"Happy 9 months, Jace," Griffin said as Jacey opened her eyes. He gently laid a kiss on her lips and she smiled.
"Good morning my prince," she yawned. "Happy 9 months." She sat up and looked at an extremely happy Griffin. "What?" she asked.
He smiled coyly. "Oh, nothing," he said. "Just breakfast in bed," he said and stepped aside, revealing a beautifully made breakfast complete with flowers and a gift.
Jacey's eyes began to tear. "Oh, Grif! This is so great! You really shouldn't have."
"I wanted to," he said kissing her again. "You deserve it. Every last bit."
She smiled. "Well, if you say so, I certainly can't refuse." He eagerly handed her her breakfast tray. On it was a Pop-Tart, a glass of orange juice, a gift-wrapped box, an envelope, and 9 red roses. "Wow, it's so beautiful," she said.
"You like it?" Griffin asked eagerly. All Jacey could do was nod. "There is one rose for each month we've been going out. I would have given you one for each month I've loved you, but I figured you really didn't want 129 roses in your room." Jacey just laughed.
"I love the Pop-Tart too. It shows how you remember what I eat every morning while I'm running out the door!" Jacey said. Then they both broke out into hysterics.
Griffin wiped his eyes. "Go ahead and open the card."
She opened the envelope and then opened the card. A piece of paper fell out of the card and Jacey picked it up. "What's this?" she asked.
"Read it," Griffin smiled.
Jacey looked at him and cleared her throat. "Dear Griffin Castro," she paused and raised an eyebrow at him. He nodded her on. "We are pleased to inform you that we have accepted your application to New York University." Jacey's jaw dropped. Griffin just smiled. "Oh Griffin! This is so great!"
"I know," he said leaning towards her. "Now, I get to stay near you."
*****
"So he's staying, Jace?" Liz asked.
"Yup," Jacey smiled. "But he's still gonna live in the dorm. So it won't be exactly the same, but I'm still really thankful!"
Liz squealed and jumped onto her bed. "Wow, I'm so happy for you!" Jacey sat down on the chair at Liz's desk. "I wish Max would do something so grandly romantic like that for me."
Jacey smiled. "Don't worry. He probably will eventually."
Liz just burst out laughing. "I doubt it. Max doesn't do romantic," she said. Jacey did her best to stifle a laugh. "So what was in the box? Something grand as well, I bet."
Jacey's eyes sparkled as she nodded. "This," she said as she unlatched the gold chain she wore.
"Oh my God," Liz gasped as she took the 14kt gold heart locket from Jacey. "It's gorgeous! Oh dear!"
"Read it," Jacey said.
"Jacey and Griffin, BFF," she read then turned it over. "And more." Her eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, Jacey! Hold on to him forever!"
"I plan on it," Jacey said. Liz handed the locket back to her. Jacey gently opened it. "And he even put pictures of the two of us in here!"
Liz started to cry. "Oh Jace! That's so beautiful!" Jacey just stared at her in surprise. "What did you get him?" Liz sniffled.
"I made him a scrapbook. It has pictures, ticket stubs, receipts, everything I've saved from the first day we met until yesterday. That and a framed picture of the two of us for him to put in his dorm room," Jacey said.
Liz's eyes began to mist again. "Oh, that's so wonderful!" she choked.
Jacey laughed. "Remind me not to tell you anything sentimental ever again!" she said rolling her eyes.
*****
"Oh Athena, it's all such a huge mess!" a voice from the computer said. "Artemis and I have trained those girls so much, but I'm still afraid they're not ready!"
Athena felt her friend's pain. "Luna, you've done all you can do. Now, just trust in them and their abilities."
"But it's so hard to! I can't control this battle!" Luna sobbed. "I couldn't stand it if something happened to any of them, especially Sailor Moon. And its not just because she's Sailor Moon, she's my best friend!"
"I understand," Athena said, tears welling up in her eyes. "If anything ever happened to Sailor Earth... I don't know what I'd do!"
"What you'd do if what?" Jacey asked as she walked into the room.
Athena wiped her eyes. "Nothing, Jace, I'm just discussing Sailor stuff with Luna."
"Oh, hey Luna," Jacey said. "What's shakin' in Tokyo?"
Athena looked from Jacey to the computer. "A lot," Luna said sadly. Jacey raised an eyebrow. "The Imperium Silver Crystal is going to appear soon. And we don't have a single rainbow crystal!"
Jacey gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "What? Are... are you serious? What happened?" she said sitting down next to Athena on her desk chair.
