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

"SAILOR MOON ETERNAL"

The 6th Season of the Sailor Moon Saga

Chapter 29

"Holidays in the Mountains"

The upcoming holidays were anticipated this year especially with two newly married couples spending their first Christmases together as a husband and wife, besides those of the gang who had entered the grueling life of college studies definitely yearning for a well-deserved vacation break.

Andrew had been working his way through Tokyo Medical University for a few more years before earning his full doctor's degree to be a surgeon; Ken was majoring in architecture at the local community college; and Greg had been traveling far from his home to attend a higher learning academic university in Tokyo.

Though accounting was his main course of study, and was prevalent in his hometown as much as here in the big city, Greg made the long trips on the bullet train, just so he could be close to Amy in the nearby university ?to her med school. As for our studious girl genius, she had surpassed even her own expectations by the merits of her way-above average grades. Amy was accepted early into the same medical school Andrew was in, and was preparing to attend an exclusive medical college in Germany next semester where her mother had residence.

All this scholarly activity between the group of friends who had become closer than close, was going on while Darien just finished up his first four years at prestigious Tokyo University—which was connected to Harvard through HCAP (Harvard College in Asia Program). The serious young husband had Serena's head spinning for all the subjects he was taking on in preparation of his future responsibilities, for Darien was now working on his master's degrees in many fields. From social sciences to business, management studies, economics, law and the humanities, Darien was studying on extensively through college for his Master's degree in astrophysics and politics, as well.

As if his own hectic idol work schedule wasn't filled enough, Terry also was attending certain elective classes in a variety of fields. His professors vouched that the intellectual's attendance to every day class was unnecessary—that the astute young man's overwhelming genius allowed him more home study time and fewer class hours, even as he passed every exam with more than flying colors, top grades in every subject.

But everyone knew why Terry Starr really attended those classes—for Susan accompanied her new husband to the university, going for sewing classes and fashion designing. The entire campus admired the dazzling, voted "Most handsome" couple of the school. Terry's motivation was enhanced all the more by his beautiful wife's supportive attitude, which his other strictly academic fellows thought would be a hindrance to his studies at first—who had time to study with a gorgeous new wife like that to enjoy at home?

But little did they know Terry's high IQ was from within, studying not required exclusively, leaving him more than ample time for other, more entertaining pursuits. Susan, rain or shine, showed up for lunch each day with him, and they spent entire weekends to themselves, no work or studies permitted, as they simply enjoyed young life as a newly married couple.

As the months rolled by, busy preparing for the Christmas season which was right around the corner, the girls visited the mature couple's welcoming home sanctuary often. Serena, Amy, Rei, Lita, Mina, and even Alex and Michelle regularly stopped by the always open house, rural 'Starr Manor.' Located just outside the bustling city, it was the perfect place for the young women to take some well-needed deep breaths and refresh themselves in the countryside atmosphere where Susan and Tara were constant ready and pleasant hostesses.

Susan, as a good housekeeper, always made sure her home and Terry's was full of soft music and good scents of both the floral and culinary varieties from garden and kitchen, making it an apropos comfort zone to share all the girls' romances with each other, while helping Susan decorate her home for the festive mood. They all noticed and liked the sweetness of how Susan, though married for three months already, at the time usually when the novelty of married life started to calm into a more "normal" state, still rushed to the door, dropping everything she was doing to greet her husband Terry's arrival home.

The girls, with shy giggles and their own beaux in mind, constantly wondered which of them was to be next in the matrimonial parade. Who would be as lucky as Serena and Susan? They knew that Michelle was out of the competition already, their elder sister soldier's parental plight of at least a one year trial period with Robin was well known on the status of their relationship.

Which left Amy, Rei, Mina and Lita to dream of their own prospective futures—and each of them hoped it wouldn't be too distant in coming. Lita was pondering that very subject as they walked home that evening together.

"So, how are you and Ken doing, Mina?" Lita prods, wanting to know how serious her two best friends had become these past few months since they met.

"We—lll...you know that big, totally romantic Christmas party that Chad is throwing for us up in the mountains?" Mina responds excitedly. "I got Kenny to promise to come, too! I think he really likes me! AHHHH!" Mina screams in anticipation.

"Oh, yes, it was very nice of Chad to offer his parents' mansion for our Christmas celebration. It was so considerate of him. I invited Greg, and he will also be glad to attend." Amy says sweetly in her bell-like voice, always grateful for precious times that the friends could spend together. Lita knew Amy just had to mention it to him, and like a faithful puppy, Greg would come running to join her there.

Sigh Although hard at work with multitudes of her various medical studies, even Amy was not neglecting romance with her long time boyfriend, this time around.

Maybe Amy and Greg will be at the altar next, the way he dotes on her! Even if they're both still so young, you could never tell, can you?! Just look at Terry! He's only nineteen! Lita sighs, feeling like a slow-poke in this department, being the youngest of the Inner Scouts—by three months—she herself having just turned the magic one-nine in the past week or so.

"Yeah, Rei, did you put Chad up to it? You know he'll do anything you say—" Mina starts to tease but Rei was particularly touchy on this subject. Rei didn't believe, as her fiery temper would prove, that she held any hidden, secret attraction for her oft trodden-upon temple companion.

"Quiet, Mina! I don't have anything to do with what stupid Chad does! Why'd you think I'd care anyway!" Rei's sorry defenses of herself were proof enough. Mina, Amy and Lita exchange knowing glances and Lita's mind silently clicks, knowing that Rei was still in their friendly silent bridal competition.

Realizing how serious with Greg Amy was, how Ken's stability and Mina's craziness might jump them ahead of the line, and if Chad could just dig up the courage, Lita was certain 'she-who-doth-protest-too-much' Rei would not decline. So, that left Lita with her still very friendly, very tentative relationship with Andrew.

