Don't Leave Me, Mama

A tall, muscular man stood in the doorway, saying nothing. His eyes pierced through Phoebe like a sword. Phoebe opened her mouth to speak again, but Frederick raised his hand to silence her.

"You know exactly why I'm here" Frederick said gruffly. "I know Helios came to warn you. Didn't he?" Phoebe didn't say a word. She turned her eyes away from Frederick, and he reached out to grab her face and make her look at him. "Didn't he?" Frederick repeated, staring coldly into Phoebe's eyes. Phoebe pulled Frederick's hand off her and took a step back.

"So what if he did?" Phoebe asked smugly. Jadeite quietly watched the entire confrontation between his parents unfold, tears stinging the backs of his eyes.

"Well, then you know what's going to happen. In fact, you might know too much" Frederick hissed, his hot breath settling on Phoebe's cheek like morning dew on a window pane. She jerked her head back and stepped back once more, realizing that she was now against the wall, with nowhere to go.

"Stay away from me" she hissed back.

"What are you going to do?" Frederick challenged. "Kill me?" A smirk appeared on his lips as he daringly took another step forward. The bravery in Phoebe's eyes quickly turned to fear. Frederick reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a dagger. The shiny metal blade glistened beneath the flickering candlelight. He raised it, and just when he was about to strike, Jadeite darted out of the bedroom and stood between Frederick and Phoebe.

"Don't!" he pleaded, tears forming in his eyes. Frederick lowered the dagger, and the look in his eyes softened. The dagger slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. Frederick stood speechless. This was the first time he had seen his son since he was a baby.

"Jadeite" he murmured. Jadeite looked at him, confused.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, his voice shaking. Frederick paused for a moment, breaking eye contact with Jadeite. Finally, he looked his son in the eyes once more and spoke.

"I'm your father" he said quietly. Jadeite looked at him, his eyes wide.

"What? But how? You've been gone so long I thought you died…" Jadeite said, still in disbelief. Frederick shook his head.

"I'm sorry I worried you" Frederick said softly, stepping toward Jadeite.

"Don't touch him" Phoebe hissed. "He's not your son." Frederick glared at her, turning to face her directly.

"It took two people to make him, and if I remember correctly, I was one of them" Frederick argued, walking toward Phoebe.

"You left" she shot back. "You have no right to call yourself his father when you haven't been here at all." Without a word, Frederick reached out and slapped Phoebe across the face, causing Jadeite to wince. Phoebe brought her hand up to her face in shock, then turned to Jadeite. "Go back to your room" she ordered frantically.

"But, mama—" Jadeite tried to protest, but Phoebe cut him off.

"It's not safe for you right now. You need to go" she said shakily. Jadeite turned and walked into his room, then sat on his bed and listened as his parents continued to argue. Shaking, he buried his face in his knees and prayed they would stop soon.

"Don't worry, young one." Helios' voice echoed in Jadeite's head, and he looked up. He could feel Helios' presence, but he was nowhere to be found. As his parents' shouting intensified, Jadeite grew more fearful of his safety. He looked at the window, and got an idea. He quietly slid the window open just enough to fit through, and once he was outside, he ran. The dirt and rocks stung the bottoms of his bare feet, but he felt nothing. He ran until he reached the one place he knew he was safe.

"Helios?" he asked, his voice panicked. Helios turned, and when he saw the boy, his eyes filled with worry.

"What's the matter?" Helios asked, walking toward Jadeite.

"My…my dad came back, and he tried to hurt Mama" Jadeite said, gasping for breath between words. The young boy collapsed to his knees, and Helios knelt beside him.

"So, you decided to run away?" Helios asked, mildly disappointed. Jadeite hung his head, tears falling from his eyes and landing on the grass.

"I'm sorry" he sobbed. "I was afraid. I didn't know what else to do."

"Jadeite, there are many times in your life that you will be afraid. The worst thing you can do in those situations is run."

"I'm sorry" he repeated. Helios gently lifted Jadeite's head and looked him in the eyes.

"There is still time. Hurry back before it's too late." Jadeite nodded and stood up, thanking Helios before turning and running back to the house. He came through the front door and saw his parents still arguing. Frederick bent down to pick up the dagger, then turned to face Phoebe.

