do was find himself a better body than the decrepit old man he had been inhabiting for so long. He kind of hoped that the body of that solarian that the mongrel princess was so fond of didn't get mangled too badly in the fight. He still owed him some payback as well for his role in his last defeat. What better revenge on both of them than to take that body for his own. It was young, strong, and healthy and would serve him well.

He clasped his gnarled hands together. After centuries of waiting, the end was finally in sight.

"Would you stop pacing! You're wearing me out just watching you!" Rini exclaimed, feeling a little dizzy from watching her brother stalk back and forth across her bedroom like a caged tiger.

DJ ground to a halt and shoved shaking fingers through his already messy black hair. "Sorry," he muttered. "Why isn't he back yet? It doesn't take this long to check on one person."

Rini felt a flash of irritation, but fought it back. "Just give Helios a little time. He's only been gone a couple of minutes. And if she's not asleep it will take him longer to see how she's doing."

"I wouldn't be having this problem if I could sense her like I normally do," DJ groaned and threw himself across the bed covered with a purple blanket speckled with moons and stars. "I can't believe she's shutting me out like this. Any other time I would be able to tell exactly what she's feeling, but now I hit a brick wall every time I try to reach her."

Rini rolled her eyes. "Duh! She's upset. I'm sure the last thing she wants right now is to have to listen to you and her idiot brother babbling in her head. I would do the same thing in her position."

He rolled over and propped his head up on his hand. "She was riled up, wasn't she? I hated seeing her like that, but I couldn't just stand there and not fight back."

Rini lay back next to him and stared at the ceiling. "What's going on with you two anyway? It's like one minute you were the closest friends in the world, and the next you're trying to kill each other. I don't get it."

"Neither do I," he said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "He just came out of nowhere and jumped me after Kat got hurt. At first I thought he was lashing out because he was upset and I was the closest person to him. But the more I think about what he's said and how he's acting, I get the feeling that I'm letting him down somehow."

She rolled over to face him. "How so?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's like he's disappointed that Kat got hurt while she was with me; like he expected me to be able to protect her from harm no matter what."

Rini snorted. "That's ridiculous! You're only human, not some impenetrable tank."

"I know, but that's what it feels like," he grumbled. "But I'm not going to take his crap. If I have to beat some sense into him, that's what I'm going to do."

"I don't blame you," she agreed. "I think he needs some common sense knocked into him."

There was a flash of white light as Helios appeared in the middle of the room. Both siblings sat up quickly and looked questioningly at the Elysian priest.

"She's sleeping comfortably," he informed them. "Her rest was a little troubled when I found her, so I took a moment to give her a little nudge toward peaceful dreams. Her scout powers will heal her faster if she is able to have a deep, uninterrupted sleep."

DJ flopped back with a sigh. "Thanks, Helios. I owe you one."

Helios shook his head. "No thanks are needed, your highness. It is my pleasure to help out wherever I can. We can't have her out of commission and unable to protect herself for very long. She's too important."

"Still, thank you anyway," DJ said sincerely. "It makes me feel better knowing that she's okay."

"You're welcome," Helios returned with an incline of his head. He turned his gaze to Rini. 'We can talk later. He needs you right now,' he told her through their bond.

She nodded and smiled at him. 'I'll come see you when I fall asleep.'

'I'll be waiting,' he replied as he disappeared.

Rini lay back down next to DJ and they spent the next few minutes in silence. After a few minutes though it got to her, and she began babbling about things from their childhood, hoping to ease his mind just a little.

It must have worked because he responded to her, even chuckling on a few occasions, as they continued talk. And when Serena and Darien looked in on them about an hour later they were surprised to find both teens fast asleep across the bed.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Alex yelled, punctuating each outburst by slamming his fist into a tree trunk. "Why the hell am I feeling like this?"

He sat down on the ground abruptly, cradling his aching, bleeding hand to his chest for a moment. He knew what he was feeling wasn't natural, even before his talk with Andrew earlier. Maybe there was something wrong with him mentally.

"Yeah, that's it, Alex, you've gone schizophrenic," he muttered to himself. "That's the only way to put it. Something in your brain has finally snapped and the next thing you know you'll be attacking everybody. Who's next, Emma, Kat, your own mother? Wow! You're a real winner!"

He banged his head back against the tree trunk, but paid no attention to the pain. He was too lost in his thoughts to notice it. He felt sick at his stomach when he pictured the disgusted look on his sister's face when she had walked away from them earlier. He didn't blame her for it one bit.