Luna sighed. "Sailor Klutzoid Moon." Jacey just laughed nervously and scratched her head. "But seriously, things haven't been going out way at all with these crystals. Tuxedo Mask has two and Zoicite has five!"
"Hmmmm..." Jacey thought out loud. "Well... get them back!"
Athena looked at Jacey dumbfounded. "Really? What a plan," she said sarcastically.
"I have to go, you guys," Luna said hurriedly. "Sailor Venus and Artemis just got here for the Scout meeting."
"Okay!" Athena and Jacey said in unison.
"Signing off," Luna said and the computer turned off.
Jacey looked at Athena. "I want to have Scout meetings. It isn't fair."
She began to pout at that and Athena just stared into space blankly. Jacey noticed her far-awayness and waved a hand in front of her face. "Yoo-hoo! Earth to Athena! This is Sailor Earth calling Athena, come in Athena!" She laughed but then shuddered violently.
Athena quickly snapped out of her trance. "What's wrong?" she immediately asked. She ran to Jacey and tried to comfort her.
"It's the Negaverse! It hurts!" she screamed as she winced in pain. Flashes of evil being and bright lights flashed through her mind and she felt like vomiting. All of a sudden, it stopped and Jacey looked up at Athena, sweat beaded on her forehead. "We have to get to the Empire State Building now," she said. "I think it might already be too late."
*****
"Run faster, faster!" Sailor Earth urged herself as she ran madly down the crowded streets of Manhattan. "I have to get there before the gate opens! If it does, this will be the end of all of the world!" She turned a corner and came to a screeching halt. There, right in front of her, loomed a dark and ominous cloud over the Empire State Building. "Oh shit!" she cried and began running towards it. She pressed the jewel in her tiara and a small intercom came down by her mouth. "Athena," she said as she ran. "I don't know if I can do this alone!"
"You won't be. I'm sure the Midnight Facade will show up to help you," she said.
"Believe in yourself, Sailor Earth, you can do it!" Apollo eagerly shouted.
Sailor Earth sighed. "I hope I can," she said and pressed the jewel again, making the tiara disappear. Sailor Earth ran her heart out to get to the building and stopped at the bottom of it, looking up in self doubt.
"Sailor Earth, Sailor Earth!" a frantic woman ran up to her screaming. "You have to save the people in the building! My daughter's in there!" She began to wail uncontrollably.
"Don't worry, Madame, I'll make sure she gets out safe and sound," she said, looking again at the impossible task in front of her. "I don't know how I'll do this," she thought. "But I swear I will."
Sailor Earth took a deep breath, then she heard a voice in her ear. "Sailor Earth," Apollo said. The intercom appeared again. "The entrances are sealed, you'll have to teleport in."
"Thanks Apollo," she said. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. An aquamarine aura surrounded her body and her eyes shot open. "Earth Teleport!" she shouted. She disappeared and was transported inside the building.
Inside, the building was dark and eerie, with a strange plant-like substance growing on the floor, walls, and ceiling. "Ookie," she said. She turned around and saw bodies lying all over the ground. "Oh my God!" she said and ran to a little girl and felt her pulse. "Her energy's been drained, but she's still alive. I don't know how much longer for in this negative environment. They need their energy back, and quick!"
"What's going on?" Athena asked. "Is it bad?"
"I'm afraid so. There are a lot of people with their energy drained and it will keep getting lower until they die in this negative environment," Sailor Earth said. "I have to give them some of my energy."
"No!" Apollo and Athena both shouted. "You won't have enough energy to fight and everyone will die!"
Sailor Earth stood up. "I have to, it's my job to protect everyone and I will," she said closing her eyes. Her key began to glow and a warm light was shed over the people. They began to open their eyes and Sailor Earth opened hers. "They're all right," she said. She blinked and took a faltering step backwards. "I feel weak," she said and keeled over into the arms of Midnight Facade.
"Come on, come on!" the Midnight Facade shouted at Sailor Earth. "Wake up!" He held her tightly to him, trying to protect her from the evil.
Her eyes began to twitch and final open. "What... what happened? Is everyone all right?" she asked, looking around slowly.
The Midnight Facade smiled lightly. "Of course they are, you save them. But you shouldn't have given so much of your energy. You're way too weak to fight whatever this is now," he said, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Just rest for a while."
"I can't," she said pushing herself up. "Everyone's counting on me to save them. I can't let them down." She started to stand tall and walk down the corridor. The Midnight Facade ran to catch up with her. "You can't talk me out of fighting," she said plainly.
"I won't, trust me," he said. "I only wish I had your courage. I'm so terrified right now. I don't know how you do this all the time. It obviously got easier, didn't it?"