"So, what have you decided?" he asked, sneering. Phoebe exhaled sharply and opened her mouth, her words barely audible.

"I won't go" she said shakily. "I can't leave my son."

"I told you, he's OUR son" Frederick roared, bringing the dagger down to cut Phoebe. Jadeite darted in front of him, taking the wound in place of his mother. He stood there in shock, unsure of what had just happened. He slowly raised his hand and touched his cheek, bringing it down to find it stained with blood.

"You monster!" Phoebe shouted, lunging forward and knocking Frederick to the floor. "Get out! Now!" Frederick stood up and grumbled under his breath, then looked Phoebe coldly in the eyes.

"Fine. You have three days to make your decision. I'll be back." He stormed out the door and slammed it behind him. Phoebe knelt beside Jadeite, shaking.

"I'm so sorry" she sobbed.

"It's okay, mama. It doesn't hurt that much." Phoebe shakily stood up and walked to the kitchen, picking up a dish rag and wetting it, then walking back over to where Jadeite was. She gently dabbed at the cut until the bleeding stopped, then scooped Jadeite into her arms and cried. The realization that she only had three days left to spend with him, no matter what she chose, was heartbreaking. Jadeite snuggled closer to her and sighed. After several moments, Phoebe spoke.

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" she asked. Jadeite nodded, and the two of them walked to her bedroom. The last time he had seen it, the walls were decorated with pictures of Phoebe and Frederick from their happier days, and those were now gone. The blank walls stared back at Jadeite as he climbed into the bed and snuggled close to Phoebe once again. The Jadeite stone that Phoebe received from Helios glittered on her dresser, catching his eye. He sat up and looked towards it, curious.

"Mama, what's that?" he asked, pointing at it. She walked over and picked it up, bringing it over to him and placing it in his hand.

"It's a Jadeite stone" Phoebe said with a smile. "Helios brought it to me when you were born, and that's where your name came from" she explained as Jadeite listened in awe. He looked down at the stone in his hand and it glittered once again. Phoebe gently closed his fingers around it, keeping her hand on his for a moment after. "I want you to keep it" she said softly.

"What for, mama?"

"So you'll have something to remember me by" Phoebe replied, avoiding eye contact with Jadeite as she spoke. Jadeite reached over and touched her cheek. Tears filled his eyes as he responded to her words.

"I love you, mama." Phoebe turned to look at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I love you too" she whispered. The two of them climbed under the blanket and attempted to get some sleep. Soon after falling asleep, Jadeite began to dream.

It was a perfect day. The sun shone down brightly on the white walls of the king's palace. Outside in the courtyard, Jadeite was leaning against a tree. He was older, and dressed in magnificent white clothing with blue detailing. The cape draped over his shoulders fluttered gently in the wind. He closed his eyes contentedly and sighed, enjoying the tranquility of the day. After a brief moment, a voice he didn't recognize cut through the quietness, snapping him out of his daze.

"Serenity? Where are you?" It was a female's voice. She sounded agitated, and slightly worried. Jadeite turned slightly and noticed a woman he had not seen before. She had long black hair that cascaded down her back and reflected purple in the sunlight, and beautiful dark eyes that did the same. Jadeite stepped up next to her and cleared his throat. The woman jumped slightly and turned to look at him, her eyes flickering with fear.

"Are you alright?" he asked calmly. The woman sighed and smoothed out her short red skirt, then looked at him.

"I…I'm sorry for trespassing" she said softly. "I was looking for someone."

"Maybe I can help" Jadeite said with a smile.

"Do you know Princess Serenity?" the woman asked. Jadeite nodded, then spoke.

"Yes, I do. She comes here often to see Endymion." The woman nodded her head, then let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's what I thought" she muttered. "Do you know if she's here now?" Jadeite nodded and began to walk away, motioning for the woman to follow him.

"There they are" he said, pointing to a large tree. A man with dark hair and blue eyes sat underneath it, and a woman with long blonde hair laid next to him, her head resting in his lap.

"Serenity" the dark haired woman called out. The blonde lifted her head, and her eyes widened when she saw her.

"Oh, Sailor Mars!" she squeaked.