He knew that his lunatic behavior was hurting her, but he just couldn't seem to be able to control it. Every time he pictured her standing in front of that sentinel with the blood draining from her body while she fought bravely to protect the helpless DJ his anger spiked to murderous proportions. He knew it wasn't right, no man was invincible, but it was just the way he felt.

He pulled his handheld computer from his pocket and used it to scan himself and frowned when the readings came back the same as they had at least twenty times that day. No abnormalities were found. He was as healthy as a horse. But he didn't feel like it.

His cell phone buzzed in his other pocket, and he eased his battered hand into it to retrieve the device. Emma's name flashed on the screen and he debated for a minute rather to answer it. She was probably calling to tell him off for what he had done. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if she broke up with him over all of this. But he figured he deserved it so he flipped the phone open.

"Hey," he muttered simply as a greeting.

The line was silent for a moment before a soft spoken, "Hey," came back to him. It was quiet again for several long seconds before that sweet voice asked, "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy," he snapped. He winced as he heard the tone of his voice. "Sorry. I guess I'm not really doing so great. How's Kat?"

"She's sleeping," Emma told him. "She went straight to bed when we got here. She tossed and turned for a while, but now she's resting comfortably."

"Good," he sighed. "That's just what she needs right now so she can get better."

"What she needs is for you to be by her side, not picking fights with DJ!" she fired back at him, her voice rising in pitch.

'Here it comes,' he thought to himself and closed his eyes, trying to block the visions of Emma ripping off the topaz ring he had given her and hurling it at his head as she screamed at him with tears falling from her silvery gray eyes. He waited patiently for her to say the words that would shatter what little bit of normalcy remained in his life and send him on a one-way trip into total insanity.

Instead he heard her suck in a shuddering breath before she whispered. "Baby, what's wrong? You're not acting like yourself."

His eyes flew open in shock. "Wait! Aren't you pissed at me?"

"I'm upset, but I'm not mad," she said softly. "I'm worried about you though. It's not like you to lose your temper so easily. Please tell me what's going on. I can't stand to see you like this."

"Yeah, I usually leave the temper tantrums up to mom and Kat," he quipped, trying desperately to lighten the mood of the conversation. He groaned when he heard no answering giggle. "I don't know what's wrong, Em. It just seems like ever since last night I've been so angry. And whenever I see DJ it's like something snaps inside me and I can't help but want to beat the hell out of him. I feel like I'm punishing him for Kat getting hurt and that's not logical. I think I'm losing my mind."

"Oh, honey, it's probably just stress," Emma sighed. "I'm surprised we all haven't gone a little crazy by now. We've been sitting around for weeks waiting to see what's going to happen next, but I can only imagine how much harder it is for you, Katie, and DJ. There's so much riding on you three. And it's only natural for you to be overprotective of your sister. You two are very close. I would be more concerned if you didn't get angry on her behalf. But you're taking it a little overboard."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," he muttered. He still felt like there was something more serious going on, but for now he was grateful that Emma was taking this as lightly as she was. This way he could hold on to her for just a while longer. There would be plenty of time to say goodbye when his sanity finally snapped.

"You don't sound convinced. Did you want me to come meet up with you so we can talk about this face to face?" Emma asked him.

"No!" he blurted out. He didn't want anyone to see him broken like this. And with his moods being unpredictable it was probably best that nobody be around him, especially Emma. It would kill him if he ever hurt her

He took a deep breath and forced his voice to be lighter. "I'm probably just going to head home and go to bed. You stay there and keep an eye on Kat for me, okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you then," she agreed. Then she finished up with, "I love you."

His grip tightened around the phone. "I love you too," he replied in a cracking voice before quickly disconnecting the call. If he talked to her any longer he'd be blubbering like a toddler.

His sore muscles protested as he got up off the ground. Going home and getting some sleep was probably his best bet. He sure didn't feel like staying under this tree all night. And maybe he would wake up in the morning to find that this had all just been a bad dream.

He transformed and took off into the night. With the speed of his alter ego and his ability to travel by rooftop, he landed on the apartment balcony in just a few minutes. He slid the door open and walked inside, unsurprised to find Andrew and Jess sitting on the couch. Both sets of eyes swung to him when he entered.

He couldn't bring himself to look at them, so walked right by them without a word. It wasn't until he reached the door that Jess's voice spoke to him.

"Alex, honey, are you okay?" she asked gently.

For a moment he was thrown back in time to the days when he was little and he could run to his mother with every bump and bruise so she could kiss it and make it better. How he wished that he could turn around right now and curl up on her lap so she could make all of the bad things go away. But that was then and this was now, and he was dealing with something a lot worse than a skinned knee.

