Preface: After my character's initial debut in Sailor Moon Defenders, I tried finding out how I can expand the character's growth a bit more. It took a couple of years, but eventually, I ended up coming up with this story.
For Context: This story coincides with the Defenders of the Earth series. Inspired by Marzena's story "Defenders of the Earth: This is Their Story", I created these chapters which would be set during certain points of the series, and the Defenders will be making at least one appearance during the story, hence the crossover.
Plot: (Episodes: set after "Dramatic License" and "Money No Object") Jenny comes to terms of the mother – daughter bonding Tori has with her teacher Amanda, and then Richie, Tori and Duncan deal with a thief from Amanda's past.
Disclaimer: See Chapter one!
Money No Object
"Can I talk to you?"
Tori looked over to see Amanda standing at the doorway while she tucked Jenny into bed for the night.
"Sure," Tori nodded before she followed Amanda out of Jenny's room.
They walked into the living room of the apartment.
"Is there something wrong?" Tori asked.
"No," Amanda shook her head, "Nothing's wrong. I just admire that you and Richie are able to adopt a cute little girl."
Tori sighed sadly, "The sad fact is….."
"I know," Amanda cut her off, "She's a clone of you. Duncan told me. I think that immortal scientist was twisted for doing such a thing."
"What's even sadder is we're not sure how long Jenny has," Tori spoke up.
"She's alive now, yeah?"
"For now," Tori nodded, "but I don't know how long, and Richie and I made a promise to make Jenny live the happiest life possible."
Amanda smiled, giving her a comforting touch, "I'm sorry you guys had to go through this. That sick man gave you guys false hopes. He had no right to do that."
Tori hugged her teacher, "Amanda, have I ever told you that you're like another mother to me?"
Amanda gave out a small smile, "And you're like a daughter to me."
"Am I interrupting something?" Richie asked as he walked into the living room.
"Oh no," Tori answered as she and Amanda broke the hug, "We were just talking."
"While I was getting me a sandwich," Richie replied, "I was thinking about our little girl. She's wonderful, she's sweet. Me, Tori and little Jenny, the family I've always hoped for, even though Jenny doesn't have long, and…...you know."
"You guys will be the parents for this child up until her final moments," Amanda assured the couple.
"The last moments which we dread," Tori stated.
"But we'll get through it," Richie assured his wife as he held her hand, "We'll get through it like we get through everything."
"I know baby," Tori replied before she kissed him, "I know."
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"You've got to be kidding me," Richie stated as he took off his helmet.
Amanda took off her helmet, "I never joke about money, Richie, especially when it's mine. Besides, this place has atmosphere."
"Yeah. I can smell it from here," Richie replied before Amanda laughed, "Amanda?"
"What?" Amanda replied.
"What's wrong with a regular bank?" Richie asked.
"Unfortunately, dear boy," Amanda answered as they walked down the street, "regular banks are full of sad little men who would insist on knowing all the dreary little details of my overseas money transfer."
"So?"
"So…..behold the Temple of No Questions Asked."
"Amanda….."
"What?"
"That's called fraud."
"No, Richie," Amanda replied, "it's called CYA, cover your assets. Now are you going to come with me?"
"No, thank you," Richie declined, "I think I'm going to stay with my bike."
"It's okay," Amanda replied before she entered the building.
She walked into the money express and saw that she had just walked into a robbery, "Uh oh."
The man doing the robbery recognized her, "Amanda."
Amanda smiled, "Cory?"
They both laughed. The next thing they knew, the alarms went off and then, Cory and Amanda took off.
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Richie was eating his gyro when he noticed Amanda leaving the money express place with some unfamiliar guy, "Hey!"
The man fired his gun into the air, "Kiss the sidewalk! Stay where you are and nobody gets hurt!"
He fired his gun into the air again before he took off with Amanda while Richie watched from behind a stone.
"Amanda!" Richie called out as the van they were in took off as he made it out of his hiding place. He then muttered to himself, "Damn it."
Richie took off on his motorcycle and chased after the van. Upon sensing the Buzz, Richie pulled his motorcycle alongside the van, then the man waved at him, then swerves the van towards him.
Richie fell back as the van swerved onto another road. He managed to catch up as the mysterious man swerved the van again, driving him off the road into the drainage ditch full of water as he heard the man laugh at him.
Feeling humiliated, Richie waded through the water of the drainage ditch and climbed out of the ditch.
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"What were you thinking?!" Tori demanded, seeing her husband drenched in water.
"Amanda took off with some guy," Richie replied, "I tried to stop her, but….."
Tori sighed before saying, "I knew Amanda was up to something, but I never imagined it'd be some sort of Bonnie and Clyde type of deal."
"What do you mean by that?" Richie asked.
"The guy must be a crime partner from Amanda's past," Tori answered, "I don't really know much about him but it's quite insane."
"What do we do now?" Richie asked.
"Well, for one thing," Tori answered, "you go and get yourself cleaned up, we'll talk to MacLeod and we'll take it from there."
Richie nodded, "That sounds like a plan."
He then went to the bathroom to clean himself up.
"Mommy, why is Daddy wet?" Jenny asked as she walked into the living room.
"Aunt Amanda got him in a crazy situation," Tori answered. She knelt down to her daughter and asked, "You know how I told you that she has quite a history?"
Jenny nodded.
"Yeah," Tori smirked, "Aunt Amanda has a bit of history of being a thief, and she is aware that she's not a good role model for you, but regardless, she does love you as an aunt loves their niece."