"Guess that leaves me the all alone wallflower again." Lita sighs, not noticing the conspiratorial glances. "Only Michelle and I are out of the running." Lita recalls Michelle's difficulties with caring, strict parents, wishing her own folks were still alive to have their rightful 'yea or nay' say in her budding relationship, as well. "Oh, wait! No, I forgot." Lita couldn't help but churlishly grin as she considered the prospective marriage possibilities of the close-knit Sailor group, all now just coming of age. "Alex is definitely out, too. There's no way she'd ever marry any guy, especially not…" Lita giggles at the mere thought of such a wild, immature, flighty and irresponsible person as Sayer Starr having any commitment ties with the tough, independent, no-nonsense woman.

"Impossible!" She scoffs at herself out loud, in disbelief of her own outlandish imaginings.

"What's impossible?" Rei asks as she leads the girls into the shopping district to do some last minute Christmas shopping.

"Oh, nothing." Lita realized that if she even mentioned this, they'd all laugh her right off the street.

Have you lost your mind, Lita?! That'll never happen in a million years! She giggles and follows the rest of the girls down the road, tucking her own insecurities in the back of her mind.

With Christmas only a few days away, the happy group excitedly readies themselves for the eagerly anticipated holiday vacation in the mountains at Chad Levington's mansion getaway.

There was last minute present hunting for their ever-expanding close knit group of friends; that hurried filling out of holiday greeting cards and Christmas gift wrapping; spending quality family time with those who yet had precious ones around. Each family decided to celebrate the joyous holiday ahead of time, this season, each in separate homes with the parents and loved ones they'd be leaving behind. For these adventurous young women were going to spend the next few days leading up to and including Christmas Day away from home this year. Their respective guardians were so glad to see their maturing ladies with new responsibilities of life still be able to be filled with the merriment of the season as they prepared for the impending trip with their lively, fun-loving 'gang' of friends.

Soon, it was tomorrow morning and the big day had arrived. Presents wrapped, bags ready to go, Terry and Susan were at last ready to part from their rural, secluded, constant 'honeymoon' manor. Tara had not yet returned from visiting with her father abroad, Professor Tomoe feeling strong enough to give his little girl one more Christmas before his treatments began to be more intense and consuming. Then, she would be in Terry and Susan's guardianship full time.

As for the moment, with heavy hearts missing their young friend, but happy for her to be spending this blessed holiday with her dear parent, Terry helps Susan pack their luggage. The tall, strapping man then loads the many bags and suitcases that his wife had expertly stuffed full of goodies into their vehicle.

"Don't peek, Darling." Susan coos, handing her husband a specially wrapped gift package, tied and tied over again with colorful bows. "There may be a surprise or two in here for you." Susan giggles with fingers traced to his broad chest, making Terry's curiosity rise on what kind of gift to him could make her so…gleeful. He now anticipated the gifts from his mischievous smiling wife greatly, knowing his own surprise presents to her were tucked safely away from prying eyes in his suit jacket pocket.

Though even there might not be safe from Susan's prying paws.

Susan appears from their bedroom in a snow white faux fur coat, looking very wintry and lovely. A kiss later and then Terry leads his beloved lady out to the Three Lights' minivan he had recently acquired for he and his brothers.

They had taken this larger vehicle instead of the customary sedan, so they could fit as many passengers and luggage as possible, for the group traveling to the mountains this morning was large. It was all decided (in other words, Rei decided) that as many people as could fit in a car should go together. Terry and Susan were to pick up Amy, and Greg, who took the early bus and met them at Amy's house; and Mina and Ken, though Mina's "broken" alarm clock ('It was Artemis' fault!') set this chock full transport behind a little.

Alex and Michelle, in the Ferrari, went early to pick up a pair of still very (of course) sleepy-headed young men, who had forgotten totally of the outing today. Annoyed, Alex actually stormed into Sayer's bedroom and dragged his lazy rear end out of the bed, while Robin quickly had risen so he wouldn't be subjected to the same treatment he heard Sayer going through. But somehow, Sayer didn't seem to mind being man-handled by his none too tender 'Ally.'

I think he looks like he's enjoying it! You're a masochist, Sayer! Sneaking into the bathroom slyly, Robin didn't look forward to Alex seeing him in his underwear—or Michelle for that matter, either. That kind of thing always stirred her up. And he was having a hard enough time keeping himself from being aroused by Michelle's tempting mental taunts and door knocking, in the hopes she could 'help' him shave and get dressed.

This noisy, argumentative crew finally arrived to Lita, waiting on the sidewalk, who unceremoniously was squeezed between Robin and Michelle in the sports car's uncomfortable back seat. She was placed there expertly by Alex, who did her best to keep those two sticky lovebirds apart as much as possible.

Lita did notice that Alex didn't say all that much when Sayer leans over and across her in a very close way as she drove, feigning to check the gas gauge, and then again to make sure the oil was all right. In Lita's nosy eyes, even from the back seat, she could see that wasn't all Sayer was checking out. Independent Alex surprisingly said not a word to this, in fact, a small wry smile was curling upon her lips, making Lita herself sigh at her own currently lonely state. She watched their interesting relationship before her and, sitting in between the silent psychic conversation of Robin and Michelle's goo-goo eyes at each other, she regretted not having the guts to invite her own love interest to the mountain retreat as the red Ferrari streaks down the highway.

Despite its delay, the race car soon catches up quickly to the Three Lights' van since Terry had been driving at a more safe and respectable speed.

