The Galactic Trinity

by PrincessSerenity1976

Sequel to Lunar Princess of the Earth. Three teens are on the run from an enemy in Crystal Tokyo. They find themselves in present day Tokyo with our favorite heroes. What will happen when their identities are revealed? Read to see. Full summary inside.

47. Loose Ends

A/N Hey everybody! I know you're all gasping that I am finally posting some more on this story. I could go into a long list of excuses about the long hiatus, but I'm sure none of you want to hear them. Besides, they're just excuses. The bottom line is sometimes everyone has times in their lives when they get down, and I've been way down. I still love my stories, and nothing will ever change that, but it's hard to write about happy things when you're in a not so happy place. But now spring is here, and I don't know if it has anything to do with my attitude adjustment, but I'm feeling happy again so I decided to dust off this chapter and finish it. So for those of you that are still interested in this story, I hope you like it. And to everyone who has read and reviewed this story, both in the past and recently, ***BIG HUGS*** to you all. And to the extremely small handful of people who have given their extremely constructive criticism, well, I respect your right to your own opinions, but I'm not sorry for the way my stories come out. But when it all boils down, this is only fan fiction and it's meant to be a hobby for people to be able to express themselves. So if you don't like a story, don't read it. Nuff said. Now, on with the show!

Disclaimer - The song "My Star" belongs to me. Yep! I wrote it!

ENJOY!

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The Galactic Trinity

Chapter 44

Loose Ends

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Crystal Tokyo

"Setsuna,"

"Hmm…" Trista sighed as she stretched out in bed. She felt lazy, which was unusual for her. Her muscles ached as well, just like they did whenever she was crazy enough to try and keep up with Amara at the gym.

"Hey, beautiful, it's time to wake up," that voice she thought she'd dreamed spoke again.

Her eyes fluttered open to find that she was in the bedroom of the apartment she kept in Crystal Tokyo. The next thought that registered in her mind was that she had a seriously hot, blonde, and ripped half-naked man sitting beside her on the edge of her bed.

A slow smile unfurled across her lips as she gazed up into his enchanting golden eyes. "Good morning."

Evan grinned down at her boyishly. "Good morning. I wasn't sure how late to let you sleep. I know you said that you had some business to take care of today."

Being the guardian of time, she had no need for a clock, she simply focused inward for a moment to sense the time. "Your timing is perfect. I have a mid-morning meeting with the queen and the other outer scouts. Now I can take my time getting ready."

"And I have time to make you breakfast," Evan stated. "Are you hungry?"

She blushed as her stomach growled loudly. "Good grief! Now I sound like the queen and the princess."

Evan leaned over and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "But it was fun working up that appetite, wasn't it?"

Her face grew redder at the memories of what had transpired between them the night before, but she pushed against him playfully. "Okay, you!"

He chuckled at her embarrassment. "What would you like to eat? Omelet? Waffles? French Toast?"

"Whatever you make is going to be good. Surprise me," she told, waving him away.

He got up from the bed and gave her a bow. "Whatever you wish, my lady." And then he left the room.

She stared after him until he was out of sight, admiring the view he made wearing nothing but a pair of drawstring cotton pants that rode low on his hips. Wow! How had she ever gotten lucky enough to catch his eye?

After a minute she got up from the bed and made her way into the bathroom. Normally, she wasn't one for indulgences, but this morning she decided to treat herself. She took a long, leisurely shower, reveling in the hot water as she shampooed and conditioned her long hair and scrubbed every inch of her body with her favorite jasmine scented body wash. Thank heavens she wasn't like some women who were afraid of waxing. She'd had an appointment at Mina's salon just a week ago, so shaving wasn't necessary.

After the shower she took her time brushing and blow drying her long, dark green hair until it shone. She debated with herself for a few minutes before deciding to pull it up into a high ponytail at the back of her head. A little bit of mascara and some lip gloss, and she was done there.

Once back in her bedroom she gathered a set of underclothes from her dresser, both the bra and panties in black lace, and headed for her closet where she kept a modest assortment of regular clothes for times when she didn't have to wear her fuku. Today's meeting was supposed to be informal, so she didn't see a reason why she couldn't attend as herself instead of Sailor Pluto.

As she flipped through the clothes hanging from the rack, one dress in particular caught her eye. It was a sleeveless summer dress in a bright plum color with a pattern of soft green leaves, a deep v-neck and a light, swishy skirt that hit right above her knees. It had been a gift from Hotaru a couple of years before and she'd only had the opportunity to wear it once or twice. It was cheerful looking and seemed to fit her mood perfectly.

She unwrapped the towel she had around her and tossed it toward the hamper. Then she quickly shimmied into her undergarments and slid the dress from its hanger. It slipped over her head easily and settled around her body like it had been tailor-made for her. She finished off the look with a pair of strappy black sandals with a slight heel. After a final look of approval in the full length mirror hanging on her closet door, she deemed herself ready.

As she stepped into her kitchen a whirl of heavenly smells assaulted her nose and she sniffed appreciatively. Then she gaped at the amount of food spread across her center island. "Where did all of this come from?"

Evan turned from where he was standing at the stove to grin at her. "You forgot to tell me that you didn't have much to work with in the food department. All I could find was a half a loaf of rock hard bread, a box of stale granola, some yogurt that was way past its expiration date, and a pizza and a tub of cookie dough ice cream in the freezer that have definitely seen better days."

"Oops," she muttered, flushing. "I guess it's been a while since I stayed here for any length of time. I've spent so much time recently jumping around between times that grocery shopping has been pretty far down on my to-do list. Whenever I've been here I've just been grabbing a bite at the palace when I think about it."

He shook his head at her. "I know that you are a quarter goddess and a sailor scout with an almost infinite lifespan, but even you have to eat, Setsuna. You focus so much on taking care of everyone else that you sometimes forget to take care of yourself. Luckily, you have me around for that now. When I discovered that this kitchen was practically a barren wasteland, I popped back home and gathered some things. I thought you might appreciate this." He handed her a cup of tea.

"Oh, thank you," she sighed, taking a grateful sip. Then she looked again at the pile of food. "So how many people are you planning on cooking for? I know you don't mean all of this to be breakfast for just the two of us."

Laughing, he turned his attention back to the stove. "No. But I thought it might be a good idea to stock this place up a bit. Who knows, I might be persuaded to cook dinner for you tonight, if you're around."

Trista reached for a slice of melon that was in a bowl. "I think we might be able to arrange something along those lines. Now that the timeline is back in order and everything has calmed down, I don't think I'll be running as much as I usually do, other than periodic check ins at the time gate. Unless the queen has a mission for me."

"Good!" Evan told her as he flipped a couple of thick slices of French toast onto a plate and sprinkled them with powdered sugar. He slid the plate onto the island in front of a stool. "Now sit and eat your breakfast." Then he turned and retrieved a second plate with three large slices and sat beside her.

They ate in companionable silence for several minutes until Trista had wiped her plate clean. "That was delicious! I think you could give Lita a run for her money if you decided to open your own restaurant."

"I don't think so," he chuckled. "I like cooking, and I think I do it quite well, but I wouldn't want to do it all day for a bunch of strangers. It's just something that I've picked up over my time being a bachelor. Anya used to cook for me a lot. But once she married Talon I stopped going to see her as much. I was uncomfortable being around them and all of their newlywed bliss. Fast food got old after a while. So it was either learn to fend for myself, or starve. Thank the gods for the food network!"

"Yes, thank the gods," she laughed as she stood up and took her plate to the sink. She rinsed it off and stuck it in the dishwasher.

When she turned around, Evan was barely six inches away from her. She jumped. "Good grief! I don't think I'll ever get used to how quickly and quietly you can move. You're going to give me a heart attack some day."

His grin was predatory. "I'm sorry. It's just that I wanted to let you know that you have some powdered sugar on you. Right…here." He swooped down and captured her lips with his.

Trista returned the kiss just as intently as he was giving it. They were so wrapped up in each other that neither one of them heard the key in the lock, the front door opening, or the footsteps drawing near them.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" a sly voice drawled.

Trista tore herself away from Evan to gape at the smirking blonde woman lounging against the kitchen doorframe. Two other women were behind her staring in open-mouthed surprise. "Amara! Michelle! Hotaru! What are you doing here?"

Amara's smirk grew. "We talked about it last night, remember. We said that we'd stop by on our way to the palace and get you so that we could walk there together and talk on the way since it's been so long since we've all had a good chat. But you seemed like you were in a hurry to get away last night…and now I see why. Somebody's been a naughty girl. So exactly how long has this steamy affair been going on?"

"Amara!" Michelle gasped in her quiet voice. "I really don't think that's any of your business. Besides, Trista is very much a grown woman and she can do what she wants with her life."

"Thank you, Michelle," Trista stated primly.

Hotaru snickered evilly. "I'm thrilled for a couple of reasons. One, because Mama-Trista deserves to have a special someone. And two, because now Papa-Amara has somebody else to pick on besides me."

Amara swung her eyes to her adopted daughter. "I'm not done with you yet. We'll finish our talk later."

"I don't get it!" Hotaru cried, exasperated. "What is with you and the baby band-wagon all of a sudden?"

Michelle patted her on the shoulder. "We were just pointing out that Kenny is starting to get older, dear, and that we wouldn't mind having another grandchild. I miss having a baby around."

Hotaru rolled her amethyst eyes. "Well if you two want a baby so much, why don't you have one of your own? You both have the bodies of twenty-something year old women. And even though I know that neither one of you would ever allow a man near your bed, there are other alternatives, like artificial insemination."

