"Dammit, Zoey," Auri grunted in frustration, "this has got to stop! How are we supposed to beat Beryl if we can't even stop fighting amongst ourselves? In order to succeed, we all have to work together! That includes you and Nephlite. Please, for me? At least *try* to get along with him." The golden-haired woman heaved a heavy sigh, "I'll try. But I'm not going to promise to be friends with him." The others soon followed Zoey out of bed. "So," Serena asked, "what's the plan?" Aurelia had just opened her mouth to answer when a knock sounded at her door. "Hello? Are you there, Auri? It's Molly. I need to talk to Nephlite." "Please, Moll," Aurelia opened the door a crack, "this is not a good time." The sky darkened just as it had before Beryl's first atteck. "Shit," Auri swore, "Get inside! Now! Molly, you are not to tell anyone about what you're about to see. Got it?" The girl nodded, too shocked to speak. "Moon Crystal Power!" "Mars Power!" "Mercury Power!" "Jupiter Power!" "Venus Power!" "Saturn Power!" "Titan Power!" Her friends transformed all around her. "Serena, you're-" Molly didn't finish her sentence, only stared in open-mouthed shock. "Yep. Gotta go, Moll. Explain later." Nephlite graced her with a blank stare as he passed. Aurelia's love for him had eased the pain of Molly dumping him, but it hadn't erased the resulting anger. "She's not worth it," Zoycite counseled, "Save your anger for Beryl. You'll need it." "I have to go kick Beryl's ass right now," his voice was gruffer than it had ever been, even at his angriest, "I'll deal with you when I return." He turned back for a moment. "On second thought, here." He tossed her a quarter. "What's this for?" "In the words of a famous American Country-Western singer, 'Here's a quarter, call someone who cares'." Diane fought hard, Nephlite on one side of her, Zoycite on the other. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the death's-head smiles they exchanged. A cry sounded several hundred feet behind her, where Malachite, Jadeite, and Darien had been fighting side-by-side. "Malachite!" Zoycite was at her lover's side in a heartbeat. "Tuxedo Mask," Diane called, "get him back in the house. Maybe Saturn can help him." Darien nodded. Aurelia paled as she reached Malachite's side. He'd taken the youma's energy-blast in the chest, his uniform singed where it had struck. Malachite's eyes showed fear for the first time that any of them could remember. "I'm here, Love," Zoey whispered. "That little bitch packs quite a punch," he said shakily. "I'll take care of him, Zo'," Auri told her gently, "go on now, they need you out there." "Now," Diane addressed her friends during a brief lull in the melee, "I know we've lost our strongest fighter temporarily. But if we all work together, I know we can win this thing." A resounding battle cry rang out all around. "Now, let's go kick Beryl's ass back to the Negaverse where she belongs." "I have a better idea," Zoey countered, "let's finish the bitch, once and for all." Serena drew herself to her full height, her motions for once graceful and confident. "Beryl," she yelled, "face us!" The Queen turned, red hair aglow in the dancing flames of the battle. "You? You and your simpering Scout friends aren't even worth my time." A glowing green ball of lightning formed between her hands. "Cosmic Moon Power!" The golden beam from Serena's moon-wand met Beryl's attack. "Come on," Diane cried, "let's help her!" Nine pairs if hands joined Serena's on the scepter. "I have to go," Aurelia said quietly, "the others need me." "I'll be allright," Malachite answered with a slight smile, "Go help your friends." "Nephlite, Zoycite, Jadeite," Beryl snarled, "what are you doing?" "What we should have done long ago," Zoycite snapped, "ridding the universe of a menace it doesn't need." "Shit," Lita swore, "we need more power." Another set of hands embraced the scepter. Serena turned with a start to see Malachite between her and Zoycite, eyes glowing with a golden light. "It looked like you could use some help here." Malachite joining them was all that was needed to turn the tide. "No!" Beryl screamed as the power tore into her. "It's not possible!" Her body disintergrated in a brilliant flash of light. A groan echoed in the sudden silence. Malachite's knees folded beneath him as he sank to the ground. "Malachite, no!" Zoycite knelt next to him, green eyes awash, her hair falling from the broken thong in golden waves around her face. "I am sorry, Little Rat," he reached up to caress her face. His hand dropped, and ominous rattle sounding in his throat as he breathed his last. "He can't be gone," Zoey whispered, "his body's still here." "I am sorry, Zoycite," Ami put a hand on her shoulder, "Beryl is dead, her power broken. That's why his does not fade. There is no one to subsume his body for its energy." "No!" the mournful cry split the air. Suddenly, a brilliant light sprang up around Zoycite and her fallen lover. "What's happening?" Serena asked. "I don't know," Ami answered, "I've never seen anything like this before." "She's trying to heal him," Nephlite whispered. Then, he rose, striding over to where the lovers were. He set his hands on her shoulders, adding his strength to hers. Soon, all of them were gathered around, hand joined in hand in a circle of love and support. As the light faded, Malachite's silver eyes slowly opened. Zoycite hugged him tightly to her. "I love you." "So," Malachite said, "do you think we can plan that wedding now?" Zoycite shook her fist at him, than burst out laughing. "Yes! Yes, you fool, yes." A few hours later, Jadeite joined Diane on the balcony. "Di, can I talk to you?" "Of course." "I'm sorry about the other day. I was just tense. Still, that's no excuse for me to talk to you that way." "It's allright." "No, it's not. I guess what I'm trying to say is; Diane, I want you to be my wife. I want a home and a family, things I never got a chance to have where I was. Diane, will you