A/N Okay guys, this is part one of what is currently about an 80 page update. It's gotten so long and out of control that I knew that there was no way that I could post it all together without it turning into a huge mess. So I've split it in half and went on ahead and edited this part. The two parts together will lead us right up to where the final battle will begin. But I've made such a big deal about bringing everyone from the past into the future that I felt like I needed to expand on their time there. So this is mostly just a collection of little things that happen in Crystal Tokyo between the present and future selves the day and the evening before they meet Discord in battle. The teen brigade will be mentioned a lot too, but that will mostly be in part 2. This is my normal mixture of "aw" moments mixed with a touch of drama and a smattering of comedy. I will post part 2 as quickly as possible. I'm hoping sometime tomorrow. I'm still editing and rearranging things with it, and it keeps growing! I think it's turning into a monster. Anyhow, let me get those hugs out. BIG HUGS TO:
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I love you guys to the moon and back! Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews.
Important note – I don't want people to get confused, so I figured I better explain this first. All the visitors from the past will be referred to by their usual names. The king and queen will be called Serenity and Endymion, although they may call each other Serena and Darien when talking. All of the future scouts will go by their planet names, even though they are not transformed. The future generals, as I did when I wrote them in Bad Boys, will go by the shortened forms of their names, Kunz, Jed, Neph, and Zoi. Future Andrew will be Drew, and Future Jess will be Shadow. I hope this doesn't mess anybody up, but it made writing this much easier without constantly having to specify whether I meant a future or a past person. Okay? Okay! Moving on!
ENJOY!
The Galactic Trinity
Chapter 37
Times Intertwine - Part 1
"Whew! What a crazy last couple of hours!" Serena sighed as she fell across the bed, sinking deeply into the plush red and gold comforter. "Oh wow! This bed is like lying on a cloud. Come over here and feel this, Darien."
Darien turned from the tall window of the guest room that he and Serena had been given, where he had been looking out over the city of Crystal Tokyo, and smiled at his fiancée. "A cloud, huh?"
Her blonde head nodded. "Uh huh. This bed just might have to come home with us."
He laughed at her as he flopped down on his stomach next to her. His heavier weight pressed deeply on the mattress, causing Serena to roll toward him so that she was on her side facing him.
He reached out and brushed her bangs back from her forehead. "So how was your walk in the gardens? Did you and Serenity jabber each other's ears off?"
She scrunched her nose up at him and pushed his hand away playfully. "No. We were hardly able to talk to one another at all with all the others babbling away the way they were. I think the two Minas were the worst though. They kept squealing every five seconds. My ears are still ringing."
"I can believe that," he replied with a chuckle. "So you got to meet the future outer scouts too?"
A big smile appeared on her face. "I sure did. Amara and Michelle haven't changed a bit. But wait until you get to meet Hotaru! She's become so refined and elegant. I can see why my brother eventually marries her. Idiot brat actually used his brain for once. And get this! They have a little boy who is three. I haven't seen him yet, but Serenity did tell me that he is the spitting image of his daddy. But enough about me. What did you guys do?"
He shrugged. "Not much really. We stopped in the kitchen for coffee. And then the future guys took us around and showed us some of how the security is set up here. It's quite impressive technology."
Serena lifted her head and propped it up on a hand. "Well, what did you expect when there are geniuses like Amy and Zoicite running around? I wouldn't expect Crystal Tokyo to have anything other than the best."
He arched a brow at her. "Believe it or not, Jed has a lot to do with it as well. The little bastard really does have a knack with electronics after all. And both of our future selves have been involved with it too. It's a curious mixture of both science and magic."
"Speaking of future selves," she drawled. "How are things going between you and Endymion? You haven't been tempted to punch him yet, have you?"
"Only at the beginning when he was flirting with you," he growled. Then he sighed. "No. I haven't felt like kicking his ass. I told you that I'd moved past that crap he pulled on us before. But like you and Serenity, I really haven't had a chance to talk to him much. It's kind of hard to do with a bunch of other people around yapping."
A cross frown turned down Serena's lips. "Yeah, I know. I was really hoping to have a few minutes to talk to Serenity. I know that there are a lot of things that she can't tell me without Trista going into cardiac arrest, but I'm curious about the person I become."
Darien shifted to his side so that he was facing her. "Well, that's only natural, especially since you didn't get to speak to Serenity at all the last time we were here. Even though Endymion and I clashed with each other about the nightmares he sent us, I still was able to have a couple of conversations with him when we were here before. Maybe you'll get the chance to chat with her before our time here is up." He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
Just then there was a soft knock at the door that had them both scrambling off the bed to answer it. They figured that it was probably one or more of their friends since they had all been given rooms in the guest wing of the palace. But when they opened the door they found a young woman in a maid's uniform standing there.
The brown haired woman stared at them in shock for a moment before she seemed to remember her manners and bobbed a curtsey. "I apologize for the interruption, your highnesses, but their majesties were wondering whether you were available to join them for tea before lunch is served."
"Umm…" Serena hummed, taken off guard by being addressed as highness. She shot a startled look at Darien, who just shrugged. Then she replied hesitantly, "Sure. I guess so." Then she glanced down at her simple peasant blouse and jeans. "Should I change first?"
The maid gave her a friendly smile. "There is no need. This is a private, informal tea. Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion will be the only ones in attendance."
"Okay," Serena answered with a grin as she looped her arm through Darien's. "I guess we're off to have tea with the king and queen, darling."
Darien couldn't help but chuckle at her response.
The maid giggled as well. "Follow me, please."
She led them from their room and through the halls, twisting and turning a few times until Serena was sure that she would never be able to find her way back to her room again. Finally, they stopped by a door that slid open to reveal an elevator.
"Just get in and press C," their escort informed them. "That will take you up to the conservatory level. After that take the left path to the rose garden. The king and queen will meet the two of you there."
"The king and queen will meet the two of you there," Serena couldn't help but snicker sarcastically once the elevator doors had closed behind them and they were on their way up. "Talk about invoking flashbacks! I feel like I'm in the Silver Millennium all over again with this whole palace, servants, and people being so proper thing. Oh well, at least I had some time to be normal this time around."
Darien barked a laugh. "Are you sure you were ever considered normal?"
Her blue eyes widened into a glare. "You're being a jerk again! And for your information, the first fourteen years of my life were about as normal as normal could get. The only things I had to worry about were school, keeping my room clean…"
"Laughing like a hyena over mangas and animes and trying to set a world record for how much food you could shove in your mouth," Darien interrupted her smoothly.
"Hmph!" she huffed, but kept her mouth closed as she turned her head away in a deliberate attempt to ignore him. But the silence only lasted for a few seconds before her foot started tapping impatiently and she grouched, "Just how long is this elevator ride going to take anyway?"
"I don't know. We're pretty high up now," he told her. "You should really check out this view."
She hadn't really paid attention before, but the back wall of the elevator was made of glass and offered them a stunning view of the surrounding city.
"Oh wow!" she breathed as she rushed to the glass. Since the sailor scouts' preferred method of traveling was by rooftop, she'd had the opportunity to see Tokyo from several different angles over the years. But never had she been given such a bird's eye view before. Not even from the top of the Starlight Tower.
Darien came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Then he murmured in her ear, "Not bad, huh?"
She shook her head. "Not bad at all. I can't believe that we are responsible for this. I've always loved Tokyo because it is home, and I'm glad that our future selves have kept it as close to the original as possible, but it looks even better now. It's so clean and fresh."
The elevator car lurched a little as it coasted to a stop and there was a light ping sound as the doors slid open. Darien reached for Serena's hand and entwined his fingers with hers as they stepped out.
"Are we inside or outside?" Serena whispered as she looked around in awe. Flowers and shrubs bloomed everywhere around them, and there was even grass on the ground and some trees scattered about. But the sun shining through the crystal ceiling far above them let them know that they were still inside the palace.
"The maid said to take the left path," Darien said as he tugged gently on her hand and began leading her down the cobblestone path.
After walking for a minute, all of the colorful flowers and shrubs disappeared and were replaced by riotous red roses that seemed to bloom everywhere. The awe-struck couple looked at each other and smiled as they wound their way through the clusters of their favorite flowers.
Suddenly, the path widened and led into a large open area that was surrounded by the roses on three sides. A transparent wall of crystal that looked out over the city made up the fourth side. A table holding a few pots and pitchers, along with some cups and glasses, was set up in the center of the clearing. But what caught Serena and Darien's attention was the couple standing near the crystal wall. They fell still and silent, feeling like they were intruding.
Endymion stood behind Serenity with his arms around her waist, much like the way Darien had held Serena in the elevator just a few minutes before. The two monarchs had changed out of the casual clothes that they had been wearing earlier and into much more formal attire. They looked like a total power couple, Endymion in his dark suit, tie, and white shirt and Serenity in her long white dress, but at the same time they appeared to be completely normal.
Endymion pressed his lips briefly to his wife's neck before resting his chin on her shoulder. "What are you thinking, my love?"
Serenity sighed heavily. "That is a question that you really don't want to know the answer to. I have so many things running through my head right now that it would probably take me another whole millennium to list them all."
To her chagrin, her husband began chuckling, making her demand, "What is so funny? Are you laughing at me?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm not laughing at you. I just had this amusing vision in my mind of your meatballs popping off your head from the force of having so many thoughts running through your brain."
Serenity gasped, hands flying up to cover the twin buns on top of her head. Then she glared at him. "You are not seriously going to resurrect that old argument at a time like this, are you?"
He tapped the tip of her nose with a finger. "I was just trying to get your mind off of so many heavy issues for a moment. And it looks like I was successful too."
Serenity's mouth popped open and closed a few times, soundlessly. Finally she muttered, "You're still the world's biggest jerk, Darien Shields!" and stuck her nose up in the air, making the king laugh heartily.
"She's right, you know," Serena whispered to Darien. "It doesn't matter if it's the real you or the future you. You've both been huge jerks today."
"But you love me for it anyway," he teased back in a low voice.
"Ha!" Serena barked out loudly…very loudly. She slapped both of her hands over her mouth as the king and queen both turned to look in their direction.
"Way to go, Meatball Head," Darien muttered out of the side of his mouth.
"Shut up!" she hissed at him, and then she tried to stomp on his foot, which he easily avoided.
"You missed," he informed her smugly.
She jerked her chin stubbornly. "I'm not speaking to you!"
He chucked her under that same chin. "Aw, come on, Sere. You don't want to be that way. Besides, we're drawing an audience."
She closed her eyes for a second and blew out a heavy breath, but what she really felt like doing was screaming. How could she have forgotten that her and Darien's future selves were standing just a handful of yards away? They must think that she was a complete flake! She cracked open her eyes to find the two monarchs watching her with expressions of extreme amusement.
She smiled sheepishly at them and mumbled, "Sorry." But she couldn't stop the impulse that made her point a finger at Darien and snap, "It's all his fault!"
Serenity burst into giggles. "Of course it is! It's always his fault."
"Is not!" the two men exclaimed together.