"We've actually been thinking along those lines," Amara mused. "Amy told us a while back that there is a new procedure that would use both of our DNA so that a child born to us would genetically belong to both of us."

"Then why are you hounding me?" Hotaru practically screeched.

Michelle clasped her hands together. "Just think about if we had children close together in age. They would be like siblings. And Kenny would be a big brother to them. It would be so sweet!"

Navy blue eyes slid toward Trista and Evan as Amara began smirking again. "You can feel free to join in too, Trista. We could have three little rugrats running around at the same time."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Trista muttered, blushing and banging her head against Evan's shoulder. "Why does my crazy family always feel the need to discuss personal matters in front of others and blow things out of proportion? We've barely started seeing each other and they're already talking about us having kids. I wonder what time period would be best to hide their bodies in."

Evan chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently. "It's okay, Setsuna. I'm used to dealing with crazy families. Remember who I'm related to."

She smiled up at him. "That's true." Then she realized that her unexpected guests had fallen silent and were staring at them again. "What?"

"Whoa!" Hotaru barely breathed. "Now I know things are serious."

Michelle only nodded her head.

Amara looked like someone had just whacked her upside the head with a baseball bat. "You let him call you Setsuna? You never let anyone call you by that name. This is serious."

Trista heaved a sigh. "It's not that big of a deal. Setsuna is my name after all. And unlike some of you, I am not a reincarnation. Now, are we going to this meeting or not?"

The other three outer scouts mumbled in agreement and started for the front door.

Trista turned to Evan and gave him one last kiss on the lips.

He smiled down at her. "Bye, honey. Have a good day at work."

She looked up at him shyly through her lashes. "Will I see you when I get home?"

"I'll be here," he promised her.

---

Tokyo - Present Day

Amy fished in her purse and pulled out a ring of keys as the elevator doors opened up and she stepped out onto the top floor of her mother's apartment building. She turned to her companion and held a finger up to her lips as she approached the penthouse door. "Shh. There's no telling how late mom worked last night, so she's probably still in bed. She's a pretty heavy sleeper, but I don't want to wake her up if we can keep from it."

Beside her, Zoicite chuckled. "We wouldn't have to worry about it if you weren't insisting on us acting like a couple of cat burglars."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "I can't help it. I need an old book of mine from my room to help me finish up one of my final reports. There are just some times when good old fashioned print is a more reliable source than the internet."

"I agree," he concurred. "But I wonder if it has slipped your mind that we practically have a whole medical library at home."

Her blue eyes rolled. "No. I haven't forgotten. But it could take me all day to dig through your hundreds of books to find the answers I need. With my book I can finish my work within an hour. I consider it good time management."

Zoicite held up his hands in surrender. "Touché, my lady."

Amy stifled a giggle as she slid her key carefully into the lock and twisted it quietly. Then she turned the doorknob slowly and pushed the door open on silent hinges. She was about to step inside when she looked up…and then she froze on the threshold.

"Mom!" she shrieked a few seconds later after her voice had returned to her. Her eyes were bugging out of her sockets at the sight of her blue haired mother, standing in the entry hall, and wrapped in a passionate embrace…with her father of all people!

"Dad…" Amy said in a daze, her voice now no more than a whisper. Her knees felt weak and shaky, and she was quite certain that she would have sunk to the floor in that moment if Zoicite hadn't wrapped a supporting arm around her waist.

The kissing couple jumped apart from each other at the sound of her voice, but not far enough to leave the circle of each others arms. Their faces flushed as they turned their surprised gazes to look at their astonished daughter.

After a few silent moments, John Mizuno laughed his booming laugh. "You may want to close your mouth, Sweet Pea. Something might fly in."

Anne nudged him in the ribs with an elbow. "Don't pick on her, John." Then she stepped away from him, running her hands nervously through her short blue hair. "Amy, sweetie, I wasn't expecting you to stop by this morning."

"That much is obvious," Amy gritted out between clenched teeth as she flicked a glance over her mother, taking in the fact that the woman appeared to be wearing only a bathrobe. She straightened herself up and pulled away from Zoicite. "Just what in the world is going on around here?"

John's brown eyes glinted humorously as he chuckled. "Honey, you're a grown, engaged woman. What does it look like is going on to you?" He sidestepped as Anne swatted at his shoulder, still chuckling.

Heat flooded Amy's face. "I don't believe this. How did this happen? How long has it been going on? I know you two talk occasionally, but I didn't think you were seeing each other in person."

"How about we all get a cup of tea and then we'll talk," Anne interrupted her daughter's musings. Then she looked down at herself and blushed. "Actually, John, you get the tea. I'm going to go put on something a bit more appropriate for entertaining company."

In less than ten minutes they were all seated in the living room with steaming cups of tea. Amy and Zoicite sat next to each other on the love seat while Anne and John took seats on the couch across from them, sitting just as close to each other as the younger couple.

After taking a sip of her drink, Anne sat her cup on the coffee table. "So, I guess it would be best to start from the beginning. It started with the day that you came over here and I found out about your engagement."

Amy nodded her head, remembering back to the day, several weeks before. She'd come over with the intention of coming clean to her mother about her secret double life, and had been shocked to find that she had already figured out most of it for herself. And once Anne had spotted the ring on her daughter's finger, she wasted very little time in calling up John to tell him the good news.

"I remember," Amy replied haltingly. "But you told me that you two just talked from time to time."

"And that was true at the time," John jumped in. "Then a couple of days later I came into town to deliver a painting that I had been commissioned to do and pick up some fresh art supplies. I knew that it would be late when I got done with my business, so I'd already planned to stay in town overnight. I'd thought about calling you up and seeing if you wanted to have dinner, but I didn't want to intrude on your newly engaged bliss. So I ended up in this small restaurant figuring I'd grab a burger and a beer before I found a hotel to crash in for the night."

Amy's expression turned indignant. "You could have called me. I wouldn't have minded. And you know we always have room for you to stay with us." Her voice trailed off near the end. It would have been hard to try and explain the kids though.

John laughed. "I know you would have put your old man up for the night. But it sounds like the inn has been full at your place recently. Besides, I know you're busy with stuff."

Amy's eyes grew wide, and she shot a startled look at Zoicite. Just how much did her father know about her other life?

Anne leaned across the table and patted her daughter's hand. "Your father knows everything, sweetheart. He figured it out about the same time I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Amy blurted out in astonishment.

"I didn't feel that it was my place to say anything," Anne replied with a shrug. "I figured that you would go to your father and tell him your secrets when you felt the time was right, the same as you did with me. I thought it was for the best at the time for me to stay quiet and let you two hash things out when that time arrived."

"But getting back on the subject," John jumped in. "I ducked into a restaurant to get a bite. It wasn't very busy, only a few customers around. And lo and behold, guess who one of them was?"

Anne smiled sweetly. "I had just gotten off a long shift at the hospital and had decided to stop off for a sandwich and perhaps a glass of wine before heading home. Suddenly, I felt someone watching me. So I looked up and received quite a shock when I saw who it was. Then he just walked over and sat down."

John's expression turned bemused. "I figured enjoying the company of a beautiful woman while I ate was a much more pleasant way to spend the evening than sitting alone, even if the woman in question happened to be my ex-wife. And I was right. We got to talking over a couple of drinks, and then one thing led to another…"

"Okay! I get it!" Amy almost screamed as she jumped up from her seat, slapping her hands over her ears. "Please spare me the details. So you're telling me that you two have been seeing each other for over a month?"

"Six weeks or so. Give or take a few days," John snickered. "I've been managing to get down here a couple of days a week."

Amy turned bewildered eyes on her mother. "So is this a serious thing between you two, or is it just a fling between two people who just happened to once be married?"

Anne's cheeks pinkened, but her eyes were serious. "Amy, I've always loved your father. I've told you that before. Just because we divorced never meant that I stopped having feelings for him. But we were young when we married, and then our lives started moving in different directions and we grew apart. And when our different lifestyles started interfering with our relationship and the fights began springing up between us on an almost daily basis, we decided that it was best for us to go our separate ways. Neither of us thought it was fair to you or to ourselves to force us into that kind of a living situation. But we're older now and settled into our lives, and I believe that with a little work we can co-exist together. John and I have talked a lot over the past several weeks, really talked to each other in a way that we haven't since the first years of our marriage. We've both agreed that we each played a part in our marriage's downfall, and we hope that we won't repeat our past mistakes. I'm not saying it will be easy, and I'm sure there will be some bickering along the way, but I am willing to try to build a new relationship with."

Amy sank back down in her seat at her mother's heartfelt revelation and felt Zoicite's cool fingers twine between her even colder ones. She gripped his hand tightly in hers and pulled from his strength and support to settle her rattled nerves. After taking a few deep breaths, she asked, "Are you two getting remarried?"

John laughed. "Now don't go rushing us off to the altar just yet, sweetheart. We've both changed some over the years and we need to get to know each other all over again. So we're going to take it slow."

'Yeah, they really looked like they were taking it slow when we walked in,' Zoicite's voice whispered through Amy's head. She shot him a quick glare before arching a brow at both her parents. Both of them had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed at what her look implied.

Then Anne shook herself. "No matter! We're all adults here, and we all know what goes on in physical relationships between men and women. But that doesn't mean that we are ready to take the plunge again."

"We never had any problems in that department anyway," John whispered in her ear. But thanks to their acute hearing, Amy and Zoicite heard every word clearly.

