We do not own "Sailor Moon" nor any of the characters.

"SAILOR MOON ETERNAL"

The 6th Season of the Sailor Moon Saga

Chapter 17

"My Heart Will Go on"

Later in the afternoon, back at the house, Robin sits in Michelle's studio, quietly sipping a cup of tea, carefully studying the many canvases and sketches scattered throughout the room. Each was a spectacular, vivid portrayal of a particular subject, whether it be some sort of sea life—which he found the bulk were based on—or of a person—

Actually, only one person, in truth.

"Alex." Robin says her name out loud as he sifts through several of the sketches he held on his lap of the tall woman in various dress and poses, stunning in her natural beauty.

"I don't know why, but Michelle always insists on drawing me." Right on cue, the real live Alex opens the door to the studio, dressed in a sporty button-up shirt—men's style, of course—and blue-grey pants, looking rested and more her normal self after yesterday's harrowing ordeal.

But Robin was not startled by her sudden appearance, he possessing a strange awareness of Amaralexis Sokova's very being. No doubt, this was a result of his link with Michelle and subsequently her bond with her cousin, her partner, the other half of her soul.

"You know why." Robin takes another sip of his tea before meeting Alex's hard gaze upon him. The self-confident young man was wholly unafraid of the overpowering stare of the towering soldier, knowing what she and Michelle meant to each other, for Michelle's heart was an open book to him. Smiling wryly with a small snort, Alex walks into the room past him, going to the window.

"So where is everyone? Don't tell me it's only you and me left here." She takes a swipe at her favorite member of the Three Lights. That auspicious title used to belong to the dark haired, dark-eyed lead singer, but that shape shifting Starlight had been doing a number on her perplexed emotions as of late.

Now as for this one who was messing around with Michelle, body and soul…

"Scary." Robin jabs back with a coyly smiling snigger, as Alex shoots him a forbidding look.

"Don't start on me, Shrimp." She walks past him to the living room, acting quite superior to the shorter man, and quite enjoying it. His ego was becoming increasingly bruised by her disparaging moniker for him, and trailing her, Robin's sharp tongue was on the verge of snapping back some sort of retort, when they both hear a car pull up.

Rini and Tara come racing into the house, ice cream cones in one hand, candy in the other, with a poor, battered kite—which had been brand-new only hours ago—tucked under Rini's arm.

"It looks like someone has been spoiling you, pretty girls." Keen eyes peering down the hall, Alex teases the youngsters, always having an uncanny way around those with childlike tendencies. Maybe that's why she and Sayer got along so famously.

'Terry-papa." Rini honestly answers, as Tara offers Alex some candy, which the fit and trim track and field athlete politely declines with a smile.

"Oh, is that right?" Alex raises a bemused brow at the only other person in their small circle to whom the fond patriarchal name was now affixed, perhaps overshadowing her authority with her 'kittens.' But, for now, she found no problem with it.

At the present.

Susan and Michelle come in next with ice cream cones in their hands, as well.

"Is 'Terry-papa' spoiling you two little girls, as well?" She couldn't help but tease the two older women, making Susan blush and Michelle raise her eyebrows.

"I am glad to see you're feeling better, Amara." Glad to hear her beloved's infamous sarcasm, Michelle comments demurely, touching her friend's cheek. Then the debutante tosses her own, unwanted ice cream cone into the kitchen sink, much too high class to put up with dripping ice cream.

"Was she good while we were gone, Robin?" Michelle asks her new other beloved, hanging on his arm as she drapes herself onto the kitchen counter he was inspecting the fruit bowl of distractedly.

"What do you think?" Voguish model idol Robin Starr was still smarting over the continual 'shrimp' comments, as he frowns at Alex sourly.

Loaded down with bags and bags of groceries, Terry comes in next, with Sayer at his heels, empty-handed save a half-eaten ice cream cone still in his hand.

"I got you one, too, Ally. But it started melting, so…I couldn't let it go to waste. Wanna finish it up?" He gallantly offers the decimated chocolate coated, double dark chocolate chunk ice cream cone to her. Alex refuses with a grossed–out smirk, so Sayer shrugs and chomps the rest of it down in one greedy bite.

"Did you find an apartment?" Robin asks, seeming like he really was interested, for more than one reason, as Michelle was practically crawling over the counter, wishing to be the succulent orange he was peeling after Terry had brought the fresh fruit groceries into the kitchen.

"Yes, we did. I told the man we'd move in tomorrow." Terry smiles, quite enjoying helping Susan, passing along the canned goods to her.

"That's a relief." Robin sighs under his breath.

"What was that!?" Michelle squeaks out, ready to burst the orange slice Robin had tried to appease her appetite with in supplying a moment ago.

