Hello, everybody!  I'm back!  Chapter Eleven is here!  Standard disclaimers 
should be here!  Thank you, all that write and all that read!  Thank you 
more if you wrote!  To Jendra@AOL.com!  Enough already!

Sailor Moon Universal

Chapter Eleven  Cracked Crystal


One moment the Scouts were staring into an ocean rushing ever closer,
the next moment they were standing on a shadowed plain.  Rolling fog
quickly cut the Scouts off from one another until Sailor Moon, Sailor
Crescent Moon, and Tuxedo Mask were standing alone.  Then Crescent Moon
pulled away.

"Come on," she yelled, "Puu will be waiting for me."  Without waiting
she started running into the fog.

"Reenie!  Wait!" Sailor Moon yelled, running after her, and before
Tuxedo Mask could react, she, too, was lost in the fog.

Sailor Moon ran on, calling for Reenie and the other Scouts.  Finally
she stopped, panting from the run.  She saw a light in front of her and
walked slowly towards it, trying to get her breath back.

"Halt!" a slightly familiar voice challenged from an indistinct shape
near the light.  "Who dares to come near the Gateway of Time?"

Sailor Moon stopped and glanced around, hoping some of the other Scouts
were nearby.  Seeing no one to help, she drew herself up and walked
forward warily.  "I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Love and Justice.  In
the name of the Moon, I will Right Wrongs and Triumph over..."

By this time she had gotten close enough to see the other person.  It
was a young woman with long green hair, clad in a Sailor Suit, and
holding a long staff shaped like a giant key.  Sailor Moon stopped her
speech as the new Sailor came closer.  "Are you Sailor Pluto?" she asked
excitedly.

"I am the Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto.  Why are you here, and how did
you get here?" her voice was still hard and challenging.

"Reenie brought us.  Have you seen her?"  Her question was answered
almost immediately as Crescent Moon came running through the fog with
Luna Ball bouncing behind.

"Puu!" she cried, throwing herself into the older Scout's arms.  She
calmed down and turned to Sailor Moon.  "Puu, this is Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon, this is Sailor Pluto."  She suddenly looked worried.  "I
know you said that I was the only one to use the Crystal Time Key, but
they would have died if I didn't and besides, she's the only one that
can help my mother.  I'm sorry I disobeyed you."  She looked as if she
expected Sailor Pluto to yell at her.

Sailor Pluto kneeled next to her.  "You did the right thing, Small Lady.
You've learned how to use the Key correctly.  I'm very proud of you."
She looked her over closer, "And what is this?  A Sailor Scout?" she
asked teasingly.

"Yep," Reenie said proudly.  "I am Sailor Crescent Moon!  Champion of
Justice.  Do you like it?"

"I do indeed, and I'm sure your mother will be very proud of you, too,"
Pluto replied.

Sailor Moon looked as if she was about to say something when they heard
a noise and turned.  Coming towards them were Sailor Venus and Mars.  In
the flurry of introductions, Sailor Moon forgot what she was going to
say.  Reenie started telling Pluto about everything that happened while
she was in the past as the other Scouts and Tuxedo Mask found their way
to the Gate.

Sailor Moon listened to Crescent Moon's account and a frown found its
way into her eyes.  Tuxedo Mask noticed and leaned towards her.  "What's
wrong, sweetheart?"

"Huh?" she asked, startled.  "Oh, it's nothing."

He didn't believe her, but looking into her eyes, he saw that she didn't
plan on saying anything else.

"Is everyone here?" Sailor Pluto suddenly asked.  As they looked around
and counted heads, she continued, "The Sailor Scouts have a shield
around the Palace.  That means that I cannot open a gate straight into
it.  The closest safe spot to gate to is almost a mile from the palace.
And the entire city is under siege.  You will more than likely have to
fight your way through the city.  Are you sure you wish to do this?"

"How can we get through the shield?" Sailor Venus asked.

"In effect, `you' set it up, so you will have no trouble getting
through.  And since it was set up to protect the Kings, Queen, and
Princess, they should have no trouble either," Pluto answered easily.
"Getting in is not going to be the problem, getting to it is going to be
the problem."

"We'll manage," Sailor Mars said confidently.

"Yeah, nothing can beat us," Sailor Jupiter agreed.

"We're going," Sailor Moon said.

"All right.  I'll be there when you need me," Sailor Pluto said, even as
she turned towards the gate.  After a moment of concentration, the gate
opened wide.  "Go through quickly, I cannot hold it for long."

One by one the Scouts warily step through the gateway, Luna, Artemis,
and Apollo riding their Scouts' shoulders, Crescent Moon stopping to hug
Pluto one more time.  On the other side of the Gate, they stopped and
stared.  It was obvious at once why the city was called Crystal Tokyo.
It looked as if the entire city had been grown as a large crystal
cluster.  A crystal that had been broken.  Many of the structures were
in rubble, or broken in some way. Crescent Moon looked as if she were
going to cry.  This was not the way her city looked.  Then Jupiter
gasped.

As everyone looked at her, she pointed upward.  The sky was covered with
ships.  As they watched, one ship dived toward the city and started
firing, destroying more of the buildings.