Sayer leans over Alex again (this time innocently enough) as he honks the horn repeatedly and loudly, catching the attention of his brother and the inhabitants of the van in front of them. Well, the Three Lights' van, along with everyone else on the busy Christmas traffic highway. Alex slaps Sayer away, murmuring something about him not touching her car, causing some ruckus as they continued on their way.

Lita sits back, watching with shocked amusement the noisy fight going on in the front seat that Robin and Michelle seemed to totally tune out, like they were absolutely accustomed to it. Due to the constant barrage of insults and flirting between Alex and Sayer she couldn't tell the difference from sometimes, Lita did not even notice Darien's black car directly behind them.

With his meatball-headed wife behind him in the backseat, Luna had plugged up her ears, sitting on Serena's lap while Serena and Rei in the rear seat bickered back and forth over which Christmas carol to sing while Sammy rolled his eyes, unhappily sandwiched between them. The disgusted young teen had covered his hearing with headphones to zone them out, with Darien enviously peering in the rear view mirror, wishing he could do the same. Serena and Rei filled the car with angry words, as Darien followed the quiet mini van leading the way, until the Ferrari, in a similar fit of anger it seems, zooms off way ahead of the conservative male drivers at the helms of the other two vehicles.

Darien exchanges a few words on the subject with one more civilized passenger in the passenger seat of his car, one whom Lita might just have been interested to know was coming…

"Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening?

In the lane, snow is glistening!

A beautiful sight

We're happy tonight!

Walking in a winter wonderland!"

As if stepping into the fantasy world of the classic holiday tune, the mystified group of city dwellers, just pulling up in their cars, enters the snow capped mountains which sparkle with crisp white "fluff" called 'snow' all around them.

The ice and cool breeze nip at them as they exit the confines of their vehicles, invigorated by the ambiance of the wintry scene around them. Sure, the city had its share of wintry precipitation, and as much like Christmas it was when they left Tokyo, it was more like walking into a picture postcard here.

Children and adults alike were happily sleigh riding down hills; snowmen of all shapes and sizes were springing up everywhere like some kind of rare 'ice flowers.' Snowballs were pelted to and fro as cheery laughter and voices could be heard all over, making the holiday spirit glisten in all their hearts, just like the snowflakes which were slowly filling the festive air.

"SNOW!" Mina was the first one to tumble out of Terry's minivan, greeting the glorious countryside aglow with a shining radiance all her own. Orangey mittens immediately dig into the snow at her feet, letting the cold touch sift through her fingers like a small child would, then rushing back into the car to pull a chuckling Ken out with her to enjoy it

"It is so lovely to see from this side of the snowglobe." Introspective of her time-stopped existence prior to this happy season, Susan, wide eyed as well, smiles as she takes in the holiday festivity scene being played just outside her car window.

"Yes, it is." Terry answers, though he was gazing at his wife as he says it, rather than the scenery. Terry then shuts the car down from the two-hour drive and caresses his wife's hand, still clinging to his strong arm, as it had been for nearly the entire ride. The romantic poet, too, joins in her smiling gaze out the frosty window, as they watch the other two cars arrive moments later behind them, with occupants seemingly imploding from within as soon as the tires stop.

Rei and Serena both leap from the car as fast they could, wondering how they could have ever gotten stuck together in a closed two-hour, no escape trip. Still arguing as a glad-to-breathe-fresh-air Darien opens his drivers side car door with a frustrated sigh, Rei, angry and red-faced, scoops up a handful of snow, and sends a straight arrow snowball zinging in Serena's direction as Darien expertly sidesteps out of its path in the nick of time.

But Rei had succeeded in knocking off Serena's brand new, little pink snowcap, and it falls to the ground in a wet thud. She weeps unabatedly for her new, 'favorite' haberdashery, kneeling to the snowy ground to dust its 'ruined' fabric off. Darien rolls his eyes at her high drama, for Serena just HAD to buy an entire new winter wardrobe—to her husband's poor wallet's 'delight.'

"Rei! You're gonna pay for that!" As sweet as Serena was, she still could get very wicked when she wanted to be, especially at Rei, who always seemed to bring out that side of her. A great big moon shaped snowball boomerang shoots at Rei, who needlessly ducks with a snicker, as the snowball misses by a mile and goes flying past Rei's shoulder and…

SMACK!

Right into the back of Sayer's head, just as he was helping Alex unload the trunk of the Ferrari of its numerous loads of luggage, mostly courtesy of Michelle's replete travelling wardrobe. Though Robin didn't do too shabbily either in stacking up the luggage.

"That's it! Who threw that!?" His crystal clear voice ringing through the clear, crisp air, Sayer Starr drops all the suitcases to the snowy ground with a resounding splat. He grabs two handfuls of snow, and forms a monstrous ball to punish he or she who had attacked him unawares.

"It was her!" Serena and Rei both point at each other accusingly.

"Fine!" Sayer forms another snowball as he kneels on the ground. "I'll get you both!" He sings out, chuckling, armed with a monster snow projectile in each hand.

"Yeah! Snowball fight!" Sammy emerges from behind Darien's car where Serena had jam-packed her little brother snugly beneath the mountain of presents in the trunk.

Pent up with full energy from the long ride, the youngster jauntily wished to be part of the exciting snowball action wanting to help dole out some cold punishment to both of the annoying girls as well.

But in his haste to join in, on the slippery ground Sammy accidentally skitters and slides right towards poor Sayer. His serious laser precision aim at the two girls he intended to fire both snowballs at in one felled swoop goes wild from the interference on the field. However, one of the misfired snowballs connects with the face of an unintended third target instead.

SMACK!

Namely, the blonde bombshell idol from Venus, who lets out an angry war cry that seems to light the whole mountain on fire after wiping in astonishment the snow from her red cheek.