"I said, 'That's a lot of beef.'" Robin covers up his words once again with a disarming smile, pretending he was merely commenting on what Susan was diligently putting away into the refrigerator.

Michelle symbolically places the orange slice on her tongue in her mouth just centimeters from his ear and bites down on it hard, with her sharp pearl white teeth showing purposely, until its juice squirts all over Robin's lobe.

'Next time it'll be you.' The siren of the sea threatens her partner on the psychic plane as she proceeds to lick his ear of the orange splashes, causing both Robin and Alex to be startled.

"Ally." Gaining her frowning attention in a timely fashion, Sayer speaks suddenly, pulling the shades from his eyes, a certain look in them that Alex couldn't quite place—and that made her even more nervous.

"Can I see you outside for a minute?" He looks around to the others with a 'no trespassers' serious eye warning, "ALONE." He smiles at her mysteriously.

"Don't you want to wait until it gets dark?" Just finishing stacking the bottled water in the pantry he was peeking in, Alex flirts, temptingly teasing him with their endless innuendo-filled, cat and wolf game.

"Nah, I want you to have a good look at what I have to show you in the light of day." Sayer's seductive tone was full of underlying intonation as well.

"Let's go, then." Taking an invigorated breath, Alex follows the virile young man out the door, not knowing quite what to expect, and that excited her.

But upon going out the door and down the driveway a little, what she sees under the sun setting skyline does more than excite her. "A Ferrari…" She barely whispers, recognizing every line of the legendary sports car brand. Though this one was this year's newest make, the next posh and polished model up in the elite Ferrari line that Alex was so familiar with as a pro driver.

And it was every bit as sleek and beautiful in a bright, fiery red now instead of her beloved F-355 GTS golden yellow. Nonetheless, this Ferrari's much sought after, brand new F-360 Spyder was more than an attractive surrogate of her recently obliterated friend.

"Now you don't have to choose between me and the car. " Sayer pats the Ferrari's hood like it was an old pal. "We're both yours." Donning his crimson red shirt, the rock star leans his long lean frame against its sparkling new, just as tempting red hood in a provocative pose.

"I don't understand." Alex's mind reels, disbelieving what he was saying, her eyes dazzled by the just as hot car she was seeing.

"It's yours, Ally. I'm giving her to you." Sayer holds brand-new keys to the most expensive, much sought after vehicle out to her.

"No…I can't accept it." Alex was never one to accept charity, and the gift of a half million dollar (roughly 75 million yen) car more than met that standard.

"Why not?" Sayer himself had no sense of money. Terry was always the responsible one handling those sorts of things. All he knew was that he was giving the woman he was slowly realizing he was falling in love with, something she really wanted, something that was somewhat his fault for destroying her old one, something she really was sad to lose.

"Here you go." Sayer grabs Alex's shell-shocked hand, squeezing the keys into its palm.

"I said, 'No.'" Alex shoves them back into his hands, shaking her head with the denial.

"Why?" The Ferrari's keys go right back into her testy fingers, the singer every bit as stubborn.

"It's too much." The clinking cool metal bearing the choice Prancing Horse logo was roughly thrust back into Sayer's digits.

"Ally, don't you like her?" With a thumb pointing back to the cool automobile, Sayer cocks his head, finding women of earth puzzling, especially this one.

Running her hand over the sleek, factory glossy new, gleaming hood that led down to the elegantly swept headlights, Alex sighs. "Of course I do, but…" She stops short in her sentence.

"But…?" Sayer never imagined it would be this hard to give somebody something they really wanted, as even right now he could clearly see in her eyes Alex really did crave this new red Ferrari's slick design and enticing promise of speed.

"I don't accept gifts from men." Alex states simply with emphasis on the last detestable word, removing her hand from the gorgeous, brand new vehicle, chock full of all the bells and whistles she was just itching to test on the road.

Getting the picture, slapping pleased hands together, Sayer goes to an alternative plan. "Well, then, there's no problem! Since I moonlight as a female by night, I don't exactly count in that despicable category. So you can accept it happily coming from me, right, Sailor U?" Never having any real issue with being either sex, this superstar teases with a crooked lip grin at this difficult fellow Soldier, raising his voice an octave by the end of his statement to be more that of his effeminate Star Fighter persona.

"Besides, it's not charity. I am expecting something in return as payment." Sayer Starr smiles wickedly, fluidly switching back to his 'guyish' tone and bad boy demeanor.

"Oh, do you?" Alex quickly becomes suspicious of 'that sort of payment' illustrated in this spoiled rich playboy's voice.

"Yeah." He breathes, while playfully tracing the dynamic vehicle's lines with serious eyes intensified in hers. "The car is completely yours, already bought and paid for and registered in your name and everything. But what I require in exchange from you is…" He stops dramatically, as the dark-eyed man's hands demonstratively pet the Ferrari's red hot chassis' sexy lines as if implying other services.

