A/N Yes, it's me again! I've finally got this chapter whipped into shape enough that I feel comfortable posting it. It's been a bit of an off week for me. I had both my husband and my son sick at the same time, so I've been going a little crazy. But everyone is on the mend now and things can get back to normal. I think the DJ/Katie fans will be pleased with the outcome of this chapter and there's some Sere/Dare hotness going on too. It's nothing too explicit; you guys know I try to keep things fairly clean for the younger readers. But some hot and heaviness will definitely be implied, just to warn you. Okay, time for my hugs. BIG HUGS TO:

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99.999999 million, billion, kajillion thank yous to all of you. You guys keep me going! Now, on with the story!

ENJOY!

The Galactic Trinity

Chapter 21

Matters of the Heart

"I need your help, Katie. I didn't know where else to turn."

Those words took a few seconds to penetrate her panicked brain, and then it was another few seconds before it finally registered to her that she knew that voice. She tried to rear her head back only to send it slamming into the wall behind her.

She twisted her head from side to side rapidly until she finally succeeded in dislodging the hand that was covering her mouth enough to gasp, "Jack!"

Her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light enough for her to make out his features. His long black hair was still smoothed back into an impeccable ponytail and, though his eyes were shadowed, she could see that they were still the same warm, puppy dog brown.

There was a sad twist to his lips as he quirked a grin at her. "How's it going, Katie?"

She jerked her head completely free. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He sighed. "Please, just hear me out, okay."

"I don't want to listen to anything you have to say!" she spat. "I've had news from home. I know that you've convinced everyone in Crystal Tokyo that you've gone on the straight and narrow, but that doesn't mean shit to me, buddy! You sold me out to Discord! You fed him information about me for months so that he would know the best way to beat me down once he had his sick little paws on me. Hell! You were probably there the whole time he held me locked up in that dark room and tortured me!"

His head dropped. "You're right," he said softly. "I did sell you out. I told him all of your weaknesses; your fear of the dark, your insecurities about your power, hell, I even told him how you were in love with DJ."

That snapped her temper and she managed to send a fist slamming into his gut. He wheezed and doubled over and she broke away from him. She had only taken two steps when his fingers locked around her wrist and dragged her back to pin her against the wall again.

"Please," he choked out. "I'm in a hell of mess, Katie!"

"Let her go, Jack!" a cold, deadly voice cut through the air.

Jack cringed at the sound of the prince's murderous tone and he said ruefully to Katie, "You didn't waste any time sounding the alarm did you?"

She gave him a triumphant grin. "What can I say? I never go anywhere without my boys."

He heaved a sigh that was so deep that it sounded like it came up all the way from his toes, but he let her go.

Katie ran to DJ and threw herself into his arms.

"Did he hurt you?" he demanded as he pushed her hair away from her face to get a good look at her.

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked from where he stood beside DJ.

"I'm positive," she insisted. "You guys got here fast."

"I'm sorry," Emma piped up from behind Alex. "I thought you were right behind me. I didn't realize that you were gone until the guys came barreling past me."

The other people in the hall, sensing the tension between the teens, began easing their way back into the club.

Jack leaned up against the wall clutching his stomach. "I think I'm the only one that got hurt around here. You've got one hell of a punch, Katie."

"You're lucky that's all I did!" she snapped back. "You're lucky I didn't knock your freaking head off, you bastard!"

"What's going on here?" Darien asked as he, Serena, Jess, and Andrew appeared.

"Just a little rodent problem, that's all," DJ growled.

"So what do we do now?" Alex asked as he cracked his knuckles.

DJ grinned evilly. "I say we drag him out back and beat the shit out of him."

"Sounds good to me," Katie agreed.

"Now hold on just a minute!" Serena demanded. "I think a little explanation is in order here." She studied Jack for a minute before she gasped, "You're the one that attacked us in the park a couple of months ago; you and that girl!"

Jack bowed his head. "Yes ma'am. My girlfriend, Sasha and I had been duped into helping Discord. You see, he took us in when we were abandoned as kids and fooled us into thinking that the royal family and their court were the bad guys. We didn't know any better so we believed him. When we got up older he sent us to spy on the Trinity holders."

"And then you sold me out!" Katie screamed as she twisted in DJ's arms. "I trusted you and you handed me over to him on a silver platter. Everything that night was planned, wasn't it? Sasha conned DJ into dancing with her, knowing that it would piss me off and then she staged that kiss she gave him on the terrace where she knew I would see it and go running home where you had the trap waiting for me. Am I right?"

DJ stared at her in shock. "You saw that?"

"Hell yes I saw that, you idiot!" she yelled. "Why else do you think I left the party so early? You had kissed me right before I went onstage to perform and then I turned around just a couple of hours later to find you kissing her! I was upset, so I went home and that guardian jumped me."

Jack slid down the wall to sit on the floor. He buried his face in his hands. "Yes, it was all planned. Discord wanted to cause a rift between you, and I told him that I'd figured out that you two had feelings for each other. That was when he told Sasha and me to move in on you guys. We honestly thought we were doing the right thing, but we found out later that he was just using us. So we escaped to Crystal Tokyo where we have been living under the king and queen's protection ever since. But Discord ambushed us and now he's holding Sasha to make me work for him again."

"Oh cry me a river!" Alex scoffed. "You expect us to feel sorry for you after what you've done to us? You must be out of your mind! Come on, DJ! Let's show him what happens to people that screw with us." His eyes had taken on a faint reddish tinge.

Tiny golden sparks were exploding like fireworks in DJ's eyes. "I'm with you. Let's do it."

Katie stared at the distraught young man sitting on the floor and was surprised to feel a twinge of pity for him. This was not the intelligent and talented boy that she had spent hours with at Michelle's home while she instructed them in the fine art of piano playing and composition, nor was he the brash and cocky person that she had dated in rebellion in an attempt to run from her feelings for DJ.

He was broken. It shown in his eyes as he lifted his head to regard the two furious teenage boys standing before him. "Go ahead," he said lifelessly. "I won't fight you back. Just do me a favor and kill me while you're at it. If you don't then I'm sure Discord will. I was stupid to think that there was a way to save Sasha now. We're in too deep."

"Works for me!" DJ growled and he went to set Katie aside, but she gripped his sleeves tightly and wouldn't let go.

"Wait a minute," she pleaded softly and stepped away from him.

He grabbed her arm quickly. "Uh uh, Kat! No chance in hell! You are not going near him again."

"Let me go, DJ," she said calmly and evenly. "What can he possibly do to me with everyone here?"

Serena put a hand on her future son's shoulder. And when he turned to look at her she gave him a small smile and a nod. He let out a derisive snort, but dropped her arm.

A strangled sound of protest tore from Alex's throat, but Emma and Jess both put restraining, calming hands on him.

Darien and Andrew watched silently, but both were tense, ready to step in at the first sign that this boy was up to something tricky.

Katie walked slowly over to Jack and knelt down beside him. His head flew up as she gently took one of his hands in both of hers to stare at her in a mixture of shock and surprise. She looked deeply into those sad brown eyes, eyes that she could have fallen in love with if her heart hadn't already been taken, and took a deep breath.

"You love her, don't you?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "More than anything."

"And you swear to me that you're not here to try to backstab us again," she insisted.

"I swear to you, Katie!" he declared in an impassioned voice. "I admit that I am here on Discord's orders right now because he wanted me to observe you and see how far you've progressed. I wasn't supposed to make contact, but I had to take this chance. It may be the only one I get. I ran into Sailor Pluto earlier and she told me that she would do something to keep him from seeing this conversation so I could talk to you. I don't care what happens to me. I just want Sasha to be safe."

Katie sighed and closed her eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll help you." She made a cutting motion with her hand to stop the sounds of protest coming from DJ and Alex.

Then she opened her eyes and they flared bright silver as a silver crescent moon appeared on her forehead. She put a forearm against his throat and shoved him back against the wall. "But if you screw me over this time I promise I will make you regret it! Got it?"

""I got it! I got it!" he hastily promised. "Geez! Why do you always have to take everything to the extreme?"