She looked up at him plainly. "I have a family that loves me and that I love. And I have a brother out there somewhere who might never remember me. They all mean the world to me, especially my boyfriend. If anything happened to them, I could never forgive myself," she said. The Midnight Facade blushed a bit at her reference to Griffin, but Sailor Earth didn't see. "It isn't about courage. It's about helping the people that you love."
"I've never thought of it that way," he said. "Maybe I should, then I won't be quite as afraid of this evil."
This time it was Sailor Earth's turn to blush. "It doesn't make me braver, it just keeps me from screaming like a maniac and running in the other direction."
The Midnight Facade laughed lightly. "I guess that works too!" They looked at each other in recognition that they were going to see this through until the end. Jacey turned and started to walk to where the evil vibrations felt the strongest and Midnight Facade followed suit.
*****
High in the sky, unseen by anyone on the streets, a pair of eyes watched the scene unfold. "She's too weak, she can't fight this herself," the female voice said.
The mysterious unseen being thought hard. "What can I do? This battle won't go her way, at all. But as a spirit..."
*****
Sailor Earth and the Midnight Facade walked up and down the hallways trying to figure out where they were going. "Athena, have you found the source yet? We're not getting anywhere!" she said impatiently and stopping short.
"I'm trying as hard as I can, I'm sorry, but everything is so jumbled in there," Athena said. Sailor Earth just rubbed her temples. "Try going north. The negativity seems stronger in that direction."
"Thanks," Sailor Earth said. She and the Midnight Facade began to walk in a northern direction. "So," Sailor Earth said, turning to him. "What's your story? How did you end up like this and who are you really?"
The Midnight Facade looked at her. "My story? I don't really have one. I'm a guy who lives with his family and fights the forces of evil. Doesn't seem very story like to me," he said, smirking. Sailor Earth attempted to stifle a giggle. "But I don't think you're ready to know who I really am. And if you are, this isn't the time for me to tell you."
"Fair enough," Sailor Earth said. "I wouldn't have told you if you had asked me. But it was worth a shot," she smiled. He smiled down at her. Then Sailor Earth's face tensed. "What was that?" she said.
"I don't know," the Midnight Facade said, looking around. "But I heard it too." They looked behind them carefully, but didn't see anything. Then all of a sudden, they were propelled backwards with amazing force until they hit the wall.
Over them, there stood the biggest and ugliest monster they'd ever faced.
*****
"Sailor Neptune!" a voice shouted. "I found her! I finally found Michelle!" The spirit of Sailor Uranus appeared in front of her.
Sailor Neptune's spirit smiled. "Really? Oh, Uranus!" she said, throwing her arms around Uranus's neck. "I finally have a body after all these years!"
"She hasn't picked up the stick yet, but she will soon, I can feel it," Uranus said. They both smiled. "I haven't found Amara yet, so you'll have to continue the search for her, so we can finally be together again," Amara said, a little sadly.
"As a human, it will be easier," Neptune said. "Then we'll both be free." Then she looked sadly at Sailor Sun. "I'm sorry, I forgot," she said sadly.
Sailor Sun looked away from the battle unfolding in the Empire State Building. "It's all right, I've lived an eternity without a body, what's the rest of the sun's existence going to matter?" she said. Then she turned back to the battle. "Besides, I keep the balance of the solar system."
Uranus turned to Neptune who was looking sadly at the other three inhabitants of the sun. "Uranus, Centauri," she said. "I promise as soon as I get Michelle's body back, I'll search for you. I won't rest until the three of us are together again."
"Don't worry," Sailor Centauri said. "Koby is probably happy living as a normal girl. Look for Amara first, so the two of you can be together again. When the apocalypse comes, then you can wake Koby."
"All right," Uranus and Neptune said. Then they turned to each other and Neptune broke down into Uranus's arms. "How can I live without you?" she said, sobbing.
"The question is how can I live without you?" Uranus said, wiping the tears out of Neptune's eyes. "Don't forget me," she said as Neptune began to disappear.
"Goodbye," Neptune whispered as she vanished off the face of the sun. Uranus wiped a tear out of her eye, then broke down.
"Sailor Sun looked on both situations sadly. "If only I had that damn body!" Uranus shouted. "Neptune," she cried softly.
"Michelle took the transformation stick," Sailor Sun said. "Neptune has a body now. Wait, a body..." she lit up. "I need a body... Earth's body!"
*****
"How dare you intrude upon the dark fortress!" the huge monster bellowed. "You are not welcome here, and now you must be destroyed!"