Zoicite choked on a smothered laugh while Amy moaned quietly, "Now I know why the kids are always complaining about their parents. I think I'm going to be sick. This is worse than being around the newlyweds, Mina and Kunzite."

John looked up with a grin. "The good news, Sweet Pea, is that I'm going to around more than usual. I've decided to close up the cabin and move back here to the city. I've found a house not far from here that has a large yard for the dogs and a nice glassed-in sunroom that will make a great studio. So you and I will be able to keep up with each other easily."

Amy had to smile at that. "That's great, dad. So when are you moving?"

His grin turned sheepish. "Well, I sort of did it yesterday. But I haven't had a chance to get everything arranged yet, so that was why I stayed here last night."

"Sure that was the only reason," Amy drawled sarcastically, eying where her father's hand held her mother's on his lap. It looked as if her already crazy life, which she tried to keep as orderly as humanly possible, had just gotten crazier.

---

"So, how was your first day back to school?" Serena asked the group of teens at the arcade counter as she and Jess walked up.

"It was great!" DJ told her with a smile while grumbles came from the rest of the group.

"Uh oh, I sense not everybody agrees with that statement," Jess giggled. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"It was that bad," Katie moaned as she raised her head from where she'd had it laid on the counter. "There are less than two weeks of school left, so you'd think they'd take it easy on us. But no! All the teachers are hyped up about final exams and they are throwing everything they can at us. My mind is whirling after sitting through all those lectures today. And I don't even want to think about all the homework I have tonight."

"Amen!" Alex, Emma, Rini, and Skye chorused together.

"Wow! I'm glad I'm not a senior," Jayden said thankfully. "I thought us sophomores had it bad with the exam reviews, but you guys sound like you have it ten times as hard."

Hannah looked up from where she was studying her biology book while sipping on a milkshake. "It would be worse if we were at home. You guys all know how fanatical my parents get at the end of the school year. And with a lot of you graduating this year they would have probably gone way over the top."

Shudders rippled through the older teens at the thought. Amy and Zoicite truly were harsh taskmasters when it came to academics.

"Hey guys! How's it going?" Lizzy piped up from behind the counter. "Jess? Serena? Can I get you guys anything?"

Serena beamed a smile at her. "Yes! Please! I'll have a…"

"Wait! Let me guess. A triple chocolate shake with extra chocolate, extra whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles," Lizzy cut in. And then to her future sister-in-law, "And one extra-large Cherry Coke. Don't worry, Drew showed me exactly how to make it like you like it."

"That little sneak! He's never shown me how he does it," Jess grumbled. "Hey, Liz, can we get those to go? Serena and I have an appointment with Mina in a few minutes."

The red-head grinned. "Sure thing. I'll have those right up."

"What are you guys meeting with Mina for?" Rini asked curiously.

Serena waggled her eyebrows at her future daughter. "Mina has finished the alterations on Jess's wedding dress. And as the maid of honor, I am duty bound to go with the bride to see it."

"Can we come?" Katie burst out, almost bouncing in her seat with excitement.

"I don't see why not," Jess replied. "I doubt any of the boys want to though."

"Uh, that's a big no," Alex confirmed. "I think I'll just stay here and attempt to get started on my homework."

"Same here," DJ concurred and Jayden nodded furiously.

"Men!" Emma sniffed disdainfully. "They have absolutely no respect for what we women have to go through to look beautiful for the important events in our lives."

Skye cackled. "No. They just like looking at the results."

A few minutes and a round of good-natured bickering later found Serena, Jess, and the five younger girls walking through the galleria toward Mina's store, Classique Boutique. As they entered one of the sales-girls called out to them, "She's in the back somewhere, I think. She disappeared back there sometime this morning and I haven't seen her since."

They made their way to the back of the store and then down a hall that led to a bathroom, staff room, stock room, and office. At the very end of the hall they reached the door to Mina's gigantic workroom.

Serena raised her hand and knocked on the door. "Mina? It's us."

"Just a second!" Mina squealed from the other side. Then there was the sound of running feet and things being shuffled around. A minute later the door opened to show a slightly flushed and slightly disheveled blonde.

Serena smirked. "We didn't interrupt anything, did we? You don't by some chance have Kunzite tucked away in there somewhere, do you?"

"What?" Mina asked in bewilderment. Then she shook her head. "Oh, no! I've just been really busy. Inspiration struck me last night and I just had to act on it. I think I kept Kunzite up half the night while I was sketching and then I beat him out of bed this morning because I couldn't wait to get here and get started working. But we'll talk about that later. Come in! Come in!"

"How much caffeine have you had?" Emma asked her future mother warily as they filed into the room.

"Probably too much," Mina confessed as she closed the door behind them. "Darn Kunzite for putting that coffee maker in the office. I've probably drank two pots today."

"Sooo," Jess drawled, her excitement growing as she looked around the room. Serena's wedding dress, her matron of honor dress, and the dresses for the rest of Serena's wedding party were visibly displayed on mannequins where they were waiting for the big wedding in September. But she didn't see any signs of the dress she was looking for. "Where is it?"

"Just hold your horses for a minute," Mina giggled. "We'll get to the big reveal in a moment. I want to talk to you first. Remember when I told you I was going to have to do a bit more altering than I originally thought and how I couldn't find lace with a pattern close enough to match the original? I asked you then if you would mind if I did the modifications in a way that would represent who you are. And you said you didn't mind. I want you to keep that thought in your head. Okay?"

"Okay," Jess replied hesitantly. "Just please tell me you didn't trash the entire dress."

Mina waved a hand. "Not at all. In fact, with the exception of trimming in a few spots, your mother's dress is entirely intact. It was mostly about adding to the existing dress to compensate for your different heights and builds. Everything I've done can be undone if you don't like it."

"Sounds good," Jess sighed in relief. "Now can I see it?"

Mina pursed her lips. "I want you to be wearing it when you see it for the first time. That way you get the full effect. That means you're going to have to have your eyes closed. Which means I'm going to need an assistant." She shook her head as Serena, Rini, Katie, and Emma immediately thrust their hands into the air. "Not you guys. I need someone who can act a bit impartial and not say anything to spill the beans before I'm ready."

"I really don't like surprises," Jess grumbled.

"I have a really good feeling that you'll like this one," Mina insisted. "Skye, you can usually be counted on to keep a level head, and you're tall. Will you help me?"

Sky shrugged. "Sure."

"I hope I don't regret this," Jess mumbled as she followed them behind a draped off area in the corner.

Mina patted her shoulder. "Just work with me here. Now, strip."

Jess snorted as she began undoing the buttons on the red blouse she was wearing. "I sure am glad something this morning told me to put on some decent underwear. I had no idea I'd be playing lingerie model for you two."

Skye snickered. "If I see something you have that us other girls don't have, I'll throw money at it."

Once she down to nothing but her white satin and lace bra and panties, Mina handed her a pair of sheer white, thigh high stockings. "Put these on. And then the shoes." She set down a pair of white pumps with three inch heels.

Jess did as she was told, sighing as she stepped into the shoes. She'd expected the heels to pinch her feet, like most high heels did. But these felt like walking on a pillow. Still, she eyed them dubiously. "You don't think they're too tall do you? I don't want to be taller than Drew at our wedding."

Mina shook her head. "Those heels are only three inches tall. You're 5'11" and he's 6'2". You'll be at perfect eye level, or I should say, kissing level. Now, close your eyes and don't you dare peek."

"Yes ma'am," Jess huffed, resigned to her fate. She closed her eyes and waited. She heard some rustling sounds, and then she heard Skye give a breathy little gasp that sounded like, "Oooh."

She had to fight like mad to keep from opening her eyes and the suspense was killing her. She was in the middle of talking herself out of sneaking just a tiny peek when Mina murmured softly to her, "Bend at the knee some so we can get it over your head."

She did as she asked, and a few seconds later something light and airy slipped over her head. Then there was the slip and slide of silk slithering down her body. The urge to open her eyes grew stronger as she felt fingers adjusting the dress around her, but she fought the feeling back with a self-control that would have made Nebula proud.

"Just a few more seconds," Mina told her as she fussed with the back of the dress.

Jess felt a tugging sensation, like Mina was attempting to get it to close. "I'm not too fat for it, am I?" she teased.

"No, no," the bubbly blonde reassured her. "It's just…well, you'll see in a minute. There! I think I'm done. Now, Jess, keep your eyes closed for just a tiny bit longer. Skye, help me steer her."

Jess felt fingers wrap around both of her arms as she was led forward a few steps. Then there was the swishing sound of the curtain being pulled back. And then a flurry of squeals from the others erupted loudly.

"Hush!" Mina scolded her audience severely. "Let's let Jess see it and get her opinion of it before the rest of you put your two-cents worth in. Emma, Rini, can you two move that long mirror over here?"

Jess heard some scuffles and bumps, and felt her nerves stretching near to their breaking limit. She was about to start screaming when Mina finally said, "There! That's perfect! Okay, beautiful bride, open your eyes."

She felt the hands let her go, and let her eyelids slowly part to look at the mirror in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath froze in her lungs as she got her first look at her made over wedding dress. Then she clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a sob as tears began streaming from her eyes.

Mina shuffled nervously next to her. "You don't like it?"

Jess shook her head back and forth rapidly, then she whispered, "I love it! It's absolutely perfect!"

"Oh! Thank Aphrodite!" Mina sighed, looking like she could crumple to the floor in relief. "I have been worried sick that you wouldn't like my idea to add a bit of color to it. I know some women prefer to wear solid white on their wedding day."