She smiled and her eyes turned back to normal as the crescent mark faded. "I just wanted to make sure we understand each other. This doesn't mean I like you, but even I am not cruel enough to kick a dog when it's down. Now what can you tell us?"

Jack shook his head. "He just told me to stay out of sight and watch you. He's going to set a guardian and a sentinel loose in the park across the street in about an hour. He wanted me to follow you and look for any weaknesses in your defenses. After that he wants me to make a plan to kill at least one of you. He swears that he'll let me and Sasha go after that, but I don't believe him."

"So he wants to see what we're capable of," Katie mused as she stood up and turned to DJ and Alex. "I think we can handle that."

Both boys grinned at her in return.

"What a night!" Serena groaned a couple of hours later as she finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair and turned her face up into the spray of hot water. "I'm kind of glad it's over. I don't know if I can take any more drama tonight. It being Jess's birthday was exciting enough, but then she and Drew made their announcement, that Jack kid showed up, and then the attack at the park. I'm surprised I can even still think straight."

Warm arms wrapped around her waist from behind as a hot mouth pressed a kiss to her neck. "It has been a busy night," Darien agreed. "Not that we really had to do anything. The kids did all of the work. I don't think I've ever seen any enemies taken down in less than thirty seconds before."

"They've gotten strong," she murmured. "Incredibly strong. I just wonder if it's enough to take care of Discord once and for all. It's scary to think of them going up against that monster. I know my future self has to be even more concerned. I've only known DJ for a few months. She's known him his whole life. She's the one that gave birth to him and held him as a baby. She rocked him to sleep at night, sat next to him when he was sick, and kissed his bumps and bruises to make them feel better. And Rini's involved in this too, to a point. Neo Queen Serenity has got to be going crazy."

"Probably," Darien whispered against her ear. "But at least she's got a caring and supportive husband to stand by her side."

She giggled softly. "You sure are complimentary of yourself, aren't you?"

He frowned in mock hurt. "Hey! What else would I be besides a loving husband?"

She turned in his arms and kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm just picking on you. I know I'll always have you right beside me. Where would Neo Queen Serenity be without her King Endymion?"

He smirked. "The same place Sailor Moon would have been if Tuxedo Mask hadn't come to her rescue that first night, up a creek without a paddle."

She swatted at his arm. "You are never going to let me live down the early days, are you?"

He shook his head. "Probably not. But you were kinda cute the way you used to stumble around, wailing at the top of your lungs, right into danger's path. Then I got to play the dashing hero and swoop in to save the day."

"Humph!" she sniffed, sticking her little nose up in the air. "Did you ever stop to think that I might have overplayed it just a little so that I would have an excuse to be in your arms?"

His eyes widened a little at her words. "Oh did you?"

She held up her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. "Maybe just a little. What? I thought Tuxedo Mask was cute! Of course I thought you were way hotter, but you were always such a jerk. So I always pretended that Tuxedo Mask was you and got in what flirting I could. I was fourteen! What did you expect me to do?"

"I don't know if I should feel complimented or insulted," he grumbled.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Aw, sweetie, don't feel that way. I love you, no matter what." Then she pulled him down into a searing kiss.

He moaned when he felt her tongue swipe at his bottom lip and opened to her invasion, letting her take control for a minute…but only for a minute. When she pressed closer to him and a kittenish mewling sound echoed from her mouth to his, it set him on edge. He was after all a healthy, red-blooded male.

He lifted her off her feet with one arm, never breaking the contact of their lips as he took control of the kiss. With his other arm he reached behind her and turned off the water. Then he moved his lips from hers to travel to her jaw and then down her neck.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she gasped in a breathy whisper.

A primal grin curled his lips. "I am if you're thinking we should move this to the bed."

"You read my mind," she purred.

She was still purring a half hour later as she curled up next to Darien's side and laid her head on his chest. She felt as limp and lazy as a well-fed kitty. If she never had to move from this spot again, that was okay with her.

Then she heard the one sound that was sure to interrupt her tranquil moment, the ringing of her dear doctor's cell phone. She rolled over and looked at the clock as he scrambled to reach the phone on the table. It was almost midnight, so that could only mean one thing. It was time for him to go to work.

He was already getting out of bed as he answered. "Hello." As he listened to whoever was on the other end he was striding to the closet. "I'm on my way. Have you called Zoicite?" Another pause as he pulled out a shirt and a pair of slacks. "What's the ETA?" He was now at the dresser and grabbing a pair of socks and some boxers. "I'll be there in fifteen." He hung up and tossed the phone on the bed.

"An emergency?" Serena asked as she watched him hurry into the bathroom.

"Yeah, a fire at a shipping warehouse," he called back. "The night crew was there when the fire broke out and they're transporting in several people that were trapped inside until the firefighters got to them."

She slipped out of bed and pulled on a short silk robe as she padded to the bathroom door where she watched him hurriedly get ready. "Sounds like you'll be there for a while then."

"I probably will," he replied as tucked his shirt into his pants. "I'm on duty in the morning already, so I don't know when I'll be home." He ran a comb through his hair and swept by her back into the bedroom where he grabbed his phone and shoes.

Then he looked and saw the pensive expression on her face and threw them back down again so he could take her in his arms. "I'm sorry."

She gave him a supporting smile. "No, it's okay. This is what you do. Now go! Save lives!"

He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," she giggled and gave him a little push toward the door.

He grabbed his things and left. As he passed Rini's room he could hear her babbling away on the phone to Hotaru. He smiled at how much she sounded like Serena when she was on the phone with one of her friends. He paused in the entry hall to slide his shoes on and snatch up his keys and jacket and he was out the door.

As he passed the oblivious couple in the hallway that were currently locked in a pretty heated kiss against the wall he warned, "Be careful. If Andrew sees you kissing her like that you're a dead man."

DJ jumped, startled at the voice. "Dad! Hey! Where are you going?"

"Emergency at the hospital," Darien called back as he ducked inside the elevator.

Katie growled as she rolled over for what felt like the eightieth time and punched her pillow into what she hoped was a more comfortable shape. Then she glared at the glowing red numbers of the alarm clock. 1:24 AM. Why couldn't she go to sleep?

She knew the answer to that. Her body was physically tired; it had been all day since Nebula's nightmare training session. Thankfully Jack had warned them about the attack Discord had planned tonight and they had eliminated the guardian and sentinel he'd sent without hardly having to lift a finger.

But her mind was wide-awake, whirling with everything that had happened tonight. Between her talk with Emma, Jack's unexpected arrival, and DJ's bone melting kisses her brains felt like scrambled eggs. It had taken a full ten seconds after Darien had disappeared into the elevator after catching her and DJ making out in the hallway earlier for her to even process the fact that she was embarrassed.

Just remembering the way he had kissed her and held her close against him made her feel warm and flushed, so she kicked her covers off. She wished she had someone to talk to so she could distract herself until her over wound brain calmed down enough to let her sleep.

But Alex was gone. He'd snuck out a half hour before to meet up with Emma just like they always did on non-school nights. So that counted out talking to Emma too. Rini would be in Elysian with Helios by now like she was on most nights and Skye was more than likely asleep already.

She could sense DJ hovering at the fringes of her mind, fuzzy and sleepy, but not quite into dreamland yet. But talking to him right now wouldn't exactly be conductive to helping her relax since he was the main reason for her feeling so wound up.

'You are DJ's soul mate!' Emma's words from earlier that evening kept replaying over and over in her head.

It was a bit overwhelming, but at the same time she was ecstatic. There were millions of skeptics out there in the world that would argue that there was no such thing as fate; that there wasn't just one special someone out there for each person on the planet. But she was a believer. She had been raised with these beliefs and had witnessed it every day of her life by watching her parents, Serena and Darien, and all of the members of her extended family.

She had even seen it with her own brother. Emma had never come right out and said that Alex was her soul mate, but Katie knew that they just had to be meant to be. Emma would never have gotten as involved as she had with Alex if they weren't soul mates.