Another ship raced towards a spire that rose above the rest of the city.
Crescent Moon pointed to it.  "That's the palace.  That's where my mommy
and daddy live."  The ship got closer and closer to the palace.
Suddenly it seemed to hit an unseen wall and exploded.

"And we've got to get there?" Venus asked in a small voice.  "Through
that?"

"Well, we're not getting there this way," Sailor Mars suddenly said,
"Come on, let's get going."

"Stay together everyone," Sailor Moon said, moving to one side of Sailor
Crescent Moon as they started out.  They stopped when they noticed
Tuxedo Mask wasn't with them.  They turned back to see him still staring
at the Palace.  "What's wrong?" Sailor Moon asked, concerned.

"Those first couple of days, every time I held Reenie, I got a picture
of that place in my mind," he said quietly, still looking up at it.  "I
had wondered what it meant."  He shook his head and moved to catch up to
the others.

They walked quickly through the empty streets, trying to stay under
cover where possible.  Their eyes stayed above them on the ships they
were worried about.  So no one saw the droid before they almost ran into
it.

Of course, even if they had been watching, they might have missed it.
It was made entirely of crystal, or so it seemed.  Sitting quietly, it
blended into the heaps of crystal all around them.  The first hint they
had of its presence was when it threw a large piece of crystal at them.
Tuxedo Mask saw it in time to throw the two Moons out of its way.
Slivers of crystal imbedded in his cape, but all three of them were
unharmed.

Sailor Mercury, with the help of her visor, was the first to spot the
droid.  "Over there!" she pointed and the others were able to make it
out.

Sailor Moon stood up.  "I am Sailor Moon!  Champion of Love and Justice!
For helping to destroy this beau..."  That was as far as she got, before
Sailor Sol tackled her out of the way of another crystal projectile.

"How many times do I have to tell you?  Speeches just give them time to
attack!" he growled as he got up.

Sailor Jupiter wasn't waiting.  "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" she called,
throwing her lightning before Mercury could stop her.  Everyone dived to
the ground as it hit the crystal and reflected back towards the Scouts.
"Oh, come on, not again!  Why do all the new droids seem to be
invulnerable to lightning?  I want to pound something!" Jupiter yelled
in disgust.

"Calm down, Jupiter, you're being way too uptight," Venus said, and
tried to hide a grin when, "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" broke part of
the droid's crystal arm.

"Yeah, Jupiter, I'm sure we can find a nice easy droid for you to fight.
Maybe if we find one weak enough you can actually do some damage."  Mars
grinned as she spoke, while Jupiter's face just got darker and she
glared at the other Scout.

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" Mars called out.  Once again everyone
had to dive out of the way of a reflected attack.  "No way!" she said.
Sailor Jupiter and the two Moons burst out laughing at the disbelief on
her face.

"I guess we need to find you a nice weak droid too," Jupiter said while
laughing, "You seem to be having some trouble with the regular ones."

"Girls, girls?  Could we get on with the fight please?  Sailor Moon,
Sailor Crescent Moon, if you would please?" Sailor Sol said with a sigh
as Mars geared up for a major argument.

"Oh, all right," the two said in exactly the same tone of voice.  Tuxedo
Mask pulled out a handful of roses as Sailor Sol pulled out his sword.

"MOON TIARA MAGIC!" "CRESCENT MOON TIARA MAGIC!"  The two disks flew
towards the droid, followed by almost a dozen roses and the male Scout
with a sword in his hands.  Within seconds the droid was covered in
cracks and looked about ready to fall apart.

"Jupiter, Mars, do you want to do the honors?" Sailor Sol said with a
grin.

The two Scouts looked at each other and nodded.  They ran at the almost
totally destroyed droid and together kicked him, one to the head, the
other to the chest.  The droid fell into crystal dust.  Jupiter and Mars
looked a lot happier afterwards.

"Nice going, Sol," Tuxedo Mask whispered to him, "We almost had a bad
argument there."

"I was more worried about a cat fight," he whispered back with a grin.
"OOWW!!" he suddenly yelled.  As everyone gathered around him in
concern, he glared down at the black cat nonchalantly cleaning her paws.
"What did you do that for?" he demanded angrily.

"You should pay more attention to who is around when you make comments
like that," Luna replied serenely.  Sailor Moon and Crescent Moon
thought that was hilarious.

Sailor Sol just glared at her before sighing.  "Well, shall we go?" he
asked grumpily.

Everyone agreed.  Most of them even managed to keep their faces
straight.

This time they kept their eyes on the ground as well as the skies, but
managed to reach the force wall without further problems.

The Scouts stood looking at the invisible wall surrounding the palace.
Not that they could `see' the wall, but the wreckage of spaceships made
the wall's location obvious.  They looked at each other, a common
thought going through everyone's mind, *Who's going to risk it first?*

Sailor Crescent Moon grew impatient and started walking forward.  Sailor
Moon ran after her and as the others watched, the two girls stepped
through the barrier as if it wasn't there.  Shrugging at one another,
the other Scouts and Tuxedo Mask followed after easily.

"I guess Pluto was right," Venus said in a hushed voice while staring at
the imposing building they were walking up to.