Serenity scrunched her nose up at both of them as she strolled regally over and looped her arm companionably through her younger counterpart's. "Come and sit down, Serena. I know it's not long until lunch, but Lita did put us together a few treats to nibble on while we talk. I wanted to take this opportunity to speak to you without having a million other people around."
Serena glanced down at her clothes again, and then at the spectacular dress that the queen was wearing, and grumbled, "I knew I should have changed. I feel so underdressed."
"Hmm," Serenity murmured politely, and then her eyes widened as she caught on to what her past self had said. "Oh! You mean this." She picked at the white skirt with her fingertips. "Well, normally I wouldn't have dressed like this just to have a chat, but I have a bit of business to take care of after lunch. And as Luna always likes to remind me, nobody will respect a queen wearing jeans and a t-shirt."
Serena laughed as she sat in one of the chairs at the table. "That sounds like something she would say. So do you think that she, Artemis, and Orion have tracked down Nebula yet?"
"Who knows," Serenity replied with a shrug. "My guess is probably not. That crafty feline has a way of disappearing whenever she gets mad or upset, and she has been on pins and needles for days knowing that her former flame was going to be here soon. She's probably hiding in Elysian somewhere to avoid seeing him. But she can't hide forever. Now, would you like some cocoa?"
"Yes please," Serena responded politely, and then took the cup when Serenity held it out to her.
Serenity took a seat next to her, and then gestured to the two men who had been watching them silently with grins on their faces. "Well, come on over you two. We don't bite."
"That's debatable," Endymion said slyly as he slid into the chair next to his wife.
"You got that right," Darien snorted as he took a seat next to Serena.
Both blonde women went red in the face and wailed, "Darien!" at the same time. Then they looked at each other and burst into laughter.
The two dark haired men shared grins and shook their heads as they helped themselves to coffee.
Serena reached for one of what she recognized as being Lita's strawberry tarts and took a big bite out of it as she looked around the conservatory. After she swallowed, she said, "Wow! This place is amazing! I almost feel like I'm really outside. And the roses are absolutely gorgeous."
Serenity took a sip of her cocoa and then nodded her head toward her husband. "It's all his doing. I definitely don't have a green thumb."
Endymion snickered into his coffee cup. "Are you kidding? You could kill a fake plant."
"Amen," Darien seconded.
Serena rounded on her fiancé. "That's not true! I took care of your precious roses the entire time you were gone to America, didn't I? And they all survived."
"I believe that was thanks to Lita," Endymion chortled.
Now Serena's indignant blue eyes flashed to him. "Did I ask for your opinion?"
The king put on a fake pout. "Sweetheart, are you going to let your past self verbally abuse me like that?"
"You brought it on yourself, darling," the queen replied without a bit of remorse. "But as I was saying, my dear obnoxious husband made this place so that we could enjoy the flowers all year round."
Something white caught Serena's eye, and she looked to see that there was a white rose bush nestled in the midst of the red ones. A grin split her face. "I take it that is compliments of DJ."
A tender look crossed Serenity's face as she gazed at the snowy white flowers. "Yes. It was a birthday gift to me when he was seven. He had just learned how to control his power over plants, and he was so excited. I'll never forget, he came rushing in here telling me to watch what he could do, and then he pressed his hands to the ground and conjured that bush out of nowhere. He certainly inherited his daddy's knack for that."
Endymion leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head. "Just like Rini inherited her gift of being loud from a certain someone."
Darien leaned over to whisper in Serena's ear, "They pick on each other more than we do."
She nodded in agreement and whispered back, "I guess that just goes to show that we get worse with age."
Serenity only rolled her eyes at her husband. "Anyway, that bush is part of a matching set. DJ made me another one in the outside rose garden as well. I was going to show it to you earlier, but with all of the girls around it made it hard to do. I thought about us having tea out there since it's such a nice day, but I didn't want us to be overheard. Security around here is good, but we have had a member of the paparazzi manage to sneak by a few times. The media will find out soon enough that there are visitors from the past here, but I don't want them making wild speculations and causing a panic among the people. So far we've been able to keep things fairly calm, and I would like to keep it that way."
Darien nodded as he leaned back in a position that was nearly identical to the king's. "That's understandable. Have the people been made aware of the possible danger?"
Endymion sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We've let them know that a threat was made against the city for sometime this weekend, but we didn't go into details. Needless to say, a lot of the citizens suddenly decided to take off on vacation, but that's a good thing. The less people around, the better. When the time comes we are hoping to move as much of the population we can inside the palace grounds where we can provide some kind of protection."
Serena chewed on her bottom lip. "Is that really a safe thing to do? Mother and I tried something similar to that when Beryl attacked the moon, remember. And that didn't exactly work out so well for us."
Serenity arched a brow at her. "Would you rather have the people running the streets in a panic during a battle where the guardians, sentinels, and whatever else Discord decides to throw at us can just pick them off one by one?"
"Point taken," Serena grumbled.
The queen waved her hand. "That's enough talking about the upcoming battle for now. We'll get everyone together tonight and go over things then. I'm more interested in what has been going on in your time. I have my memories of the past, but it would be nice to hear your version of things. What did you think when you found out you had a son as well as a daughter."
"It was…umm…" Serena searched for the right word, "very enlightening."
Darien laughed. "Enlightening? You passed out right in the middle of the arcade."
"She did too," Endymion chuckled, pointing at his wife.
Serenity stuck her tongue out at him. "I was in shock! You can't say that you weren't surprised as well." She reached for a cookie and began chomping away on it.
Serena followed her example, asking between bites, "There's one thing I don't get though. How in the world did you manage to have two kids so close together in age? I mean, eleven months apart! That just seems kinda crazy to me."
Endymion snorted. "It's called a combination of stress, lack of sleep, and one too many glasses of wine."
Serenity's face burnt bright red in embarrassment. "Rini was a great baby, but she did have a little problem with colic from time to time. Between staying up nights with her and trying to balance being a new mother with work, things just kind of happened. I didn't mind though because I already knew that it was the way it was supposed to be."
Then she picked up a book from the table that neither Serena nor Darien had noticed until then. "There are a lot of things that I can't tell you, but Trista did help me go through my pictures and picked out some that she deemed safe to show you. I know it's only natural to be curious about the time between who you are now and who I am." She handed it to her younger self.
Serena opened the book and studied pictures on the first page, Darien looking over her shoulder. There was one that had been taken in front of the Tsukino's house. Ken and Ilene stood with their son and daughter between them. The younger two had each other held in a headlock.
Serenity tapped the photo with a fingernail. "That one was taken about a month after the planet was reawakened. I was so glad that the house survived with only minor damage. That was the day that mom and dad were moving back in."
Serena peered intently at the future version of her family. Her mom, dad, and Sammy all appeared to be pretty much the same as they did in her time. But the young Neo Queen Serenity was a bit of a shock. She was dressed down in a pair of cut off jeans and a pink tank top, but the single ponytail hanging down her back was almost long enough to brush the ground. The woman in the picture couldn't be more than maybe a year or so older than she was, and she never let her hair grow out past her hips anymore. So where did all the hair come from?
She had to ask. "How did your hair get so long so quickly?"
Serenity giggled. "I'm afraid that it's one of the banes of inheriting the title of moon queen. Do you remember what happened when you first found out that you were the moon princess and got the Silver Crystal?"
Serena nodded. "Yeah. My hair grew about three feet in one night. I thought I was going crazy. Thank god Mina showed up with a pair of scissors and took care of it for me. Luna said something about it happening because my past self had reawakened, and when the Silver Crystal recognized me as being Serenity it made my hair grow to match the length that I wore it in the past."
"That's one way of putting it," Serenity said in mild amusement. "To make a long story short, because I can't tell you the particulars about what leads up to the Earth freezing over or about the reawakening, in order to restore the Earth to life I had to officially accept the title of queen of the moon. As a result I ended up with the hair and this thing." She pointed to the golden crescent moon on her forehead.
"You mean it never goes away?" Serena asked, perplexed. "That's way weird! Mine only appears whenever I'm transformed or when I turn into the moon princess to use the Silver Crystal. It always disappears afterward."
Serenity nodded. "Yes. I know. But the moment I accepted the throne of the moon I transformed to this state and have stayed that way ever since. I tried cutting my hair a few times back in the beginning, but it always grows back within a day. I've just learned to deal with it."
"Oh boy! The joys I have to look forward to," Serena drawled sarcastically. Then her eyes flared wide in surprise. "Wait a minute! If you stay like this all the time, does that mean that you're still me? I mean, are you still me as I am right now? You didn't do something weird like revert back to being Lunarian again, did you?"
That pulled a laugh from the queen. "No. I'm still 100% earthling. But I just happen to have some, um…" she seemed to be searching for the right word.
"Enhancements?" Endymion spoke up with a snicker.
"Nice!" she shot back peevishly. "I was thinking more along the lines of additional attributes. The way you put it makes it sound like I've had plastic surgery or something. I find it amazing sometimes that you were ever a doctor, because there are times when you lack tact when trying to explain things to people."
Endymion hooked a foot around the leg of her chair and jerked it toward him, catching her off guard and causing her to almost pitch right into his lap. Then he reached over and tugged on one of her long hair streamers. "Hey! You used to say that you thought I was a great doctor. And as for plastic surgery, I can personally vouch that you are all natural."
Serena's eyes widened as she saw the future king's eyes flick down where they roamed hungrily over his wife's cleavage that was visible above the bodice of her white dress. Her cheeks suddenly felt like they were on fire, and she slapped her hands to them as she shrieked mentally, 'Oh my god! He did not just check out my future self like that with me sitting right here!'
'Um, actually, he did,' Darien's voice echoed in her head. 'I guess Rini and DJ's complaints that we act like horny teenagers has some truth to it after all. At least we know that we will still be sexually attracted to each other a thousand years from now.'
Serena shot him a disbelieving look, and then slumped down in her chair like she was about to disappear under the table. 'Not funny, you hentai!' she snarled at her fiancé through their bond.
Serenity didn't appear to be amused either, but her cheeks were flushed a deep pink as she put her hands on Endymion's chest and pushed herself away from him, hissing, "Behave yourself! We have company!"
Then she scooted her chair back to its original spot. "So where were we? Oh yes, we were talking about my transformation into this form. Don't worry about it for right now. It's kind of a complicated story and I'm sure I would botch it up if I tried to tell it. I'll have Amy explain it to you later. She knows all the little details."
Endymion smirked at his flustered wife for a moment before looking over at his past self and saying, "So, Darien, how has the hospital been treating you?"
The two men fell immediately into a conversation full of medical mumbo jumbo, leaving the women to have their own talk.
But something about what Serenity had said bothered Serena, and she leaned forward to whisper to the queen, "It's already started for me, hasn't it, my transformation? That's why I got my wings at sixteen, before I became queen, isn't it?"
Serenity looked at her steadily for a moment before she nodded and whispered back. "Yes. But the same thing happened to me as well. The transformation from regular Serena Tsukino into Neo Queen Serenity didn't happen overnight. It was a process that took years to complete. But please, let's wait until you can talk with Amy. She really can explain things better."