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"Listen there's got to be another way," Cory pleaded as Duncan, Richie and Tori were stuffing his vest pockets with dynamites, "I mean, work with me here. Let's – let's be creative."
"You wanna help your friend, don't you?" Tori retorted. She sighed thinking about the trouble Cory put the group through. First, throwing her husband off the road, then getting Amanda arrested. It turned out Cory had history with Duncan and Amanda.
Cory groaned as he nodded, "Yeah?"
"Shut up," Duncan shot out.
"Because….." Cory started to say.
"Shush! Like Uncle Mac said!" Jenny exclaimed.
"Here's the detonator," Duncan stated as he tucked the detonator in Cory's pocket.
"Boom!" Jenny exclaimed.
"That's right, Jenny," Tori smirked at her daughter.
"It's a fake one, right?" Cory asked.
"Trust me," Duncan assured him, "I've got a plan."
Richie opened the briefcase, he showed the stack of "bills", which only a few on top were real, "It's not bad, huh? Hopefully they won't look too close."
"Hopefully they won't have the time," Tori quipped.
Duncan closed the briefcase and handed it to Cory, "Okay, Cory boy. We have ignition."
"See ya, buddy," Richie chimed in as Cory exhaled and headed to the warehouse.
"Bye – bye!" Jenny waved. Richie chuckled in response before picking up his daughter in response.
They watched nearby the warehouse as Cory was talking with Gringkov.
"What gives?" Gringkov demanded as Cory untied Amanda.
"Um, you give up Amanda," Cory offered, "I give you the combination to the briefcase."
Gringkov pulled out his gun, "Screw combination."
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no," Cory interjected, "See, any attempt to tamper with the lock will detonate the contents."
"He's bluffing," the detective chimed in.
"It's your call," Cory replied before he clicked his tongue like a tongue clicking and looked out the window, "It is mild weather for this time of year, isn't it?"
"Okay, uncuff her and get her out of my sight," Gringkov relented.
"I'm hurt," Amanda sarcastically replied as the detective uncuffed her from the pole.
"Thanks," she then said once she was uncuffed before asking Cory, "Uh, Cory, you coming with me?"
"He stays," Gringkov told her.
"Right behind you, doll face," Cory answered before Amanda left and then met up with Duncan, Richie, Tori and Jenny.
"Let that be a lesson to you, Jenny," Amanda quipped, "Don't steal and don't get involved with bad people."
"Don't I even get a kiss?" Duncan asked. Amanda kissed his cheek.
"I think it worked," Amanda informed them, "I think."
They looked to see Cory trying to get Gringkov and the detective only for the detective to run out of the warehouse.
"Oh yeah!" Richie exclaimed.
Amanda clapped her hands, "Yeah, it did work."
"Yep," Duncan replied.
"Good plan," Amanda leaned over to kiss Duncan against just as he turned towards her, bonking her nose, "Ow!"
"Sorry, baby," Duncan apologized.
Then, they saw Gringkov fleeing the warehouse.
"It's brilliant," Amanda stated.
"Yep," Tori replied.
"Brilliant plan," Amanda continued.
"Thank you," Duncan replied. Cory left the warehouse. Duncan gave him a two thumbs up. Cory flinged his arms in triumph, "Well, now for the grand finale."
Cory walked towards them and Duncan pulled a device out of his pocket.
"Wow!" Tori exclaimed in surprise.
"You didn't!" Richie added.
"You wouldn't," Amanda added before she asked as Cory walked towards them, "Would you?"
"Oh, come on, Mac," Richie insisted, "let me."
"No, let me!" Tori exclaimed.
"No, no, no, no," Duncan replied, "This one's all mine."
Amanda looked on in anticipation, "No."
Cory walked behind a small shed as Duncan pressed the trigger and the shed exploded.
"Oh!" Richie and Tori exclaimed in unison.
"Oh!" Duncan added.
"Boom!" Jenny exclaimed with excitement.
"I bet that hurts, Cory," Richie called out, "Mmmm!"
Cory coughed as he staggered towards the group, "What the hell was that for?!"
"It's all in fun, Cory," Tori answered, "It's all in fun."
Duncan shrugged and grinned smugly. Cory then wobbled and dropped to the ground unconscious.
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Duncan left the elevator and saw Amanda packing, "Somebody leaving?"
"Yeah, um – Well, Cory already blew town," Amanda answered.
"Ah," Duncan quipped.
"Said he had a plan," Amanda explained, "and I think I should, um, you know, hit the road too. At least until Gringkov stops looking for me."
"I wish you could stay," Duncan replied.
Amanda smiled, put down her bag and walked over to him, "That was really nice to hear."
She kissed him, "But I think I should go."
"Well, of course you should."
"By the way," Amanda informed the Highlander, "I already checked on Richie, Tori and little Jenny as well, so I'll be on my way. Jenny really admires me."
"I wonder why," Duncan muttered.
Amanda picked up her bag, walked towards the elevator and turned back, "Hey, Mackie boy. See you in Paris?"
"But of course, cherie," Duncan replied, "but of course."
He waved goodbye, took off his jacket, walked over to the window and sat on the windowsill.
Author's Note: My apologies for the chapter being so short. I'm just wanting to get to the jist of this chapter which covers "Money No Object" while exploring the bit of mother – daughter interaction Amanda and Tori has. Also, I'm ready to cover the "Haunted" episode. It's going to be interesting to see how things turned out there.