"Of course she was right," Crescent Moon snapped.

"Be nice, Reenie," Sailor Moon murmured.

"Oh, all right Serena," she grumbled, her eyes searching for something,
or someone.

Then she saw him.  "Daddy!" she yelled running towards a tall man,
dressed as a white and lavender version of Tuxedo Mask, without the mask
or cape and carrying a sword instead of a cane.

"Small Lady!" he cried, sweeping her up into his arms and hugging her as
if he was never going to let her go.  "I've been so worried about you.
You shouldn't have left without telling anyone."  The Scouts stayed back
to give them time alone.  There were tears in everyone's eyes at the
reunion.

"Oh, Daddy, I've missed you so much!" she sobbed.  "I was so scared at
first, and I just wanted to come home and come back to you and Mommy."
The older man just held her and let her babble, seemingly content to
just hold her.

"I thought you'd be mad at me, Daddy," Reenie said looking up at her
father.

"I will be once I get over being happy that you've returned," he
murmured to her as he hugged her again.

Finally, he let her pull away slightly and looked at the uniform she was
wearing.  "I always did like your mother in that," he laughed huskily,
his eyes shining.  Still carrying her, he walked forward.

"Hello, everyone.  Welcome to Crystal Tokyo.  I, as you might have
guessed, am King Endymion."  On closer examination, it was obvious that
he was Darien, the kind blue eyes were exactly the same, but they were
set into an older and more mature face.  Still, he could not have been
older that the late twenties.

"Your Majesty?" Mercury broke in, "How far into the future are we?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, almost a thousand years," King Endymion
replied calmly.

"What?" everybody screeched.  Even Reenie seemed surprised at the
number.

"That's not possible!" Jupiter exclaimed.

"No way!" Venus agreed.

"Your Majesty, are you sure?" Sailor Sol asked.

"I'm positive, Travis, and please, don't call me `Your Majesty'. You've
known me far too long for that."  Endymion turned to the others.  "That
goes for all of you.  Regardless, of how much time has passed or what
has happened, we are you.  Don't be scared of how much we've changed,
it's just time catching up with us."

"So you know what's going to happen?" Sailor Moon asked, relieved.  She
had been worried that no one knew what was going on, but since they had
already lived it, it would be okay.

"No, I'm afraid not," Endymion said sadly.  "We're not allowed to know
much about the future and something blocks us from knowing.  Pluto says
that she's not doing it, but I'm sure she knows what is.  I don't know
about the others, but all I remember about what happened in your time
period is what has no relation to the future or has already happened to
you.  I know nothing about what is going to happen here and now until it
does.  It's almost like you, Darien, are making my memories as you go.
Look, we can finish this inside, but if you would do me a favor?  If the
people thought the barrier was down they would start to panic, and since
the Scouts are powering the shield... can you?"

"Not a prob," Venus said, detransforming.

The others quickly followed, even Crescent Moon changing back into
Reenie.

"I hope you're going to explain everything eventually," Serena said
plaintively.

"I will, I promise.  Just as soon as we get somewhere private," Endymion
agreed, leading them inside.


If the outside of the palace was impressive, the inside was stunning.
Marble tiled floor, covered in the middle with a red runner of carpet,
was flanked by columns reminiscent of ancient Greece, or the Kingdom of
the Moon.  A mosaic covered the left wall of the room, but the Scouts
couldn't get more than a glimpse of it.  Reenie was chattering away in
her fathers arms as he led them through doorways and up stairs.  Serena
was not the only one panting when they finally stopped.

This room was more informal, although no less impressive than the others
they had passed through.  It was also occupied.  This was no surprise,
since they had passed many people on their way to this room.  The
surprise was that they recognized four of the five occupants.

One of them was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a white
and gold version of Endymion's clothes but with two swords.  Even with
the age difference, he was obviously Tranquillity.  Travis walked right
up to him and looked him over narrowly, before he grinned and turned
back to the others.  "I grew up well, don't you think?"

Everyone laughed and one of the others spoke up.  "Thank you," he said
in his deep voice, "I consider that a compliment to me, since I
practically raised you."

"Apollo!" Travis and Tranquillity said in the exact same tone of voice.
A tone of voice Serena and Mina recognized, having used it many times on
the cats on their shoulders and the white and black cats curled up in
one of the white chairs.

Reenie wiggled down from her father's arms and picked up the third cat.
A kitten really, she was small, smoke gray, and had a small crescent
moon on her forehead.  "Diana," she chirped.

"Reenie, I've missed you," Diana purred, nuzzling Reenie on the cheek
and neck.  Reenie giggled.

"I've missed you too, Diana," the little girl said fondly.

Artemis and Luna sat up on their charges shoulders, their heads going
from left to right as they stared at the kitten, then its parents and
then each other.  Artemis slowly blushed, his white fur turning pink.
Luna's black fur hiding the fact that she was blushing furiously as
well.  The other black and white cats smiled in sympathy.  After all,
they knew how they felt.

"And what about me?" Tranquillity asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"I've missed you too, Uncle Tranq," Reenie said, giving him a hug.