Now that the initial shock was wearing off, Jess was able to smile. "Not at all. Besides, you know me. I prefer to have some color around. I just can't believe you managed to do this without completely changing the entire dress."

Mina waved a hand at her. "Nah! The alterations were easy. The hard part was finding the materials. I must have gone through five hundred different lace patterns, but none of them were quite right."

Jess studied her reflection closer, taking in the differences. The dress was still white silk with the original swirly lace overlay and one inch shoulder straps. But now, in the front center of the dress where it had needed to be let out to accommodate her more voluptuous figure, there was a strip of dark blue silk that was a few inches wide that was covered by delicate lace of silver and gold with a star pattern. It ran down the entire length of the dress to where the original hem stopped at her mid shin. Then the pattern was repeated along the bottom of the dress, lengthening it by several inches so that covered her all the way to her ankles.

She twisted around to try and see the back. "So, what did you do to the back? You were messing with it."

"Oh that!" Mina exclaimed. "After the changes were made the original zipper was causing the fabric to bunch and not lay like it was supposed to, so I took the zipper out and converted the back where it laces up instead with gold and silver ribbons." She flushed a bit. "I have to admit I got a lot of inspiration from your princess gown."

"I don't care where you got it from," Jess told her. "It's perfect!"

"Can the rest of us get a closer look now?" Serena piped up, sounding a bit irritated.

Jess laughed. "Come on over and see that Mina has once again delivered a masterpiece."

After several minutes of ooh-ing and ahh-ing, Katie stepped back and gave the dress a critical once over before nodding her head. "Yep! It's exactly right. I've lost count of how many times I've gone into my mother's closet just to stare at that dress. It's exactly the same."

Jess wrapped an arm around her future daughter and hugged her close. Then she whispered in her ear, "Who knows, maybe one day you'll have the opportunity to wear it. Wouldn't that be something to have three generations of Alexander women get married in the same dress?"

Katie blushed at her words, but couldn't help whispering back, "I hope so, mom. I really hope so."

"So now that all the important stuff is out of the way," Serena spoke up, "what had you all in a tizzy when we got here, Mina? You said that you had been working on something important."

Mina's expression turned absolutely feline. "I was just wondering, Serena. Have you decided what you are going to wear as Jess's maid of honor?"

Serena shook her head. "No. Jess and I were planning to go out shopping for something after her graduation."

"Well look no further," Mina stated grandly. "For I do believe the goddess of love has solved all of your worries. And you!" she swung around to pin Katie with blue eyes that almost glowed. "You are going to be present at your parent's wedding, aren't you?"

Katie gulped. "I…I don't know. We haven't really talked about it. My parents said that we could spend part of our summer vacation here if we want to. But we never talked about the wedding."

"Of course you'll be here," Mina replied like it was completely obvious. "And even though this is going to be a small wedding, I think you and your brother should be in it. Every wedding needs a flower girl and a ring bearer."

"Hey, Em," Katie squeaked. "I think your mom is trying to make up for the fact that she and your dad eloped."

Mina sniffed. "Of course not! I'm glad we snuck off and got married in secret. I would have driven myself bonkers trying to plan a wedding for myself. But that doesn't mean that I can't help my dearest friends have their wonderful days."

Emma rolled her gray eyes. "Oh boy! I can't wait to see what she's like by the time our weddings roll around."

Mina just smiled as she looked around at the teenage girls, her gaze lingering for a long moment on the topaz ring on her future daughter's finger. "Oh, I don't think my future self will have too long to wait. All of you girls have found your soul mates. It's only a matter of time before you all take the plunge. Now Serena, Katie, you two are my next guinea pigs. Let me show you what I have been slaving over all day."

---

Andrew pushed away from his desk and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He closed his eyes, which were aching from hours of staring at his computer screen, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He loved dabbling in his business ventures, but sometimes, especially after the hectic weekend he'd had with traveling to the past and all, he wished he could extend the weekend a couple of days for some R & R. But the new week had begun, and Jess and the kids were now neck-deep in a flurry of exam and graduation preparations while he was thrown back into the world of profit and loss.

He groaned when he heard a knock at his office door. For the most part things had been running fairly smoothly today, but after the day he'd had yesterday he lived in fear of some emergency suddenly popping up to be dumped on his lap. Still, if there was a problem he wouldn't solve anything by hiding away in his office.

"Come in," he called out, steeling himself for what was to come.

The door opened just wide enough for a curly red head to peek in at him. "Hey, Drew, do you have a minute?"

"Sure, Liz," he smiled hesitantly. "Just please tell me you aren't here to tell me that the arcade's plumbing is backed up or that half the ceiling fell in or some other disaster like that."

She smirked and pushed the door open the rest of the way so she could step inside and kick it closed behind her. "No. Everything is fine with the arcade. I didn't see you come down for lunch, so I thought you might like a pick me up." She held up two large cups of steaming coffee.

He almost moaned at the sight. "You are a life-saver, sis. Maybe you should be my secretary instead of running the arcade."

She snorted as she crossed the room and set a cup in front of him before settling down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Oh, I don't think so. If I had you bossing me around everyday I'd probably have to kill you."

"Perhaps you're right," he chuckled. "So, what else brings you up here? Not that I'm doubting your sincerity in wanting to check on me, but this is highly unusual. Most of the time you just call me to check and make sure I'm still alive in here."

Lizzy took a long sip of her coffee before she leaned forward to set her cup on his desk. Then she looked him with the wide hazel eyes that they had both inherited from their mother. "I'm not sure exactly how to start this conversation. I've been struggling for weeks now about how, or if, I was going to even say anything to you."

"You're not in any trouble, are you?" Andrew asked, immediately concerned. His younger sister had a string of bad relationships in her past, including a couple that had been emotionally abusive. One loser jerk in particular had even pushed her around a time or two before Andrew and his father had teamed up to run the bastard out of Lizzy's life. And then there had been a pregnancy scare on top of that. Luckily everything had worked out okay. Now she was in a steady relationship with Chad, and Andrew had thought that things were going well between the couple. But perhaps things weren't as they appeared to be.

"No!" she cried, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I promise. In fact, I'm probably happier now than I have ever been. I really care for Chad a lot. And he seems to have deep feelings for me as well. I might even go as far as saying that we love each other, a lot. But we haven't been together all that long, and with my past history of rushing into things I thought it would be for the best to take it a bit slower than I usually do."

He grinned at her. "Well that's a relief. For a minute there I thought I was going to have to go up to Hikawa Shrine and face Raye's wrath so I could kick Chad's ass. So I guess this new taking it slower routine of yours means that you haven't asked him to move in with you yet."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Like you would have any room to talk if I had. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hadn't you and Jess only been dating for a few months before she moved in with you? And a few months after that you proposed to her. Talk about a whirl-wind romance, big brother. I admit that I had my suspicions for a while that you had gotten her pregnant. And don't get me started on what mom thought."

"No. Let's not go there," Andrew agreed, shuddering at the thought of his loving, but sometimes raving lunatic of a mother. Kathy Furuhata was a hopeless romantic whose sole purpose in life it seemed was to see her two children settled down and married to someone they loved. She was also very adamant that she expected grandchildren from them, and didn't hesitate to vocalize her thoughts to her son and daughter whenever she got the chance.

Andrew pushed away those thoughts. "So, what did bring you up here? Obviously it's not for business or personal reasons."

She bit her lip for a moment. "Well, actually it is a bit personal. It's about some mutual acquaintances. Just hear me out before you say anything. Okay?"

"Okay," he answered warily, wondering where she was going with this. He took a bracing sip of his coffee before leaning back in his chair and folding his hands across his stomach. "I'm listening."

"Okay," she sighed deeply. "You know that I've known about Serena, Darien, and all of the scout business for almost as long as you have. I mean, it wasn't all that hard to put together the pieces with the way they were always together and how they would all rush out of here at the same time just a few minutes before there would be an attack. Then Serena confessed to me when I asked her after she and the girls saved me that time when my pure heart crystal was stolen. Ever since then I've been sort of in the loop. I've watched as that group has grown and changed and added new members. And I count all of them as being close friends, even the stuffy outer scouts and the generals."

"So do I," Andrew replied, still mystified at her choice of subject.

Lizzy held up her hand to silence him. "I know you do. And I know you are important to them. You and Darien have been best friends for years, and Serena is practically like an adopted sister to both of us. But over the past couple of years I started seeing a change in you and in all of them."

He shot up straight in his chair in alarm. "What…"

"You said that you'd let me finish!" she snapped. "I know you look at me as just being your little sister, Drew, but I'm not stupid. When it came to their superhero lives you used to be like me, hanging on the outside fringes. But then you met Jess and everything changed. I don't know how, but I know that you are now deep in their world and so is she. And if you think for one second that I haven't been able to pick up on that something was strange about all of these teenage kids popping up out of the blue, then you must be blind. Don't forget, I know the truth about Rini and where she comes from."

Andrew felt like a deflated balloon. "I guess I have Chad to thank for some of this."

She grinned. "Nope. Actually, he's refused to talk about anything that I wasn't already supposed to be in the know about. He's stubbornly loyal to Raye and the scouts and doesn't like discussing their secrets. I figured things out on my own."

"I haven't given you enough credit, Liz," he said in amusement. "So I guess now you want the whole story."

She waved a hand. "Not until you're ready to tell it. Besides, I probably need to get back to the arcade anyway. I just want to give you one little piece of advice."

Andrew smirked. "And what would that be?"