Serena returned her look for several long seconds before she finally acquiesced. "Okay. I'll wait." Then she turned her attention back to the photo album before her.
"Oh!" Serenity squealed as the page was turned. She pointed to another picture. "This was taken when I was pregnant with Rini. I looked like I'd stuck a basketball under my shirt. And this one is of DJ when he was about six months old. And this was Christmas morning when the kids were seven and eight…"
Serena sat back, listening to her future self gush about her little family as they looked over the photographs together, and she felt warm and fuzzy. This was what she had been craving from the moment she had first arrived here, a chance to connect with the queen she would one day become and get to know her a little better.
Across the table, the two dark haired men watched them indulgently as they conversed about random topics in the medical field. Darien was extremely curious about what advancements had been made in the healthcare industry in this century, but he knew better than to ask. He wouldn't get an answer anyway and he already knew too much about his own future.
But there was one person's future that he wasn't sure of, and it had him curious.
He leaned toward his older self and murmured where they couldn't be heard by the women. "I was just wondering about where the kids go from here once this battle is over. Rini seems pretty certain about the path that she wants to take. But DJ…he's afraid that his goals may interfere with what you and Serenity want for him."
Endymion nodded seriously. "That boy always was ambitious. But he has nothing to worry about. I've already taken care of the details for him. I'm just waiting for the right time to tell him."
Darien had to ask, "Harvard?"
Endymion just grinned. "I don't think he'll be disappointed."
"Step away from that stove, Barbie, or you're toast!" Jupiter snarled at the blonde woman, who had just casually strolled over to examine the steaming pots on top of the stainless steel, restaurant quality cooking range.
Mina jumped back like the scout of Jupiter had just hit her with a thunderbolt, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Seriously? A thousand years in the future and you still threaten me any time I go near a stove? I'm not that disaster prone."
Her new husband snorted derisively, but tried to cover it with a cough as his bride's eyes turned to pin him with a murderous glare. "Sorry, love," he managed to choke out. "But you have been known to have your share of accidents in the kitchen. Perhaps you should leave the cooking up to Lita and Nephrite, and, um…Lita and Nephrite."
The two matching brunette couples that were grouped around the center work island, busy peeling, chopping, and mixing, laughed at his hesitant assessment of the situation.
Venus sniffed disdainfully and looked up from the magazine she had been flipping through. "Honestly, Lita! You act like I have burned down an entire city or something. Serena's the one you have to worry about setting fires, not me."
Lita beat her older self to the punch by chuckling, "Says the person who burned a pan up in Home Ec class while trying to boil water because she was too busy primping with her compact mirror."
Mina jumped in hotly. "What? I had to powder my nose. Standing over that hot stove made me sweaty. And the goddess of love was not about to walk around with a shiny face!"
Her older counterpart tossed her golden hair over her shoulder and nodded firmly. "Exactly! I had a reputation to uphold."
Next to her, her husband sighed dramatically, "My wife, the narcissist."
"I am not!" the two blondes shrieked together.
"Shut the hell up, you ditz!" Mars and Raye snapped at the same time as they entered the kitchen, followed closely behind by the grinning duo of Jed and Jadeite.
"Well, well, look who finally decided to crawl out of the oven," Neph snickered snidely. "I thought we were going to have to call the fire department to come in after you since you were in the fire chamber for so long."
The diabolical grin on Jed's face grew wider. "You just want to know what we were up to in there. Ow!"
Mars pulled back the hand that she had just used to smack her husband in the back of the head, hissing, "You pervert!"
Raye eyed Jadeite scornfully. "You better just keep your damn mouth shut if you know what's good for you!"
He snapped his mouth closed and held up his hands in a placating gesture, but he was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
"So, Raye, did the fire chamber live up to your expectations?" Lita asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Raye nodded. "It's pretty awesome. Grandpa blessed it and brought a torch from the Great Fire to light the fire here. So it's every bit as dependable as the fire at the shrine. The room even looks the same as the one at the temple. You can't even tell that you are inside the palace once you go in."
"You can thank Amy for that," Mars replied. "She's the one who actually came up with the design for it."
"Did someone say my name?" Mercury laughed lightly as she, Amy, Zoi, and Zoicite came through the door.
Raye snickered a bit. "We were just extolling your genius, as usual. I was surprised to find a replica of my fire chamber inside this massive hunk of crystal."
Mercury flushed a little from the praise. "Oh! But it wasn't all me. I just came up with the idea. Nephrite was the one to draw up the blueprints. He's the architect around here."
Neph shrugged, but didn't look up from his slicing and dicing as he muttered, "It wasn't that hard to do once I figured out how to work around the structure of the palace."
Zoicite nodded. "I can see where that could be a bit intimidating. But I have to say that I like the fact that the floors and walls in the infirmary are composed of crystal. It has to make keeping the area sanitary very easy to do."
"It does," Zoi agreed. "But in all honesty, the infirmary doesn't get used a whole lot. But it does come in handy if there is an accident of if someone gets sick."
Kunzite asked curiously, "Do you get to practice medicine at all anymore?"
Mercury giggled. "Yes we do. Just because we are the protectors of the city and the royal family doesn't mean that we have given up our lives. Serena and Darien insisted that we keep our jobs after they took the throne since we enjoyed them so much. Zoi and I share an office at the hospital with my mom where we see patients a few days a week. We take turns swapping out since we also teach the kids."
Venus tossed her magazine to the side. "Thank goodness I still have the boutique and salon. I don't actually work unless we're short-handed, but I still go in to work on my designs in my workroom. It's nice to live in the palace, but I like to get away and feel normal for a while too."
"The real estate business in this city is booming. So we've kept the company going," Kunz announced as he took a sip of coffee. "Most of the major international companies have opened locations here, and we've been lucky enough to land quite a few of those contracts."
Jed snorted. "Are you kidding? Sometimes I feel like we own half the damn city."
Mina tapped her chin in thought before addressing her future self. "So does that mean that the Crown Multiplex is still around?"
Venus waved a hand. "Oh yeah! It's still there. Some of the shops have changed, but it's still a busy spot."
Lita's knife paused its chopping. "So my restaurant is still open?"
Jupiter grinned proudly. "It sure is. I'm even thinking about possibly opening another location to handle the overflow because we have to turn away so many reservations. I've just been waiting on Skye to finish with school because she wants to help do it."
Neph looked up with a frown. "Where did she take off to, anyway? I thought she was going to help us with lunch."
"Probably with Rini and the others," Jupiter answered breezily. "Knowing that lot they're all holed up somewhere, plotting and planning their little hearts out."
"Um," Jadeite began hesitantly. "I'm not trying to be a mood crasher or anything, but isn't that what we should be doing too?"
His future self patted him firmly on the back. "We will, but later. We can't do our best thinking on an empty stomach anyway. Besides, you heard what Pluto said earlier, nothing is going to happen until tomorrow. We've got all day and night to figure things out."
Nephrite snorted. "That's assuming that nothing goes wrong. But with the way our luck usually goes, something always does. It would be just like us to be caught with our pants down if that bastard decides to hit us in the middle of the night. Trista even admitted that she hadn't been able to pinpoint an exact start time for the fight to begin."
"Please do us all a favor and keep your pants on. I would like to keep my eyesight, thank you very much," Kunz drawled sarcastically. Then he motioned for everyone to be quiet as he stood up and swiftly crossed the room on silent feet. When he reached a closed door, which led to a back hallway, he wrenched it open immediately.
The door flew open with a heavy bang due to the weight that had been pressing against it from the other side, and four bodies fell into the room. The next several seconds were filled with shrieks, squeals, and oomphs before the two larger bodies managed to scramble off of the smaller two that had become trapped beneath them on the floor.
The tall, platinum haired man crossed his arms across his chest as he coolly surveyed his prey. "Did you little eavesdroppers overhear anything interesting?"
Kyle looked up at his father's intimidating features and gulped. He was sooo getting grounded for this. He just knew it. After a moment he turned and punched Nick solidly in the arm. "You idiot! I told you that we'd get busted if we stopped outside the door instead of just coming in."
Nick yelped, and then punched him back. "Don't take it out on me, you big dummy! I didn't hold a gun to your head. You could have pushed that door open any time you wanted to."
Ryssa, still sprawled out on the floor, displayed an impressive set of vocal chords as she shrieked, "Whoever's on my hair better get off of it right now before I start barbequing! I feel like I'm being scalped!"
Little Corey sat up with a pout on his cherubic face. "I thought you guys said that we were going to get food. My tummy's still grumbly."
Jed sighed heavily as he went over and picked his daughter up off the floor. As he set her on her feet he said firmly, "Didn't we already have this discussion about you spying on people?"
Ryssa tossed her head defiantly, violet eyes flashing. "We weren't spying. We were just coming to see if lunch was ready yet. But when we heard you guys talking we thought that we better make sure that you weren't talking about something important before we came in and interrupted."
"You guys are hungry again already?" Jupiter asked in surprise. "I fed all of you a huge breakfast just a few hours ago."
"It's more like we're bored to tears," Nick muttered darkly as he walked over to the kitchen table and threw himself down in a chair.
Kyle followed suit. "Yeah! I thought things would get interesting now that the others came back home. But when I asked Jay if he wanted to come play one of the new games I got he said maybe later and took off. Now he and Emma and everybody else are holed up in Rini's room and they said that little kids aren't allowed."
Ryssa flounced over, black ponytail swishing angrily, to sit next to Nick. "I wanted to show the other girls how I could turn into a sailor scout just like them now, but they brushed me off and said that they would see it later because they had something important to talk about."
Corey, still sitting on the floor, began to sniffle. "Hannah said that she couldn't play cars with me right now."
Zoi walked over and scooped his son up in his arms. "Hey, buddy, don't get so upset." Then he turned to look at the other three. "We warned you that when the older kids got back that they were going to be busy for a while. They've been training a long time for this mission and they want to make certain that they have everything ready. But I'm sure that they'll make some time to visit with you guys later."
"Sure they will," Jupiter replied as she walked over to the table with a plate in her hands. "I know that they missed you guys as much as you missed them. Now, lunch is still about an hour away, so why don't you have a small snack to hold you over until then. I won't have anyone going hungry in my kitchen." She set the plate down on the table.
"Chocolate chips cookies!" the four kids squealed in delight. Corey wriggled his way out of his father's arms and ran to join his friends as they began devouring their sweet treat.
"You know, you probably shouldn't have given them cookies so close to lunch," Mercury murmured to Jupiter in slight disapproval.
Jupiter rolled her eyes at her friend. "Oh hush, Amy, and go pour the poor kids some milk. They are feeling left out and alone. They need something to brighten their day."
Raye shook her head in amazement. "This is still so way creepy. I never used to picture myself as a mother."
Mars laughed evilly next to her. "I know what you mean. But if you noticed, I let Jed take care of this. I can handle Jayden just fine, but there is something about Ryssa that just makes me want to pinch her head off sometimes."
"It's probably because you two are so much alike," Jadeite observed as he watched the little girl who would one day become his daughter as she leaned across Nick to smack Kyle in the arm as she scowled at him. "Yep! She definitely has a temper."