"We were worried about you, little one," he whispered as he hugged her.
"Please don't scare us like that again, okay?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry everyone," she whispered back with
downcast eyes.

"Please sit down everyone, and we'll try to explain what's going on,"
Endymion asked, although it sounded more like a command.  Everyone found
a seat, Reenie clambering back up into Endymion's lap.  Mina picked up
Artemis and handed Luna to Serena as she took their seat.  The two
Lunas and Artemis's looked at each other as they settled next to each
other in the girls' laps.

"I can't tell you everything, of course, or even most things.  Sailor
Pluto was very strict about how much of your future you're allowed to
know.  I can't tell you why it's been a thousand years or how Crystal
Tokyo came to be.  It also doesn't really matter when it comes to what
has happened."

"I have one question first," Serena said, petting the two Lunas
absentmindedly.  "Where is Serenity?  Shouldn't she be here, or is she
helping the Scouts with the shield?"

As she watched, Endymion's face darkened with pain, but all he said was,
"All in good time."  He drew in a deep breath.  "It all started about
six months ago.  Up until then we had been a relatively peaceful city,
protected by the Scouts and our own magic.  Perhaps we became a little
overconfident of our ability to protect ourselves.  When the people of
the NegaMoon attacked, we had no warning and no chance to prepare.  The
Ou..." he stopped for a moment, and gathering his thoughts.  "The Scouts
and Royal Guard fought as hard as they could, and we were holding them
off, even, occasionally, winning.  When King Tranquillity brought his
own kingdom's troops and came to our aid, we thought that we had won.
After all, nothing could withstand the combined might of our kingdoms."
He stopped, looking into the past.

Reenie looked as if she was doing the same thing.  Even at her young
age, she could remember how worried her parents had been and then the
cheers when Uncle Tranq came.  She also remembered what happened next
and almost cringed as she waited for her father to continue.

Most of the others looked tense as well.  Although they didn't know what
had happened, they knew it must be bad if Reenie, who was so obviously
loved, was sent into the past alone.  Travis and Darien were tense for
another reason as well, sitting almost side by side with themselves was
a very unnerving experience, although Luna, Artemis, and Apollo didn't
seem to be having any trouble, the cats curled up next to each other as
they were.  Serena and Mina also didn't seem to feel anything was wrong
as they automatically petted the cats in their laps without paying
attention to which was which.

"Then one day, the Silver Moon Crystal disappeared," Endymion began
suddenly.  He looked up at their gasps of disbelief.  "We have no idea
how anyone managed to get in to steal it, or even how they could steal
it, because it usually defends itself.  It just disappeared.  With it
went a lot of our defense, and the heart of our troops. Although the
Earth Gem and Sun Stone could pick up a lot of the slack, they couldn't
do everything.  That was when we decided to send someone back into the
past to try to borrow the Crystal."

"But why Reenie?" Serena broke in.  "I mean if she hadn't found us, she
would have been in even worse danger than she was."

"It was `not' supposed to be Reenie," Endymion said quietly.  "Serenity
had decided to go, being the one most likely to be able to talk you into
lending her your Crystal for a while." His tone of voice suggested that
he had not been too happy with the idea, and a quick glance at
Tranquillity showed that he hadn't liked it either.

"So, what happened?" Mina said impatiently.

"It was the day before she had planned to leave.  She stood outside on
the balcony of our room," Endymion took a deep breath, "I heard a scream
and ran outside, and she was... she was..."

"She's not dead, is she?" Darien asked intently, his arm around Serena
as if to keep her from the fate of her future self.

"No," Tranquillity said, "Not dead.  She is enchanted, locked within a
crystal that we cannot break.  Mercury says that she is alive, but
nothing we can do can break her out of the prison she is in."

Serena shuddered and huddled next to Darien as he hugged her even
tighter.  Travis got up from where he was sitting and moved to the floor
by her feet, placing his head on her knee.  It was as if the two had a
sudden urge to reassure themselves that Serena was alive and well.

"The next day we found out that Reenie was gone.  We panicked, sure that
the NegaMoon had managed to capture her, until Pluto explained that she
had taken her mother's Time Key and taken over the quest to get the
Crystal.  Suffice to say, we were `very' annoyed with Pluto for letting
her go.  Pluto just said it was necessary."  He turned Reenie around in
his lap.  "Now, Small Lady," he said severely, "Why, exactly, did you go
to the past?"

"Mommy told me to," Reenie answered immediately.  At her father's and
uncle's disbelieving look, she continued, "She came to me that night,
and it `wasn't' a dream," she said to the question that was going to be
asked. "She was there!  She told me only I could get the Crystal and
only the Crystal could free her and she gave me the Time Key and told me
how to use it.  So I did, and Puu told me to go live with the girl who I
first met, and everything would work out.  And if I was ever lonely, I
could still use Luna Ball to talk to her," Reenie said all of that in a
rush, explaining quite a bit to everyone.

"So that's why her voice sounded familiar," Serena muttered to herself
before shaking herself back to attention.