An enflamed Mina joins in with Serena and Rei, and promptly showers the two poor boys with pelts of relentless snow. Back and forth they go, Sayer and avid gamer Sammy teaming up to dash right into the fray of an all-out snowball war with the three girls. Ken chuckles as he good-naturedly joins in, too, as Mina had recruited him to avenge her misfortune earlier at Sayer's bad boy hand.

This was all too much for Michelle and Robin, and they both stick up their posh noses as they walk by on the sidewalk path, plainly showing their annoyance at such childish play as the pair stay close together for both support against slipping on the ice, not to mention their body warmth.

As for Luna and Artemis, the frost finicky felines run for dear life just trying to stay out of the crossfire and also not be stepped on as well, the rest of the group attempting to stay out of the pitched battle of ice.

She and Robin making it to the end of the parking lot without incident, Michelle indignantly brushes "misfire" from her faux fur-trimmed winter pantsuit and fashionable insulated jacket as her boyfriend gentlemanly and with a sweeping flourish, opens the door for her as though she were royalty.

"Ohh! Does Sayer always have to act like such a child!?" Michelle declares in a high-pitched voice, just as Sayer's snowball (to which she was sure he aimed at her with laughing wicked eyes) smacks her rear end with its cold, wet touch.

"I wouldn't have him any other way." Alex dodges nonchalantly a snowball aimed at her bottom, having eyes in the back of her head, especially when it came to knowing Sayer's playful antics.

With a quickly formed, punishing 'inferno' rising from a not even bothering nor needing to look back at his target, Robin's backwards fingertips aim at his naughty brother's precisely 'sensitive' parts under Sayer's thermals—which evokes a high C Fighter quality squeal—as a smug faced Robin and a justified, pleased as punch with her guy avenging her honor, Michelle, haughtily go inside the building to "avoid the children at play."

Secretly laughing at his snowdrift-dived-into-for-some-frontal-pain-relief, Alex pretends to unpack her car, but her eyes dance upon Sayer and his exuberant merry-making.

"Sayer is a load of fun to have around!" Lita laughs alongside her as she helps with the major part of unpacking Michelle's remaining ample luggage—until one ill-timed frozen missile whacks the oversized mittens right off her hands, and consequently a particularly hefty double sized suitcase goes tumbling to the snowy ground opening with a spilled all over thud.

"Lita! Are you injured? Here, let me see your hand! Ice projectiles can be dangerous if they hit you unexpectedly!"

From the trunk side area of Darien's dark sedan dashes a familiar helpful figure, concern etched on his handsome features as he grasps hold to touch Lita's surprised hand.

In all the snowball excitement, Lita hadn't seen the tall, golden-haired man assisting Greg, Darien and Terry at the trunks of the three vehicles. The more responsible, considerate males were the only ones now left truly unloading their cars besides this unnoticed gent.

"Andrew! I—I'm fine...I didn't know you were coming!" Lita suddenly stops in her tracks, blushing violently as the young medical student tenderly examines her snowball creamed bright red palm. Only her rosy pink cheeks go a shade pinker than her signature pink rose earrings as Lita glances up shyly to greet her unexpected romantic target.

"Yeah, it was kind of last minute, but I thought it'd be great to get together with you—you guys—for Christmas!" Andrew corrects himself, embarrassed for unknown reasons looking this deep into his friend Lita's lovely green eyes, as he hurriedly clears up the mess, picks up the dropped case and scoops up her fallen mittens to give back to her like a true hero.

"Oh, these won't be good for your talented hands! They're cold and soaking wet now! Here, have mine." Andrew Hansford's generous spirit and caring future physician's heart quickly removes his own leather gloves and gives them to the poor pony-tailed girl who was, by now, shivering from more than the simple cold. "Go on, Lita. Don't want to catch anything out here in the cold before the big Christmas Eve party, do you?" Andrew good-naturedly smiles, melting every bit of ice on the driveway as far as she was concerned, as Lita obediently tugs on both his still warm, donated gloves.

"Whoa, Darien! Let me get the other end of that bag full of presents! You get inside where it's warm, Serena. Take Lita with you." Helpful, 'Big Brother' Andrew runs back to aid a struggling Darien (with klutzy Serena not being of much use) carry a poorly packed satchel of presents that rivaled Santa Claus' sack in girth and size.

"Thanks, Andrew. Don't ask me where Serena digs these ideas up to pile all her presents in a huge sack." The frazzled husband complains of his dotty little wife's eccentricities as the pair of men enter Chad's 'humble' mansion abode.

"Probably from the elves at Santa's workshop. I wouldn't doubt a sweet gal like Serena could bend Jolly 'Ol St. Nick's ear, can you?" Andrew affords a now beaming Serena with his genuine good humor, causing Darien to pick up on the pleasant mood.

"Now I know why you wanted to bring Andrew along, Mrs. Claus." Darien chuckles as he plants a kiss on his now no longer teary-eyed, red Santa capped and giggling, blushing bride. Mina had given a Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer red hat and outfitted her friend with it in replacement of Serena's soaked pink cap. Nodding too enthusiastically, Serena nearly spills on him the fresh mug of steaming hot cocoa she had also been given.

Andrew smiles at the jolly atmosphere as they settle the matching red velvet Santa satchel down by the roaring fireplace, he rather glad now that he had come at Serena and Darien's insistence. He couldn't help but glance around to locate the tall brown-haired beauty near the front hall, where Lita Mitchell stood, still enjoying the warmth of her heroic gentleman's gloves pressed to her cheek...

"Hey! Come on in, the rest of you! Lunch is totally on!" Appearing with a welcome smile in the doorway, uncommonly stylishly neat haired Chad looked quite at home in a stylish sweater to match his stylish mansion on the stylish mountainside.