"—you have to drive me around in her as my personal chauffeur, whenever and wherever I want to go. To my recording studio daily, my concerts on weekends, vacation spots anytime I feel like it. That is, if you think you can keep up with my busy schedule. What do you say, Sokova? Deal?" Putting up the challenge he gambled Alex couldn't walk away from, Sayer sticks out his hand, having learned how to push her buttons.

It reminded Alex of that first time they had met, when the brash teen idol offered his hand out to her in that backstage dressing room. Then, she had wanted to punch him. Now, she wanted to do something else to him entirely different.

SMACK!

"Deal, Mr. Rock Starr." Their palms meet in a powerful shake, laser and wind energy sizzling at their fingertips. Alex did not know fully what she was getting into, but she had a feeling she was in for it, now that she had laid claim to the keys of the red hot Italian motorcar in her hungry hands.

"Want to take her for a test drive?" Pleased, Sayer looks at the dazzling short gold-cropped beauty before him, the elite sports car with the coke bottle style curved lines having nothing on its lustrous new owner.

"Get in." Alex climbs like second nature behind the wheel of a Ferrari again, running her awed fingertips along its scented, unquestionably genuine leather consoles and seating covering nearly every gorgeous section of the open roof convertible's interior.

And this Ferrari was perhaps even more meaningful because it was going to be theirs together—a symbol of the truce and acceptance between two fighters, where many memories were going to be made side by side.

And that was something Alex Sokova was growing, albeit slowly, more and more accustomed to imagining with appetency rather than apprehension.

Turning the ignition key, feeling the suped up, performance enhanced, naturally aspirated engine roar to life as only a Ferrari could, seeing the glowing instrument panel sizzle across the dashboard, hearing the familiar Ferrari "purr" like music in her ears, Amaralexis Sokova was totally complete in her element once again.

But the wholly fulfilled feeling increases way over her speed limit as the auto racer watches the rock star propel his athletic body straight up and over the sports car's open roof, to land perfectly in place in the passenger's seat beside her.

Flashing a thrilled smile and wild eyes of green at his 'game on' blue ones, Alex steps on the gas pedal hard, doing 0-100 mph in less than 2.9 seconds, as only the Italian sports car was famed for. A blend of technology, beauty and performance, the dazzling new Ferrari and its just as radiant pair inside speed off into the sunset, leaving the inhabitants of the house—who had been nosily spying out the window all this while—in the dust.

"I didn't think they'd ever stop arguing." Michelle giggles at Alex's stubborn streak as she nuzzles into the desirable nook of Robin's mane of silver where the two were perched intimately in the window box sill.

"I don't think they ever will." Robin smirks, knowing the combination of his aggravating brother and fierce Alex's fiery dispositions was explosive—and potentially dangerous. As the sun was drawing low, he closes the window, their 'entertainment' long gone.

Dusk falls slowly, moving in as the streak of red moves out at top speed into the night.

Zipping along Tokyo's busy highways—even on Sundays it was busy—a brand new, cool red sports car makes it presence known. Weaving in and out of traffic expertly, this Ferrari 360 Spyder never had to slow its pace on account of the genius race car driver at its wheel. Glancing at the Ferrari's traditional minimalist panel cluster on the leather dashboard, Alex Sokova casually takes note of all the instrumentation. Driving came second nature to her, the need for speed for this Soldier of flight and the sky so easy, so right, and so exciting, as she taps the accelerator once more, high speed an integral part of her own being.

Leaving the other drivers around in the dust, Alex's gaze rests upon the passenger sitting next to her in the two-seater convertible's open air cabin, who'd been amazingly silent the entire ride so far. His eyes closed peacefully, Sayer's handsome features seemed perfectly at home and contented, even as his unruly curls were scattered by the wind, his thin ponytail dancing behind him the faster the high performance sports car flew.

Pulling into a deserted spot at the side of the road, Alex stops the Ferrari, letting the sound of its powerful engine continue to purr to her as they idle.

"So…what do you think of her?" Having given Alex some 'private time' to commune with her 'new partner,' Sayer finally opens his deep blue eyes, anxious to hear what she has to say about the new car he had just given her.

"What can I say? It's a beautiful machine." Alex runs her fingers over the dashboard controls lovingly, always treating her car with a tenderness she rarely showed otherwise.

"Do you really like her, then?" Sayer smiles, proud he was able to do something right to make this very special woman smile.