"Well," Travis said, "If the Crystal is the only thing that can save
her, then why don't we go see if it will?"  He stood up and held out a
wrist for Apollo, Tranquillity was just a step behind in doing exactly
the same thing.  Amy picked up one of the Lunas on Serena's lap and Lita
picked up one of the Artemis's.  In a matter of seconds everyone except
Endymion were on their feet.  He just sat there.

Darien spoke up, "It might not work, but we have a chance.  Let us try."

Endymion nodded slowly.  He knew that Darien understood why he was
hesitant.  As long as they didn't know what would happen, he had hope,
but if they tried and failed, there was nothing else that could be done.
He got up and took Reenie's hand.  He led them through another door into
a room that seemed designed as a backdrop for the large crystal floating
in the middle.

"Mommy!" Reenie cried out softly running up and placing her hand on the
crystal.  "Mommy, I brought Sailor Moon.  She can free you, I know she
can.  I did just like you said and I brought the Crystal and now
everything will be alright."  She laid her head against the crystal
prison and tears ran down her face onto the crystal.  "You'll be okay,
Mommy, I promise."

Serena and the Scouts walked up and stared at the beautiful woman
suspended in the middle of the crystal.  Serena gasped as she stared at
her future form.  Even more than Travis, she had matured.  The crescent
moon glowed on her forehead, above her closed eyes.  She was tall and...
regal was the only description Serena could think of.  Her face showed a
wisdom and maturity never seen on Serena's own.  Still, she looked
familiar, a combination of herself and her first mother, Queen Serenity.
Her gown was pure white and silver, with no sleeves and... were those
wings?  Or just a very large bow?  It was impossible to tell through the
crystal.  A silver and pearl tiara sat perched on the top of her hair.

As Serena stared at her counterpart, the others noticed something
unusual.  Serenity's crescent moon was glowing more brightly, matched by
the crescent moon that had appeared on Serena's brow.  Serena seemed to
have forgotten everything and everyone else as she looked at Neo-Queen
Serenity.  Her hand went up to her brooch and opened it.  Everyone
gasped as they noticed the Moon Crystal glowing as brightly as the two
moon symbols.  The Crystal floated into Serena's hand without any
prompting on her part.  Reenie stepped back as she saw Serena's body
begin to glow.  The two crescent moons and the Moon Crystal pulsated and
light flared.

As Reenie and Travis watched in disbelief, the others looked on in
wonder.  They knew what was about to happen and would never get tired of
watching it.  Serena's eyes went totally blue.  Her school uniform
changed into a blazingly white gown with gold accents.  Her hair grew
longer and was held back by pearl barrettes.  Within seconds, Princess
Serenity looked at Neo-Queen Serenity.  The Moon Crystal floated before
her and she turned her attention to it, pouring power through it and
into the crystal surrounding her future form.  A beam of light came from
her moon symbol, matched by one coming from the Neo-Queen's and centered
on the Silver Moon Crystal.  The light got brighter and brighter.

CRACK! echoed through the room.  A ringing followed, growing louder and
louder and followed by an even louder CRASH!  Everyone had instinctively
ducked and now looked up and took their hands off of their ears.  The
crystal that had surrounded Neo-Queen Serenity was in pieces on the
floor and she was kneeling among them, holding a crying Reenie.  Serena
had reverted back and collapsed where she had stood.  Darien and
Endymion ran forward and swept their respective loves up into their
arms.

Reenie was just sobbing, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" over and over.  Darien
pulled out a handkerchief, and used it to gently wipe the tears that
were running down Serena's face at the sight of the reunion in front of
her.  Travis' handkerchief was already being used by the other girls.
One Luna had run up to join the happy family and was acting like a
kitten as she tried to nuzzle under Serenity's arm. The other Luna was
busy asking Serena if she was alright.

Serenity was trying to reassure everyone at once.  Still holding her
daughter in a hug with one arm, the other hand was petting a worried
Luna and she was gently kissing her husband.  For a long moment the
reunited family seemed to forget anyone else was there.

"Oh, Mommy, I was so worried, but I did just what you and Puu said, and
it worked and you're okay."  Reenie was babbling, but it didn't seem to
matter.

"Yes, sweetheart," Serenity answered gently, "You did just right.  I am
so proud of you, my darling daughter, so very proud.  I know how brave
you were to go into the past without knowing anyone.  No one could have
a better daughter.  I love you so much, Small Lady."

"I love you too, Mommy, and I've missed you so much."  Reenie was still
crying, but the tears had gentled as her mother's warm voice and arms
helped convince her it was real.

Travis tapped Darien and Serena on the shoulder and pointed towards the
door when they looked up.  They nodded and rose silently to their feet,
Serena leaning heavily on Darien as they tiptoed out of the chamber and
left the family alone.

"That was so sweet," Mina sighed, hugging Artemis until he almost
suffocated.

"This seems to be the day for tearful reunions, doesn't it?" Raye had
meant to say it sarcastically, but it didn't come out that way.  Her
voice was gentle with remembrance.

Serena was almost asleep next to Darien, but tears were still falling
down her cheeks.  Amy hurried over to check on her when she saw her
condition.  "Serena!  Are you all right?"

"She's fine," a gentle voice spoke from behind them.  They turned to see
Neo-Queen Serenity and family standing there.  "She's just tired,
breaking my prison took a lot out of her."

