Why me, Trista cried. It didn't seem fair—why was she being punished this way? All it took was that one night, she thought miserably. Hopefully he'll still want to marry me.

She sat in her tower, thinking of what this baby would bring. Surely, Trista considered, this happened for a reason. Perhaps the baby's birth will be the start of something new. It must be a vital person for Fate to prevent me from knowing for so long about it.

She heard a knock on her door. Drying her eyes with the washcloth Amarina had brought her, Trista called out, "Come in."

The door opened with a concerned Hades behind it. "Trista? Are you alright?"

She sniffed. "Nothing."

"You cannot lie to me, Trista. I can see it in your eyes. What is wrong?"

She stared into her lover's cold eyes. "I…um…well, it's a strange thing…but I have to know—are you going to marry me, no matter what?"

Hades seemed taken aback. "Well, of course, my dear. Now tell me, what is the matter?"

Trista took a deep breath. "We're going to have a baby."

Hades raised his eyebrows. "How wonderful!"

"We're not married."

"Oh yeah. Well, we can remedy that in almost no time. I think perhaps you should return to the upper world and tell your friends. Perhaps I can convince Fate to allow us to be married in your world. She has not let me go up there in the longest time…"

"I don't know. I mean…I wanted a small wedding, nothing too fancy."

"But your friends…surely they would want to witness this."

"True," spoke Trista thoughtfully.

***************************************************

Fate was known for making small allowances for people who wanted to do something out of the ordinary. She was not known for choosing favorites—in her opinion, everyone was the same and they all had their own decisions to make in life.

There are still exceptions, though, as this time was such one. Allowing the temporary transport of Hades to the live world of Earth was an unusual request, but one she granted in lieu of telling Trista her destiny.

It was a small ceremony, with only the scouts present. Serena, of course, was excited to have her own wedding date, while the rest of the girls looked at her and Darien with envy (with the exception of Michelle and Amara, of course). Trista wore a dark green dress, feeling that wearing white at this time would be inappropriate. Hades was dressed in a black tailor-made suit (helped by Kito and Amarina, his servants).

Fate was there herself, though only a shadow to watch the wedding itself. She seemed satisfied with the way things were proceeding, and left to return to her tower, watching the lives of others through her orb.

During the reception, Hotaru approached Trista. "I'm so happy for you, Trista. I know you're going to be very happy."

"Thank you, Hotaru. That's very sweet of you."

"I also know what else you're hiding."

Smart child. But how could she know? "Please, if you do know, let's not discuss it here," Trista pleaded.

Hotaru nodded. "I know. Just don't be afraid, Trista." She put her hand on Trista's stomach and smiled. "It's a girl."

Trista took the young girl's hand off her stomach. "Please. Later." Trista was trying not to think of the responsibility and the secret of the child. She vaguely wondered if it would be a sailor scout one day, especially since Hotaru's pronouncement that it was a girl.

Hades came over to her. "Strange," he remarked. "My brother didn't show up. Fate said he was allowed to watch the festivities."

"Perhaps he felt he was needed elsewhere," replied Trista. The location of Hades' brother did not concern her—her mind was still on the baby.

He noticed she was distracted. "Ah, my dear Trista—you have made me the happiest man in the world of the living and the dead. Do not fret for what is to come, for we will face it together."

She smiled, remembering exactly why she married him.

"Hey Trista," called out Michelle. She walked over to the bride. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," replied the blushing bride.

"Don't take offense to this—but have you gained weight? They must feed you well in the Underworld…"

Trista wanted to do a facepalm in the middle of the room.

****************************************************************************************************

There was no honeymoon for the couple, for the two of them felt that they had all the privacy they needed in the huge castle and they both had to return to their duties.

"Ah, it's so good to be home," Hades said as he and Trista strode through the castle doors.

Trista replied, "You know, I was supposed to only make visits to the underworld, but now I'm only making visits to the Earth."

"Yes. Isn't it strange how things work out?" Hades headed towards the large hall. He stopped when he realized Trista wasn't walking with him anymore. He looked at her with an understanding look on his face. "You miss them, don't you? Your friends, I mean."

She nodded. "Yes. I know we just returned though…but being with them reminds me of the old days."

Hades took her hands into his. "You can go anytime you want. Just stay with me for a little while."

Trista smiled and looked into her husband's eyes. "Thank you."

"Of course. Now, we should make some arrangements for our little newcomer."

Why did everyone want to talk about the baby when she didn't?