"Like her, Starr? I don't have the words…Maybe I could express my gratitude for her in a way you'd understand better, anyway…" Alex abruptly hits the emergency brakes hard then turns to Sayer, yanking his chin to align with hers as she leans her agile torso over the center metal grille gear shift. The fierce female kisses the young man harder than she ever had before, pressing her victim's thin frame hard pinned to the Ferrari's cool leather seat as her long legs and firm backside squeeze perfectly in against the steering column of her correspondingly sleek and well-dubbed Ferrari Spider.

You really are amazing, aren't you, to consider my needs like this? Maybe you are more than I first thought you were. Fighter…Sayer…maybe I want you more than I ever wanted anything… Alex continues to kiss Sayer passionately, both feeling the roaring engine rumble beneath their stimulated bodies. But more than gratitude comes through in the intensifying osculation, as the sun totally sinks from view in the wide open dusky sky above the young pair starting to make out in the sexy sports car on this hot, mid-summer night…

Spying a vehicle stopped on the side of this deserted road at dusk, Officer Yamoto decides to do his duty and investigate the matter, having a suspicious cop's mind of perhaps a breakdown, or worse yet, some kind of crime being afoot. As he pulls his squad car in closer to the expensive looking, brand spanking new Ferrari, he notes there are no plates on the back or front. Perhaps it was a Code 57, a grand theft stolen vehicle, whipping out his flashlight, seeing the silhouettes of two people moving in the front seat of the car.

The short golden haired man in the driver's side seemed to be forcing his attentions on the helpless dark ponytailed woman in the passenger's seat. Code 71! Assault! The good policeman's mind shouts out as he pulls out his weapon, rushing to the damsel's aid.

"Put your hands up, Mister!" Yamoto's voice was all business, lifting his weapon high in the air to threaten the attacking rapist with deadly force.

Surprised, the blonde driver immediately ceases "his" attack and turns to the cop. Shining his flashlight at the breathing hard miscreant and Alex's open neck button-up shirt's heaving chest, Officer Yamoto quickly sees his error, lowering his weapon in a hurry.

"Sorry to startle you…Ma'am," He sheepishly nods to Alex. "…Sir." He looks down through the car window at the flattened back rock star in the passenger seat apologetically, the officer seeing his engendered mistake obviously. "But I saw this expensive, new car idling on this lonely stretch of road, with no license plate, and I came to investigate." He leaves out the part about his sexual assault suspicions, seeing the pair as two young kids, doing what young kids their age do in a sports car unchaperoned.

"Oh, I forgot!" At last collecting his wits, Sayer sits up to dig in the glove compartment, pulling out the temporary paper plate. "Guy at the dealership told me to put this on." Sayer shrugs, holding it out for the cop to see, omitting to tell either policeman or Alex, for that matter, about how he and this new Ferrari had almost not made it to the house originally in one piece. But the charismatic idol's falsified driving 'skills' had pulled one over on the car dealer's eyes which mostly only saw the large amount of cash dollar signs.

"Please forgive him, Officer. He's a traveling singer from...a foreign country." Embarrassed by this utter humiliation, not looking the policeman in the eye as she makes the partially honest excuse for Sayer, Alex silently displays her legitimate driver's license without even being asked.

Despite the boy's strangely dangerous and wild appearance that fit in with 'rock star' status, and though taken aback by something untamed in the unconventional female driver's defiant looks, he tended to believe their story. Noting her special license addendum for 'motorcycle racing,' the responsible sounding young woman looked to him more than capable for her age of taking care of herself, quite at home at the wheel of this very expensive vehicle.

"That's fine, then." He smiles, suddenly realizing how much the girl resembled his own headstrong, rebellious daughter, who was about the same age. Though radically different in appearance, their style of irregular clothing for a female was similar, with wild and bold attitudes appearing the same, as well. "Your first car?" He asks Alex curiously, taking an interest in the young woman who also held a refined and composed, almost militaristic air about her that commanded her own respect, which he admired, upon second impression.

"No, Sir, my…friend here just got it for me today. And I was…thanking…him when you came." Alex explains truthfully, her eyes locking with Sayer's in a familiar smile.

"Ahh. Your boyfriend must be a very generous, well-off young fellow." The older man smiles with a nod to Sayer, having experience with youthful daughters and their various…boy…troubles.

Her eyes open wide at the title the officer had just applied to Sayer, and Alex considers the word with a reluctant smirk before slowly, hesitantly nodding.

"He is that, Officer." Giving the authority a respectful nod, Alex would never have believed, once upon a time, that she would admit to having a 'boyfriend,' much less a rock star wolf like Sayer Starr.

"All right, you two. Go on and get home before your folks worry." The satisfied patrol officer walks back to the police car, glad to see that even a rebellious female child could come back to be involved in a normal, though wild, relationship with a boy. "And get those temporary plates on ASAP!" He calls back getting in his vehicle and driving away.