Everyone except Serena and Darien got up and bowed or curtsied.  Even
the cats and Apollo.  The only reason Darien didn't was because Serena
was using him as a pillow, and he didn't want to bother her.  "Don't, my
friends," Serenity said quickly.  "You never need to bow to me.  I was
your friend long before I became Queen."

Amy turned back to Serena.  "I didn't think that just breaking the
prison would take this much out of her," she said worriedly.  "I mean, I
knew it would be difficult, or it wouldn't need the Crystal, but to put
her this out of it?"

"You're right, Amy, it is not just the breaking of my prison that has
weakened her, but the breaking of the Crystal," Serenity said calmly.

The response to that statement was not at all calm.  "WHAT!?" came from
everyone in tones of disbelief, anguish and worry.

Serena spoke up, barely awake, "It's not as bad as she made it sound,"
she said softly, "The Moon Crystal wasn't truly broken, it was only
split in two.  She needs the Crystal to do her work, as I need it to do
mine.  And I suddenly felt that whatever happened to her original, we
would not be getting it back.  So I split the Moon Crystal.  It will be
alright, it just took a lot out of me."

"YOU SPLIT THE MOON CRYSTAL?" was the response.  Serena and Serenity
were treating it as if it was a perfectly natural occurrence, but no one
else felt that way.

"How could you do such a thing?" Lita asked.  Her only answer was
silence.  She looked over to see that Serena had finally given in to
exhaustion and was fast asleep against Darien.

Tranquillity stepped forward, "Look, how about if we let her sleep it
off in the bedroom we already have prepared for her, and then I'll show
the rest of you around."  Unspoken but understood, was the idea that
Serenity, Endymion, and Reenie really needed to be alone together right
now.

"Um, Tranq," Endymion began.

"Don't worry, big brother, I know what I am and am not allowed to show
them."  Tranquillity waited until Darien had picked up Serena and then
led the group from the room.  For the rest of the day, Serena slept
deeply, the visitors from the past had a fairly comprehensive tour of
the palace and the Royal Family stayed closed up together.

Later that night, while the others were being entertained royally,
Serena woke up.  She looked around for a long moment, disoriented by
waking up in a strange room, one she had never seen before.  When her
memory finally came up with a place that fit the description, she sighed
in relief and got up.  She suddenly realized she was very, very hungry,
her stomach's almost constant grumbling being her first clue.  She left
her room, looking for a kitchen.  Her wandering eventually took her into
a room where Serenity, Endymion, and Reenie were curled up together on
the couch.

"Hi, Serena!" Reenie called out when she saw her.

Serena blushed as she realized she had interrupted them.  "I'm sorry, I
was looking for the kitchen."

"That is all right, Serena," Serenity smiled.  "Reenie was just about to
go to bed, then I'll show you where the food is."

Reenie jumped up and hugged Serenity and Endymion.  "Good night, Mommy.
Good night, Daddy.  Night Serena.  Come on, Diana, Luna Ball, let's go."

Endymion got up and went with her to tuck her in.  Serenity was watching
Serena and saw the flash of pain in her eyes.  "Serena, what's wrong?"
she asked as soon as they were alone.

"Nothing's wrong, Your Majesty," Serena answered, dropping her eyes.

Serenity moved forward and put her hand under Serena's chin, forcing her
head up so she could look her in the eyes.  They both got lost for a
moment in the similarities, before Serena turned away.

"Serena," Serenity said firmly, "you do not think you can fool me, do
you?"

"I told you, nothing is wrong," Serena answered stubbornly.

"And I do not believe you.  I know you far too well, my self.  But I
will drop it if you wish, for now."  Serenity drew her over to the couch
and they sat down together.  "I think you need to talk to someone who
understands, right now."

"Understands what?" Serena asked, honestly confused at the jump the
conversation had taken.

"You," was the calm answer.

"Oh, so you understand everything about you now?" Serena asked
teasingly.

"No," she answered easily, "But I do understand quite a bit about
`you'."

"Same thing."

"A thousand years can make quite a difference," Serenity answered
laughing slightly.

"Well, maybe a little difference," Serena agreed grinning.  "So, you
know everything about me, huh?  Okay, why am I an airhead?"

"That is easy," Serenity answered, "Number one, you are lazy and being
an airhead means no one expects much of you.  Number two, it is fun.
Why do you not tell me number three?"

Endymion came back into the room then, "What are you two talking about?"

"Why I'm an airhead," Serena answered lightly, "We've decided two
reasons are because I'm lazy and it's fun.  The third reason is Sammy."

"Sammy?" Endymion asked, surprised.  "What do you mean Sammy?  I thought
maybe it was Travis, you know, half your brain was missing until he came
back.  After all you seemed to lose a lot of the airheadedness after he
came."  Endymion ducked as pillows flew at him from across the room.
When he looked up, Serena and Serenity had the same look of gleeful
innocence on their faces.  "I surrender!" he laughed, "But I do want to
know what you mean."

"Actually, I don't know," Serena said, her grin fading.  She turned to
Serenity, "Do you know why I said that?"