Her hazel eyes danced humorously. "If you don't want mom to go ballistic on you at some point in the future, you may want to clue her and dad into what's going on. I'm sure that they would like the opportunity to see their grandchildren graduate from high school."

He sputtered, feeling like he had been sucker-punched in the gut. He hadn't realized she had figured out that much. "Wh…what!"

Lizzy stood up with a giggle. "I told you, I'm not stupid. Katie and Alex have Furuhata written all over them. Genetics don't lie, dear brother. Granted, Katie is more like Jess in looks and personality, but she has your eyes and knows her way around the kitchen. And although Alex seems to take after Jess's side of the family with his hair and eyes, the way he acts is a carbon copy of you. And don't get me started on how Darien thought he could pass off DJ as being his cousin. The rest of that crew was just as easy to match up. A casual observer probably wouldn't notice. But I'm not just a casual observer. Just think about what I said, okay."

Without another word, she scuttled from Andrew's office, leaving him flabbergasted. This had definitely been a conversation that he hadn't planned on having today. He'd known for a while that he would eventually have to come clean to his parents about the other side of his life, and he'd planned on doing it further down the road.

But as he thought over his sister's words he knew that she was right. He'd seen the future forms of his parents interact with his future children and knew that there was a close bond between them. But since the kids were graduating here in this time, the only way that their grandparents would be able to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas would be to let his parents in on the big secret. He owed it to them.

Slouching down into his chair, he let his mind and aura drift as he searched for Jess to see what she was doing. When he located her bright blue aura he allowed his bronze one to brush it lightly. He sensed that she was out of class and was walking across the college campus.

'Checking up on me?' her voice whispered in his head, a little bit distorted. They were still trying to perfect talking this way, and distance made it a bit more difficult.

He couldn't help but grin a little. 'Just making sure you survived the day.'

'That's debatable.' she sighed. 'The good news is that I've finished dealing with neurotic professors and a semi-psychotic Mina for the day. The bad news is that I have two more classes tomorrow. I may be dead by the end of it.'

'How about you stop by the arcade? I'll treat you to the world's best cherry coke to get your mind off things,' he offered in a cajoling tone.

She hesitated for a moment. 'I really shouldn't. I had planned on heading straight home and hitting the books.'

'Please,' he pleaded in his most convincing tone. 'I really need to see you.'

'Oh god! I know that voice,' she groaned. 'You've got those puppy dog eyes of yours hard at work.'

'Please,' he tried again, making himself sound a little bit sad. 'I want to see you. And I have something I want to talk to you about.'

'Sounds serious,' she tried to tease. 'All right, you've convinced me. Luckily for you I'm still in the Galleria. I'll be there in about five minutes. I love you.'

'I love you, too. I'll be waiting for you,' he replied before cutting their link. Then he sat there twisting his fingers in worry. He and Jess hadn't discussed when or how they would break the news about their double lives to his family, and he wasn't sure how she would take it. On one hand she may be fine with it and go along with him. On the other hand she might be completely against it.

And god help him if she was against it. With her powers and monstrous temper she might just decide to tear him into bloody little pieces and conceal the evidence.

---

Raye looked up from the paperwork on her desk at the knock on her door, grateful for any distraction that would take her attention away from the reports in front of her at the moment. She needed a breather.

"Come in," she called out almost cheerfully.

The door to her office behind the bar opened a few feet and the head of Amanda, her head bartender, poked inside. "Um, Miss Hino…" the brunette began hesitantly.

"Mandy," Raye sighed dramatically. "I've asked on at least five different occasions for you to call me Raye. You've been working for me for months now, and I know the bar wouldn't run as smoothly as it does if it weren't for you. So I think we have come far enough to drop the formalities."

Amanda smiled at her. "Right, Raye. Anyway, I hate to disturb you, but there's a man here to see you."

Raye frowned and glanced at her appointment book. "I don't remember scheduling any meetings for today. Is he a distributor rep?"

Amanda's head shook. "No. He looks really important though, salon perfect hair and a designer suit that looks like it could pay my rent for at least three months. The weird thing is…well…he says he's your father."

Raye felt the air freeze in her lungs just like she had taken a deep breath of Mercury's icy mist and her heart stuttered a couple of times before it began beating a pounding rhythm. She hadn't seen or spoken to her father in four years, not since the day he had come to the shrine and had tried to force her to move in with him because he had been afraid that she might tarnish his glossy public image by transferring to a public school and by going out with her friends to have a good time. After she had flat out refused to go with him, and had used just a bit of her fire powers to make him let her go when he'd tried to physically make her leave with him, he'd walked out of her life, she'd thought for good. So why would he suddenly seek her out on purpose when he'd made it clear that he'd wanted nothing more to do with her?

"Should I tell him that you're not available?" Amanda asked warily, seeing how still and quiet her boss had become.

Raye started to tell her yes. Heaven knew that she had harbored resentment toward her father for most of her life, and with good reason. The man had cared more about his precious career than he had his family, and he had despised the fact that both his wife and daughter had been in possession of otherworldly abilities. When his wife had been stricken by terminal illness he had left her in the care of others while he focused solely on his work. And after her mother had died, he'd sent Raye to live with her grandfather so that he wouldn't have to bother with her.

But curiosity won out over Raye's anger, and she decided to speak to him and find out what he wanted. It wasn't like he could hurt her anymore. She was an adult and a successful businesswoman. She could now meet him as an equal.

"No. I'll see him," Raye replied, getting up and walking around her desk. She took a moment to smooth the wrinkles from her knee-length black skirt and made sure her red blouse was straight before she exited the office, her black high heels clicking smartly against the floor.

Logan, her manager, looked over from where he was restocking the shelves behind the bar. He frowned at her stern expression. "Everything okay, boss lady?"

She bobbed a quick nod. "Fine. At least I think they are. I'll find out in a few minutes."

Logan's hand began moving toward the cell phone clipped on his belt. "Do I need to call Jed?"

She shook her head. "No. This isn't anything that I can't handle. Don't bother him." She didn't add that if she needed to, she could contact Jadeite in an instant through their bond. Besides, her hot-tempered fiancé held no love for her father, and it could prove disastrous to have the two of them together. She'd already sensed Jadeite feel that something had upset her, and she quickly sent him back a feeling of reassurance that she was okay. While she wasn't overly fond of her father, she really didn't want to see him turned into a human torch courtesy of Jadeite.

She spotted the tall man in the dark gray suit standing near the club's entrance, looking around, and felt her breath catch. Yeah, that was definitely her father. She'd know that straight, arrogant stance anywhere. Despite her quaking nerves, she strode toward him confidently.

The senator looked in her direction as he heard her approach, and his brown eyes widened in disbelief. "Hisana…" he whispered.

Raye couldn't help but flinch slightly at the sound of her mother's name being spoken so reverently from those lips. She stopped a few paces away from him. "Hello, Father."

He started, as if coming out of a dream. "Oh! Raye! I'm sorry. It's just that you've grown to look so much like your mother that for a moment there I thought you were her."

She let his comment slide. "What can I do for you?"

He gestured to a table not far away. "May we sit down for minute. I would like to talk to you."

Raye hesitated for the slightest minute, then she nodded, leading the way to the table. She waited until they were seated across from each other before prompting, "So, to what do I owe the honor of this unexpected visit?"

The senator looked around the club appraisingly. "You seem to have done well for yourself. From all the talk I've heard this has become quite the place to come if you want to see and be seen."

"I have been fortunate so far in this venture," she replied stiltedly. "But I don't get the feeling that you came here to talk to me about how my business is going."

He held up a placating hand. "I was just trying to get the picture of how your life has been going. That's all."

"My life has been just fine!" she snapped. "But if you are so curious I'll tell you. The last time we spoke you told me that you hoped that I had been frugal with the money that you had given to me over the years. The fact is that I had. Grandfather and I led a simple life at the shrine, so I barely ever touched your money. After you cut me off I gave some the money to a friend who is very good at investments. In just a few years he managed to make me a nice little pile of money and I used it to open this place."

Her father nodded. "Very well played, Raye. I always knew you had the strength and the brains to make it in this world. You take after me on that. I understand that your fiancés company owns the building?"

Her violet eyes narrowed, both at his praise and his mention of Jadeite. "How do you know about my engagement?"

For the first time that she could ever remember, her father's expression looked sheepish. "Well, daughter, I have to admit that I've checked on you a few times over the years to make sure that you were okay, and I know that you have been with the same man for a long time and that you live with him. I also went by the shrine before I came here. Your grandfather wasted no time in telling me that you were engaged to a good man and that you were very happy. I can also see the ring on your finger."

"Oh," Raye said as she looked down at the glinting ruby on her left hand. Then she looked back up with a hint of annoyance. "That still doesn't tell me why you're here. You swore that you were done with me."

The senator winced at her words. "I know I did. It was harsh of me to say that. I see that now. I've taken time to look back over my life, and I have to say that I am ashamed of how horribly I acted toward you and your mother."

"Don't be ashamed on my behalf," Raye snorted, tossing her head angrily. "I like who I am, and I doubt I would the person I am today if it hadn't been for you turning your back on me. But what you did to mom was inexcusable!"

His head bowed. "It was inexcusable. I knew Hisana was a Shinto priestess when I met her, and friends warned me about the rumors of her being a bit…different. They said I shouldn't marry her, but I didn't care. She was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen, and she captured my heart from the moment I saw her. So I pushed aside all of the gossip and ignored it. I believed she was perfect, and I wanted her for my wife. I proposed, and was actually a bit surprised when she accepted so easily. We were wed quickly after that, and I thought that my life couldn't get any better. Then I started to see the parts of her that everyone had been trying to tell me about; the way she would stare into space for minutes on end, as if she was seeing something that was only visible to her, and how she would answer a question of mine before I ever even had a chance to speak."