The Midnight Facade stood up. "Not today," he said. "You aren't welcome in our dimension! Sailor Earth and I will blow you back into yours, right Sailor Earth?" There was no response. "Sailor Earth?" he said and turned around.
She was still lying there, totally knocked out. "Ha, this is your Champion of Justice that I've heard so much about?"
Sailor Earth flinched and opened her eyes. "Yes," she said strainedly, slowly getting up, "I'm Sailor Earth and I fight for love, justice, and this beautiful planet that we're gonna blow you off of." She walked over to the Midnight Facade with much difficulty. "I'm okay, I promise," she said to him.
"Well, not for long!" the monster cackled. It ran at her and threw a punch, but Sailor Earth dodged it.
Sailor Earth rolled across the floor and hit the wall. "I'm so weak," she thought. "Athena was right. I shouldn't have given up so much of my energy." She got up and started to walk back towards the monster. She stopped and closed her eyes and began spinning. "Molten Lava Flow!" she shouted.
The monster just blew its icy breath onto the liquid hot magma and froze it. "Is that all you've got you wimpy little Sailor girl? I'm hardly surprised." Sailor Earth panicked. Seeing her opportunity, the monster lashed out with its hair, preparing to string Sailor Earth up.
"NO!" the Midnight Facade shouted and jumped in front of Sailor Earth. In an instant he was wrapped in its hair, his energy being drained.
"MIDNIGHT!" she shouted frantically. "Let him go! NOW! Or I swear you evil monster!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The monster smirked. "As you say, you stupid Sailor girl," the monster said and threw the Midnight Facade across the room. He hit the wall with an unbelievable thud and he cried out in pain. Then all that could be heard was the sound of his mask hitting the floor.
"NOOOOOOO!" Sailor Earth screamed as she ran to his side... The monster just cackled. "Oh, oh, Midnight! I'm so sorry!" she cried. With her eyes blurred from crying, she turned the Midnight Facade over and laid him on her lap. She wiped the tears from her eyes and gasped. "Grif!" she choked. "Griffin, it was you! All this time, it was you! And you never said anything. I never even..." Her eyes began to water again. "GRIFFIN!" she cried out in despair.
"Pity," the monster said mockingly. "Now I'll have to destroy you too." She charged at Sailor Earth.
Sailor Earth's eyes went solid green and a scowl appeared on her face. The monster laughed as she approached the seemingly helpless girl. Without even turning around to look at the monster, Sailor Earth held up her hand and blew it clear across the room and into a wall, rendering it unconscious. "What's happening to me?" she said as the key began to glow. "Apollo, Athena?"
"It's the Imperium Silver Crystal! The Scouts have it," Athena said. "Don't worry."
Sailor Earth stood up. "This means I can use the Transformation Key Healing," she thought. "I can save Griffin." She closed her eyes and the key shone with a great white light. "Transformation Key Healing!" she said and the light enveloped Griffin. But nothing happened. Sailor Earth dropped to the ground with exhaustion. "Work damnit," she whispered. "Work."
"Don't cry, my child," a voice whispered to her. "We're here. All of us." Sailor Earth looked up and saw.
"Mother, Father?" she said. There, in front of her stood Cindy and Jonathan. "Darien!" she said. A small Darien peeked out from behind Cindy.
"We're here to take you back," Cindy said lightly. "Back to your past, a thousand years ago."
*****
"Queen Serenity, Princess Serena!" Sailor Earth said when she saw them. Serena ran up and hugged her long lost friend. "Where are my parents and Darien?"
Serenity smiled. "Cindy and Jonathan have no place here, they were just to escort you back to the Moon Kingdom. Look at yourself, you do not belong in that world."
Sailor Earth looked down to find that she was dressed in an aquamarine dress, traditional of the princess of the Earth. "But I... I do not understand. Why am I here? What is this? I have someone to save back home, an entire city!"
"They can wait, and they will," Serenity said. "You have to remember your past, as the other protectors are now. Princess Serena only just now came back to me. You must relax," she said waving a hand over her head. "And remember."
~~~~~
"Serena I am going to go riding," 14-year-old Princess Jacey said. She ran out of the Moon Palace and into the stables. "Griffin!" she said. "Oh, I have missed you so! It has been too long since I have been back to the Moon."
Griffin scooped her up. "It does not matter. The only thing that does is that you are here with me now," he said. He put her down and gently laid a kiss on her lips. Jacey felt a hot rush as she drank the wrongness of it all in.
Jacey pulled away and began to walk through the stables. "Griffin," she said almost solemnly, but she still couldn't bide all her happiness about being there. "I have to speak to you. I... I am of the age of betrothal in my kingdom," she said falteringly.