"FOOD!" Serena, Mina and Sayer joyously proclaim in unison, as the latter two drop their weapons of snow. The ice wars were over now (at least until lunch was finished) as they rush up the steps of Chad's parents' mansion and pass him without so much as a greeting.

Amy and Susan, who had stayed conversing in the safety of the mini van until now, come in with polite greetings. The others congregate in, though Rei was the last one in the rear, as she had secretly scrambled back to the car's mirror to check her reflection and fix her snow flaked hair. to be just perfect before making her grand entrance. Rei simply nods to an ecstatic Chad as she saunters past him nonchalantly, her purple, exotic eyes pretending to not even register his dapper appearance.

But Chad's happy grin never fades, despite her coolness, as he closes the mansion's two monstrous doors behind them. He was too darn pleased just to have his goddess near.

"Wow, Chad! Your folks have really outdone themselves! Look at this place!" Serena squeals in delight, spinning like a child's top in the mansion's front hall, as she and her companions gaze at the house full of Christmas cheer.

Multicolored strings of lights, silver and gold sparkling garlands hang everywhere—entwining down the staircase banister, with rows and rows of red and green ribbons wrapped around chandeliers, vases, doorways, pillars—everything!

But the center of attraction was in the inviting living room. There, the hugest of huge fir trees stood, but as yet, still undecorated in the middle of the room.

"What a tree!" Lita was particularly impressed, her low scratchy voice full of admiration. Jupiter's love of nature and greenery was an integral part of her being, after all.

"Yeah, well. I thought you guys might like to trim it all yourselves, rather than the servants just do it like usual, you know. Here's all the decorations in these boxes here, man." Chad motions down to the stacks and stacks of cartons overflowing with Christmas balls and ribbons and garlands of every cheery kind, which were just calling out to be placed on the tree.

"You're so thoughtful, Chad." Amy smiles sincerely, causing Chad to humbly blush at the compliment. "This is all so wonderful." She waves her hand out towards the tree and the entire home filled with Christmas spirit.

"Yes, it's so very lovely." Michelle agrees extremely cordially with an upper-class air, handing her jacket to a butler who was collecting everyone's winter wraps, like it was second nature, which, for a young woman of her class and breeding, it was.

"Yes, it's 'lovely.'" Sammy mimics unpleasantly, feeling sour after his long ride with two stupid girls. Serena jabs him in the side for his rudeness.

"And thank you so much again for inviting us,as well, Mr. Levington. It's very kind of you." Susan says with a beautiful, serene smile, causing Chad to blush even deeper at the lovely woman complimenting him. Terry helps his wife wriggle out of her pristine coat in a very loving way, gazing at her in open adoration.

"Oh, uh, um, you're uh, welcome, um…" Chad stumbles under both Michelle and Susan's breathtaking eyes and stylish dress.

"Don't give him a big head, okay, guys? It's big enough already." Rei, (not jealous of Chad's attention to the most lovely ladies, of course) sticks her nose in, her voice dripping with annoyance. "Just remember, I was the one who dreamed this all up anyway." Rei was always first to claim credit, especially if it meant swiping it from that brainless Chad.

"That's right, Rei! You're right, of course, Rei. Wouldn't have thought to do it without you!" Chad must've enjoyed groveling at Rei's feet with the enthusiasm he always did it with. She was the only woman he could ever even look at in that way, and always would worship at her feet, 'til the day he died.

"All right, all right, already! That's enough." Rei waves her hand at him, slightly embarrassed, but really reveling in it. "Let's go eat that lunch before it gets cold. Come on, gang." Rei calls the group into the large, laid out dining room as if she owned the place. (Something to which puppy love Chad could only dream of, someday…sigh…) Rei was a natural leader, especially when it came to bossing him and everyone else around.

"Yeah, let's eat!" Sammy was sick of all this girl talk already. "Serena burnt all our pancakes this morning, so I haven't eaten anything decent all day!"

"What!? My pancakes were NOT burnt!" Serena argues with her little brother of her culinary prowess—which Darien could attest was nonexistent.

"Yes, they were!"
"No, they weren't!"
"Yes, THEY WERE!"

"Yes, they were…" Darien quietly mutters under his breath, so no one else could hear, save a brow-raised Luna. "Where do we put these, Chad?" Darien asks, covering up his complaint as he sighs in dismay at his oft childish acting wife and her little brother. The dark haired young man sporting an olive green turtleneck under his grey jacket, motions his responsible head to the mountains of luggage and bags that he and some of the others, were still bringing in from their cars.

Chad squints his squinty eyes even further, taking puzzled notice of one of those "guys."

Oh, that's right. I remember you. Chad chides himself, the tall one with the blondish gold hair was not a man. That's a woman, I gotta remember that…

Alex smirks knowingly, feeling his gaze upon her. After staring long and hard at the racer, Chad replies finally to Darien's query. "Oh, yeah, just dump them anywhere, man." Then he responds immediately to Rei's signals ordering him to come and help her across the foyer entrance.

"I'll show you all to your rooms later, okay?"

"Great idea, Chad, old buddy!" Sayer does exactly as instructed, and drops without any care at all, the suitcases Alex had shoved into his empty, lazy hands as they were coming in the warm hall.

She was willing to carry Michelle's bags, and her own, of course. But not his, and especially not…well, you know whose.

The luggage falls to the floor with a thud as Sayer decrees: "Come on, Ally, I'm starving!" He all but knocks the bags from her full arms as well, and drags her by the forearm towards the scrumptious smells of the dining room, Alex rolling her eyes but complying.