Raye sneered at him. "And that gave you the right to turn your back on her and treat her like she barely existed? She loved you! Why she did I'm not sure I'll ever figure out. But she did love you. And I believe you killed her just as much as that damn disease did! I would hear her at night, crying for you because you had left her alone. She suffered, both emotionally and physically, because of you. And maybe, just maybe, if she hadn't been so worn out and beaten down over your shitty treatment of her, she might have had enough strength to have recovered and gone on living. So don't sit there and give me your pathetic excuses."

Her father held up his hands. "I'm not giving you excuses. I'm just trying to make you see things from my perspective. I was young. I was just getting my start in politics. And I had been raised to believe that it was wrong for people to have supernatural powers. My family was very conservative, and I had grown up listening to my parents saying over and over again that psychic powers were a sign of evil. So when I realized that Hisana had some of those powers I got scared. I never believed that there was anything evil about her, but her abilities frightened me. I thought about setting her free to live her life, even if the scandal of a divorce so soon after our marriage could have had a negative impact on my career, but then she came to me one day, full of excitement, and she told me that she was pregnant. She was so happy, and I just couldn't bring myself to destroy her happiness, so we stayed married and a few months later you were born. I knew immediately that you would be like her. I thought that as long as she had you that she wouldn't need me, so I began distancing myself from her. I immersed myself in work and left your upbringing to her."

He stopped for a moment and sighed. "She was also an amazing actress. I thought she was fine with our arrangement. She hid her true feelings from me and never seemed sad when I was with her. It wasn't until later, when she fell ill, that I realized the truth. But by then I thought that there was nothing I could do. I didn't even feel worthy to be in her presence when I would visit her. So, being the coward that I am, I ran. And when she died, a large part of me died with her. Afterward, I sent you away. I knew your grandfather was better equipped to take care of you, but that wasn't the only reason why. I also sent you away to save what remained of my sanity. You were only a child, but you reminded me so much of her that it drove me crazy. I knew that keeping you in my home wouldn't be good for either one of us, so I did for you what I should have done for Hisana. I let you go."

Raye stared at her father as she felt tears beginning to prick her eyes. She had always believed this man to be a cold-hearted monster. But if his words were true, and even without using her psychic abilities she sensed they were, then he had truly, deeply loved her mother.

She sucked in a shaky breath. "Why haven't you ever told me any of this before? I've gone my whole life wondering why you married mom. I thought you hated us both because of our powers. Now you're telling me that you pushed us away out of fear of the unknown. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to you for sending me to live at the shrine. I have a great life because of it. But why didn't you come and talk to me when I was younger. Even when I was twelve I would have been able to understand what you are saying."

He shrugged. "I started to, many times. But you seemed so well adjusted to your life with your grandfather that I didn't feel like I had any place in your life. As you got older you became resentful and rebellious whenever I came around, and that would set me off. You may take a lot after your mother, but you really do have a wide streak of me in you too. I guess we just rubbed each other the wrong way. But I have been doing a lot of talking with a friend of mine lately, and she convinced me that I needed to stop being so stubborn and talk to you."

Raye's eyebrows shot up. "She? You're seeing someone?"

The senator chuckled softly. "Not in the way you are thinking. I don't think I could ever feel for anyone again the way I did your mother, and I'm certainly not looking for another marriage. But the lady in question is a widow herself and a very kind person. I enjoy her companionship. She's also a wonderful listener, and she pretty much told me that I was being stupid where you are concerned. She does have a point. You are my only child, and I'm not getting any younger. I don't want to spend the rest of my life at odds with you, Raye. I don't think Hisana would want that for either of us. I want to get to know you, if you'll give me a chance."

She swallowed hard. "Maybe we can get to know one another, but I need a little time. There is so much to take in."

"I understand," her father replied with a nod.

Raye jumped as she felt a hot hand land on her shoulder, and she tilted her head back to look into Jadeite's concerned blue eyes. She should have known that he'd come despite her mental reassurances.

"Is everything okay here?" he asked, gazing at her a long moment before lifting his eyes to spear the senator with a glare.

"Everything's fine," Raye assured him, lifting a hand to pat his on her shoulder. "My father and I were just having a little chat. I guess I should introduce you two. Father, this is my fiancé, Jadeite. Jed, this is my father, Senator Tanaka."

The senator stood and extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jadeite."

Jadeite shook the offered hand warily. "Likewise."

Suddenly, the older man's eyes widened in recognition. "I remember you. You were at the shrine the last time I visited Raye there. You looked to be in the middle of some sort of scuffle." He almost shuddered as he remembered the blonde haired young man's eyes had shot through him that day, almost like scorching blue flames. In fact, the look he was giving him now was making him feel a little hot under the collar.

"You mean the day you tried to drag Raye away from her home and the friends and family that love her? Yeah, I was there," Jadeite snarled.

Raye jumped up and placed herself between the two glaring men. "Okay! Well I think it's time for me to get back to work. Father, it was nice talking to you. Come on, Jed." She pulled on her fiancés arm.

"Just a moment, Raye," the senator called to her. He pulled a card from his pocket and quickly scribbled a number on the back of it. Then he handed it to her. "I'm not sure if you have that number or not. It's my personal cell phone, and I can be reached there day or night. Give me a call sometime."

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I will."

With a nod of his own, her father turned and left the building.

Jadeite waited until the door had closed behind the senator before demanding, "Just what the hell was that all about?"

Raye stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I'm not entirely sure yet myself, but I think it might have been a revelation. I'll let you know after I've had a chance to think it over."

---

Kathleen Furuhata stared at her son and soon to be daughter-in-law with large hazel eyes, one hand clutching her throat while the other gripped her husband's hand tightly. "I knew it," she finally whispered. "I just knew that there was something funny going on. I called it years ago…and you said I was crazy!" She turned to glare at her husband.

Poppa Andy pulled his hand from hers so that he could hold both of his up in a placating gesture. "Kathy, love, I never said you were crazy. I just thought it seemed a bit far-fetched."

She tossed her bright red head. "No. You said it was far-fetched when I mentioned the similarities between Serena and Sailor Moon. But after the arcade was trashed for a second time by one of those monsters and I said that I thought Drew knew more about what was going on than he was telling, you said I was crazy."

A frown appeared on Andy's face. "I don't remember that."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't. You always seem to come up with selective amnesia whenever I bring up any time that you were wrong in the past. I have been saying for years that I had my suspicions about who the sailor scouts and the rest of the city's protectors were, but you always brushed me off. Now I have proof in the form of a confession straight from the horse's mouth."

"Should I whinny?" Serena giggled nervously from where she was seated next to Darien on one of the sofas in Andrew and Jess's apartment.

After the talk with his sister earlier, Andrew had decided that perhaps it was for the best to let his parents in on some of the secrets in his life. He'd spoken with Jess, who had hesitantly agreed with him, and with Serena and Darien, who'd volunteered to be present during the big reveal as moral support. So he'd called up his mom and dad and invited them over for dinner. Now that the meal was over, the conversation had turned serious.

Kathleen's eyes speared the other red-head in the room. "And you, young lady, I can't say that I'm all that surprised to find out that your brother is mixed up in all of this. But now I find out that you've been in on this for years as well!"

Lizzy cringed against Chad's side. "I wasn't sure about everything, at least not at first. I only knew about Serena, Darien, and the other girls because they helped me out once. But once I knew that much it wasn't that hard to figure out. Every time their personal circle of friends grew, so did the number of fighters. And when Jess showed up the same thing happened. A new sailor scout appeared. I have to admit that Drew took me a little time to peg. I mean, who would ever guess that my nerdy, laid back brother would ever be one to go up against monsters?"

"Hey!" Andrew snapped, looking offended.

Jess patted his leg consolingly. "Don't worry, baby. I still love you."

Andy sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I don't guess there's much I can say to you two. You're both adults, and I suppose you know what you're doing. From the sound of things you've known each other for far longer than I can comprehend, and will still be together far into the future."

Kathleen clapped her hands together sharply. "Which brings us to the most important part of this particular conversation." Her gaze fixed on the two teenagers who were standing near the balcony door, looking as if they could take flight at any moment.

"Oh boy! Here we go," Katie muttered.

"Somebody please, just kill me now," Alex grumbled.

"I have grandchildren!" Kathleen shrieked as she jumped up from her seat and streaked across the room. She grabbed a twin in each hand and pushed them together so that their cheeks were smushed up against one another. "I have two beautiful, perfect grandchildren!" Thankfully, she released them after a minute, letting Katie and Alex draw in deep breaths of relief.

Katie growled low in her throat as a chuckle reached her ears, and she turned to glare at her dark haired boyfriend who was leaning up against the back of the couch. "Go ahead and yuck it up now. I'll make you pay for it later."

DJ tried and failed to erase the grin from his face. "Sorry, Kat. But that was a total Kodak moment."

Alex patted Katie on the shoulder. "Don't worry, sis. I've got your back. I'll help you dispose of his body later."

"Ooo…" Kathleen squealed. "You two are just too cute for words! I always knew that mixing Jess's genes with our family's would have exceptional results."