"You got that right," Jed chuckled as he rejoined them, throwing his arm around Mars's shoulders. "She's a regular spitfire, just like her momma."
Raye snorted. "And Jay is a little pervert, just like his dad."
Corey's head snapped up in interest. "Momma, what's a pervert?"
Mercury sighed and put her fingers to her temples. "Something that you don't need to know about for a long time."
"I know what it means," Kyle said smugly. "A pervert is someone who…"
"Kyle!" Venus shrieked as she flew across the room and clapped a hand over her son's mouth. "You better stop while you're ahead, mister, unless you want to be grounded from your video games for a month!"
Kunz arched a brow at his wife. "Just what have you been telling him, love?"
She stomped her foot angrily. "I haven't told him anything!" Then she jerked back quickly. "Ah! Did you seriously just try to bite me, Kyle?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I couldn't eat my cookie with your hand over my mouth, mom."
"I don't think our lives will ever be boring, do you?" Kunzite asked his new wife in a humorous tone.
Mina smiled impishly back at him. "Nope! Just remind me to not go off of my birth control for a while longer. I don't think I'm quite ready for motherhood just yet."
He nodded seriously before leaning down to whisper wickedly in her ear, "In the meantime, we can have fun practicing the process of baby-making."
Mina was caught so off guard by his comment that she let out a startled, "Eep!" as a dark red blush rushed to her face.
As all eyes swung to her, Kyle staged whispered to Nick, "And my parents wonder how I know what a pervert is. Their past selves act just like they do."
"Tell me about it!" Nick groaned.
"And just what is that supposed to mean, Nick?" Jupiter demanded.
His chestnut head swung back and forth quickly. "Nothing, mom! I didn't mean anything. By the way, great cookies."
"Smooth talking little…" Jupiter grumbled under her breath, causing Neph to choke on a laugh.
Lita looked at Nephrite and grinned. "Should we start stockpiling the Xanax now, dear?"
He nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah! It probably would hurt to take out stock in a liquor company as well. I've got a feeling that we're gonna need it."
Neph huffed a laugh at them. "I would also suggest earplugs. Things can get pretty loud around here sometimes."
Mercury sighed and glanced at her companions. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I could use a calming cup of tea."
"That would be wonderful," Amy agreed gratefully.
Zoicite nodded. "The noise level in here is quite nerve-wracking."
Zoi chuckled darkly. "This is nothing. Just wait until everybody gets together. That's when the real fun starts."
"Are you sure that nobody can recognize me?" Jess muttered out of the side of her mouth. "I don't want to freak people out if they see two of us walking down the street."
"I'm positive," her older self murmured back. "Just remember to keep your hair under the hat and those sunglasses on. Nobody will notice a thing unless they want to be complete creeps and ogle us."
"I'll kick their ass if they do!" two identical voices growled at the same time from behind them.
The esteemed artist and mother of two turned to look at her husband over her shoulder. "Aw, baby! You're so cute when you go all into protective mode like that." Then she burst into giggles.
"What is so funny?" Drew asked in an offended tone.
"You are!" she snorted between laughs. "I just can't get over seeing the two of you walking side by side together. It makes my eyes want to cross."
"They'd probably stick that way," Andrew grumbled as he tugged the brim of his borrowed ball cap down lower over his face.
"Ooo, hiss…" Shadow hissed like a cat and curled her fingers like claws toward him. "Somebody is Mr. Grumpy-pants today. What's wrong? You act like somebody kept you from getting your full eight hours last night." Then her look turned sly and she waggled her eyebrows toward her younger counterpart. "Or did she?"
"Watch it, sister! You're barking up the wrong tree!" Jess snapped in angry English. "And quit trying to flirt with my man! I don't care if you are me. I'm the only one allowed to do that. How would you like it if I started coming on to your hubby?"
Shadow waved a hand. "Go ahead and try. I already know whose little finger he's wrapped around."
"Gotta love a possessive woman, huh?" Drew quipped with a grin as he elbowed Andrew in the ribs. Both men chuckled humorously."
Jess rolled her eyes behind the sunglasses that she was wearing. "Weirdoes! Anyway, how far do we have to go?"
"Not far. Just down to the end of the block. I told you our house was practically next door to the palace," her future self replied. "That's why I said that you didn't need heavy disguises to take a five minute walk."
"And you're sure that Serena and Pluto won't have our heads for this?" Jess murmured. "I just don't want some seemingly innocent event messing up time."
"It'll be fine," the older woman reassured her. "My future self took me to visit the house when I was in your shoes, so this is perfectly okay. Granted, it was later in the day when I went. But since you showed up earlier I figured we'd go ahead and do this. You are curious about where you live in this time, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah," she admitted sheepishly. "Of course I'm just thrilled knowing that I don't live in the palace with all of the others. I know it's a huge place and all, but I kinda like my space and privacy."
"Preaching to the choir here," her future self giggled. "Although I know that Serena would be ecstatic if I ever decided I wanted to move into that crystal monstrosity. You know how she likes to keep everyone close to her. But she's got Darien, her kids, and the whole circus of the inner scouts and their families with her, so she's fine. Besides, the rest of us are there so much that sometimes it feels like we practically live there."
Drew tugged on his wife's braid. "Is that your way of saying that you don't regret giving up your claim to royalty to live like a commoner?"
"What claim to royalty?" Jess demanded. "I don't have any claim to royalty in this life. I'm the daughter of a computer software designer and a high school history teacher, not a king and queen."
"Ah…" the woman next to her mused as she tapped a finger against her chin. "That is true enough. But in your past life you were the daughter of the prince and princess whose reincarnations have now become king and queen. All of this became public knowledge after Crystal Tokyo was formed. Serena and Darien both officially claimed their ancient birthrights in order to take the throne. I could have as well, making me next in line to become queen instead of Rini, but I chose not to."
Jess shuddered. "I would hope so. Ugh! Just the thought of being a royal is enough to make me want to hurl. So what exactly is your status, or can you tell me that? Are you considered just a friend of the family?"
Shadow giggled. "I guess you could say that I'm a freelance sailor scout. I'm not an official member of the inner or the outer scouts, so I don't fall under Venus or Uranus's jurisdiction. Mostly I've been helping Nebula over the years with the kids' training and stuff. But officially I'm a lady of the court like the other scouts."
Jess glanced over her shoulder at Drew. "So does that make you Lord Andrew?"
He grinned widely. "Officially speaking it does. But for the most part I'm the king's right hand man. Darien has always handled pressure well, but even he gets overwhelmed by the stress at times. There are days I think that he wouldn't be able to find his ass if I weren't there to plant my foot in it."
Andrew snickered. "I can believe that. He denies it to this day, but that boy would have never made it through high school calculus if it hadn't been for me."
"He still denies it. But yet he's always more than grateful to let me take care of anything involving numbers," Drew said smugly.
Just then, his wife squealed. "Oh! Here we are! Home sweet home!"
Jess looked up at the house before them and felt her heart give a joyful leap. It was everything she could have imagined, only more…much, much more. The house was large, three stories tall, and even had a waist high, black wrought iron fence surrounding the yard. Two tall trees stood guard in front of the pale yellow house; their branches offering shade to several neatly tended flowerbeds in the yard. The entire scene pulsed with an aura of love and contentment, letting her know that this wasn't just a house, it was a home.
"Oh wow!" she gushed as she pushed open the gate and fairly skipped up the path to the wide front porch. "This place is amazing! There's even a porch swing! I always said that if I had a house that I wanted it to have a porch swing like the one I had growing up. And look at all the beautiful flowers! Not a lily in sight!" She breathed in deeply, inhaling the perfume in the air.
"And this is just the front," her future counterpart laughed as she joined her. "Just wait until you see the inside and the back yard." She unlocked the front door and opened it.
Jess glanced over her shoulder and saw that Andrew was still standing at the gate next to Drew, gaping at the house. She called to him, "Come on, baby! What are you waiting for?"
"I'll be there in a minute," he replied in what he hoped was a casual sounding voice. He waited until she had disappeared inside before rounding on his future self. "How…"
Drew held up his hands. "I know. It was a shock to me too when I was in your place."
"I just went and looked at this house two days ago," Andrew mumbled in disbelief. "It recently went on the market and I decided to check it out. It needs some work, but Jess always said that she would love to fix up an old house the way she wanted it. I was thinking of buying it for her as a wedding gift."
Drew laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "And now you know that you do. Just don't drag your feet too long about it. The house in your time might be a bit worn down, but it's in a great location. Somebody will snatch it up quickly if you don't. Now, let's go see what kind of trouble our lovely ladies are getting into."
The two men walked up the path together, but they broke into sprints when screams and yells erupted from inside the house. They flew through the front door…and right into the middle of chaos.
To the left of the foyer was a large comfortable living room, furnished with casual furniture that was made for lounging in front of the big flat screen TV in the entertainment center. And that was where the noise was coming from.
Both women were standing in the doorway, seemingly frozen in surprise as they watched something happening inside the room. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open as they stared.
"What's going on?" Drew demanded sternly.
His wife shot a look at him and looked like she was about to answer when a crash had her head whipping back around. "Hey!" she snapped angrily. "You furballs almost broke my lamp! If you break anything of mine I will make sure you pay dearly for it! I'll take it out of your hide!"
The two men shuffled around behind the women in their lives until they could also get a clear view inside the room. Then their jaws dropped as well.
There had definitely been a scuffle in that room. In addition to the lamp now lying on the floor, cushions from the couch had been knocked down also and a few picture frames had fallen over. Knick-knacks were scattered across tabletops and the curtains hung drunkenly from one of the windows like someone had attempted to pull them down.
But the craziest thing of all was the Mexican standoff that was taking place in the middle of the room between the four growling, bushy tailed felines. They stood in a large circle as they eyed one another warily.
Well, at least Luna and Artemis appeared wary. Orion, on the hand, seemed to be highly agitated. And Nebula? Well there was only one word to describe her. She was pissed!
"Bula," Luna spoke calmly. "Why don't we sit down and talk about this rationally?"
Amber sparks blazed in the rust colored cat's eyes. "There is nothing to talk about, dear sister! You knew my feelings on this subject and you blatantly disregarded them. I can't believe that you actually brought him here to this house!"
"He just wanted to see you," Artemis mumbled.
"You stay out of this!" Nebula snapped at him.
Orion hissed darkly. "Don't take your temper out on my brother. He was just trying to help me by assisting me in tracking you down. But I'm the one that you are angry at. So if you're going to blow your stack at somebody, make it me."
"Gladly!" she growled as she hunkered down into a crouched position and got ready to pounce.
"All right! That's enough!" the lady of the house announced sternly as she flung a hand out in front of her. A semi-transparent blue wall, crackling with silver and gold, sprang up between the two spitting cats. "Nebula, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to Elysian."
Nebula's hackles slowly lowered as she straightened out of her crouch and plopped down on her butt to look up at her mistress. "I was going to, but a certain meddling dream priestess, who shall remain unnamed, has blocked my ability to enter Elysian at will. She seems to think that I would be better off here where I can be harassed by idiots!"