"Did you see that?!" Big-eyed Mina elbows a choking-on-her–drink Amy beside her at the rather 'intimate' contact going on between their tough-as-nails fellow Sailor Soldier from Uranus and that friend from another far-off Fighter star.

"When did they get so cozy?" Rei hisses in gossipy insinuation at Sayer's all-too-familiar touch of Alex's wrist without the nontactile female berating him.

And more notably, how she didn't dismember him with her trusty sword for it.

Or at least pull away.

"I guess in Paris. Wow. It really must be the most romantic place in the world." In sighing contemplation of her fellow tomboy/tough role model's sudden change in attitude towards men—especially this one—Lita leans over their gal-pal group gathered in the foyer of Chad's mansion.

"Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh." The three other Inner Sailor Scouts agree with astounded nods as they all rubberneck on the way to the dining room behind the way a boisterous Sayer Starr was boldly manhandling their own sworn-off-men Alex Sokova.

"C'mon guys! The food is great!" Sounding more like ''c'rum gurs! Ra rood is gart!' an oblivious full-mouthed Serena was already stuffing her face in said dining room. The others already present were watching in awe how the petite blonde's eating manners were practically nonexistent. But her display paled in comparison to the show about to enter the civilized dining area of Chad's posh abode.

"Stop pulling my arm." Weary of being dragged all around like a whirling dervisher, Alex warns in a low voice as Sayer pulls her sweater sleeve.

"Why not?" Sayer boldly continues to pull, feeling particularly giddy this afternoon, and especially brave, too. "Don't you have any Christmas spirit, Ally?" He taunts her. Suddenly, he spots a familiar object in the corner of his eye, back near the entrance of the living room. Covertly, Sayer maneuvers Alex towards it.

Alex spies where he was heading, and pulls the thin rock star's arm in the other direction, back towards the dining room. Everyone else was now gathering, and wondered what exactly this back and forth business was all about.

"Oh, no, you don't, Starr. You're not going to catch me under one of those fool things." Alex's eyes raise at the green-leafed mistletoe hanging in the living room doorway.

"Why not, Ally? It'll be fun." Sayer asks with a crooked smile, wondering why sometimes she could be so willing to kiss him and then other times…

"I thought you were hungry." Alex sighs at him and plunks Sayer Starr bodily in the nearest empty seat at the dining table.

"I am." Sayer's amorous eyes look up at her wickedly. All eyes watch them with amused interest now, as Alex sits next to him. She shoves a thick slice of banana nut bread into his mouth, and smirks.

"Pretty tasty. But not quite what I was craving…" Sayer dangles the leading sentence, his mouth full of the sweet flavor, as he chews the crunchy nuts. Though seriously, after all this amusing flirting, he did wish for a taste even sweeter than this, with a sigh and a glance at the independent woman seated next to him.

The jaw-dropped girls all then give one another knowing eyebrows at how…out of character…the pair was acting. They each never imagined in their wildest dreams that Sayer and Alex could ever be in the same room for long, never mind be so playfully attracted to one another. The dark haired young man even went as far as chatting her up through the entire meal, eating off Alex's plate at the dining room table, like it was a normal occurrence.

And without her swatting him away like a bug.

It was obvious that something earth-shifting had definitely happened between the Three Lights and the three Outer Sailor Soldiers on their shared European vacation just recently.

I wish Andrew and I could go to Paris. Sigh… Maybe then he'd look at me differently, too… Lita fantasizes to herself, still trying to intake the strange turnabout in her friends' relational love lives.

"O Christmas Tree

O Christmas Tree

How lovely are your branches?"

The girls sing the sweet old chorus as they all flutter about the tall fir evergreen, hanging holiday decorations of all sorts upon its stately bows. Some of the others trim the rest of the room with festive Christmas cheer, as hot cocoa and pleasant conversations were being passed around.

"No! Not like that, Serena! You're just making a mess!" Rei yells at her friend as Serena scatters silver tinsel all over the tree, getting a lot of it on the carpeted floor as well.

"O Christmas tree, O—why are you always so mean to me, Rei!?" Serena was looking about to break out in her infamous fount of tears, when suddenly her eyes pop open wide, with a giggle, much to Rei's hand-on-hip confusion.

"What are you—?" Rei starts to ask, following Serena's eyes. She looks up, just in time to see a whole box load of tinsel raining down over her own head.

"Sayer!" Rei screeches nastily, trying to extricate the long, silvery strands tangling in her flowing black hair like some bad, cheap rocker wig. She watches in steaming anger as Sayer simply laughs at her, pointing a doubled over finger as he he meets Serena's gleeful, grateful eyes before he takes off for more mischief elsewhere.

"That irascible boy!" Rei complains, actual steam rising from her tangled web of hair, as she employs a compliant Amy to remove the gleaming silver pieces from it.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen Sayer so happy." In a strangely retrospective moment, Serena stops to drink her cocoa, which had been brought to her, wordlessly by Darien as he joins the group on the couch by the tree.

They all watch Sayer bounce up to where Mina had recruited Ken and Greg to string colored popcorn lines for the tree. Sayer grabs Mina's string and, when she wasn't looking, snakes off half the popcorn to Ken and Greg's speechless wide eyes, as he then pops the stolen fluffy snacks into his mouth.

"SAYER!" It was Mina's turn to shriek when, Greg and Ken both shrug their chuckling shoulders, and she finally notices her missing, half-eaten garland absconded by this immature rascal.

SMACK!

Lita whacks him on the head as punishment with her dishtowel, as he had moved on and into the kitchen to swipe a handful of cookies from her decorative plates. Sayer then skips off jauntily to go haunt, with elfish mischief, Michelle and Robin, who were silently communicating, romantically sitting snug together by the fire on the couch. Michelle had also been quietly intermittently chatting over cocoa with Susan as Terry just comes in from helping in the other room.