"It is a lot closer to your time than mine," Serenity laughed, "Do you
remember what you were like when you were three or four?"

Serena thought for a long moment, "Not really," she answered.  "My
parents tell me I was always pretending to be a... " her voice trailed
off and she looked up.  "Princess, or superhero.  I always told them
that that was what I was going to be when I grew up, and I did
everything I could to try to live up to what I thought I was.  Then
Sammy came, and I changed, drastically."

"Do you remember why?" Serenity said softly.

"Yes," she said, just as softly.  "My parents had just brought Sammy
home, and he was so little, and helpless.  I had to protect him, I was
going to be the greatest superhero in the world, so nothing would ever
threaten my little brother."

"So what happened?" Endymion asked intently.

"I saw a movie on television, about this superhero who's family was
killed to get at him.  I shouldn't have even been up, but I had
convinced the sitter that it wouldn't hurt.  I asked her how they knew
who he was, and she said that he always acted like a hero.  It was easy
to figure out who he was because no one else acted that way."  Serena's
voice trailed off, caught up in the memories.  "I decided then and there
that no one would ever figure out who I was.  I would not act like a
superhero, until I was one."  She looked up and laughed a little wildly.
"I actually practiced being clumsy and forgetful.  Can you believe I
actually `practiced' being forgetful?"

"Until it stopped being practice, and became habit.  A habit you
couldn't break," Serenity replied.

"Then Travis came along, and more than anyone or anything else, reminded
me of who I had been and who I could be.  And for him, I could do it.  I
could break the habits I had spent ten years making."  Serena smiled a
little at the thought of her twin.

"Why for him?  Why not for me?" Endymion broke in.  He was just the
slightest bit jealous of his blood brother at the moment.

Serena and Serenity just looked at each other for a long moment before
turning back to him.  "You are not going to like it," Serenity warned.

"I'm a grown man, I think I can take it," Endymion answered.

Serena spoke up, "I never felt like you expected it," was all she said.

"What do you mean?" Endymion was confused.

"I would have done anything you asked of me, because I loved you so
much, but you never asked.  I always got the idea that you didn't expect
anything more from me.  Almost as if..."  Serena's voice trailed off
again, but Serenity didn't have that problem.

"As if you truly believed that I was doing the best I could.  It is true
that in a fight you would encourage me and believe in me, but I never
had that feeling in anything else.  Sometimes, I had to wonder if you
thought I was dumb.  I still loved you in spite of it, but sometimes..."

"Sometimes it drove me crazy.  I think for a while, I was actually
trying to live down to your expectations."  Serena and Serenity had
gotten a rhythm going and were trading the conversation back and forth.
"Travis always believed in me, but of course..."

"Of course, he never really had the time to see the me that everyone
else saw.  I was too busy crying about you leaving.  He never had any
preconceived notions of who I was, so he made his own decisions.  You
seemed to take me at face value."  Serenity sighed, "Oh, well, you got
better.  And at least you never took me for granted, I would have really
hated that."

Endymion shook his head in disbelief, "I never thought of you that way!"

"I know you didn't, and I know Darien doesn't, but that is sure how it
seemed," Serena answered.

Endymion seemed to be thinking deeply, then he got up and kissed
Serenity, "I have something to do.  I'm sorry I forgot about it, I'll be
back in a while."

Serena and Serenity burst into giggles as he left.  "I have the feeling
Darien's not going to make that mistake again," Serenity giggled gently.

Reenie giggled slightly as well.  She had gotten up to get a drink of
water when she heard the three of them talking.  She hadn't truly meant
to eavesdrop, but couldn't help herself.  She was glad her mother was
laughing again.  Reenie didn't think she'd ever heard her mother giggle
like that before.

Although Travis and Darien had seemed tense when confronted with their
older selves, Serena and Serenity seemed to enjoy it immensely.  Reenie
was happy just to watch them, never having seen her mother acting
totally happy and carefree.  After a while they settled down.

"Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?" Serenity suddenly asked gently.

Serena froze and seemed about to deny that anything was wrong.  Then she
looked up at Serenity and her eyes were full of pain.  "I'm just being
silly.  And selfish," she almost muttered.

"You are hurting, Serena, and I wish to know why," Serenity said still
quietly, but there was a tone in her voice that said she would not be
put off.

Serena jerked to her feet and walked over to the window.  "I told you, I
was just being silly.  For some strange reason, I thought she would
still love me."

"Reenie?" Serenity asked.  Reenie gasped, what did Serena mean?

"I was just being stupid.  I should have known that once she had her
real mother back, she wouldn't need a substitute one anymore."  Serena
turned around and ran out of the room, her eyes clouded with tears.

Reenie stepped into the room.  Her eyes were also filled with tears.
"Mommy, what did I do?" she cried.

Serenity opened her arms to her daughter.  Reenie ran into them.  "It
was not anything you did, so much as what you did not do."  She spoke
quietly, "You have been living with her for months, loving her for
weeks, but you did not even think about giving her a hug good-night, did
you?"

Reenie slowly shook her head.  She realized her mother was right, she
had been almost ignoring Serena and Darien since she had been reunited
with her parents.  "But that doesn't mean I don't love her!" she said
petulantly.