Putting the Ferrari into gear, Alex pulls back onto the road, quietly heading home.

"Did you mean that, Ally? Am I your boyfriend?" Sayer smiles gleefully at the idea, it seemed rather amusing to have gotten her admission of their relationship via this most interesting, inadvertent and unplanned circumstance, albeit under duress.

Alex rolls her eyes to the heavens above as she drives at a quickening pace. "Don't you EVER mention that term, or this shameful incident to anyone." She says threateningly, not wanting the rest of the world to think such a thing which her pride was not ready to yet broadcast.

"I won't." He promises, still tasting Alex's delicious kiss, feeling her fierce touch on his skin, making him only salivate for more. But more than that physical preview tease, Sayer was glad he had pulled off this Ferrari adventure for other many reasons now, too, the smirk etched on Alex's content profile as she was excitedly checking out the limits of her new racing vehicle, one of the best of all.

Sayer smiles from ear to ear, pleased with himself. He turns his gaze out the car window up to the speeding by star-filled night, never feeling quite so happy before in his entire life. That was because this shooting star inwardly sensed, despite her tough words, he was being slowly accepted by this hard won creature as the lone passion-red Ferrari speeds home through the darkness of the night.

The pain of her first crush slowly ebbing, Tara Tomoe smiles even more, actually enjoying sneaking glances as Terry helped Susan cook dinner. The tall and competent, doting gentleman was doing most of the work, not letting Susan do much at all, really.

Realizing how much in love they were, Tara happily sits at the kitchen table, contented with her life the way it is, busily sketching and making cutouts at the kitchen table with Rini. Living back again as a child, Tara was enjoying this precious time being inseparable with her best friend. Rini was even going to sleep over again tonight, not wanting to miss a moment of her short visit to spend with her "bestest" best friend at this critical age of their shared adolescence.

Sure, Rini had Tara in the future, and then she loved her dearly, but somehow it was different. By the time Rini was this old again, Tara was ages older, with a lot of different responsibilities and things to do that didn't include the Small Lady.

I'm not complaining. Not at all. I have a really good life in Crystal Tokyo now! So many friends—but no one is MY Tara. My very first and my very best friend throughout all time! No one will ever take your place. Accepting the offered glue bottle, Rini smiles reflectively at Tara, supplying her with a peach crayon, without a word knowing what the other needed.

Glad to see the two girls having fun together, Susan quietly attempts to peel the potatoes 'the right way' Michelle had trained her, but was soon discovered under Terry's watchful eye.

"I'll do that." He smiles, taking the potato peeler from her, caressing her slender hand as he does, not being able to do enough for "his lady," it seemed.

"Terry darling. Michelle taught me how to peel—" Susan wanted to be helpful, knowing herself capable of these normal duties since her kind, accomplished roommate who was proficient in all subjects and fellow Sailor Guardian, had instructed her friend in the art of cookery now that they were living together on earth to raise Tara.

The violinist artist herself took charge of instructing 'her baby' Tara and even educated other children in her private home as an art and violinist school for Tara's painting and musical education. The elegant young music 'teacher' had developed quite a following of youthful admirers, not to mention several older brothers and even single dads who came daily to drop off their children at the 'Moreau School of Arts,' all of which 'groundskeeper' Alex's terse words and forbidding stares (plus, a dropped, clanging shovel or snapped pruning clippers) had heartily discouraged the further attentions of.

Up to this point. Some 'stars' have not taken the hint…Maybe I should whip out my handy chainsaw for this silver leaf disease problem bothering my Michelle…

As she was yet performing on stage from time to time, and practicing to record her classical violin albums, popular Michelle Moreau had delegated the rest of the household chores of her mansion home since the three women decided to take up residence in her parents' rural Tokyo manor on the outskirts of the city. The cooking, cleaning and accounting for their little family's paperwork fell into Susan's purview. The sheltered, millennia lonely female wanted to experience the joys of running a home, and had asked Michelle if she could take on those basic homemaker tasks that made the simplicity of life real for her in whatever time she had here in this present timeframe.

Alex had, by necessity with her two roommates having an aversion to the great outdoors—whether it be a ludicrous fear of tiny insects or turning one's refined nose up at the intolerable menace called 'dirt'—thrived in it, claiming the role of caretaker of the outside grounds, seeing to the lawn mowing and gardening needs of the vital outdoor landscape of the exclusive, property's greenery. Alex also did the majority of the shopping in town and saw to all their security and transportation needs.

The three Outer Scout 'mamas and papa' made quite self-sufficient homemakers long before these Three Lights dropped out of the sky on them—literally.

But that being said, Terry Starr was not the kind of man who could just stand by and watch work being done by the queen of his heart's delicate hands.