He sits on the edge of the couch and pats his lap with a sly smile and beckoning eyes. "Come, warm me up, my lady." Patting his lap, Terry makes the enticing, husbandly demand as he wraps a deliriously happy wife, Susan—who had instantly handed a giggling, smirking in understanding coy Michelle the silver tray full of hot cocoa mugs she'd been passing out—up in his eager arms.

"Sayer's so vibrant now! So full of life!" Across the room, Serena's eyes sparkle as she watches Sayer Starr flit across Chad's mansion's large living room, her eyes dancing with her friend's mischievous delight as he energetically bothers one set of friends to the next and the next, without stopping to catch a breath.

"Mrs. Shields, are you changing your mind on your choice?" Darien, slightly jealous still of Serena's attentions to that certain man from a distant galaxy, teases his little wife, knowing her answer, as he puts his forest green velvet vested arms around her. possessively

"Why, never, Muffin!" Serena leans her head to Darien's chest, burying her smiling face in its deep rose scent, even as her fingers were all tangled up with yarn and thread. The meatball headed girl had been begging for help in her attempts to create bows for the lopsided Christmas tree and Susan, dutifully, though unwillingly, leaves her husband's now very warmed arms, and goes to the tree to help the less than artistic Moon child's plight.

"Hey, guys! Want some munchies? I've got lots!" Sayer generously offers some of his stolen booty of cookies and popcorn to Michelle and Susan, who refuse politely. Shrugging, the navy blue haired bandit then shoves the declined confection cookie in Artemis' yawning mouth, the sight enough to make a cat laugh (which Luna does). Artemis then glares at him (as the white feline grumpily chews and swallows the force-fed cookie). He plops down next to Robin, who, too, gives Sayer a nasty glare because his strange brother made him almost spill his steaming cocoa when he so coarsely shoved over.

And so, the two silver haired 'cats' on either side of him shoot the same dirty look at Sayer simultaneously, though the oblivious miscreant never noticed.

"Where's Ally?" The troublemaker asks all of a sudden, wanting to know where his golden-haired goddess had gotten off to.

"Probably trying to avoid you. What a torment you are to these girls!" Michelle says, still miffed over the snowball incident earlier.

"Nah, they all love me." Sayer asserts positively, smiling, as he ignores the angry glares Rei and Mina were also still aiming in his direction.

"So, where is Ally?" He asks again, more curiously, looking around to see her nowhere in sight.

"Alex is still outside hanging some Christmas lights on the roof with Chad and Andrew. They're just finishing up, I believe." Terry answers calmly as he strokes Susan's hair, who had come straight back into his welcoming arms once she'd completed her task for her princess. He and Darien had come in from helping, when both young husbands became eager to warm up with their respective wives.

"So why the hell didn't anyone tell me?!" Exasperated to be out in the cold or rather the reverse—Sayer leaps excitedly over the couch's back, startling Amy whom he had almost crashed into as she comes with yet another ribbon for Susan to help her tie in her much-in-demand, artistic designer fashion.

"Hey, Ally!" Sayer calls out, rushing outside into the snow without either hat nor coat on this freezing winter early evening. The sun was slowly descending upon the world of ice and snow atop this mountainside property.

"She's up there, man." Chad says in an awed kind of voice, pointing up! Up! UP! to the mansion's tall roof to where Alex's thin form was balanced perfectly, hanging a set of light strings along the tip-top part of the roof's eaves.

"We told her that we didn't have to hang lights all the way up there. But she did insist on stringing them, with that angel at the peak—" Andrew turns from his explanation why he and Chad didn't stop the crazy woman from the insane, yet rather inspired, feat. But the down-to-earth med student finds his mouth drop open at the sight of yet another daredevil, already more than halfway up, the long, long ladder, climbing to join her.

"Starr, what are you doing?" Alex spots Sayer as he neared her on the roof at the top of the ladder, just as she was reaching out, rather precariously, to connect the light string to the three foot tall, winged seraph's light bulb wired form the determined woman had sturdily attached to the mansion's eaves. She had found it amid the replete Christmas decorations which Chad had led she, Darien and the others to choose from, whatever their fancy.

And this decorative, rather large and lighted pre-wired iridescent white frame of trumpeting angel with gold flaked wings Alex had instantly been drawn to, was fashioned to be the angelic host, heralding the Christ child's holy birth.

"Coming to help you, of course!" Sayer fearlessly leaps onto the steep roof, just in time to catch her dangling light string, with not a care in the world about the tremendous height he had just traversed and was now standing upon. Walking across the roof to the Russian beauty as though it was nothing, he takes the other end of the light string from Alex's gloved fingers.

"You don't even have a coat on. Go back in before you die of pneumonia and they all blame me." With a wry smirk on her features, Alex tugs at her end of the lights, yanking them back from his grip as she attempts to focus on her angelic mission at hand.

"Do you really want me to go, Ally?" Sayer gives her those puppy dog eyes, which causes Alex to sigh and turn away. He studies her intent, almost awed features gazing at the decoration's white and gold metal frame. The Starlight traveler, who could have a brooding side too, should he let himself sink into such a contemplative earnest mood, particularly concerning this thought-provoking woman, concludes that Alex had a soft spot for these winged seraphim.

Which made him all the more curious to find out why.

"I like the trumpet. It's a good brass wind instrument, too." Sayer was familiar with all musical instruments, his saxophone playing in Paris coming to mind for them both. "If I remember correctly from that school Christmas play we starred as the Three Wise Men in, once upon a time, the angel was a...umm...flying messenger, right?' Sayer makes pleasant chitchat while admiring his companion's not-at-all-afraid-of-heights balance and skill at fine-tune affixing the angel's wire silhouette to the roof's eaves.