Katie snorted and buried her head in the pillow. And right now the two of them were off somewhere together and…well, she knew very well what they were doing. She wasn't stupid after all. Technically she may be an innocent, but she wasn't naïve. She'd noticed the subtle changes in her brother and Emma's relationship back several months ago; the way the looks shared between them lasted just a little bit longer and were more heated, and the way the casual touches between them seemed to become softer and more intimate. It was the same way her parents and every other disgustingly happy couple around her acted.

'I'm telling you, you better hurry up and jump that boy soon before you both spontaneously combust.' More of Emma's "helpful" advice echoed in her head.

"What am I supposed to do, go crawl into his bed and have my way with him? I don't think so," she grumbled into her pillow.

'Why not?' a little voice that sounded like her own spoke up in her head. 'You know you want him. So go get him!'

'No, no, no!' another voice that sounded like hers popped up. 'That makes her seem desperate.'

The first voice snickered. 'Desperate, my ass! She's sexually frustrated and DJ can give her exactly what she needs.'

"Enough!" she groaned. She felt just like one of the characters from those old cartoons she'd seen when she was little that had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other as their conscience battled out what was right and wrong.

It didn't matter anyway. She didn't have enough guts to sneak into DJ's room and get into bed with him, did she? Granted it would be simple enough to accomplish. Alex wouldn't be home until at least dawn and by the way Jess and Andrew had been acting earlier she knew that there was no way they were leaving their room until morning. So why was she laying here all alone when her seriously ripped and hot boyfriend was in the next apartment over with nobody else there but a future mother that could sleep through an atomic explosion?

Her angelic side melted away in that moment as a new bolder, more devious side took over. She was out of bed in a flash and easing open her bedroom door to look out into the hallway to make sure the coast was still clear. Jess and Andrew's bedroom door was closed and she could see the flicker of candlelight through the crack under it. She heard the muffled sound of voices and then a smothered giggle followed by a low chuckle and rolled her eyes. Yeah, they would never know she was gone.

She turned and checked her reflection in the mirror real quick. She had showered earlier before bed and her hair was down, falling in a strawberry scented, silvery-gold sheet straight to her waist. Her black silk dorm shirt may not be the classiest of nightwear, but it was better than some of the t-shirts and sweatpants she wore sometimes.

Figuring that she was as good as she was going to get, she padded from the bedroom on silent, bare feet, carefully closing the door behind her, and made her way into the dark living room. She slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony. She pulled the door closed and looked over toward the neighboring balcony.

She acted quickly before she had a chance to think and talk herself out of this. In one second she was perched on the railing. In the next she had jumped the ten feet to her destination. Another second found her inside another dark living room. She moved fast, relying on her memory of the furniture layout to keep from crashing into anything. Before she knew it she was slipping inside the first room in the long hall.

She closed the door and then leaned up against it, her chest heaving slightly and her heart pounding. Her eyes went immediately to the bed and the boy lying across it. To look at him one might think that he was asleep, but she knew better. She knew he was still awake and perfectly aware of her presence in his room.

Sure enough his light blue eyes blinked open a few seconds later and he looked at her with a small smile on his face. "Am I dreaming?"

"If you are then I guess we're both having the same dream," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time," he said as he propped himself up on an elbow.

She forced herself to move away from the door and walk toward the bed where she sat on the edge next to him. "No, I guess it wouldn't be. But at least this time it's not a nightmare."

"That's true," he answered. "So what brings you here."

She shrugged. "I was lonely. I couldn't sleep and I wanted to see you. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," he told her. "In fact I was hoping you would."

Her eyes widened. "You were?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. I could tell that you were keyed up and couldn't sleep. So I was hoping that you would come to me."

A warm feeling fluttered in her stomach. She didn't stop to think as she almost launched herself at him, pushing him onto his back as she kissed him. Her upper body was across his chest as their tongues dueled and she boldly brought one of her legs up to lie across his hips.

He pulled back with a sharp hiss of breath. He stared up at her with stormy eyes. "Are you sure about this, Kat? I've been waiting because I didn't want to scare you away. But if you want to wait I…"

Her fingers were at his lips. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life." And then she kissed him again.

He groaned into her mouth as he hooked a hand under her bent leg and rolled them so that she was under him. When they broke for air a minute later he stared down at her in wonder. "Once we start, there's no going back."

She stroked his cheek lovingly. "I don't want to go back. I only want to go forward with you."

"Is it safe to do this?" he had to ask.

She smiled and nodded, glad now, more than ever that Amy had put her on birth control for painful cramps when she was fourteen. In the future there was a shot available that protected a woman from unwanted pregnancy for a full year, and she had just gotten her booster on her birthday in November.

"No worries," she told him.

That was all he needed to hear. He pulled her tightly against him as his fingers began undoing the buttons of her shirt. His breath was hot against her ear as he whispered, "I love you, Katie."

Tears stung her eyes as she threaded her fingers through his silky black hair. "I love you too, DJ."

Sasha jerked at the confining bonds of dark energy that kept her tied up to a post beside the time gate as she glared at the so called man that had raised her for half of her life. Hatred burned hot and thick in the pit of her stomach as she hissed, "Why are you doing this?"

Discord regarded her evenly. "You know why, little one. I've always told you that I meant to take my place as the true ruler of the Earth."

"Liar!" she screamed. "I know what you really have planned. I know what you really have up your sleeve. You plan to destroy the Earth and absorb the power of Jess's crystal before you go off to destroy more worlds. You were never supposed to be the ruler of the planet. That's Darien and Serena's job!"

Discord clucked his tongue. "It's sad that you've been tricked into believing the popular lies. You used to love and trust in me. Melody and the Celestial Crystal should have never existed. If time had gone the way it was supposed to then neither Endymion nor Serenity would have been born either. If it hadn't been for those meddling gods I would have conquered the Earth long ago. I would have slain the earth queen while Endymion still grew in her womb and then I would have taken the moon before Serenity was ever conceived. This galaxy would have been reduced to nothing and I would have moved on."

"You're sick!" Sasha sneered. "How can somebody be demented enough to want to do nothing but destroy everything? What did the Earth ever do to you?"

Discord shrugged. "It didn't have to do anything to me. It existed, and that was enough. I was created solely for the purpose of keeping the balance between positive and negative energy. The gods believed that I had overstepped my bounds and that the darkness was swallowing up the universe, so when this bright little solar system caught my eye they decided to eliminate me. Unfortunately for them it didn't quite work out the way they planned. And I won't let them win this time either."

Angry emerald sparks spit from Sasha's eyes. "I hope DJ, Katie, and Alex kick your ass!"

The ancient entity only smirked. "They can try, dear heart, but they are only infants yet. The original Trinity holders trained for well over two years once they received their full power and they still failed to destroy me. And they were supposed to be some of the most powerful beings in this galaxy. The magic that gods wield is the strongest around, but it is ludicrous to expect mere mortals to be able to use that power with any satisfying results. Mortals give into the euphoria of the feeling like they are ones that rule the universe. They are consumed by it until they believe that they themselves are gods. They forget their mortality and become cocky and overconfident, and that's when they make the mistakes that allow me to live on."

"If you're so sure that they can't beat you, then why are you so intent on killing them now?" Sasha spat.

"My darling girl, do use your head," he cooed in a saccharine voice. "Those brats may not be a threat to me yet, but if I let them continue they will become stronger and possibly evolve into admirable opponents. And I would like to avoid that kind of confrontation if at all possible."

"So why not go after them yourself? You're certainly powerful enough. Why did you have to drag Jack back into this?" she countered. Then comprehension lit her face. "Oh, I get it. They are under the protection of Serena and the others and you're scared to go near them because you're afraid that they will seal you away again like they did before if you try to kill one of the Trinity bearers."

Discord snarled in outrage. "You always did have a big mouth for such a little girl. I sometimes find it amazing that I let you live past age ten. If it wasn't for the fact that I need you alive at the moment to ensure Jack's help I would kill you now for betraying me."

Sasha glared at him venomously for one long, hate-filled moment before resolutely turning her head away, but she wisely kept her mouth closed.

A few minutes later a time portal opened and Jack stepped out of it. His brown eyes immediately sought Sasha's green ones to assure himself that she still remained unhurt. He took one step toward her, but was brought up short by Discord's voice.

"Well, what did you observe?" he demanded.