"Susan. You are my Princess. Allow me to treat you accordingly." He informs Susan succinctly, gently pushing her down to a chair to be waited on, and not as waitress.

"We'll help you set the table." Tara offers sweetly as she and Rini quickly gather up their art supply mess from the kitchen table.

"Yes, thank you, girls." Susan gets up again, to fetch the dinnerware. But even at that, the dark green haired female had to pause, with Terry soon nuzzling in her hair when she reached up for the plates in the cabinet which happened to be above where he was working. The two younger girls giggle at the romantic sight as they scurried to and fro getting the table ready for dinner for the eight of them.

Michelle and Robin had wandered back down from her art studio when the scent of roast beef that Susan had 'expertly' (with Terry's culinary skills supplying the recipe while rescuing the rolls from burning, after Susan insisted she could at least warm the bought bakery goods in the oven) wafted through the mansion. Soon dinner was ready, but two of the partakers were still missing.

"Where are they? I'm hungry?" Robin whines, putting his elbows on the table as he looked out the front door.

"Would you like to do something in my room to keep your mind occupied, and perhaps satisfy your hunger, too, dearest?" Michelle flirtingly drifts up to Robin, hanging on his arm with the offer.

"I wish they'd hurry up." Robin continues to look intently out the door through the aqua veil of Michelle's curls hovering over him. The coolest, most aloof Three Lights' member was trying his best to ignore Michelle's tickling fingertips—and more importantly the strange new emotions her persuasive touch provoked in him.

"There they are!" Interrupting the playful pair, by now in one another's hair, Rini sings out from her seat where she was playing cards with Tara in the window box.

"You're late. Dinner's getting cold." Robin 'welcomes' Sayer and Alex into the rural manor with a dour droning voice and sour face.

"Sorry about that, Shrimp." Alex couldn't help from teasing him as steam practically comes from Robin's frustrated, famished head.

"Nice, Amara?" Michelle asks simply the two words as she soon sidles up behind Robin.

"Very nice." Alex answers with her own unadorned pair of words, a mysterious smile that spoke volumes between the partner soulmates.

"I'm glad." Michelle attaches herself to her friend's arm clingingly as she leads Alex towards the dining room.

"What took you so long!?" Berating his erstwhile sibling before Sayer could get his foot in the door, Robin couldn't imagine why Sayer would want to spend time alone with that woman, the very thought frightening.

But Sayer was always a hopelessly masochistic loser…

"We stopped in town and rented some movies." Sayer holds up a few dvds he and Alex had selected in the rental store.

"What kind of movies, Sayer?" Terry asks, suspicious of his brother's choices, especially considering their younger audience with them tonight.

"'Toy Story' for the kids. It's 'G' rated, Ter." Sayer, insulted by Terry's remark, just about refrained from sticking his tongue out at his older, more sensible brother, acting like one of the "kids" he described as Sayer shakes the colorful CGI animated dvd cover right in Terry's face.

"Who are you calling 'kids?' Tara's fourteen and I'm nearly twelve and three quarters!" Rini stands up to him indignantly, toe to toe with her loosely thrown out facts, especially concerning the Soldier of Rebirth. The powder pink menace seemed to have some kind of grudge at the dark navy ponytailed man, causing Tara to laugh at Rini's puffed cheek, angry red face.

"Good for you, Conehead!" But Sayer apparently wasn't listening fully, simply squeeze bopping the two tips of her pointy bun head playfully, she reminding him of another Bunhead of the fond past.

"The other movie is a new one, just released, I never heard of. Historical flick or something, I guess, 'cause there's an old boat on the cover. So I thought you'd probably like it, Ter." Not knowing much else about it, Sayer had only grabbed this dvd from the front kiosk shelf at the last minute. His more thriller/action packed taste knew what both his diversely interested brothers disliked, but not sure what they would prefer as a whole. So, not being able to decide on anything else, Sayer really chose this one because he thought that for a split second, he saw Alex consider it with the tiniest bit of interest as they were leaving the store.

After eating a delicious dinner, which Terry credits all to Susan's excellent cooking, though he did most of the work, they gather in the living room to watch "Toy Story" which Sayer seemed to enjoy more than either Rini or Tara, laughing his infectious crazy laugh nearly the entire time, with everyone rolling their eyes at his childishness.

When it was bedtime for Rini and Tara, the two young girls go and get changed, but return, pleading to be able to stay up, too, despite the late hour. As gentle as she was, Susan could not refuse them, the two grateful girls running up to her in their nightgowns and cuddling up to her on one side of the couch, Terry-papa's strong arm around Susan on the other like a happy family unit.