"And now I'm a broodmare again," Jess moaned, dropping her head to Andrew's shoulder with a thud

Andy leaned forward and placed a hand on his almost daughter's head. "She'll get most of it out of her system soon. But she'll probably be riding the high from this little revelation from now until it's time for your wedding."

Kathleen spun around, looking a bit panicked. "Oh! There's so much to do and so little time to do it between graduations and the wedding. Jess, darling, are you sure your dress situation is under control?"

Jess smiled and nodded. "Yes ma'am. In fact I got to try on the finished product today. Mina came through like a champ for me. So everything is fine on that end."

"And what about something to wear for your graduation?" Kathleen insisted. "I know it will be covered by a gown for part of the time, but you still need something nice."

"Just open any closet in this place and take your pick," Andrew grouched. "The woman has enough clothes to outfit a small country thanks to her shopping habits. And yet for some reason she still insists on stealing my…ouch!" he broke off with a pained hiss.

Jess's expression appeared innocent as she lifted her foot from where it had been grinding Andrew's toes into the carpet. "All of us graduates are set. The only thing left to do is get the exams behind us and we'll be ready to walk across those stages."

Kathleen tapped her chin. "That brings up another thing. If I'm going to get to see my grandchildren graduate from high school, I want to hear them called by their real names."

"Mom…" Andrew groaned as he cradled his sore foot in his lap. "There's not anything we can do about that. Trista did what she to do at the time to get them here and set up."

"Actually," Serena broke in hesitantly. "Trista kinda saw this coming, so she's already worked her mojo or whatever it is. She called me earlier and told me that Katie and Alex are free to use the last name Furuhata again, and that nobody should know the difference."

"Sweet!" Alex crowed happily.

Katie slumped back against the wall behind her. "Thank goodness. Now I feel like I'm really myself again."

Darien leaned over as the members of the Furuhata clan began jabbering together to whisper in Serena's ear, "I guess we really weren't needed here all that much."

She looked up at him with wide blue eyes. "I don't know. We did help out with some of the explanations. And I think having us here to back them up helped persuade Andrew's parents that he and Jess hadn't gone crazy or started doing drugs."

A snicker left Darien as he saw the newly pronounced grandmother claim the twins for another hug. "I don't think Momma Kathy would care if Drew and Jess stripped naked and started doing a pagan ritual dance in front of the arcade for the entire city to see as long as she gets grandchildren out of the deal."

Serena rolled her eyes. "My mom is just as bad. She's really hyped up over Rini and DJ graduating, which has my dad completely confused. I mean he gets it about Rini, since he still believes she's his niece, but he doesn't understand why mom is so hung up on DJ. I've almost thought about confessing to him just to let the poor man off the hook, but I have to admit that it's almost comical to see the way mom handles him. She keeps daddy so twisted around that he doesn't know which way is up. Besides, I just don't feel like the time is right to tell him yet. It may do more harm than good."

Darien shuddered at the thought of Ken Tsukino coming after him with a murderous intent. True, the man was an ordinary human, and Darien could defend himself against him with both his arms and legs bound while probably being asleep as well, but he was Serena's father. And deep down, Darien truly liked and respected his future father-in-law. After all, Ken was half responsible for making sure that Serena had been reborn in this time and had helped raise her into the wonderful woman that she was today. But he was just so darn overprotective!

"Yeah," he agreed emphatically. "Now is probably not the best time to drop a bomb on him like that. And I seriously doubt he will handle all of our secrets as well as Big Andy has."

"It's true," DJ said, coming over to lean on the arm of the couch next to them. "Dear old grandpa is not exactly what I would call the most level-headed of people. Oh the stories I could tell you if I didn't have t worry about Pluto breaking badass all over me. I've seen him go ballistic over some of the tiniest things. He's calmed down some in recent years. But I suspect grandma has been spiking his coffee with Xanax or something. But of course she would never admit it if I asked her."

"We women can be deep wells of secrets sometimes," Serena told him with a giggle. Then her eyes slid slyly over to a certain blonde teenage girl. "But I suppose you'll figure that out for yourself as time goes on."

"Ha!" DJ snorted. "Believe me. That's one lesson that I have already learned. But I've come to the conclusion that it's probably best for you women to keep your secrets. Everyone is happier that way."

"Smart boy," Darien praised him.

DJ looked over at Katie, who was now inviting her grandparents to come to the talent show at the high school on Friday night, and smirked. Sure, girls could keep a secret, but guys could too. He and Alex were proof enough of that. He could still see the shock on both of their fathers' faces when they had informed them before they had left Crystal Tokyo to return to the past that they were going to accept the college offers to Harvard and MIT. After Endymion and Andrew had gotten over their surprise, they had promised the boys that they would take care of all of the necessary paperwork and start looking for an apartment for the two to live in. He knew the men were even more perplexed when they heard that Katie and Emma were both going to be attending Julliard in New York, and they had to be wondering about what that would do to the young relationships. But what the parental units didn't know for now wouldn't hurt them.

Katie looked up and met his sparkling blue eyes with her hazel ones and gave him a smile. She could sense through their soul bond that he was tickled about the secret that they were keeping from everyone. But the good thing was that, unlike the telepathic link they had shared while under the influence of the gods' powers, it was possible to keep some things to yourself with a soul bond. She knew her prince would be flabbergasted to find out that she had confessed to her mother, Serenity, and Mina that the three of them had kept the power of teleportation after the fight with Discord. The three women didn't seem at all surprised. In fact, they had supported her in agreeing that the overprotective fathers in question didn't need to know about it for now and had promised to keep it a secret just between them. Then they started making plans for the two girls' upcoming college adventure.

Darien nudged Serena's shoulder with his as he glanced between the two teens staring at each other and murmured, "Do you get the feeling that we are being left out of something?"

Serena surveyed them for a moment interpreting the secretive smile playing around Katie's lips with womanly intuition. Then she turned to grin at Darien. "Nope! I think they are just having a moment. Now, do you think Drew has something yummy stashed in the kitchen for dessert?"

---

'You can do this. You CAN do THIS!'

"No I can't. I can't do this," Katie whispered to herself, arguing with the voice of her conscience that was yelling at her inside her head. "I can't go out there. I'll choke, or pass out…knowing me I'll probably do both."

It was Friday night, and the auditorium of Azabu High School was packed to beyond capacity with students and family members who had turned out for the school's annual end of the year talent show. The rivalry between the different departments had grown to legendary proportions over the years, but none was stronger than the one between the music and the drama departments. Occasionally a dance or gymnastics routine would sneak in and steal the prize, but nine times out of ten the winners were either music or drama students.

Michelle smiled as she ducked backstage to check in with her group. "Is everybody doing okay?"

Emma nodded hesitantly. "I'm fine, just a bit nervous."

"That's understandable," Michelle soothed her. "Jayden, how about you?"

The blonde boy looked up from where he had been plucking at the strings of his guitar. "I'll be okay once I get out there. It's the waiting that is killing me."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," the aqua-haired teacher assured him. Then she turned to the last member of her group. "Katie?"

Katie's hazel eyes flew open and she started violently at the sound of her name. "What am I doing here? I shouldn't be here. I must have been insane to agree to this. How do I always get myself into these situations?"

"At least you haven't run for the bathroom yet. The show is over if you do," a voice snickered behind her.

"Shut up, Alex!" she cried, whirling around to glare at her smirking brother, who was standing next to Emma.

He held up his hands. "I'm just saying!"

"Boy, you must have a death wish," DJ chuckled darkly from where he had been leaning against the wall nearby. He'd tried calming Katie down a couple of times, but she was in such a state that he finally decided to back off and give her some space.

Hannah giggled from her place beside Jayden. "He does seem to be slightly suicidal, doesn't he?"

"Ha ha! Very funny," Alex drawled sarcastically. "I don't see anything wrong with me picking on my sister a little bit in an attempt to cheer her up."

Katie appreciated the attempt, even if it really didn't help, so she gave her twin a tremulous smile. "Thanks, bro."

Unable to stand watching her pacing and hand-wringing for another moment, DJ stepped forward and pulled Katie into a tight embrace. "Don't be afraid to go out there and show these people exactly what you can do. I believe in you, Kat. I always have, even through all the years of picking and fighting. You can do this."

She relaxed a bit and gave a shaky giggle as she hugged him around the neck. "Well, I did help take out one of the biggest badasses in the universe. Going onstage to perform a song should be a cakewalk after that."

He pulled back just a bit to lean his forehead against hers, black bangs tangling with the pale blonde. "Just look for me if you start feeling too nervous. I'll be sending as much strength as I can to you." Then, between their bodies where no one could see, he flicked a wrist and produced a perfect, white, thornless rose.

Katie took it from him and held it up to her nose to sniff its delicate fragrance. Then she smiled as she slipped it into the sash of the black dress she was wearing. "This is just like my first performance all over again."

He grinned. "Yeah. But I promise you that this night will have a much happier ending than that one. I can't wait to hear your song, since you've refused to let any of us hear it besides Emma and Jay up until now."

"The music part turned out okay. I'm just not too sure about the lyrics. I just sort of wrote out what I was feeling at the time. I'm hoping Emma's voice will make them sound better," she grumbled.

"I'm sure they're great," he insisted.

Just then the show's director walked through and bellowed, "We need to clear this area! Competitors and teachers only allowed here! All spectators please return to your seats!"

There was only time for them to exchange a quick kiss before he left with a pouting Alex and Hannah.

Katie grabbed Emma's hand as they went to stand with Jayden and Michelle in the wing leading to the stage. "Em, what do I do if DJ figures out I wrote the song about him?"