"I'm fine, mom," he said in as normal a voice he could muster. "Don't worry about me." And he continued on to his lonely bedroom.

Jess sighed and scooted around to lay her head in Andrew's lap. "He wouldn't even look at us," she whispered.

Andrew began stroking his fingers soothingly through her long, honey blonde hair. "He has some demons that he's facing right now. Let's just give him some time. He'll be all right."

"I sure hope so," Jess replied wistfully.

"So how are things going?" Chronos asked as he strolled into his chamber and saw the god and two goddesses that were standing in front of his time mirror.

Gaia shrugged. "As well as can be expected under the circumstances, I suppose. None of our little prodigies are speaking to one another at the moment, and that could be taken as a good sign."

"I'm still not sure about this," Selene mumbled in her bell-like voice. "Do you really think it's a good idea to push them like this instead of letting them come to terms with things on their own?"

Apollo snorted. "They're too wishy-washy. If we sit around waiting on them any longer they'll probably all be dead and Discord will be running rampant again. We have to get them to unlock the first part of the Trinity now if for no other reason than to stop this fight with Discord and Metallia before somebody gets killed. There are too many lives at stake."

Gaia sniffed daintily. "Maybe you are taking it a little far with that rage spell you put on the boy. You've got the poor dear thinking that he's gone insane. Perhaps you should let up on it a little before he accidentally succeeds in killing my little prince."

"Nonsense," Apollo scoffed. "The end result won't be nearly as satisfying if I take it easy on him. Those three kids need a swift kick in the butt to realize exactly how important they are to each other or they'll never be able to use our power to its full potential. As long as they come to their senses before one of them dies on that rooftop everything should be fine."

"And as long as Zeus doesn't find out that we're meddling in mortal affairs," Chronos said solemnly. "I just came from seeing him. I was able to smooth things over, but he seemed a little suspicious. I think someone let something slip. Probably Ares, that drunken bastard! Whoever heard of a god of war that was too intoxicated most of the time to even hold a sword properly? Not to mention that Hades is still moping about the souls that were stolen from him and the Fates are running around like kids in a candy store with their scissors out wondering whose lifeline they're going to get to cut."

"How dreadful!" Selene gasped. "I never have understood how those witches are able to revel in death so much. You would think that they would take more pride in the strands they weave rather than hacking them to pieces. It's disgusting!"

Gaia grinned slyly as she twirled a piece of her mahogany colored hair around her finger. "And let's not count out the Furies just yet. If they find out Mr. Sunshine over here borrowed some of their magic to help out in our little quest the consequences could be…sizzling."

Apollo glared at her. "Stick a sock in it, Mother Earth! I didn't hear you coming up with a better idea. Your boy's too busy running around wondering when he's going to score his first piece of a…"

"Ah, ah ah!" Selene carefully interrupted him. "There's no need to be vulgar. Besides, we have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with instead of talking about who's dilly dallying with whom."

"It looks like they're all sleeping now," Chronos commented as he looked in the mirror at the faces of the three slumbering teens. "I hope they get all the rest they need, they're going to need it. In less than twenty four hours we're going to find out if Earth has a future or if all is lost."

A/N Tick tock! The clock is swiftly counting down the minutes. I hope the little bit of humor injected into this chapter was enough to lighten the mood, because there's not going to be a lot of that in the next chapter. In fact, I was working on chapter 18 last night and had to walk away from my computer for a little while to clear my head. After indulging in a hot chocolate (it's been cold here the last few days) and doing a little yelling at my characters (yes, I talk to my characters as I write, call me crazy if you want to), Darien in particular was giving me a hard time. I'm all for the dashing prince rushing in to save the day, but he takes the cake. So after I calmed him down (he wasn't happy with me because of some of the things I wrote, you'll see why next chapter) I got back on track and things slowly began coming together. Here's hoping the rest of it falls into place. So coming up: Serena vs. Metallia, Darien and Beryl have a run in, Discord corners Jess, and a rooftop fight between DJ and Alex with Katie stuck in the middle. I'm actually pretty disgusted with the number of brushes with death, but at the same time it fills my need for drama. Enough out of me, I'll see you next update. Please drop me a review and let me know what you think. Later gators! Lots of love and hugs!

~Sere~

P.S. Chapter 3 of Bad Boys went up a few days ago, and I'm hoping to have Chapter 11 of Rekindled up possibly sometime this weekend. I'm on a roll this week…LOL! Later!