"Who are you calling an idiot, you overbearing harpy?" Orion snarled.
"Excuse me? Are you addressing me?" Nebula simpered in her most regal tone. "I was companion and advisor to Serenity, Queen of the Moon and High Queen of the Silver Alliance. I don't have to lower myself by speaking to you."
Orion visibly bristled. "Listen to me, your high and mighty-ness! My family is just as respectable as yours! My mother served the queen of Venus! And brother served the crown princess of that beautiful planet! And he serves her reincarnation to this day. So don't go around giving yourself airs, my dear."
Artemis slapped a paw to his eyes, grumbling, "Oh, for Aphrodite's sake!"
Luna appeared similarly flabbergasted. "Are you two for real? Are you seriously going to pull millennia old social standings into this?"
"Well why shouldn't I?" Nebula screeched. "We're not reincarnations here! We are the same souls in the same bodies that we were in during the Silver Millennium. He is still the same no good wandering vagabond he was back then. So why shouldn't I guard myself against him?"
"For the love of god," the future Jess muttered as she let the shield she had erected disappear. "You two are absolutely impossible! If you are so determined to fight this out, then fine! But please find some other place to do it than in my house."
"Hmph!" Nebula sniffed disdainfully, but she seemed to have brought her temper under control. "I have better things to be doing with my time anyway. I'm assuming by his presence here and the fact that there are two of you standing there that the group from the past has arrived."
"Gee, nice to see you too, Bula," Jess grumbled as the orange feline waved a careless paw in her direction. "I'm so glad the passing years have helped sweeten that sour attitude of yours."
"You haven't changed at all, so why should I?" Nebula fired right back. "Anyway, I'm heading to the palace now." Then she darted between their feet and out of the still open front door.
"She's not giving me the slip that easily!" Orion yowled as he took off after her.
"I give up!" Artemis groaned. "Let those two idiots work things out on their own. I've had enough!"
"I agree," Luna told him in a comforting tone. "Let's go home. Maybe Lita will be nice enough to make us some warm milk to calm our nerves."
The four humans remained silent until Drew had closed the door after the two cats had left, and then the laughter started.
Jess leaned against Andrew's shoulder, wiping tears from her eyes as she gasped, "Omigosh! That was hysterical! It was better than any soap opera I've ever seen."
Her future self was in a similar state as she leaned against Drew. "I know. I guess that was today's episode of As the Kitty Turns. I just hope they didn't break anything. I really will have to hurt them if they did."
The foursome wandered into the living room, Jess and Andrew hanging back a bit as the other two began straightening up and putting things back in their places.
But Jess did wander over to one of the end tables where she picked up a picture frame that had fallen over. She sucked in a startled breath when she saw the photo inside. "Oh!"
Drew glanced over, saw what she was looking at, and grinned. "Yeah, that was taken at the kids' twelfth birthday party. It's one of my favorites. It's also one of the few pictures that Serena took that day where she didn't stick her finger in the frame and ruin it."
"Let me see," Andrew said, looking over Jess's shoulder curiously.
In the center stood his parents, Andrew Sr. and Kathleen. He and Jess stood to their right with the gangly preteen Alex and Katie in front of them. And to their left were Lizzy and Chad, with two little boys who appeared to be about five and seven in front of them.
"You mean Chad actually has the guts to marry my sister? Is he crazy?" Andrew exclaimed.
Drew laughed. "I know. I thought he must be a glutton for punishment when he asked her. But believe it or not, they get along with each other really well and seem to be happy. Chad's actually had a huge calming effect on Liz. She still has her moments, but she's not the raging psychopath that she used to be. She's a great mother and loves those boys of hers to death. She's also done a great job of running the arcade."
Andrew actually choked at that statement. "She's running the arcade?"
Drew shrugged. "It was a kind of wedding gift, but I still retain partial ownership. Working for Darien is a full time occupation, so I didn't have the time to deal with the day-to-day running of it. I still have my share of the multiplex as well since the generals and I split up the duties of running it. So I haven't given up my business ventures completely."
"Speaking of business ventures," his wife broke in smoothly as she walked over and threaded her arm through that of her younger self. "Let me give you a quick tour of the rest of the house, and then I'll show you my studio."
She pulled her doppelganger back into the foyer. "So over here is what is technically supposed to be the parlor, but we call it the piano room because Katie's piano is in there." Her eyes turned misty for a moment as she looked into the room that was dominated by a gleaming black piano. "It hasn't made music in so long, not since that night. But now she's playing again, so hopefully it will soon."
Jess squeezed her arm in reassurance. "It will. Katie has really thrown herself into her musical studies. She plays everyday at school and she's constantly scribbling away in that notebook of hers. There's no telling what kind of ideas she's come up with."
Her future self glanced over her shoulder to make sure the men were out of hearing range before whispering conspiratorially, "That's because she's in love. DJ has always been the one who could stir her emotions and creativity up the most."
Jess nodded. "I know. And they make such a cute couple. It's hard to believe that they used to not get along."
The older woman stifled a laugh with her hand. "Oh, the stories I could tell you! Those two used to be worse than cats and dogs. Serena and Darien say that the rivalry between those kids was ten times worse than theirs ever was."
"And what are you two over here whispering about?" Drew suddenly drawled from behind them.
Jess jumped like she had been poked with a pin. "Uh, nothing! We were just talking about what a talented little musician Katie is. So what's down this way?"
Shadow steered her away from the hall that led to the back of the house, jabbering away. "We'll come back to that. All that's back there is a bathroom, the formal dining room, and the kitchen. It's mostly Drew's world there. Let's go upstairs. The bedrooms are on the second floor and the studio takes up the entire third floor."
"The whole floor?" Jess squealed as they climbed the stairs.
Drew sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before turning to his past self. "So, can I buy you a beer before lunch?"
Andrew looked at him in relief. "That would be great."
"I figured we could let the women do their squealing in private," Drew told him as he led him toward the back of the house. "Besides, I know that at least you will be able to appreciate my kitchen. Katie's the only one besides me that actually spends any time cooking in there. Well, except when mom and dad are around. Jess and Alex aren't exactly cooking savvy."
"So I've noticed," Andrew chuckled. "Not to sound nosy or anything, but where is the rest of the family? I figured that they would be staying up at the palace with everyone else."
Drew snorted. "I tried to get them to, I even tried to get them all to leave town, but they're all too stubborn. Mom and dad didn't want to leave the house. But they are coming up to the palace in the morning with Lizzy, Chad, the dynamic duo, and Raye's grandfather. I threatened to kidnap them if they didn't so that they wouldn't get hurt during the fight."
His words brought Andrew up short, and he stopped in the middle of the hall. "How bad was it?" he asked quietly. "When you were in my shoes, how bad was this battle? I assume Discord was defeated and that everyone survived, or none of you would be here now. But it must have been a heavy blow to the city if you're worried about the rest of the family being outside the palace during the fight."
"Damn!" Drew muttered under his breath before pushing open a swinging door and motioning for his younger self to follow.
Andrew followed, but he barely spared the opulent kitchen a second glance. He was fully focused on the man that he would one day become. He waited patiently until Drew had pulled a couple of cold longnecks from the refrigerator and they had both taken a seat on stools at the center island.
"Listen," Drew began hesitantly. "We're really not supposed to say anything about what happened when we were the visitors here. The only reason why I am is because I asked that same question in my past and my future self was honest with me. But what you have to understand is that time doesn't always play out the same way. It may all turn out with similar overall results, but sometimes the things leading up to a big event happen differently. I've already seen bits and pieces of this happening. There are a few things that have happened in your life in the past few years that never happened when I was living in your time. I've gotten flashes of these events as time restructures itself."
"Such as?" Andrew asked curiously as his nosy Furuhata gene kicked in.
Drew shrugged. "Some of them are very minor, like you ordering a chocolate ice cream when I distinctly remember ordering vanilla at the time. Others are infinitely more important, like you and Jess getting into that tussle with Discord on the bridge over Tokyo Bay that night and her almost dying. That never happened to us. Yes, he launched a major strike against us that night, but he never put in an appearance, and he sure as hell never resurrected Metallia or Beryl."
"I see," Andrew mused slowly, mulling over what he had just been told.
Drew tipped back his bottle, and then chuckled. "I've got to give you credit though. You've come close to losing Jess more times than I ever did, but you haven't let it beat you down. If anything, I'd say that you are much stronger than I was at your age." Then he sighed. "I guess that's the one thing that I can thank Rini for when she made that mistake a couple of years ago."
Andrew perked up. "What mistake?"
Drew carefully examined the bottle between his fingers. "It's not something that I really like to talk about, but what the hell. You're me, and you lived through the other half of that hell on Earth, so I might as well say it."
"Say what?" Andrew demanded, half coming out of his seat.
"Chill out a little. It's nothing for you to get your boxers twisted in a knot over," Drew told him, motioning for him to sit back down. "It's just a bit of a touchy subject for me, so bear with me here for a moment."
He waited until Andrew had taken his seat again before he finally sighed and said, "It all goes back to the day when Jess realized who she was, or had been. Anyway, everything that day went the same for you as it had for me…for a while. We went to the botanic gardens with the others. Talon showed up and pulled his shit. Then Jess freaked out, ran off, and I went back to the arcade with everybody to wait for her. This is where things get screwy. In my time, Rini didn't go looking for Jess. Everybody finally left and I went out on my own to try and find her. I couldn't though, and I came crawling home empty handed sometime in the early morning hours."
Andrew was completely enthralled now; beer paused halfway to his mouth. "So what happened? Did she come back on her own later?"
"You could say that," Drew replied. Then he gave him a sheepish grin. "Like I said before, you're stronger than I was. I got home and found her curled up on my couch, asleep. I was so relieved that she was okay that I swept her up before she was even awake enough to realize that I was there. One thing led to another and…well…let's just say that I didn't go to bed alone that night."
"Oh," Andrew muttered, blushing faintly as he looked down at the countertop. Then his eyes snapped back up. "Wait a minute! Then that means…"
"Exactly!" Drew told him. "That means that Jess and I never had that fight about how serious our relationship should be. We didn't break up for a day and she wasn't in the park that night when Bastian went sniffing around for her. She didn't die and get brought back by Serena and Darien, and she didn't spend eight days in a coma. But even so, the effects of those events were felt here. She disappeared from my arms while I held her. A couple of days later Alex and Katie both vanished in front of me as well. Thank goodness things worked out in the end and they came back to me. But those were the worst couple of weeks of my life."
"So what does that have to do with the upcoming fight?" Andrew asked in a tight voice.
Drew leaned forward to give him an intent look. "Everything. As I was saying before, time doesn't always repeat exactly the same. When I was sitting in your place, my future self told me that when he had lived the battle as a younger man it was devastating. Nobody in our immediate circle died, but a nice sized portion of the city was destroyed and there were civilian casualties. Discord was defeated, but it almost killed everybody by the time it was over."
Andrew picked at the label on his bottle. "And did that change during your battle?"