Emma smiled and flash her and her mother's trademark V sign. "Silly! Of course he's going to know you wrote it about him. Who else would you write a song like that for? And the big dummy better appreciate it. If he doesn't, just tell me and I'll sic Alex on him."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. That would make everything better." Then the two girls giggled.

"Just a few more minutes," Michelle murmured. "You three are up next."

They nodded as they looked out toward the stage where a quartet of drama students were acting out a scene from some play. None of them were sure what play it was from, but it sounded very dull and dry.

Jayden chuckled softly. "Well, even if we bomb I think the music department has a good shot at this. There have been some other acts tonight that were pretty good."

"Hmm…" Michelle mused. "Yes, some of the students from the choir, band, and some of my lower level classes have done quite well. But you three are from my advanced class. Forgive me if my expectations of you run a bit high."

"Geez! No pressure or anything," Katie muttered.

Finally, the drama act came to an end and the students filed off the stage. A few stagehands ran around, readjusting microphones, setting up a stool, and rolling out the piano that had been waiting over to the side.

Then the principal took the stage and began to speak to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen! Our next act comes to us from Miss Michelle Kaioh's Advanced Music and Composition class. The song they will be performing was composed by one of her students, Kathleen Furuhata, who will be playing the piano for us tonight. She will be joined by Jayden Hino on the guitar and Emmaline Aino on vocals."

'This is it,' Katie thought as she walked out onto the stage with Emma and Jayden amid polite applause. There were also several loud cheers coming from somewhere in the middle of the crowd, and she didn't have to look to know that they were coming from her extended family.

Emma giggled slightly and whispered, "Well they weren't hard to find, were they?"

Jayden began grinning. "I could get used to this."

"Focus, you two," Katie growled, not allowing herself to look out at the crowd or at the teachers and students in the front row that had been chosen as judges. Instead, she waited until she had taken her seat at the piano before she looked up.

Even without knowing which direction to look in, thanks to the cheers, her hazel eyes immediately met the soft blue ones she was looking for. DJ smiled and winked at her and mouthed, 'I love you,' to her as she heard those same words whisper softly through her head.

Feeling empowered, she looked to her companions to see if they were ready. Jayden had taken his spot, perched on the stool on the opposite side of the stage, while Emma was front and center in front of the microphone. All three of them had opted to wear all black this evening, and it gave them a slightly mysterious look even under the bright stage lights. They all three nodded to each other to signal that they were ready.

Katie placed her fingers on the piano keys, and then she began playing. Jayden's guitar thrummed to life just a few beats later. The melody was soft to begin with, but held the promise of more to come. After a few measures, Emma began singing into the microphone, and her clear soprano washed over the crowd.

I was at a crossroads in my life
Wondering which way was wrong and which was right
I was a lost and lonely mannequin
Refusing to let anyone in

You are the light to my dark
You hold the key to my heart
I never fear
When you are near
'Cause I know you're with me

The darkest time's before the dawn
But as I'm wrapped up in your arms
I see the light
It shines so bright
You are my star

But through it all you stood by me
And over time you helped me see
There's more to me than meets the eye
Still I'm stronger with you by my side

I need you with me night and day
To help me keep the monsters at bay

You are the light to my dark
You hold the key to my heart
I never fear
When you are near
'Cause I know you're with me

The darkest time's before the dawn
But as I'm wrapped up in your arms
I see the light
It shines so bright
You are my star

Emma's voice faded away on that last note as Katie and Jayden finished out the final closing chords. The music had barely come to an end when the entire auditorium came alive with applause and cheering.

Katie came out of the dream world that she usually retreated into when she played. As always, she was a bit surprised to find that the song was already over. It felt like only a few seconds had passed since she'd sat down. She hurriedly got up from the bench and went to the front of the stage to join Emma and Jayden in taking a bow.

The next few minutes were a blur as they were swept backstage again. She vaguely recalled Michelle gushing over them and several classmates congratulating them on a

stellar performance. Since they were done until the end of the show, they were allowed to leave the backstage area to go mingle with family and friends. Emma and Jayden practically dragged her behind them in their hurry to and find their group. Or, more specifically, to find Alex and Hannah.

They had barely stepped out the back doors that led outside behind the building when they were ambushed by their wacky extended family. The three of them were hugged, congratulated, and passed around so much in just a couple of minutes that they began to feel like rag dolls.

"Omigosh!" Jess gushed as she engulfed Katie in yet another hug. "That was absolutely amazing! Of course I always knew that you guys would be great. But still, that was a beautiful performance."

"I'll say it was," Andrew agreed as he skillfully saved his future daughter from a possible mauling. "I don't think there was a seat in the house left occupied. Everyone was on their feet."

"I guess we did okay," Katie murmured, flushing a bit under their praise. Glancing up through her lashes, she looked around for her boyfriend. Her heart leapt for a moment when she caught sight of a head full of messy, silky, jet-black hair, and then sank a bit when she realized that it was Darien and not DJ.

She nudged Alex, who was next to her wrapping Emma in an enormous hug while under a beaming smile from Mina and a dark scowl from Kunzite. "Hey, Lex, do you have any idea where DJ is? Wasn't he with you?"

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, he was until just a few seconds ago. He may have stepped away for a minute. I think your song kinda got to him, sis."

"For crying out loud!" she hissed. "I don't see why everybody is making such a big ordeal over it. Lyrics are so not my forte. I just threw something simple together."

"But they came from your heart," Emma giggled. "Simple words can say more than all the flowery speeches in the world. I told you it was good when I first read it. Maybe now you'll believe me."

Katie closed her eyes, intending to use her aura to find DJ. But before she could she was grabbed by hand that was as familiar as her own and pulled around the corner of the building. She gasped as she was moved so that her back was pressed up against the brick wall.

Then a face was buried in the crook of her neck and warm breath was brushing her ear as DJ murmured huskily, "You are, without a doubt, the most amazing, talented, and beautiful woman in the history of the world."

She giggled breathlessly. "It was just a song."

He pulled back just a bit to look down at her with shining blue eyes. "It was more than that. Those words…it was like you had laid your heart open for everyone to see. And it was aimed at me."

"Who else would I write a love song about?" she asked teasingly as she reached up and cupped his cheek in her palm. Then she gave a start. "Are you crying?"

His eyes were definitely shinier than usual, but he shook his head. "No. I almost did though. That's why I felt like I needed to get away for a moment and pull myself together. Alex and the others would never let me live it down if I started blubbering like a baby."

She smiled up at him. "I still can't believe it affected you so much. It was just something I threw together one night when I couldn't sleep. I hadn't planned on writing lyrics to that song, but I was thinking about you and it just sort of spilled out. I only wrote down what I felt. For so long I felt like I was alone in the dark. I know I had my family and other friends around me, but you were the bright beacon that stayed constant and lit my way back home again."

He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers as a single tear fell from the corner of his eye and slid down his cheek. "Damn it! Now you really are going to make me cry if you keep talking like that."

"Well…" she drawled mischievously as she wiped the tear away with her thumb. "Maybe you can find some way to shut me up."

"I think I can accommodate you, my lady," he whispered in the second before his lips swooped down to claim hers in a commanding, yet gentle, kiss.

Katie sighed softly into his mouth as her hands moved around to the back of his head so that her fingers could tangle in the black silk of his hair. She pulled lightly at him so that he moved even closer, effectively trapping her between his body and the brick wall behind her. She tilted her head slightly to deepen the kiss.

"Aw…gack! It burns! Make it stop! Where's the eye bleach when I need it?" Alex's horrified voice screeched, shattering their moment.

DJ pulled back from Katie with a growl. "Remind me to kill him later."

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at him. Then she fixed a stern expression on her face as she turned to glare at her brother. "Very funny, Lex! You know, most civilized people would have been polite enough to turn away and pretend that they hadn't seen anything."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, believe me, I wish I could forget the last several seconds. But unfortunately I was the one nominated to come and hunt you two down. The show is getting ready to wrap up soon. And I'm sure you want to hear who the winner is."

"Oh god!" she gasped, suddenly pale. "All this time I've been focusing mainly on the performance itself, not on whether Emma, Jay, and I actually had a shot at winning this thing."

DJ took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Of course you guys have a shot at the win. Your performance was sensational. The judges would have to be blind to not see that."

He was right, of course, and it was an ecstatic group of people who spilled out of the high school about an hour later. Katie, Emma, and Jayden still wore looks of disbelief on their faces as they clutched their first place trophies tightly to their chests. And Michelle wore a smug expression of extreme satisfaction. Not only had some of her students won the show, but music acts had also taken second and third place as well.

"Well," she purred, almost cat-like, "Let's just see what the drama department thinks of that little sweep. I bet that will make them keep their mouths shut for a while."

---

A/N Okay! So one more chapter probably to go to get people graduated and married. I've got parts of it written already, but I'm not sure how long it will be yet. So how that turns out will determine if I will do a separate epilogue or roll them into one. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. My only other uncompleted story right now, A Star-Crossed Love, is still on hiatus for now, though I hope to revive it soon as well. But just because I've been out of the loop doesn't mean that I haven't been writing at all. All of my bottled up angst has helped fuel a few other projects that I hope to be able to do something with soon. I just don't want to get in over my head again with too many uncompleted stories going on, so I've got to decide which one I want to focus on the most. Just to get some feedback from you guys, I think I'll put a poll on my profile page. So if you get a chance, stop by and take a look. That's enough out of me. Remember, reviews are much loved and appreciated! Lots of love and hugs to you all! Later!

~Sere~