"Messenger of glad tidings...or purveyor of God's wrath, if given a sword..." Alex's deep voice was quiet and full of hidden meaning as she straightens the wire of the trumpet carrying lighted angel's wings just right.

"Sounds like a certain wind warrior I know pretty well.' Sayer's sultry voice only heightened Alex's thrill and sense of danger up here for this Soldier of the Sky, overriding the bittersweet memory she had been battling this past hour or so.

"Do you?" But this 'wind warrior' he spoke of was apparently not in a 'glad tidings' mood, as the ponderous golden cropped head breaks their gaze to glance away with a scant, haunted whisper.

"Look! Isn't the sunset up here behind your angel friend's halo catching fire? Like you can just reach out and touch it." Describing the golden halo the sun had already lit up over the not yet lighted angel's head, Sayer stretches his hand up towards the burning bright horizon.

His face looked so sweet and serene-almost angelic-as Sayer closes his eyes to soak up this solar system's active sequence star's heated rays.

"You're going to fall off the roof with all your nonsensical silliness." Alex shakes her head at him. Then, stopping to see the angel fully, and the beauty of the sunset herself, she smiles, pulling off her own leather jacket and gloves, and handing them to him.

"Here. You can stay if you put these on." Alex concedes, secretly glad to have his company to banish the past she still was running from, especially at the holidays.

"What about you?" Sayer tugs on the jacket obediently under her stern gaze. The brown bomber jacket fit like hand in glove over his automatically trembling body. Then he looks at Alex, now only in her tight sweater and pants.

"The sun's going down and stars will be out soon. I think those can keep me warm enough." Alex flirts a bit, giving this particular "Starr" she had in mind a pair of inviting eyes. This made Sayer's eyes light up as he moves closer to her.

Here she chuckles, shoving the lights back in his hands between their slender bodies touching at the summit peak. "Let's finish this job first." Puffed breath right in his face, Alex pulls back and begins to string her end on the roof's edge, directing Sayer to the back. "And don't fall while I'm not looking." She warns, knowing his impulsive penchant for clumsiness at times.

"Will you be there to catch me if I do?" Sayer calls back to her, pulling the lights taut.

"Maybe..." Alex says thoughtfully to herself, more than to him. She mulls over the question that had more meaning to her than simply hanging Christmas lights.

"There! My end's done!" A few sunsetting minutes of twilight later, Sayer finishes the unspoken ''competitive race', attaching his end of the light string to the eaves before he bounces across the roof.

Just to find (with a pout) that Alex had already finished with hers.

"Let's go." Alex says, standing, rubbing her cold hands together as she gives the four foot angel one last look close up.

"Hey! You want me to carry you down the ladder? Like in a book or something?" The outlandish idea pops in his head after watching innumerable B-movies with that plotline between the chief protagonists, Sayer stops short to smile amorously at his 'vulnerable lady fair.'

As if! It'll be a cold day in...

"You know, I was about to ask you the same thing, Mr. Saxophone." Alex suddenly smirks, brushing past Sayer, she boldly going first down the ladder. She only pauses to look up at his handsome face and gorgeous eyes, alighted by the stars behind him as his starry orbs were gazing down from above.

I think I might always want to be there to catch you… Alex thinks, answering her own question, smiling up at him. The romance of this sunset cascading along the winds way up here was not wasted upon her.

"What?" Sayer kneels down on the roof's edge, seeing her thoughtful look up at him, as Alex had paused on the ladder.

The way she's looking at me…Maybe I'm not crazy to think she might...love me… Sayer dares to think seriously as their two chilled nose faces come that close together.

"I want my coat and gloves back as soon as we get back down." Breaking the mood, Alex pulls away, and descends down the ladder more quickly.

Guess I am crazy. Sayer shrugs to himself. Hurriedly, without thinking, he begins to travel down the ladder, but misses a rung, skidding several feet down.

Alex indeed, stops his plummeting descent, using her strong, muscular runner's arms to hold them both to the ladder rails.

"See? I knew you were going to fall." She breathes in Sayer's ear, his body pressed against hers intimately tight as Alex pulls his body in closer for a moment.

Just not to have the fool fall again, only, of course.

"I don't mind falling, if you're the one who's gonna catch me." Sayer huskily whispers back, white puffs of cold smoke coming from his mouth as he leans in towards Alex's exhilarated, parting lips one…

"Are you two all right up there?" Suddenly, Andrew's concerned voice calls up in the darkness.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Collecting herself in this high-altitude, heady moment, Alex calls back, chuckling, as she shakes her head. The golden soldier of the sky made sure Sayer was holding on firmly to the ladder and not only to her before she snakes from his grasp, rappelling down the rest of the steps in all haste.

"Come to me, angel..." Sighing at the chance just blown as his gorgeous voice sings a line from 'Search for Your Love,' Sayer was inspired by what he thought he saw in his Ally's eyes just then. Maybe, just maybe, there might be still more chances to come this Christmas—maybe even fantasized chances awaiting them both…

"Hark the Herald angels sing!

Glory to the newborn King!"

The next exciting part to be continued at Christmastime!

God bless you this joyous season until then!

God's grace and love as we enter this precious time of His goodness and family love,

HarukaKou

p.s. Happy Birthday to my very own aibou- my best friend, my better angel, my dearest one the Lord has blessed me with all of my life-

My beloved sister Setsuna, the one who inspired me to write this book in the first place, by introducing us to the magic and wonder called "Sailor Moon".

You are cherished and loved more than words can say, as long as there is a Forever, I will love you.

Tanjoubi omedetou, Onesan! ^0^