Jack rolled his eyes. "It's just as it has always been. None of them are ever alone. They move in pairs or small groups and everyone is constantly watching each other's backs. It would be almost impossible to catch any of them alone. And even if I were to catch one of the Trinity holders off guard, what chance would I have against them? I'm just a normal human with no powers. They took care of that guardian and sentinel you sent to the park tonight with hardly more than a flick of their pinky fingers."

"I'm well aware of the fact that you have no particularly admirable talents," Discord sneered. "I am also aware that the gods' little puppets' powers have grown exponentially. But they are not impenetrable. Being born under the blessing of the Silver Crystal may have granted them a virtually infinite lifespan, but they are still only mortals, and mortals can die. Not even one of them would be able to survive, let's say, a dagger to the heart."

Jack's mouth fell open in shock. "You're talking about straight up murder?"

Discord grinned. "I am indeed. The forward approach will not work with them. If they see you coming they will be ready for you. But if you could manage to slip up behind one of them, well it could be fairly simple."

He flicked his hand and an ornate dagger appeared in mid air. It had a heavily carved golden hilt set with a giant ruby and its razor sharp steel blade glinted brightly in the dull light of the time plane. It floated over to Jack and landed in his palm.

"I really don't care which of three you kill," Discord told him nonchalantly. "I would really prefer to see all three of them dead, especially that little moon bitch. But if you could manage to take out Crystal Tokyo's prince with that dagger I believe it would be most fitting. I found it in Beryl's belongings when I investigated the Dark Kingdom lair. She must have picked it up on the final day of the moon kingdom before she was sealed away."

Jack studied the weapon in his hand and saw an inscription carved into the blade right under the hilt. It read, To Endymion – You are the prince of my heart – Serenity.

"This is from the Silver Millennium?" he whispered in surprise.

Discord shrugged. "I'm assuming so. It must have been a gift from the fair moon princess to her husband. I was surprised to see that Beryl kept it considering it had Serenity's name on it. But I guess it was sentimental to her because it was the only thing she had that had actually belonged to Endymion. She was obsessed with him after all. I just thought that it might be a little nostalgic if the young prince was killed by something his mother's past incarnation gave to his father."

"You're sick!" Jack ground out through clenched teeth.

Discord chuckled darkly. "My dear Sasha and I have already had this conversation and I really don't care to repeat it at the present time. You have your orders. Now if you will excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to." He turned and walked away.

Jack was at Sasha's side in an instant. Although her hands were tied she managed to get her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked huskily as he ran a hand over her tangled strawberry curls.

Her head nodded against his neck. "Yes. I'm just scared. He's crazy, Jack. He's going to end up killing us both."

"Maybe not," he whispered to her as he held her close. "Sailor Pluto helped me get a chance to talk to Katie, DJ, and Alex, and they said that they would help us."

Sasha sniffled a raised her head. "What are they going to do?"

He quirked a grin at her. "I have no idea, yet. But knowing those three it's going to be huge. We'll just have to wait and see."

Jess growled and looked up from the photo album in her lap to glare at the orange cat that was attempting to sneak past her to the hallway. "You leave them alone and let them sleep, Nebula!"

The feline sniffed imperiously. "It's already noon. They should be up by now."

Jess's dark blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I said let them sleep. They are not training today, and I'm putting my foot down this time. They could barely enjoy my birthday party last night because they are so worn out. Let them get some rest for now. They're out of school all of this week so you'll have plenty of time to run them ragged."

Nebula's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. I'll let them have today off." Then she jumped up on the arm of the chair that Jess was sitting in. "What are you looking at?"

A grin curved Jess's lips. "Oh, I was just looking at some old pictures."

There was a knock at the door and she set the album down to go and answer it. On the other side she found Serena, Mina, Raye, Lita, and Amy. "Come in," she greeted them.

All of the women filed in and a few minutes later they were all settled around the living room sipping glasses of lemonade.

"Okay, so why the impromptu meeting?" Serena asked curiously.

A mischievous smile appeared on Jess's face. "I figured I'd save myself the headache of fielding all of your curious phone calls and questions that you were sure to heap on me later by calling you all here and discussing my wedding and what I have planned."

That caught everyone's attention and they sat forward eagerly. Serena and Mina were even rubbing their hands together like a villain from an old black and white movie and looked as if they might break out into evil cackles at any moment as their blue eyes gleamed maniacally.

Jess rolled her eyes at them and sighed. "I guess it would be best to start at the beginning and tell you the whole story, that way you'll understand why I want to do things the way I do."

She picked up the photo album and flipped it to a page before setting it down on the coffee table and pointing to a picture. In it, a blonde haired teenaged boy had his arm thrown casually around the shoulders of a blushing brunette girl. They stood in front of a school building that Serena and the others immediately identified as being Juuban High School where they had all graduated from.

Jess began. "My mom and dad met when they were both juniors in high school. My dad was the younger son of a very well to do family and my mom was the only child of a single mother whose dead beat husband hadn't stuck around past mom's first birthday. To make a long story short, it was the classic 'rich boy falls in love with the girl from the wrong side of the tracks' kind of story. Anyway, they began dating and continued all through high school and into when they both started attending Tokyo U.

Now this is where the story gets tricky. My mom's mother was thrilled that mom had landed herself such a good catch, while my dad's parents were much less enthusiastic. I guess they figured that dating my mom was just some kind of phase that dad was going through and that it would wear off eventually because they had plans for him to marry someone in their social group. Well dad blew the lid right off that idea when he asked mom to marry him during their junior year of college and she said yes.

My paternal grandparents threw an absolute fit. They threatened to disown my dad and leave everything to my uncle if he went through with it and actually married mom, and dad told them to go right on ahead and do that. He even went as far as to move out of the family home and moved in with my mom and grandma."

Jess paused here and pointed to another picture that showed her young mother and father both standing with their arms around a youthful looking middle aged woman that amazingly looked a lot like Jess herself. Her hair was a couple of shades darker and her eyes were nowhere near as dark of blue as hers, but the resemblance was there.

"Anyway, maybe it was rebellion, I'm not sure, but they snuck off a few months later and got married the summer before senior year. It took some time, but everyone finally came around and my grandparents eventually welcomed mom into the family, or so I was told. They both died before I was born. Grandmother Alexander suffered from a stroke right after mom found out she was pregnant with me. And Grandfather died of a heart attack only three months later. I was lucky enough to Grammy Morgan around for a while before she passed away from cancer when I was four."

Jess waved a hand in front of her face as she felt tears prick her eyes and took a deep breath. "The point is, I always heard mom and dad talk about their wedding and how perfect it was since it was small and just them, Grammy, and a few close friends. And that's what I want. I would even love to get married in the same spot as they did, but unfortunately I don't know exactly where their wedding took place."

Jess flipped to another page where a picture showed a beaming Kimberly in a white dress smiling up at a grinning, dark suited, Joshua Alexander as they stood under a cherry tree. There were several more pictures of them with different friends, but the location could be hundreds of different ones around Tokyo.

Suddenly Raye choked on a sip of lemonade and began sputtering and coughing. Lita pounded her on the back until she regained her breath.

"Raye! Are you okay?" Serena asked in concern.

Raye waved her off and scrubbed a few tears from her eyes before jabbing a finger at a picture in which the radiant bride was hugging a dark haired woman. "That's my mother!" she choked out.

Gasps flew around the room.

"Are you serious?" Jess shrieked.

Raye nodded frantically. "As a heart attack! That is most definitely my mom buddying up to your mom. Do you know what this means?"

Jess's eyes sparkled wildly. "I need to talk to your grandfather right away!"

Mina jumped up from her seat. "Yay! Mission time! To the shrine!"

The six women were in the process of hurrying from the apartment when a bleary eyed Katie stumbled down the hall. "What's going on? You guys were screeching like the place was on fire or something."

"Nothing, nothing! Sorry we woke you. Go back to sleep," Jess babbled as she blew by her future daughter and paused long enough to press a hasty kiss to her forehead as she and the others ran out the door.

Katie stood still for a whole ten seconds in silent shock before turning to Nebula and grumbling, "What the hell did I miss?"