Michelle leans her head on Alex's shoulder, but her hands soon slide into Robin's as the three were squished together on the loveseat. Sayer, returning with more popcorn, takes his place on the floor, leaning against the smaller couch, at their feet, as Alex fires up the movie on her stereo system.

As late in the night as it was, as tiring the day of fun had been for them, even with the vibrant audio components flashing light show and extensive woofer and tweeter speaker surround sound system the always-ahead-of-her-game racer had hooked-up in the, at times, blaring living room, Rini and Tara soon fall asleep, snuggled close to Susan.

That left the six adults to watch the PG-13 movie on their own. Alex's 70-inch big screen TV and dynamic sound system made it sound real when the foghorns of the "Titanic" steam full ahead into the large mansion living room.

As the ending credits roll by, the beautiful haunting melody echoes throughout the otherwise quiet house. The tragic romance, the song's beautiful lyrics, the reality of loss and sorrow brought tears to both Susan and Michelle's emotional eyes, though Alex still "manfully" holds them back. However, she too could feel the fundamental real-life emotions of fear, sorrow and unending love which had swept through each Sailor Soldier before, to a degree.

The three wandering stars assembled were touched, as well, in their own way, no one immune to such all-encompassing heartfelt passion, especially since now, each of them was on the cusp of understanding what it truly was to love so intensely, with a passion that went beyond duty and responsibility and into the realm of eternal destiny.

Michelle had been sobbing throughout the majority of the picture of peril and pathos at sea, so much so she had made Robin's hair damp with her tears. Terry had pulled Susan even closer to him during those scenes as well, their romantic souls fully understanding the film's underlying message.

For their newly discovered love, affirmed by sacrifice, was deep—as deep and true as any screenplay, cinema, or storybook hero or heroine's.

Right after Titanic's poignant climax of a Heavenly reunion had played out and the movie was over, Susan feels the stirring of the children. Rini and Tara were supposedly asleep against her, but seemed to have awakened a little too punctually on cue, as soon as the epic film—which was rated lightly PG-13 for profanity, nudity and sex scene reasons—had concluded.

"Time for bed now, my dear little ones." Susan brushes the hair from their small faces, as Rini, unconvincing, just comes to.

"Puu...Puu..." Rini does a good act, blinking back pretend sleep.

"Off to bed, you two. Right now." Alex saw right through their ploy, stands and stretches, clapping her hands together for the two miscreants to rush off.

"Tara." Terry gently whispers, lifting the truly sleeping child from Susan's motherly lap. Seeing her too tired to walk herself, he exchanges a look with Susan and carries Tara to Susan's room.

"I want to be carried, too, Puu." Though fully awake the entire time, just faking Rini stretches her arms around Susan's neck, a little jealous of Tara's attention from Terry-Papa.

"Small Lady." Susan smiles, carrying her young charge to her room with her, as well.

"Papa?" Tara dazingly says, having almost the same sense of her father's warmth about her, as Terry lays her down upon the bed.

"Mmhmm." Not wanting to spoil the happy dreams of the girl longing to be with her beloved father, that perhaps nostalgic sadness of this movie had stirred, Terry murmurs gently.

Grateful for his kindness to the teenager who had come to terms with her first crush, Susan brings Rini in behind Terry, laying the energetic child down next to her exhausted friend.

"Puu, can't I stay and talk to you…?" She starts to plead again, full of childish exuberance, even at 1:30 in the morning.

"No arguments, Small Lady." Terry places a finger on her pouty little mouth.

"Yes, Terry-Papa." Rini keeps forgetting her time and place, using the name she always calls him in the future.

Continually curious, Terry cocks his head a bit, "Don't take this wrong, little Princess, I don't mind at all. I actually like it, but…tell me, why do you call me with the suffix '-papa?'" He asks knowing that Serena was her mother and Darien her father. Why would she call he, a virtual stranger, such a familiar moniker?

"I—" Rini realizes her mistake. "It's a secret." She tries to cover for her errors. "'You already know too much of your own future.'" She mimics words she heard her guardian, Sailor Pluto say once. "Right, Puu?"

Susan smiles at her protégé, leaning over and kissing both children 'good night.' She then tucks them in, in her soft, gentle way. "Good night." She whispers in that just as soft and filmy voice Rini adored hearing.

"'Night!" Rini shuts her eyes tightly, never conforming to her either of her wishy-washy parents' orders much, future, present or past, to this time-hopping little sassy miss. But she was obedient to her timelessly respected 'Puu.'

And maybe one other authority figure now, too.

"Good night, Small Lady." Terry replies, curiosity still etched on his handsome face as Susan leads him out the door, shutting the lights off in the room.

"As a Keeper of Time now, you must try not to ask such questions." Susan felt the need to look for something to say, a little nervous as she and he stood in the upstairs hallway between bedrooms.