"I've been dreading this conversation, Jacey," he said. "I can't marry you, and you know that!" Princess Jacey bit her lip. "It isn't that I don't want to. That has to be the farthest thing from the truth, but I'm a stable hand. And I'm only 16, frankly, we couldn't be more wrong for each other."
"But that doesn't matter!" she said, stamping her foot. "I.. I.." she stammered. "I love you!" she wanted to scream, but just couldn't bring her mouth to form the words. "I do not want to marry any prince, I want you."
Griffin dropped his head. "I love you so much, but I just want you to be happy. And you won't be happy with a stable boy," he thought. "Jacey, if it makes you happy, you could stay in my arms forever. They're yours," he said, opening them for her.
She smiled and ran to him. "Oh, Griffin. I would not want it any other way."
~~~~~
"You knew," Princess Jacey stammered to Queen Serenity. "Serena! You told!" she said, upset.
Serena just looked at her, baffled. "No, she did not," Queen Serenity said. "It was as plain as day that you were in love. Your mother and I were going to allow the union. But... but Beryl came and all unions were impossible."
Jacey's eyes welled up with tears. "You gave us a second chance," she whispered. Serenity nodded. "And I might lose him!"
"Go," Serenity said. "And get him back, once and for all." She smiled as Princess Jacey turned back into Sailor Earth and disappeared.
*****
Sailor Earth lay down on top of Griffin, totally devoid of energy from her revelation. "SAILOR EARTH!" Apollo screamed into the intercom. "Still nothing Athena," he said. "She's used energy she never had, she's was to weak to fight this monster. She's done for!"
"Don't say that," Athena said. "There might be some hope still. that blast she gave the monster could keep it down until she recovers enough to beat it."
The monster started to get up across the room. "You rotten little brat!" it yelled and came at her. Sailor Earth's eyes fluttered open just in time to see its elbow connect with her chin and send her flying.
"I... I'm trapped," she thought. "This is the end."
*****
A giant fireball came down from the sky over New York City and headed straight for the Empire State Building. People on the street gasped and shielded themselves for the impact, but it never happened. The fireball was absorbed right into the building.
*****
Sailor Earth lay on the floor, gasping for breath while the monster walked, laughing, over to her. "Help," Sailor Earth managed to squeak. Then the giant fireball raced past the monster, knocking it over and landed right on Sailor Earth.
"Well, I didn't even have to finish her off myself," the monster thought as it stood up.
Sailor Earth swirled with flames and felt her power growing stronger and stronger. The flames absorbed into her body, revealing a very different Sailor Earth to the monster. She stood tall and strong. Her hair was fire, while her boots, gloves, bows, skirt, and collar, were all flames that came to normal white items. She carried a long, thin, silver staff with three rings near the top and a golden sun on top. She wore a red choker with the symbol of the sun on it. Her tiara came to a diamond point and showed the symbol of the sun on top as well. She glared menacingly at the monster.
"Who are you?" the monster said, dumbfounded.
"I am Sailor Sun," she said in an echo-y voice. "I'm here to protect Sailor Earth and the rest of our Solar System from scum like you." The monster panicked, unsure of what to do. In desperation, she launched an attack that Sailor Sun just moved her head to dodge. "This is your end," she said. Holding the staff with both hands she moved in a single circle, creating a wall of flames around herself. "UNIVERSAL INFERNO!" she cried and the flames were soaked into the staff and propelled at the monster with unimaginable force.
The monster wasn't even able to scream before it was completely disintegrated. Not even a speck of dust was left. The Empire State Building transformed back to its original state and Sailor Sun just looked around. "So, this is what a body is like," she thought. "It's nice, but too bad it can't last forever." With that, she vanished from Sailor Earth's body.
Surprisingly, Sailor Earth was left standing, tall and strong again. She looked back to where Griffin was laying, but he was gone. Sighing heavily, she began to walk out of the building. There wasn't even a trace of the wounded people anywhere. When she reached the exit, she blinked hard and held her head up high, proud of her accomplishment and newfound past.
She stepped out into the bright sunlight and was greeted by throngs of people, cheering just for her. They congratulated her as she walked by and smiled at her, as she looked on, stupefied. Then, Sailor Earth saw the woman whose daughter had been in the building. Sailor Earth stopped and looked at her. The crowd stopped cheering, and tried to see what was happening. "Thank you," the woman said, holding her child close to her
"Anytime," Sailor Earth said and the crowd went wild again. She walked for a few blocks, happy with the reception that she got. But the thing that warmed her heart the most was the sincere gratitude from the woman whose very life's blood she had saved.
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