The rust colored feline snorted. "I have no idea. I'm just a cat after all." And she vanished in a flash of white light.

"Psychotic animal," Katie muttered and then giggled as her stomach rumbled. It was time for a shower and some food. She grinned as she remembered the night before and wondered which way she should wake up her boyfriend and convince him to take her to lunch.

Grandpa Hino sat back with a smug smile on his face as he took a sip of his steaming tea and surveyed the anxious faces of the six young women around him, finally focusing on the tall blonde with the glittering blue eyes. "So you're Kim Morgan's daughter, huh? I can't say I'm really all that surprised. Now that I look at you, you remind me a lot of your grandmother, Elaine."

"So my mom and your daughter were friends?" Jess pressed on excitedly.

Grandpa nodded. "Yes. They were very close at one time. Your grandmother used to come here a lot to enjoy the peace and solitude after your grandfather ran off and left her alone with a baby. She would bring Kim with her and spend hours wandering the grounds. My Hisana was the same age as your mother and as they grew older a friendship formed between them. They went to school together and had sleepovers. When your mother started dating your father he became a regular visitor around here as well."

Jess was practically bouncing in her seat. "Do you know where they were married? I really want to find out so that Drew and I can be married in the same spot."

Grandpa's dark eyes twinkled merrily. "Well you don't have far to go. Just step out my backdoor and walk to the sakura grove out back and you'll be there."

Jess looked like she was about to faint for a moment. "Are you serious? They were married here?"

"That they were," Grandpa chortled. "Of course the law doesn't recognize a Shinto ceremony, but from time to time a couple will request permission to have a minister marry them on these grounds. Your parents came to me and asked if they could be married here and I gave them my blessing. I thought your father's parents were being completely unreasonable and I wanted to see them wed. Not long after that Hisana married as well. She and Kim stayed in contact, but unfortunately their lives took different paths after that. They did manage to see each other from time to time. In fact…"

He got up from his seat and walked over to the bookshelf where he pulled down a dusty photo album and flipped through it. "Ah ha! I thought it was in this one. You girls take a look at this."

He set the album down and everyone crowded around it to take a peek at the picture of two toddler girls sitting in a sand box. One was clearly older with shoulder length black hair and flashing violet eyes while the smaller one sported a mop of golden curls and laughing dark blue eyes.

Raye and Jess stared at each other for a minute and then exclaimed together, "Is that us?"

Grandpa laughed. "Indeed it is. I guess you were about two and three years old at the time. I used to keep that old sandbox out back for Raye whenever she was here. One day your moms met up here for a visit and you two played all afternoon until you fell out from exhaustion. You only saw each other a few times and you were very young, so it's not surprising that you don't remember. A few years later Kim and Josh moved to America and then a few years after that Hisana got sick."

"Wow! Talk about a small world," Jess mumbled. Raye nodded her agreement.

"Look at little Raye and little Jess! Weren't they cute?" Mina cooed.

Lita yanked on a strand of her hair. "Ditz!"

"It is amazing how these things work out sometimes," Amy ventured quietly.

"Yes it is," Serena said softly as she stared at the little blonde girl in the picture, her mind reeling back a thousand years to the same little girl, just in a different life. In her mind's eye she could see Melody sitting on the emerald grass in Elysian and laughing as she played with her toys.

"Hey," Jess nudged her in the ribs. "You okay?"

Serena giggled. "Yeah! I guess I just got caught up in the moment."

"So did you want to see the exact spot your parents took the plunge?" Grandpa joked.

"Absolutely!" Jess squealed.

Andrew shook his head to clear it and then eyed the hyperactive girl in front of him with a mixture of humorous indulgence and irritation. "Okay, run that by me again, and try to make sense this time. Why isn't Jess answering her cell phone?"

Katie sighed as she leaned her elbows on the arcade counter. Then the barrage of words came spilling out in a rush. "She probably left it at home because she ran out so quickly. All I know is that I woke up to a bunch of squealing and shrieking. I didn't know what in the world was going on so I got up to see. Jess, Serena, Mina, Lita, Raye, and Amy were all there and they were running out the door like a pack of cracked out ninja rats were chasing them with gnashing teeth. I asked Jess what was going on, but she said it was nothing and for me to go back to bed. But I was awake by then and hungry so I decided I'd rather eat than sleep. But before I left I noticed that she had left one of her old photo albums out and it was turned to a picture of grandma and grandpa's wedding so I guess she's doing some wedding planning. But I can't be for sure because she didn't tell me."

She finally ran out of breath and stopped. She took a long slurp of the iced caramel latte before her.

Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. I think I got most of it that time. Did you guys understand her?"

Alex on one side of Katie and DJ on the other just shrugged.

Andrew stifled a chuckle at their perplexed expressions. "So she left her phone at home because she ran out on a mission. She must have gotten a lead that she wanted to follow. She told me that she wanted to track down where her parents got married because she thought it would be nice to get married in the same spot."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Well duh! If that's what she wanted to know she could have just asked us where you guys got married. And would have told her flat out that you guys got married at…"

Alex slapped a hand over her mouth. "Geez, Kat! Way to almost spill the beans! You know we're not supposed to say anything! Let them figure it out on their own…Ew! You licked me!" He yanked his hand away with a glare.

She snapped her teeth at him. "You're lucky I didn't bite you! Don't be such a Debbie Downer!" She pouted into her latte.

Andrew leaned across the counter toward DJ. "How many of those drinks has she had?"

The black haired boy shook his head. "I lost count."

"That's her fourth," Lizzy spoke up behind Andrew. "And I'm cutting her off after this. She's already bouncing off the walls like a ping-pong ball. I wouldn't be surprised to see her hanging from the ceiling and doing a Tarzan impersonation next."

Katie stuck her tongue out at her future aunt and clutched her precious drink close to her chest. "Fine! All of you pick on me! I don't care! I'm going to go play a game and beat up some bad guys." She flounced away.

"Good grief! How do you stand living in the same house with both her and Jess in it?" Lizzy muttered.

Andrew smirked. "I survived living with you and mom, didn't I?"

She shook her red head. "Mom and I were never that bad. I'd think twice before marrying Jess if I were you. There's something seriously whacked out in their gene pool. Could you imagine what your kids together might turn out like?" She shuddered.

Andrew shared a conspiratorial grin with Alex. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

Lizzy snorted. "Then you're a stronger man than I gave you credit for. Don't get me wrong, I love Jess to death, but she's a handful."

"She's not that bad," Andrew protested.

Just then the arcade doors slid open and Jess flew in. In just a few seconds she was across the room and had hopped over the counter where she flung herself at her fiancé, screeching, "Omigosh, Drew! You will never believe what I found out today! It is positively the wildest, most mind-boggling thing you could ever think of. I can still barely believe it myself. I would have never dreamed this up in a million years!"

Lizzy crossed her arms, looking smug. "I rest my case."

Andrew shot his sister an exasperated look as he led Jess toward the stairs that went up to his office. As her excited voice faded Alex turned to DJ.

"I'm going to pick up Em," he told his friend. "Have you got Hurricane Kat under control?"

DJ waved him off. "I've got her. Get outta here."

After Alex left he wandered toward the back corner of the arcade where his girlfriend was pounding on the controls to the Sailor V game.

"Stupid youma!" she grumbled as the tiny sailor scout on the screen died and the words Game Over flashed on the screen.

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Knowing that nobody could really see them back there he swept her ponytail to the side and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her neck.

She shivered and moaned softly as her head fell back to his shoulder. "Someone's been thinking about last night," she whispered.

He moved his lips to her ear. "Well, technically it was this morning, but yeah, I've been thinking about it. Haven't you?"

A sly grin curved her lips. "Oh, it pops up every now and then."

A low growl reverberated in his throat and spun around the stool she was sitting on until she was facing him and he was standing between her knees. "Every now and then?"

Her coy smile didn't change, but her legs tightened on each side of his hips. "Maybe I need to have my memory refreshed."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I think I've created a monster. Maybe we should get out of here and find someplace a little more…private."

She trailed her fingers down his chest and watched him shudder. "That works for me. How about one kiss for the road?"