marry me?" Diane flung her arms around him. "I take it that's a yes?" Jade's eyes took on a merry twinkle. "You bet your sweet Negaversian ass it is." She ran back in. "Auri, Zoey!" "We're here." "Guess what? I'm getting married!" Two weeks went by in a whirlwind of planning. "Gods, I'm nervous, Di." Zoycite stood before the big mirror in the temple's dressing room, fussing with her hair. She'd had it styled about fifty different ways in the previous fifteen minutes. "You'll do fine, Zo'. Here's your veil," Diane stretched to position it on the taller woman's head, "You're beatiful, Zoey. You're gonna take Mal's breath away." "Look at you, Di. Jae's tounge's gonna fall out of his head when he sees you." "Face it, girls," Auri said, "We are the three most beautiful brides on the face of this earth." "It's time, girls," Rei said, "your men await." "We are gathered here today to celebrate new beginnings," the preacher was an older man, balding and possessing a teddy-bearish aspect, "for even as marriage is the ending of the life of singleness, is also the beginning of a new life together. Brides, please step forward." "I, Malcolm Edward Andrews, do take thee, Zoey Ellen Waters, . . ." Diane peered over at Zoycite. She was beautiful, her face aglow. Then, it was her turn. Jadeite's eyes misted over as he said with quiet joy, "I, Jerrold Alan Matthews, do take thee, Diane Lynn Kelley, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, to love, honor and cherish you, 'til death does us part." Suddenly, the time had come for Nephlite to give his vows to his bride. He could feel the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. It seemed Zoycite had sensed it, too, for she reached over and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. He spoke his vows in a clear, strong voice, one filled with an almost celestial happiness. "Diane," Kathryn Preston, her mother, approached her in the reception line, "where's Lucia?" "Serena's watching her in the reception hall for a few minutes. Mother, I'd like you to meet Jerrold Matthews, my new husband." Kathryn looked Jadeite over critically. "So you're the boy my Diane was so crazy over. You treat her good, you hear?" Jade smiled, "Oh, that I will, Mrs. Preston. I owe your daughter my life and more." They gathered in the hall for the reception. "So," Serena tracked Zoycite down at the buffet table, "what's the story with you and Nephlite? I sense a warming trend here." A mere two months before, she'd never have asked that question. But a lot had changed in that time. Zoycite smoothed the white lace at the waist of her Gucci wedding gown pensively before raising her eyes to meet Serena's intense gaze. "Nephlite and I went through Hell and death and back together during that battle with Beryl. He stood by me at every step of it. When two people have been through something like that, it's knid of hard to hold on to the hate." With that, the golden-haired ex-General turned and strode back to her new husband's side, leaving Serena with a new outlook on this once-hated woman. "Look," Lita said, "Rei and Darien are headed for the stage." Rei cradled the mike in a gentle grip. "Now. it's time for the dancing to start. Darien Shields and I are going to do a special song, one just for the brides and grooms." A sigh went over the guests as many recognized the tune. "It's your love, it just does something to me, sends a shock right through me, I can't get enough. And if you wonder about the spell I'm under. Oh, it's your love." Luna, Diane, and Aurelia talked outside the main room. "Are you sure you won't stay?" Luna asked Auri, "We will miss you, you know." "I have to leave the Scouts, Luna," Aurelia smiled at the cat gently, "Nephlite and I want to start a new life, away from all the fighting and the madness. We want to live peacfully and raise a whole passel of kids." "I'm not leaving, Luna," Diane assured her, "I'm just going to be less active for awhile. If ever you need me, just call me and I'll be there. You know that." And so began a new life. Epilouge It was March 25, 2001. The day had dawned clear and crisp in the small community outside Tokyo. At around 2:30 that morning, Aurelia Stanton had gone into labor. Zoycite and Diane went into labor about five minutes apart a half-hour later. Amazeingly, all three women ended up in the same labor room. "Hey, Zoey," Auri greeted her friend. "What is this?" Zoycite asked. "Women are dropping their whelps like crazy in this fucking town." "Storm coming in from the west," Diane said, "Low pressure. If there's a woman within a month of their due-date in a thirty mile radius, they're going to have their babies now." "Which, of course, means a shortage of doctors, a shortage of labor rooms, and probably a shortage of delivery rooms," Aurelia concluded. An attractive and youthful-looking Japanese woman entered the room. "Hello, I'm Doctor Takeuchi. I'll be delivering your babies. Now, let's see how things are going." Her examination was quick and efficient. "Wow, you ladies are quick! Time to get you to Delivery." "Hi, hon," Diane called as she passed the waiting area. Nephlite and Malachite received similar greetings from their respective mates. A few hours later, three sets of boy-girl twins were born. The sight of the three fathers with a babe in each arm and tender looks on their faces was almost enough to give Serena a fit of the giggles. "I've already named mine," Zoey said, "Zoe Elaine and Malcolm Ian. How about you?" "Mine, too," Auri told them, "Nathan Andrew and Angel Marie. How 'bout you, Di?" "Jared Thomas and Amy Kathryn," Diane sighed as the nurse set her twins in her arms, "You know, girls, I think things are gonna work out just fine." The others nodded in agreement as they drifted off with a baby at each breast, At long last, things were looking up. Life, in a nutshell, was sweet. The End Well, folks, that's all. Tell me what you think.I am at back to the fanfiction page back to the main page