Drew nodded. "To an extent. There was still some damage to the city, but the death toll was fewer. Both the Jess from the present and the past, along with Serenity, Serena, and the inner scouts from both times nearly depleted themselves with trying to shield as much as they could and there were serious injuries among the others. Discord was still beaten, but it took the kids several days to recover the energy it cost them. I asked Pluto once why things were different, scared that the timeline had been compromised. But she told me that these types of fluctuations are normal, and as long as the overall outcome remains the same that the main timeline remains intact. It's all Greek to me though. I never have been able to figure out her riddle way of speaking."
"I hear ya," Andrew agreed. "So do you think that this is some kind of an evolutionary thing, and that maybe things can get even better this time around?"
"Who knows," Drew shrugged. "I like to think so though. The past that you've experienced and the one that I lived have been different, good in some ways and bad in others. You've definitely seen more battle than I had when I came here, which has sharpened your abilities. All of you from the past seem to be on top of your game, so I hope it will help. I was a little bit concerned when I found out that my Jess was sending dreams to your Jess, but it seems to have helped her. Your Jess may still be stubborn and hot headed, and that will never change by the way, but she has a level of controlled power about her that my Jess didn't reach until we woke up in this century."
Andrew toasted him with his beer bottle. "Well, here's hoping that counts for something."
"I'm with you on that one," Drew returned the gesture. "Now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, what do you think of this kitchen?"
"Momma, pretty bird!" the sandy haired, blue eyed, three year old boy cried as he pointed toward the fountain a short distance away.
Saturn looked up and followed the direction of her son's pointing finger until she spotted the vibrant red bird that was perched on the rim of the fountain. "I see it, sweetie. It's a very pretty bird. Now if you stay still and quiet so you don't scare it, it may stay around for a few minutes so you can watch it."
Kenny nodded seriously before he sat down cross-legged on the grass so that he could watch the bird intently.
Michelle laughed quietly under her breath. "He's such a sweet, well behaved little boy, Hotaru. You must be very proud."
Amara nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he reminds me a lot of you when you were little. You were always the serious type too."
"Ha!" Saturn barked out unexpectedly. "Don't let that angelic attitude of his fool you. He's on his best behavior right now because I told him that he would have to go to bed without dessert for three days if he wasn't a little gentleman. And believe me, he's half Tsukino, so threatening to take sweets away from him is almost like a death sentence to him."
Uranus snickered snidely. "She's right. Kenny may look innocent, but he has a devilish side to him as well. You can't turn your back on him for a moment without him getting into something."
"He's just a curious little boy," Neptune tried to take up for him.
Uranus arched a brow at her. "That's not what you were saying that day that he got into your paints and mixed them all up. You called him demon spawn."
Neptune flushed lightly. "I admit that I was upset for a while. But when he looked up at me with those teary blue eyes and told me that he had been trying to paint me a pretty picture I just melted."
Saturn snorted. "And you two wonder why I always complain that he's spoiled. Between you guys, Mama Ilene, and Poppa Ken he's absolutely rotten. And Serena is just as bad. I caught her sneaking him a second piece of cake last night at dinner."
The five women burst into laughter, unaware of the pair of amethyst eyes that were watching them through the leaves of a nearby bush.
Hotaru watched the group in fascination, keeping the closest eye on her future self and the little boy who was her son. They both mystified her immensely.
She was just an eighteen-year-old college freshman who enjoyed spending evenings with her boyfriend when she wasn't busy with her schoolwork or her duties as Sailor Saturn. To be honest, she had never given much thought to the future and who she would become, so finding out that she was destined to become a wife and a mother had completely thrown her for a loop.
She'd always considered herself to be the shy, quiet type. And who could blame her after the unusual lives that she had lived? In all reality she shouldn't even be there. But thanks to the efforts of her princess, she was. And it appeared that she had a full life ahead of her.
Her future self was a complete mystery to her though. She was definitely older, but thanks to the power of the Silver Crystal she didn't appear to be older than maybe twenty-four. She was a tiny bit taller, but she seemed to carry herself with a grace and confidence that Hotaru had never felt for herself.
And every time she looked at little Kenny she felt a surge of something warm deep inside of her. He was just too adorable! He looked exactly like the pictures of Sammy when he was little that sat above the mantle in the Tsukino home, except for a little something in the shape of his eyes and mouth. She swore she could see a bit of herself there.
A hand suddenly touched her shoulder and a rich tenor voice asked, "Hotaru, are you okay?"
She spun around, eyes wide as one hand flew to her chest in surprise. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment before she was finally able to squeak, "Sammy!"
The sandy haired man in front of her gave her a gentle smile before saying softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that."
"No. No. It's fine," she reassured him as her heart started calming. "I was just surprised. I shouldn't be hiding out back here anyway."
"So why are you hiding?" he asked curiously. "I figured that you would be with Amara, Michelle, and the others."
She shrugged. "I guess I just wanted a moment to watch without anyone knowing. This is all very strange to me."
He nodded. "I'm sure it is." Then he began to grin.
"What?" she demanded, starting to feel a little unnerved.
He shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking how strange this is to me as well. In my mind Hotaru and I haven't changed a bit. But when I see you…well, I guess everybody has to grow up some."
She glanced back through the branches at her future self again and sighed. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Your wife seems so much more outgoing and confident than I am."
"Nah, you were always confident," he disagreed. "It'll just take you a little while to come out of your shell. Working for my sister did wonders for making my Hotaru open up to others outside of our extended family. And once Kenny was born she became just as giddy as Serena and Mina."
"I can believe that," Hotaru mumbled as she watched the little boy, who was now chasing around bubbles that Uranus was blowing. She felt that warm feeling again. "Does he have any powers?"
Sammy shrugged. "He's not shooting energy blasts from his hands or anything, at least not yet, but he is a crystal carrier. Your crystal granted him one when he was born. He is highly perceptive though, even empathic to a point. He senses everything that is going on around him and can read moods and auras."
"Just like me," she whispered.
"Have you met him yet?" he asked her gently.
She shook her head. "Just for a moment when you guys came in from breakfast with your parents. I was so flipped out that I've been hiding out in Rini's room ever since. But curiosity finally got the better of me."
"Well, come on then," Sammy laughed, grabbing her hand. "I'll help you break the ice."
"Sammy! No!" she gasped, pulling against him. But his hold didn't loosen as he tugged her around the bush and a few steps down the path into the clearing where the others were sitting.
"Look who I found on my way here," he announced as they stepped into view.
"Taru, sweetheart! There you are," Michelle said happily. "We were wondering where you had gotten off to."
Hotaru shot a venomous look at Sammy before she scurried over to sit next to her aqua haired adopted mother and muttered, "I was with Rini and the others."
Amara chuckled. "So have they gotten things figured out yet?"
Hotaru nodded. "For the most part, I guess. At least they have a general outline of what they are going to do. But it could all change once the fight starts."
"That's true," Saturn replied. "But it's always good to have some kind of plan of action in place." Then she greeted her husband with a smile and a kiss.
Hotaru watched them for a moment, feeling a pang of homesickness as she thought about her Sammy, wishing for the hundredth time that he had been able to come with her. It would have made things so much easier for her if he had. She looked down toward the ground and closed her eyes, fighting of a rush of tears.
Then a small hand touched hers and she looked up just a little bit and into a pair of solemn, cobalt blue eyes.
"You miss somebody a lot, don't you?" Kenny asked her in a voice that was both childish and wise at the same time.
She nodded. "Yes I do. I miss him very much," she told him softly.
Before she knew what had happened, the little boy had crawled up on her lap and had flung his tiny arms around her. "You don't have to be sad. You have a lot of people that love you. And you'll see the person that you miss soon."
The warm feeling that she had felt before exploded in her stomach, and then slowly spread its gentle warmth through her entire body until she felt cocooned by it. She hugged the little boy back and whispered, "Thank you, Kenny."
Kenny let go of her and sat back a bit, studying her face as if to determine whether she felt better or not. Then he beamed her a wide smile and asked her, "Would you like to play hide and seek with me? I asked my momma and the others, but they're too busy talking about grown up stuff. Please!"
"Oh, um, sure. If it's okay with your parents." Hotaru looked up to find her and Sammy's future selves watching them with looks of amusement.
Saturn waved a hand at them. "Be my guest. I could use a few minutes of peace myself. Just be careful and don't let the little guy superimpose you. He's good at that."
Kenny's brow wrinkled up. "What is super…superim…what is that?"
Sammy laughed as he stood up and walked over to swing his son up into his arms. "What your mother means is that you are a very smart little boy that likes to get into trouble. So try to be good for your pretty playmate, okay."
Kenny nodded vigorously. Then he asked in what he thought was a whisper, but easily carried to the assembled woman, "She is pretty, isn't she, daddy? She looks just like momma, doesn't she?"
Hotaru blushed madly at her future son's observation, but she couldn't stop the small smile that turned up her lips. It looked like she and Sammy would have their hands full in the future.
Sammy bit back a smile and answered his son seriously. "Yes, she is a very pretty lady, just like your momma. So that is why it is important to be on your best behavior while playing with her. You don't want to worry her and make her sad again, do you?"
"No sir," Kenny exclaimed fervently. "I want to make her laugh." Then he wriggled out of his father's arms and ran back to Hotaru, grabbing her hand. "Come on! I know the best place to play our game. It has great hiding spots."
Hotaru laughed as she let the little boy pull her away. "Okay. Lead the way."
Amara chuckled at the sight. "Who'd have thought, our little Taru?"
Michelle nudged her lightly in the shoulder. "Hush! It's nice to see her playful side come out. We don't get to see it very often."
Night finally fell across Crystal Tokyo. And after a loud and boisterous dinner that had managed to drag out for a few hours and the younger children had been tucked into bed, King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity met with their guardians, their visitors from the past, and the oldest members of the junior guard that would be so instrumental in the upcoming battle.
"So," Endymion said as he powered down the holographic image that had shown a map of Crystal Tokyo and the surrounding areas. "I guess we are as prepared as we can be under the circumstances. According to Trista we know that Discord will make his strike at some point tomorrow during the day. We will begin bringing in the civilians first thing in morning and hope that we can get the majority of them inside a safe radius before that bastard makes his first move. Serenity and Serena will be our first line of defense, keeping the protective wards around the city active as long as they can while the scouts and generals focus on moving the people in as close as they can. After that we can only hope that between both sets of inner scouts and both Jesses that we can hold off his forces."
DJ stood up and faced his father proudly. "I think by luring Discord out of the city we can at least succeed in splitting his forces. He wants to destroy Crystal Tokyo, and he wants the Celestial Crystal from Jess, but if we can divert his attention and get him to cut his army in half we stand a greater chance at beating him."
Next to him, Alex snorted. "Yeah, we just have to hope that his desire to come after us is greater than his desire to try to kill my mom."
"I'd like to see him try it!" both Jesses snarled at the same time. Then they grinned at each other.