"I'm a good learner, if I have the right teacher…" Terry smiles down at her, feeling more than a little amorous after the romantic movie.

"I believe I can be…a good teacher…" Susan's eyes flutter closed, as he leans down to kiss her, when they hear a loud arguing coming from the living room.

"I'll be glad when you're all out of here and in your own apartment!"

Susan and Terry peer around the corner to see Alex bodily removing Michelle from Robin, who seemed to be drowning beneath her waves of kisses.

And he seemed to enjoy it, not coming up for air of his own volition...

"Michelle, can't you control yourself?" Alex growls in frustration, shaking her head at her weak friend, as she pulls her close. Mortified to have lost control of himself like that publicly, Robin gets up quickly, dusting himself off. All the while he was wondering what it was he said that set Michelle off in such an aggressive fashion.

"It wasn't what you said, it was what you thought, Robin dearest. What a lovely idea about you and I, and the sea floor…" Michelle's mind could still call out to him wistfully, even as Alex was dragging her physical form off to the relative safety of her own room.

Quickly returning after shutting the door tightly behind her, and silently wishing for a key to lock her frisky friend in, Alex seeks out Robin Starr, to whom she intended to give a piece of her mind. He apparently sensed the irate woman on the rampage, already having hastily departed to his own guest room to be surrounded by artwork of endless ocean life frolicking on the sea floor.

That left her only main target of Sayer stretched lazily across the couch in the living room, though in her peripheral vision, Alex could still see the upstairs hall with Susan and Terry in the corner of her eye, back to their own antics.

You're supposed to be older and wiser than that, Susan…The sooner those wandering stars are out of this house, the better for my sanity…She notes with a wry smirk at the thousands of years old female's naïveté that had the same result as Michelle's flirtatious streak with these stars.

Now as for her own stellar problem…

Of course, Sayer Starr was still lying there, closed-eye singing the theme song of the romantic movie they had just finished watching. It was as if the composer in him had already committed the entire score and words to memory after just one hearing.

"'…You're here! There's nothing I fear! And I know that my heart will go on~on. Once more you open the door! You'll be safe in my heart. And my heart will go on and on!'" The vocalizing crooner was apparently unafraid of his volume even at this time well past midnight. Copying Celine's flawless melisma, Sayer Starr's silky smooth voice was belting out the beautiful lyrics of the challenging song in the original female singer's high octave like the true powerhouse composition deserved.

"I'll make your heart go on, and off, if you don't shut up all that noise when everyone's sleeping!" With livid eyes upon the strident rock star, Alex comes hissing into the living room, expressly flicking off all the buttons and switches of the big screen and her receiver's incredible sound system to make the raucous room silent.

"GO TO SLEEP." She finds she actually enjoyed ordering Sayer around, but is particularly amazed to see him get up without an argument.

"If you give me a kiss 'goodnight,' I'll go." No argument? No such luck.

"My fist will give you a kiss 'goodnight.'" Alex's deep throat threatens him, grabbing the loud miscreant by his collar and dragging Sayer off to his and Terry's shared room. "I think we've seen more than our share of this sort of thing tonight." On the rampage, Alex adds Terry's collar to her collection, pulling him away from Susan's warmth, forcefully shoving both men into their room and slamming the door shut before they could say anything in argument. One forbidding look at Susan was enough to get her to shyly blush her way down the hall to her shared bed with Rini and Tara.

"There. That's better." Alex says to the empty hallway, rubbing her hands together, proud of herself that she could turn such an upside down house, right side up again. But turning to her own room, she can't help but flash one wistful look at the door she had just slammed behind Sayer. His thoughtfulness of replacing her beloved Ferrari, and attentions (not to mention the sappy movie) softening her a bit in that way. Alex suddenly shakes her head in disbelief at her own thoughts.

'Love can touch us one time and last for a lifetime. And never let go 'til we're gone…
Near, far, wherever you are! I believe that the heart does go on (why does the heart go on?)'

Endlessly hearing the eerie, melodramatic words echo through her head in repeat, seeing herself and Sayer in the lovers' roles, but in the car's front cabin rather than a lifeboat, the tough warrior smacks her head against the back of her bedroom door at her Achilles' heel for that Star Soldier.

I must be losing my mind!

But Alex Sokova's dreams that night were filled with that one soundtrack and limitless visions of a blazing red Ferrari speeding down the highways at sunset. They both included a stunning man with piercing blue eyes smiling back at her, with the wind flowing through his hair, tossing that dancing dark blue ponytail about wildly, making her heart soar to new heights.

'Once more, you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on…'

"My Heart Will Go On" – sung my Celine Dion, composed by James Horner and Will Jennings for 'Titanic' 1997