"I know, and she knows that too.  She knows how much we mean to you, so
there must have been something else.  Can you think of anything?"
Serenity soothed.

Reenie thought back to everything that had happened after the fight with
Rubeus.  Her eyes slowly got wider.  "When I was telling Puu and Daddy
everything that happened, I never called her my mommy.  I barely even
talked about Serena, but that was cause I thought they knew!  Not cause
I didn't still think of her that way.  But it could have looked like I
didn't care for her anymore, I guess.  But I do!  So, what do I do,
Mommy?" she babbled.

"She is just overwrought, after almost losing you to Rubeus, she feels
she is losing you to us.  She will be fine."  

"What does over... over... that word mean?" Reenie interupted.

"It means that she's upset, Reenie, and she's scared."  

Reenie looked up at her mother in disbelief.  "Scared?  That I don't love
her anymore?"

"Yes, Reenie.  I know you say you still love her, but I do not think you 
are being entirely truthful," as Reenie looked up in shock, "with yourself,
about your reasons for not speaking about her.  There is another reason 
you have been almost ignoring her, is there not?"  Serenity kept her arms 
around her daughter, as Reenie thought about what she said.

Reenie slowly nodded.  "I still feel bad," she said in a small voice.
"I hurt her!  She's still got the bruise.  I was afraid that she didn't
really mean it and that she didn't really want to be my mother anymore.  
I know she said she did, but what if she was only trying to be nice? I 
didn't want to... to..."  Reenie couldn't go on, but once more Serenity 
was able to finish the thought.

"You didn't want to make her feel obligated, by reminding her that she
was your mother, if she wanted to forget it?" Serenity said very
comfortingly.

"Huh?  I don't understand, Mommy."  Reenie was confused by all the big 
words her mother was using.

"I'm sorry darling, I meant that you didn't want her to think she 'had'
to forgive you just because she was your mother."

Reenie nodded slowly.  "I didn't mean to hurt her more.  She had already
been hurt by everybody else.  And I ended up hurting her more!  I can't
do anything right," she sobbed.

"Now, Reenie, don't think like that.  You can fix it.  What can you do
to make her feel loved?" Serenity asked.

Reenie huddled in her mother's arms for a long moment.  Then she shot
up.  "I know!" she cried and ran out of the room.  She ran down the hall
to the room where Serena was supposed to sleep.  She drew in a deep
breath and opened the door.  "Mommy, I had a bad dream, can I sleep with
you?"

"Your mother's not here, Reenie," Serena said almost harshly.

"Don't be silly.  You're my mommy, too," Reenie answered, climbing up on
the bed.

"Reenie, I know you don't really want me to be your mommy, now that you
have your real one back.  You don't have to pretend anymore," Serena
said, still facing away from the little girl.

"I'm not pretending.  Are you saying it's true for you but not for me?"
Reenie almost whined.

"What's true?" Serena answered, finally turning over.

"You told your parents that you would always be their daughter, and
nothing could ever change that.  Well, I will always be your daughter,
and nothing will ever change that, either."  Reenie sounded very sure.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, but I was afraid."

"Afraid of what, little one?" Serena asked softly, reaching out slowly.

Reenie cuddled under Serena's hand.  "I was afraid you hadn't forgiven
me for this," she said reaching up to the bruise on Serena's forehead.
"I thought maybe you didn't want to be my mother anymore, and were only
saying you did to be nice.  I'm sorry if I made you think I didn't love
you anymore.  I'm so sorry."

"Reenie, you apologized for this," she touched her forehead, "earlier,
and I told you it wasn't your fault.  I meant it.  You see, it works
both ways.  You will always be my daughter, and I will always be your
mother.  The only way you can stop me, is by telling me that you don't
want me to be your mother or that you no longer wish to be my daughter.
I thought that was what you were doing.  I'm sorry for taking it the
wrong way."

"I'm sorry..." Reenie started before Serena interrupted her.

"No more, I'm sorry's, okay?  We both took things the wrong way and
we've both apologized.  Now let's get to sleep."

"I have one more thing to be sorry for," Reenie whispered, "the Crystal
disappearing was my fault."

"What?" Serena bolted up in bed and Reenie almost cringed, relaxing when
Serena's arms went around her.  "What do you mean, Reenie?"

"I just wanted to grow a little," Reenie said, still whispering, "I
wanted to be a lady, like my mother and I thought the Crystal could help
me grow.  But when I touched it, it turned into light and disappeared."
Two tears showed in Reenie's eyes.  "You see, it was all my fault, I had
to make everything right.  That's one reason I went into the past."

"Oh, Reenie, everything will be alright, you'll see."  The two girls had
just started to fall asleep when they were awoken.

"THE SHIELD IS DOWN!  THE SHIELD IS DOWN!  THE PALACE IS UNDER ATTACK!
ALL ROYAL GUARDS TO YOUR POSTS!"

-------------------------------------
Okay, this one is done!  Yes!  Chapter Twelve is The Prophecy Fufilled and 
should be the Grand Finale in the series.  Whether I'll get everything in, 
is still to be seen.  Tell me what you thought at Jendra@AOL.com