Her lips had barely brushed his when a voice interrupted them. "Oh good! I found you two. I need to speak to you immediately."

They broke apart, guilty blushes staining both of their cheeks red as they looked toward the intruder. "Trista!" they exclaimed together.

The time guardian shook her head. "You two can have alone time later, but right now I need you to focus on work. I'm calling a meeting with everyone. Head to the practice clearing by the middle school. I'll fill you in once everyone's there."

"So Pluto didn't tell you guys anything either?" Amara growled to Mina just minutes after she and Michelle arrived at the clearing. "God, why does she have to be so freaking vague all the time?"

"Shh!" Serena shushed her harshly from where she sat under a nearby tree with a sleeping Darien's head on her shoulder. "If you wake him up I swear I will pull out the Silver Crystal and blast you before you can say race car."

"Ooo, my kitten has claws!" Amara said with a hiss and a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows. "I like that."

Michelle elbowed her lightly. "Quit flirting and be serious, Amara! I'm sure Trista must have a good reason for calling us all together so suddenly."

"I wish she'd hurry up already," Katie mumbled around a yawn. "We've been here for over an hour and my caffeine buzz is starting to wear off."

"That's what you get for pounding four lattes in a row," Andrew teased her.

She just wrinkled her nose up at him, feeling too tired to retaliate in any other way.

"He's got a point," Alex piped up.

"Shove off!" Katie muttered and bared her teeth at him.

Emma pushed playfully at Alex's shoulder. "Don't pick on her! Can't you tell she's tired?" She winked at her friend and cocked a suggestive eyebrow toward DJ before flashing her a covert V sign.

Katie buried her burning face in DJ's shoulder. Of course Emma would be able to tell that something had changed between her and DJ. How had she forgotten that? She just prayed that Emma was smart enough to not let anything too incriminating slip out. The last thing she needed was her overbearing brother or her overprotective future father casting a shadow over what had been the most magical night…er, morning…of her life.

"You okay?" DJ asked her quietly.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

He put his arm around her and drew her gently to his side where she snuggled up against him contentedly. Andrew frowned when he saw this, but Jess quickly diverted his attention after sharing a knowing smile with Serena.

A flash of light heralded Pluto's arrival, but to everyone's surprise she wasn't alone. Three other people accompanied her.

"Well it's about time!" Amara grumbled. "What are they doing here?"

Talon gave her a mocking bow. "It's a pleasure, as always, to see you too, Lady Uranus."

Jess snickered at Amara's disgruntled look but directed her words to her former foe. "Back for another butt whipping so soon, Talon?"

He grinned widely and gave her a flirtatious wink. "I'm ready anytime you are, princess."

"That's not why we are here," Pluto interrupted their bantering. "We have serious business to discuss."

"Then maybe you can start off by telling us why he's here," DJ growled as he indicated Jack, who was half hidden behind Pluto, with a jerk of his head. "I thought this area was protected from scum like him."

"DJ! Behave yourself!" Serena scolded from where she had just nudged Darien awake from his nap. "I thought we settled this last night. He needs our help."

The dark haired prince crossed his arms and glared. "I don't remember actually saying I'd help him."

On his other side Alex nodded. "Me neither."

"Oh, both of you stop it!" Katie exploded as she jumped to her feet. "You're acting like a couple of five year olds. I said I was going to help him, and that's what I'm going to do. Besides, Jack knows what's going to happen to him if he betrays us again. Right, Jack?" She smiled and batted her eyelashes innocently at him.

"Ri…right!" he stammered.

"Anyway," Pluto raised her voice in irritation. "The point is that Discord has given Jack the order to kill either one or all three of you and we have to take action soon. If we don't he's going to kill Sasha and Jack both. Time has not settled down onto a set path yet and there are still alternate timelines branching off from the main one. They are slowly disappearing as different events happen and certain decisions are made. But in order to keep time on the correct path we must save Sasha and Jack from Discord's control."

Kunzite snorted derisively. "And how exactly do you expect us to do that?"

Her garnet eyes narrowed on the no nonsense general. "Easy. We're going to storm the time gate."

Just about everyone gasped, but Nephrite, Jadeite, Lita, and Amara chuckled in disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Raye snapped.

Pluto shook her head. "No. I am quite serious. The time has come to push him from the time gate."

"But that's suicidal!" Jess protested. "He sees everything. There's no way that we can get inside the time plane without him seeing us coming. He'd be ready for us and it wouldn't be pretty."

"She's got a point, Trista," Darien said as he stretched and stood up. "We could stand against him, but the only way we could win would be if we sealed him away again. And that would undermine everything that the kids have worked so hard for if we sealed him away before they had their shot at him. Not to mention that he would probably just break free again at some point in the future and come back like a reoccurring nightmare."

Pluto nodded. "You're right. We could seal him away a hundred times and he would just keep finding ways to break the seal and keep coming after us over and over again. He is obsessed with destroying this planet, and he won't give up until he has accomplished it. Of course Jess could go supernova on him and kill him if everyone doesn't mind dying when she takes the whole planet with her."

Jess shuddered. "Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll pass on that. I kinda sorta like being alive if you catch my drift."

A rare chuckle escaped the time guardian. "I had a feeling that you would say that, so I discussed it with Talon and Anya and we came up with an alternate plan. One that I think could knock even Discord's socks off."

Serena shook her head. "Okay, you've got my curiosity piqued. I'll bite. What is this grand plan?"

A scary, almost feline looking smile appeared on Pluto's face. "We drop a bomb on him. We hit him with a secret weapon that he won't see coming until it's too late."

Rini nudged Hotaru and said in a very loud whisper. "Uh oh, I think Puu's been hanging around the college campus scoping out hot guys again. I warned her to never buy any baked goods from the students because you never know what's in them. But she must have gotten a hold of something chronic because she's definitely off her rocker."

Both girls dissolved into giggles and several other sets of lips twitched in response to the joke.

"Very funny," Pluto drawled sarcastically. "Could we try to be serious for a few more minutes, please?"

Darien turned a stern eye on the still giggling Rini, who immediately choked back her laughter, before addressing Pluto. "So what is this secret weapon you're talking about?"

"It's quite simple, actually," she replied and turned to point at DJ, Katie, and Alex. "It's those three."

All three teens snorted at her words.

"Yeah right!" Alex barked with a laugh. "Like we're really some kind of a secret."

"For real!" DJ agreed. "He's only known about us all of our lives."

Katie laughed derisively. "And like Jess said, he'd see us coming. There's no way that we could surprise him."

Talon smirked and crossed his arms. "Oh you could get the drop on him alright…if he thought you were dead."

All the laughter died.

Jess almost screamed in frustration as she ripped the sheet off of her giant sketchpad, balled it up and shot it toward the trashcan. It bounced off the edge and landed on the floor where it joined about a dozen other identical paper wads. Her hand slashed furiously as she began drawing on a fresh sheet.

"Honey, we have to talk about this," Andrew spoke up from where he was sitting next to Serena and Darien on the old couch Jess kept in her studio.

The pencil snapped in her fingers as she spun around on the stool at her drawing table. Her eyes blazed brightly. "What is there to talk about? You already know my views on the subject. I don't like it! But my opinion doesn't matter because it's not my decision to make."

Serena met her angry glare steadily. "No, it's not our decision to make. Only the kids can decide if they want to go through with this or not. All we can do is support them and help them as much as possible."

"Bullshit!" Jess screeched. "Do you think your future queenly self would just be sitting around calmly in her pretty little palace if her child had just come to her and said 'Mom, I'm going to fake my death so I can get a shot at going after a monster that wants to kill me'? Have you lost your freaking mind, Serena?"

Darien stood up and walked toward her. "Jess, you need to calm down. You're reading far too much into this. It's not going to be as dangerous as it seems. We'll all be right there with them the whole time. Discord won't be able to touch them. Now could you please take it down a peg or two? You're making both me and the planet very jittery."

She clenched her teeth and drew in several deep breaths. Darien felt relieved when he sensed the minute tremors under the Earth's crust settle down.

"Do you think Discord will fall for it?" she asked in a much calmer voice.