"He'll come for us," Katie said quietly, her eyes flashing silver for a moment. "His ultimate grudge is against the gods for trying to contain him. So he knows that the biggest blow he could hit them with is to take us out. He still wants mom's crystal, but I think he'll go for us first. The one thing we have in our favor is that he doesn't know that we are even here. As far as he knows we are still in the past without the swords."
"But the moment he confronts you he'll know that's not true," Serenity worried. "And who knows how he will react once he realizes that you three pose a very real threat to him."
DJ shrugged. "There's only one way to find out. Like it or not, we have to face him if we want to get rid of him once and for all. So I guess we'll find out when the time comes."
"And it's not like you guys are going in alone," Rini spoke up. "The rest of us will be right there with you every step of the way. We're going to do our best to watch your backs and clear you a path to him as fast as we can. The quicker you guys can take him out, the quicker all of this will be over."
Talon, who had arrived earlier in the evening with his family, stood up. "A quick job sounds good, but don't bank on it. That old bastard may suffer from narcissism, but he's not stupid. He'll come prepared for anything, so be ready. We have no idea what all he'll throw at us. We know that he has been experimenting with his gene splicing techniques and creating an arsenal of super powered monsters. But who knows what else he has hidden up his sleeve."
Anya nodded. "He's a sneaky one, that's for sure. He'll try to come at you from all angles; so don't let your guard down for a moment, any of you. DJ, Katie, and Alex might be his main targets, but if he can't get to them he'll attack the rest of you to try and split up the team. Mental attacks are his specialty. So if he manages to slip past anyone's defenses try to remember that anything you see isn't real. He'll hit you where he knows it will hurt the most, but stay focused on the here and now. They are only illusions meant to confuse you."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Katie muttered. "Been there. Done that. Don't care to have a repeat, thank you very much."
Jack and Sasha had been invited to sit in on the meeting as well, and the raven-haired young man winced at his ex-girlfriend's words. "I'm sorry again, Katie."
"Me too," Sasha echoed.
Katie waved them off. "Don't, you guys. You've already apologized for everything. It's in the past. You two were victims just as much as I was. If I had been a lost, abandoned kid I probably would have fallen for his lies too."
She heard DJ snort in her head, followed by, 'Yeah right! Even as a kid you were too smart to fall for the bullshit Discord fed them.'
'Yeah! Sometimes you're just too kind and forgiving, sis,' Alex seconded.
She turned and glared at both of them. 'You two be nice!'
"Anyway," Endymion said authoritatively. "The point is that we have made all of the preparations that we can. We could stay up all night discussing plans and strategies, but it probably wouldn't make a difference except to make us all dull and sleep deprived come morning. So I suggest that everyone take the rest of the evening to relax and get a good night's sleep. We'll handle whatever happens tomorrow as best as we can."
As people got up and began filing out of the conference room that they had assembled in, DJ reached for Katie's hand. They had been running all day since they had arrived home, and he was hoping that they would be able to slip away and find someplace where they could have a few quiet moments together. They had barely had a chance to speak to each other at all, and he found himself missing her, despite the fact that she been by his side almost constantly the entire day.
But his father's voice brought him up short. "Rini, DJ, your mother and I would like to have a word with you for a moment."
Rini stopped where she was and looked at her parents questioningly. "Mom, dad, what's up?"
Endymion looked to where DJ was still holding firmly to Katie's hand. "I was thinking that perhaps we could speak alone."
DJ jerked, but returned Endymion's cool look with one of his own. "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Katie. I'll just tell her anything that you say. We don't have any secrets from each other."
"DJ…" Katie began. But she quieted when he squeezed her hand lightly.
Endymion seemed amused by his reaction. "Very well." Then he waved forward the few people who were still standing by the door, talking. "The rest of you may as well join us. Some of you already know what I am about to say, and it will be common knowledge soon enough."
Serena and Darien, along with both Jesses, Drew, Andrew, Alex, Emma, Mina, Venus, Kunz, and Kunzite, wandered over with curious looks on their faces.
Endymion nodded to Serenity, who smiled and began the conversation. "Rini, you know that your father and I agreed to your engagement to Helios some time back, on the condition that you wait until you are eighteen before you make it official. And we still support your choice in this matter."
She shot a glare at Endymion, who muttered something unintelligible under his breath, at the same time that Serena gave Darien the same look as he growled.
"However," she continued after a moment. "I know that you don't want a long engagement, but weddings, especially one for the crown princess, take time to arrange. So your father and I are asking that you complete at least your first year of college while the plans are being made."
Rini looked belligerent for a moment, but then she seemed to get control of herself. "Then does that mean that we can get married next summer as soon as classes let out?"
Serenity beamed a smile. "The very next day if that's what you want. Since we've already discussed your future educational plans, we went ahead and sent your application in to Crystal Tokyo University. You are already enrolled for the fall semester; you just need to choose your classes. Is this okay with you?"
Rini looked into her mother's caring blue eyes and suddenly felt very mature. Sure, the subject of her eventual marriage had come up in the past, but it had always been treated as something that was far away. Now her mother was speaking of it seriously and talking to her like she was an adult instead of the child that she used to be.
She nodded her head. "Yes. That sounds great to me." Then she gave into her emotional impulse and ran over to hug both of her parents. "Thank you so much! You guys are the best."
Endymion cleared his throat gruffly, and then turned to face his son. He pulled an envelope out of an inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to him. "Here. This is for you."
DJ took it with a puzzled look before opening it and pulling out the sheet of paper inside. His eyes widened when he saw the letterhead at the top of the page, and they grew steadily wider as he read the words that followed.
"This…this is…" he stammered.
Endymion chuckled. "Congratulations! You have been accepted into Harvard's pre-med program. Your acceptance into their medical program is guaranteed as well as long as your grades are good. But I doubt that you'll have any trouble there."
DJ's hands shook as he held the acceptance letter in his hands. He couldn't believe it. He was holding one of his biggest dreams in his hands. But as his eyes met a pair of hazel ones filled with happy tears, his sense of elation dimmed a little. As much as he had dreamed of going to Harvard, he couldn't picture not being where he could see Katie everyday. He didn't think he would be able to stand it.
Katie almost felt like jumping up and down at this announcement. As long as things went well the following day, her prince was going to get his chance to become a doctor, just like he wanted to.
'I'm glad that at least one of us will be able to realize our dreams,' she thought wistfully.
When both DJ and Alex's heads snapped around to look at her, she cursed herself inwardly. She'd been so wrapped up in her joy for DJ that she hadn't paid attention to the mental bond she shared with her boyfriend and brother. And now they both knew exactly what she had been thinking.
"Just what was that supposed to mean?" DJ asked her immediately. "Your dreams are every bit as real as mine are."
Thinking back on his earlier words to his father about how there were no secrets between them, she decided to come clean with him. She shook her head slowly. "No, DJ. Julliard is no longer a possibility for me. I missed the audition date while we were in the past, and the school has very strict rules about that. But it's okay. I can take a few classes somewhere else and maybe land a gig playing somewhere. It's no big deal."
"It is so a big deal!" he ground out. "Your music is important to you. How can you expect me to be happy about getting to pursue a future in medicine knowing that you won't get to go after your music the way you want to?"
Her eyes flared angrily. "I'm not going to put my musical career on hold because of this stupid setback. I'm still going to write music and play the piano, I'm just going to go about it a little differently than I planned."
Emma leaned over and whispered in Alex's ear. "This is getting good. I haven't seen them bicker like this in a long time. I would have brought snacks if I'd known there was going to be a show."
Alex nodded, but he did it absently because he could hear the thoughts running through both of their heads.
'I'm not going to let her give up.'
'Why can't he see that I'll be happy as long as I can still be with him?'
'There has to be something we can do.'
'I'll find a way to keep my music in my life.'
'Maybe if we explain our situation to the school they will still accept her.'
'I can deal with this.'
"Both of you stop! You're driving me bonkers!" he finally burst out.
His mother stepped over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Then she addressed her daughter. "Katie, honey, we were waiting for the right time to tell you, and I guess now is as good a time as any. Sweetie, you've been accepted to Julliard. Michelle knows quite a few of the people on staff there. After she explained how you weren't available to attend the auditions in person, they agreed to judge you by video audition. So she sent them a copy of your performance at Serena and Darien's anniversary party back in September, and they accepted you almost immediately."
"What?" Katie gasped in disbelief. "So you're saying that I'm in?"
Drew beamed a proud smile at her. "Of course you're in! How could they not accept a talent like yours? They should count themselves lucky to have you. And that's not the only good news in our family. Alex has been accepted to MIT, UCLA, and Crystal Tokyo University. So he can take his pick."
"Are you kidding?" Alex exclaimed. "All three accepted me."
"They sure did!" Jess crowed. "So now you just have to choose which one you want to go to. I would love it if you decided to stay home, of course, but I have a soft spot in my heart for UCLA since that was originally my first choice for college. And if you decide to go there you can stay at the house there if you want to. But Serena and I were thinking that if you chose MIT that we would get you and DJ an apartment to share since the schools are so close together."
"Whoa!" Alex murmured, feeling a little overwhelmed.
"That's great, Cupcake!" Emma gushed, although her voice was slightly shaky. "You can make all of those video games that you've thought of a reality."
"Which brings us to you, young lady," Venus giggled. "I know that you really don't have any ambition to follow your father into the business world, and you would rather wear the latest fashions instead of designing them. But you do have a flare when it comes to singing and acting, so I gathered a few of your demo tapes up and a few videos from when you kids put on some plays in the past and had Michelle send them in when she sent Katie's. You've been accepted to Julliard as well if you want to go."
"Oh, but…" Emma stared mournfully at Alex.
"Just think about it," Kunz told her. "You don't have to make a decision right this minute. And flights between New York and Massachusetts are short. You could do weekend visits every couple of weeks if Alex decides on MIT."
"And you and Katie could share an apartment together just like the guys if you do," Venus told her.
After a long moment, Emma whispered, "I'll think about it." But deep inside she knew that she had no intention of going anywhere without Alex.
Katie, beginning to feel overwhelmed by all of the news they had just been given, forced a bright smile onto her face. "Hey! We've still got plenty of time to plan out our college careers and stuff. Right now we just need to concentrate on what we have to do tomorrow. So let's not stress over it at the moment."
She was unraveling fast, and she knew it. Knowing that she had to get out of there before she had a complete breakdown in front of everyone, she began backing toward the door. "Well, Jack asked me to look over a song that he was having a hard time with, so I think I'll just go see if I can hunt him down. I'll see everybody later." She was through the door and gone before anyone could blink.
Drew shook his head. "Did I miss something somewhere? I thought she'd be happy about the news."
His wife shook her head. "She was happy, honey. It's just a lot for her to take in at once. She just needs a little time to process everything."
"She didn't look happy to me," Andrew retorted. "That was the fakest smile I've ever seen."
Serenity watched solemnly as her two children left the room, followed closely by Alex and Emma. Then she glanced around, sharing looks with the five other women in the room. The men seemed oblivious to the real reason behind the young peoples' conflicts, but the women knew what was going on.
"Well," Endymion said jovially. "What do the rest of you say to having a drink on the garden terrace while we enjoy our last few quiet hours before the chaos hits?"