"You know you're not supposed to leave without permission" Mars scolded. "I have to take you back now. Your mother is worried sick." Serenity sighed and got up, smoothing out her white dress as she stood. The man stood up as well and embraced Serenity.

"I'll see you again soon" he promised her. Jadeite stepped up next to Endymion and the two men watched the women walk away.

"Sailor Mars…" Jadeite murmured.

Jadeite felt a hand on his shoulder, and opened his eyes to find that he was back in his mother's bed. She was standing over him, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You tossed and turned all night."

"I'm fine, mama. I had a strange dream though."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Phoebe asked, sitting on the bed next to him.

"It was about a girl…" Jadeite replied. "Well, sort of. I don't know who she was, but she was looking for a princess."

"That's interesting" Phoebe said, urging him to go on.

"Yeah, it was. In the dream, I really liked her."

"Well, you know, someday you will meet a girl you like, and you'll probably get married and have a family" Phoebe said with a wink. Jadeite wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

"I don't know about that" he said, giggling.

"Trust me, you will" Phoebe assured him. "Now, what do you say we get up, and get ready for the day?"

That day, and the next two, passed by far too quickly for their liking. Today was the day Phoebe's fate would be decided. She still hadn't made up her mind, but she knew whatever she chose, she had to make sure Jadeite wouldn't suffer like she was bound to. That night, as Phoebe and Jadeite were finishing up with dinner, there was a loud banging on the door. Phoebe sucked in a breath, looked at Jadeite, and walked to the door to answer it. When she opened it, Frederick was standing there, just as she feared he would be.

"Have you decided?" Frederick asked, staring at her coldly. There were two men with him, and their expressions were just as icy as his.

"I..." Phoebe paused for a moment and looked at Jadeite, and in that one short moment, she knew what she had to do.

"Well?" one of the other men asked.

"You have to promise me something first" Phoebe said.

"What?" Frederick asked.

"You have to promise that no harm will come to our son." Frederick paused for a moment and looked at Jadeite, whose blue-gray eyes were filled with fear.

"Fine" Frederick sighed. "Now, are you coming, or do I have to take your heart back to Queen Metalia in this?" he asked, holding out a pine box. Phoebe looked back at Jadeite one last time, and before she could give her answer, Jadeite ran forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"Please don't leave me" he sobbed. Phoebe knelt down next to him and hugged him tightly, tears filling her eyes.

"I have to" she whispered. "Everything will be okay. You have to believe me. Can you do that?" she asked, pulling away from him just enough to look into his eyes. He sniffled and brushed the tears from his cheeks.

"I believe you, mama" he whispered, hugging her for the last time. Phoebe stood and took in a shaky breath, then turned to face Frederick and the other two men.

"I will go with you" she said. She followed them out the door. Before she disappeared from sight, she turned to look at her son one more time.

"I will always be with you" she said before being pulled away. Jadeite was now alone for the first time in his life, but something inside him told him not to be afraid. He pulled the green Jadeite stone out of his pocket and held it tightly, kissing it before putting it back. He then crawled into his bed and pulled the blanket over his head, attempting to get some sleep.

Jadeite awoke the next morning, half expecting the events of the previous night to be a dream. He wanted to crawl out of bed, walk into the kitchen and find Phoebe there, as she was nearly every morning. Instead of this expectation, he was faced with a cold, harsh reality. She was really gone. Jadeite decided to pay Helios a visit. Maybe that would make him feel better.

When Jadeite arrived by Helios' secret hiding place, he was greeted by a pair of sad eyes in place of Helios' usually peaceful ones. Before Jadeite could say a word, Helios spoke.

"You're not alone" he assured the boy. "This is just part of your destiny." Jadeite looked at him and blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"You will know soon" Helios assured him once more, before disappearing from sight. A moment later, Jadeite heard a voice crying out in the distance.

"Someone, please help me!" Jadeite immediately felt that he had to do something, so he ran, following the voice. He soon stumbled on a boy who looked to be around his age. The boy had wavy brown hair and blue eyes.

"A-Are you okay?" Jadeite stuttered. The second boy looked at him and shook his head.

"They…they took my parents" he said, still in shock. Jadeite immediately knew who the boy was referring to.

"They took mine too" he said softly. The second boy managed a small smile, and stuck out his hand.

"My name's Nephrite. What's yours?"