Darien shrugged. "Probably. I don't see why he wouldn't. Talon may not be one of my favorite people in the world, but I do have to give him credit where credit is due. The man is one hell of a talented sorcerer. If anybody can pull it off, he can."

"He's still an asshole," Andrew grumbled. "But even I have to admit that it's a good plan."

***FLASHBACK***

"What do you mean if he thought we were dead?" Katie asked after several seconds of silence.

Talon gestured to them. "You three come here."

They looked at each other and then shrugged before going to stand beside him.

"Now close your eyes and release all of your mental defenses," he instructed them.

"Hold the phone there for a minute, buddy!" Jess protested. "You're not going to go monkeying around in their heads are you? Cause it really sucks when you do that."

"Don't go getting yourself so hot under the collar, princess. "I'm not going to hurt them," he quipped lightly as he took his wife's hand. "Just sit still for a minute and watch the master at work."

He and Anya had both begun glowing as they shared magic together. Then there was a bright flash of light that caused everyone to shield their eyes. When it faded gasps were heard all around as they saw that where once there were three teens there were now six.

"Holy shit! How did you do that?" Katie screeched as she jumped away from what could only be described as a perfect clone of herself. DJ and Alex both scrambled back from their copies as well.

Talon chuckled. "Do you like them? They are very realistic, don't you think?"

"You can clone people?" Serena gasped in shock.

He shook his head. "They are not clones. They are merely illusions. They feel solid and can act lifelike, but they don't really exist. They are nothing more than bundles of magical energy that I can mold into any appearance I want."

"And exactly how is that supposed to fit in with the master plan?" Jess asked.

Talon's lips curled up in a twisted smirk, making him look like the evil villain he had once been. Quick as a wink he had his sword unsheathed and sent the steel slicing across the throats of the three so-called illusions.

Shrieks and shouts went up from his audience as what appeared to be very real blood gushed from the slit throats to run down the front of his victims before they fell lifelessly to the ground. With a snap of his fingers they disappeared.

"What the hell, Talon?" Jess screamed with tears burning in her eyes. "That was not cool at all!"

"I think you better explain yourself," Darien demanded while he patted Serena's back to calm her as she buried her face in his neck.

"And you better start talking real quick before I decide to just go ahead and kick your ass!" Andrew yelled.

Talon remained unfazed by their outbursts or the fact that the scouts and generals looked to be about two seconds away from ripping him apart. "It's simple. We fake the deaths of the little Trinity bearers. Then once the rest of you engage Discord at the time gate they can pop in and scare the shit out of him. With any luck he'll flee the time plane and Sailor Pluto will get her post back. And hopefully we'll be able to rescue Romeo's girlfriend at the same time." He gestured to Jack. "But everything is going to depend on him and those three."

His hand swept toward DJ, Katie, and Alex where they were standing still, staring at the spot on the ground where their doubles had laid dead just a minute before.

DJ looked up, determination burning in his eyes. "What do you need us to do?"

"What? No!" Serena exclaimed, tearing herself out of Darien's arms. "DJ, you are not doing this! There has to be some other way. Besides, you three aren't ready to face Discord yet. You'll get yourselves killed!"

Sailor Pluto stepped forward and said softly, "With all due respect, your highness, it's their decision to make."

Katie and Alex both looked up at DJ and they appeared to have a silent conversation for a moment before they all nodded their heads and declared together, "We're in."

***END FLASHBACK***

"Of course Talon's an asshole!" Jess retorted. "And it may be a good plan, but he can go experiment with someone else's kids and leave ours alone!"

She threw a piece of the broken pencil in her hand across the room with enough force to spear a blank canvas that was leaning against the wall.

"Nice aim," Darien chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Jess wrapped her arms around herself like she was physically trying to hold herself together. Then she sniffled as the tears started falling. "I'm being selfish, aren't I?"

Serena jumped up and ran over to pull her into a hug. "No, sweetie! You're not being selfish at all. It's just your protective maternal instincts coming out. They are your kids even if you haven't given birth to them yet. So it's only natural that you would want to keep them safe."

"It's not just Katie and Alex," Jess mumbled as she scrubbed at her wet eyes. "It's DJ too. We may not be biologically related, but he is like the annoying little brother I always wanted. I don't want anything to happen to any of them."

"Then we just have to make sure nothing happens to them," Serena told her firmly. "When the time comes and they come face to face with that demon we'll be right there by them."

Jess let out a shaky laugh as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Are you kidding? I'm going to be on them like superglue. One day soon they'll be able to take that bastard on, but until then he's going to have to go through me to get to them."

Serena beamed a bright smile. "Now that's the fighting spirit I've come to expect from you. He's going to be beaten eventually, we just have to keep believing that."

"I sure hope so," Andrew inserted. "He's getting desperate and playing some pretty wild cards right now. That makes him even more dangerous than he already was. And for him to bring that dagger into it…well, it's just sick!"

Serena and Darien both shuddered a little at the mention of the dagger. They had been shocked into speechlessness earlier when Jack had pulled it out. It had been a gift from Serenity to Endymion the first Christmas after they had married and he had always worn it at his belt. It had surprised them to see it in pristine condition.

Serena had wondered what had happened to it once, after they had gotten back all of their memories of the Silver Millennium, since she had never seen it in the times that Darien had assumed Endymion's form. His armor was the same as it had been on that last day and his sword was still intact at his side, but the dagger had been missing. She had assumed that it had been lost and was now buried under the rocks and dust of the moon. Now she knew that Beryl had taken it as some sort of a memento.

"He is sick!" Jess snapped. "That crazy, whacked out, sadistic…well, you get the picture. He's just trying to screw with our heads. But he's about to get a taste of his own medicine, and I can't wait."

Andrew chuckled. "You are so bloodthirsty sometimes! Just a few minutes ago you were against this whole idea, now you're practically relishing it."

She tossed him a saucy grin. "Well, I figure if the kids are insane enough to attempt this ambush I might as well go ahead and jump on the crazy train too. Maybe we can all be locked up in the same padded room together when it's all over."

"So that's all you need us to do?" DJ asked Talon in surprise. "It's that easy?"

"That part is," Talon told him. "Faking your deaths is the simple part. What happens once you teleport into the time plane…well, that's up to you and the others. Discord is a crafty old bastard. But I really think we can fool him if the timing is right."

"So we just hang around until Jacky-boy here kills off our doubles and then teleport back here to the clearing so Discord can't sense our auras and thinks that we're dead? That seems almost too simple," Alex retorted.

Anya shook her head. "Sometimes simplicity is the best way to go. Discord will be looking for a much more elaborate form of retaliation, so this will slip right under his radar. Talon and I can simulate your bodies and make them talk and act like you, but we can't replicate your auras. I'm sure the old geezer will be watching closely, so you'll have to stay in fairly close proximity to your copies. Once Jack strikes them down and you come to this safe area he'll believe that you are dead. After that he will more than likely immerse himself in plans for his next move. Chronos is keeping an eye on things and he will tell Pluto when it's the perfect time to act. Once the others have engaged him you can teleport in and shock the hell out of him. He'll probably run with his tail between his legs."

Katie fixed her eyes on Jack, who was staring down at the ground with a troubled expression on his face. "Jack, are you okay with this? You look a little green."

His startled eyes flew up to meet hers. "I don't like the idea of killing anyone, even if they aren't real people. But if this can give us a chance to get Sasha away from that bastard I'm willing to do it. It will just feel really creepy doing it."

"You didn't seem too concerned about hurting people when you set up my sister's kidnapping!" Alex snarled.

"Lex, let it go!" Katie snapped. "What happened before is in the past. What I'm more concerned about is the future. If Discord leaves the time gate I'm sure he'll head straight back to our time. And I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel ready to take him on yet if he tries to attack Crystal Tokyo."

"But that will be the good thing about having Pluto back at the time gate," DJ told her. "She'll be able to see what's going on and give us some kind of an idea of how much time we have to work with."

As if his words had conjured her up, Sailor Pluto appeared before them. "Jack, I won't be able to cover your absence for much longer. Discord is under the impression that everyone stayed home today and that you've been watching them from a neighboring building, but my energy is almost at its limit."