Serenity smiled and nodded. "That sounds wonderful. You men go ahead. We'll follow you in a minute."
The moment the men were out of the room, Serena growled, "It doesn't seem fair! I know the kids have their plans and dreams, but it seems almost cruel to separate the happy couples like this. I know that Darien and I had to spend some time apart, but our situation was different. I was still in high school when he went off to Harvard. But sometimes I think that if I hadn't been I would have gone with him."
Jess snorted. "With your spotty English skills? That would have been interesting. Still, you're right. Katie and Alex would be miserable being so far away from DJ and Emma."
Mina snickered evilly. "You ladies are all aware that our precocious teens are, well to put it delicately, doing the deed, aren't you?"
Venus rolled her eyes. "Of course we are. We'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to know that. I know that kids like to think that they are being sneaky, but we mothers have a way of knowing. Kind of like how Little Miss Emma thinks that I don't know about that engagement ring that she wears on a chain around her neck. I've been accused of being ditzy many times in my life, but I'm not stupid."
The future Jess giggled. "I know. I found the ring hidden in Alex's sock drawer back months ago when I was putting up some laundry. It's a good thing that they aren't eighteen yet, because I have a feeling that they would have run off and said their 'I dos' already if they were."
Venus giggled too. "Kunzite would have a stroke!"
"Wait a second!" Jess burst in. "Alex has proposed to Emma? Are you kidding me? I knew that he was sneaking out a lot at night to go see her, but I didn't know that he had gone that far."
"That just makes it that much sadder to think of them being separated," Serena sighed.
Serenity smiled mischievously. "I would worry about it too much. This is all part of a scheme that Darien, Drew, and Kunzite have concocted in their attempt to be overprotective fathers trying to protect their daughters' virtue. Darien's hoping that Rini will be too busy with school to spend a lot of time with Helios, and Drew and Kunzite just like the idea of having a few hundred miles between the boys' and girls' beds. But if things go the way they did before, it will blow up in their faces,"
Serena grinned as she observed her older self's gleeful expression. "Ooo, I get the feeling that there is more of this teenage love drama to come."
"You'll just have to wait and see," Serenity replied mysteriously.
Elysian – The Far Future
"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?" Alex drawled as the images in the viewing portal faded away.
DJ nodded. "That's one way of putting it I suppose."
"Interesting is not quite the word I would use," Emma sniffed daintily. "Interfering seems to describe it better. Leave it to my dad to try to come up with some way to try to meddle in my love life."
"Tell me about it," Katie mumbled around a yawn. "I love my dad, but he was always so overprotective. Kind of like someone else I know." She arched a brow at her dark haired prince.
He gave her a bland look. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Rini giggled sleepily. "I think she means that meltdown you had in the kitchen earlier, bro. Even you have to admit that you were acting a little psycho over a bit of spilled water."
"She could have slipped in the puddle and fallen!" he fired back heatedly. "Do you know how many pregnancies end in a miscarriage because of household accidents? A fall like that could be life threatening to both Katie and Allie."
Alex snickered. "You know, sis, sometimes I think you getting knocked up might not be such a good thing after all. You have absolutely no freedom anymore."
Emma burst into hysterical giggles. "At least he hasn't tied her to the bed…yet. Or perhaps that's what got her into this situation to begin with."
"Very funny," Katie grumbled. "Anyway, I wonder how our past selves are going to handle the school situation."
Rini shrugged. "My mom seemed to think that there was a solution to it that would keep you guys together. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"They've got to get through the fight first," DJ muttered. "They won't have to worry about where or if they are going to college if they're dead."
"Don't be so pessimistic," Rini scolded him. "Have a little faith in our past selves, little brother. You heard what Drew told his past self earlier. In his past Discord was defeated. It sounded like a lot of us might not be in the best shape by the end of the fight, but nobody died. That's got to give you some hope."
Then she stood up and stretched. "Anyway, that's my pep talk for this evening. Now if the rest of you will excuse me, I'm going to go track down my husband and get some sleep. We have a battle to watch tomorrow."
She hugged her brother, and then bent down to hug Katie, who was lounging on the sofa. Before pulling away, she spoke in the direction of Katie's stomach, "Nighty-night, Little Serena."
"Allie!" Katie growled in exasperation. "Her name will be Alexis Jessica Shields."
Rini snorted disdainfully. "I still like the names I came up with. Serena Jessica has a nicer ring to it. Or even better, Serenity Melody. This little girl will be a princess after all."
Alex barked a laugh. "You'd give a kid a complex with too fancy of a name. I do think Lexie is a better nickname than Allie though."
Rini glared at him. "You just want her name to sound more like yours. She's already being named after you."
"Enough!" DJ roared, tired of the bickering. "You two are worse than little kids. Katie and I will be the ones to decide what the baby's name is and what we want to call her."
Rini laughed and spoke to Katie's stomach again. "Your daddy sure can be a grumpy bear sometimes, little one." Then she headed out of the room. As she flounced by her brother, she drawled, "Good night, Darien."
DJ cringed as she said his full first name. It wasn't that he didn't like his name, he did. It was his father's name and he was proud to be named after him. But he had always preferred being called DJ because it gave him a sense of individuality, just like his sister preferred being called Rini instead of Serenity. It was their way of separating themselves from their parents.
"Brat!" he muttered at Rini's retreating back as she left the room. But he said it in an affectionate way.
Then Alex snapped his fingers. "I've got it! I came up with the perfect nickname for my little niece. Since DJ likes to go by his initials, the baby can too. We can call her AJ."
Katie wrinkled her nose. "Ew, no! I don't like that at all. It sounds kind of boyish to me."
DJ smirked at her. "Well if she's anything like you she'll be one the biggest tomboys around."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Katie retorted. "I like the fact that I can hold my own with any guy out there, and part of me hopes that she will be the same. But I'm not calling her AJ."
"It was just a thought," Alex said, holding his hands up in surrender.
Emma tugged on his arm, mumbling sleepily, "Baby, I'm tired. I'm going up to bed."
"Now without me you're not," he joked as he turned and scooped her up into his arms in a bridal hold. As he strolled from the room, he called over his shoulder, "See you lovebirds later!"
Katie shook her head. "What a family we have, huh?"
DJ chuckled softly. "Yeah, but we wouldn't trade them for anything, even if they do annoy the hell out of us sometimes. Now, let's see about getting you ladies to bed as well. Tomorrow is the big day that will decide exactly what kind of home we'll be going back to."
"Sounds good to me. I'm bushed," Katie told him as she swung her legs that had been lying across the sofa over the side. She started to stand up, but then quickly sat back down. One hand flew to her stomach as she squeaked, "Oh!"
He was on his knees beside her in an instant, eyes full of concern. "What is it?"
She gave him a wondering look. "How far along should I be before I feel the baby move? Because I swear I just felt something tickle me inside."
DJ thought back, trying to remember some of the things he'd read in his father's medical textbooks years ago. "Um, usually around sixteen weeks or so. Some women can feel the baby as early as twelve weeks."
"I'm not quite there yet," Katie murmured. "But I'm certain that I felt something."
DJ whooshed out a breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding, relief sweeping through him now that he knew nothing bad was happening. "Well, there are several things to take into account. One is that we are in Elysian, and time moves differently here. That could have something to do with it."
"But you don't think so?" she asked, hearing the doubt in his voice.
He shook his head. "No. I think it's something else."
"Like what?" she prompted him.
He took her hands in his. "Well, we're not dealing with a normal baby, are we? Think about it. We are both crystal carriers. So the chances are high that our daughter will be one too. I remember hearing my mom talking once about when she was pregnant with Rini and I, and she said that she felt both of us move weeks before the books said she would. Your mom and the other scouts all said the same thing. So I think it is a common occurrence in pregnancy for a crystal carrier."
Katie gave a little jump and pulled one of her hands free from his to cover her stomach. "There it is again. Now I know my mind isn't playing tricks on me. Oh, I wish you could feel this. It feels like I've swallowed a feather and now it's fluttering around inside."
"Maybe I can sense something if I use my power," DJ told her. Since his power came from Earth, he had a link with all living things. He'd never honed his psychometric abilities as much as his father had, but he could sense auras and such if he concentrated hard enough. But he hadn't tapped into those powers in fifteen years.
But Katie looked excited as she stretched back out on the sofa and pulled her shirt up to expose her belly. "Well, go for it!"
He placed both hands gently on her stomach. "This may not work, you know. I haven't used my powers for a long time. And I haven't tried channeling them once since I got my full power back."
She reached up and patted his cheek. "It's okay. I trust you. Now see if you can tell us anything about our little girl."
"All right," he agreed, and he closed his eyes as he reached down inside himself to find the golden glow of his power. Once he found it, he let it flow out toward Katie, pushing past her silver aura in search of the second life that was nestled deep inside her.
He concentrated hard on locating a small spark of aura that would lead him toward his daughter. He was concentrating so hard in fact, that he was taken completely by surprise when bright light exploded across his vision in a rush. It was so bright that he couldn't even tell if there was a color associated with it.
A strong aura wrapped around him closely. But even though it was strong, it felt warm and comforting at the same time. Then he heard an echo inside his head that sounded like a little girl's laughter.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he reeled his aura back into his body and pulled his hands back.
When he opened his eyes, he stared at Katie's stomach as he panted, "Oh, yeah! We definitely have one special little girl there. I couldn't tell if her power will be from the Earth or the Moon, but she will definitely be able to pack a punch someday."
Then Katie gasped, "DJ! Your eyes! They're gold!"
His golden eyes flew up to hers. But instead of her mossy hazel gaze, he found himself staring into twin pools of bright silver. "Yours are silver!"
"But how?" she squeaked.
They heard pounding footsteps and they both looked up in surprise as Alex came rushing in.
"Look what I found when I looked into the bathroom mirror!" he exclaimed as he pointed at his blazing red-orange eyes. "What the hell is going on?"
DJ shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's just something that trickled down the timeline. Since our past selves were successful in unlocking the Trinity, perhaps the effects have worked their way down to us."
"But the gods are supposed to take the power back from us once Discord is destroyed. Right?" Katie asked shakily.
DJ nodded. "That's what I thought."
And then, just like that, Katie's eyes flashed back to their usual hazel. A quick look at Alex showed that his had returned to sapphire blue. He glanced at Katie, who nodded slightly to let him know that his eyes had turned back to their normal sky blue.
The three of them stared at each other in silence. But on the inside they were all asking the same thing.
What the hell had just happened?
A/N Okay, so that's part 1. I'm not going to bore you here with a long note full of my blabbering. Instead I'm off to try to get part 2 ready to publish. Keep your fingers crossed, I hope to get it up tomorrow. Some writers threaten to not update until they get a certain number of reviews, but I don't need to do that because you guys are always great at telling me what you think. And since this story now has over 900 reviews, it would be extremely petty of me to nitpick about that. But please don't let that stop you from dropping me a line. Reviews are gold to me. Be happy! Be safe! Lots of love and hugs!
~Sere~