He stood with a nod. "I guess I'll head back then and tell him that I couldn't get near you guys today. So, tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," the other three teens agreed together.

"Just don't screw it up," DJ warned as the other boy disappeared.

Alex made a growling sound in his throat. "Can't we turn the tables and fake his death instead. Maybe we'd get lucky and accidentally kill the real one instead of the clone…OW!"

Katie had smacked him on the back of the head. "Alexander Andrew Furuhata! I can't believe you! He hasn't done anything to hurt us."

"Yet," Alex grumbled. "What is with you, Kat? Being a bleeding heart is usually Serena's forte, not yours. So why the change from cast iron bitch to Dolly Do-good all of a sudden?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I feel sorry for him. Discord took him and Sasha when they were just little kids and warped their heads. I know what that feels like, and believe me, it's no walk in the park. Besides, I don't think Jack is all bad. He and I actually had some fun times together when he first started working with Michelle. I have deep respect for him as a fellow musician."

"As long as that's all he thinks of you as," DJ ground out. "He just better keep his distance if he knows what's good for him."

Katie's eyes widened. "Are you jealous?"

DJ's eyes darted away, but he couldn't hide the flush that crept up his neck to his cheeks. "No. Why would I be?"

Katie put her hands on her hips. "Exactly! Why would you be? It's not like I'm interested in getting back together with him. Unless you're jealous over the fact that it's your ex-girlfriend that he's trying so desperately to save. Could that be it?"

"Absolutely not!" he fired back. "I don't see why you're making such a big deal over…mmph!"

Emma had inserted herself neatly between the two of them and had put a hand over each of their mouths. "Okay, lovebirds! I think that's enough squabbling from you. Why don't you concentrate on enjoying the night ahead instead of bickering? Tomorrow will be stressful enough, so you should have fun while you can."

Anya giggled and nudged her husband. "She's definitely Venus's daughter all right." Then she yawned widely.

Talon swept her off her feet to cradle her in his arms. "It's time to get you home and to bed. You're used to taking a nap during the afternoon and you've been up all day. I know you've got to be worn out."

She sighed and rubbed the rounded curve of her stomach. "It wouldn't be so bad if this monster baby would quit kicking me so much. I swear he or she is training to play pro soccer."

Katie looked up in surprise. "You mean you don't know if the baby is a boy or a girl?"

Talon grinned. "We want it to be a surprise. I'm hoping for a little Abigail, but Anya's convinced it's a boy."

The mother-to-be winced and patted her stomach. "It sure feels like a boy. I've always wanted a little boy I could name Kyrian, after my father. But honestly, I don't know if I can put up with another two and a half months of this."

Talon kissed her forehead. "You'll do fine, sweetheart. Well, I guess we're off. You three meet me here tomorrow and we'll make the final arrangements." They teleported away.

Katie and Emma burst into giggles.

"That was so hard not to tell them," Katie gasped.

"I know," Emma agreed. "Poor Talon. He does get his little Abigail eventually, but not for a good long while. He's got to make it through Kyrian, Taylor, and Julian first."

Alex shook his head. "Poor Talon is right. Don't you guys remember Christmas five years ago when they came for a visit and Anya was pregnant with Abigail? That was scary."

DJ nodded. "She was way moody. Anya's always seemed super nice to me, but that night…" He shuddered. "Well, I've always heard that hormones make pregnant women act crazy."

Katie's brow wrinkled. "I don't really remember much of that. I was too busy watching Kyrian chase Skye around and her playing hard to get. I always thought the two of them would make a cute couple. He kinda has that bad boy look she tends to go for."

She pictured Talon and Anya's oldest son in her mind. He was tall, standing well over six feet, with dark brown hair that he wore long and fell over his deep, jet black eyes. Katie had to admit that she'd had a tiny crush on the older boy herself back during her early teens. He was an exceptional fighter and a gifted sorcerer, and he was very well put together from years of training and working out.

Then her mouth fell open as a thought struck her. She pulled Emma close to her and whispered in her ear, "I won't say anything, but I've gotta know. Skye and Kyrian?"

Emma rolled her gray eyes and whispered back. "Duh! It's not that hard to figure out. They'll put two and two together eventually, just like you and DJ did. By the way, congrats on claiming your man. It's about time."

Katie blushed bright pink and then jumped a second later when her brother spoke right next to them. "What are you two over here conspiring about?"

"Just girl stuff," Emma said smoothly as she looped her arm through his. "Now, didn't someone mention something about pizza earlier?"

"If you're looking for a good place to go, Darien was telling me about this Italian place he and Serena went to the other night and had brick oven pizzas. He said it was great," DJ told them.

"You guys want to join us?" Alex offered.

"Oh yes! Come with us! The more the merrier I always say," Emma squealed.

DJ cocked a brow at Katie. "Well?"

She shrugged. "Sure. Why not? I'm always down for pizza." 'As long as Emma keeps her big mouth shut. I swear I will strangle her with my bare hands if she says anything embarrassing.'

DJ put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his side as they followed the other couple out of the clearing. He kissed her temple gently. "Are you okay?"

She managed a smile. "I'm worried and scared, but I'm dealing with it. I just want this whole thing to be over already so we can move on with our lives."

He stopped walking and turned to face her. "It's coming, baby. I can feel it. We're going to beat this and get our lives back. And it will be better than before we left home because we're together now. Big things are coming for us. We've got college and the rest of our lives to look forward to. And we're going to face it together. I promise you."

She looked up at him and nodded. "I believe you." But internally she had her doubts.

Things would be different once they returned home. They were practically done with high school. They would be moving on to other pursuits after that. She knew DJ's dream was to go to Harvard like his father had and study medicine, but he had seemed to reconcile himself to staying in Crystal Tokyo and going to college there for political science. She wasn't sure exactly what Alex's plans were. They hadn't really talked about it. But she was sure his and Emma's decisions would revolve around each other. And she had always thought that she would try to get into Julliard. They could end up scattered all over the world by the time all was said and done. That thought saddened her.

DJ chucked her under the chin. "Hey! If you believe me then what's the sad face for?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. I can't think far enough ahead to picture the future yet. Maybe once all of this mess is behind us I can."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I can picture the future, and it looks great. Everything's going to work out fine."

She couldn't help but smile. "You usually act a lot like your dad, but then sometimes some of your mom comes out in you. You sounded just like Serena when you said that; like everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows."

"And roses," he said softly, flicking his wrist to produce a snowy rose.

Her fingers entwined with his around the stem. "And roses," she breathed.

They stood there, completely still, eyes only inches apart as they gazed at each other. But of course the quiet moment couldn't last.

"Come on, you guys! You'll have plenty of time to get lost in each other's eyes later!" Emma called back to them.

They pulled away from each other reluctantly.

"I'm going to strangle her yet," Katie vowed.

DJ chuckled. "I guess we should be sociable for a little while. But later…" He let his voice trail off.

She placed a quick kiss on his lips a whirled away with a laugh. "Definitely later!"

A/N Yay! Now DJ and Katie are closer than ever! Now I know some of you may frown over teenagers doing the deed, but I did warn everyone way back at the beginning that my little babies would be dealing with some sexual issues. Besides, it's not like I went into details with any of the more heated scenes. This story isn't a lemon after all. Although some people (cough, cough…Mina-chan…cough, cough) has been begging me to change the rating of this story ever since I let her read a deleted scene from Lunar Princess about Serenity and Endymion's wedding night. I'd rather let people use their own imaginations so I can keep this available to a broader audience. If you're old enough to know what goes on between boys and girls, then you don't need me to explain it to you.

On a different note, things are going to heat back up in the next chapter. It's time the get Discord away from the time gate and return some semblance of order to Pluto's realm. This will not, however, be the final battle with Discord. That will be coming up later and will take place in Crystal Tokyo. I'm setting things up to move into the final battle though. I can't say for sure how many chapters are left because I'm not sure. We are on the downslide, but I have a lot of things left that I want to cover, happy things…like weddings! But we've got to get this other drama out of the way first. Well that's enough out of me for now. You guys are always awesome with your reviews, so by all means, feel free to drop them on me. Lots of love and hugs!

~Sere~