Hello all! Good news! I've finally finished!! You don't have to wait for my slow self to submit anymore!! (BTW, sorry about all that.) Well, I'll babble on at the end. To recap: Lita's free, but what now? Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, EPOLOUGE! by Adrian *** ?Hey, Amy, have you seen this?? Lita hands me a copy of Time, opened to the center spread, showing all of us in the midst of transforming. ?Hey, this is pretty cool..? ?Yeah, and look at THIS. I have a sneaking suspicion that they didn?t know they were being photographed.? Oh my. That?s pretty.... intense. And I?m USED to their... affection. ?Daddy on a rampage, And they?re quickly moving up past the double barrel shotgun! **? ?Have they...? ?Not yet.? ohhh. That is gonna be interesting. I look closer at the photo. ?Where are their faces?? ?Oh, they?re there. If you look between his fingers and under her hair, you can see the end of Serena?s nose.? ?By Mercury, you?re right!? ? WHAT?!!!? ?WHERE DID THEY GET THIS?!!? ?I think he just saw it.? ?I DON?T BELIEVE IT!? ?EEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!? **Thunk** ?And there goes Serena.? ?SERENA!!!!! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!!!? (**Lilac Summers, The BIG wish. Go read it if you haven?t.) *** ?You two better be careful.? I look at the royal couple and sigh as they turn a deep shade of scarlet. ?It?s no good blushing now.? ?But..? ?No Buts. Remember the papparitizi are after you all the time now. Please, unless you want EVERYBODY in the WORLD to see, find a safe place!? ?Yes Luna.? *** I watch as my mother?s red Saab pulls up to the curb outside Serena?s house. I see that the back seat is filled with cardboard boxes. I take a deep breath and say a little prayer to the Powers that Be. ?Hello Amy.? ?Hello Mom.? We stand in silence for several moments, and finally she speaks. ?Well, I guess I?ll help you carry these to the house.? ?All right.? We carry out the process of taking the boxes inside in silence until we are once again face to face at the curb. ?Amy...? ?Yes Mom?? ?Amy I?m sorry about this. But I just don?t know how to handle it. How to believe it. Yet the facts... the facts never lie. Amy, I?m an old woman and I don?t know how to change. Never did know how to change. That?s why your father left. But... I want to try. I don?t want my daughter to die, I don?t want to loose you also. So I guess I?ll have to change. But it will take time.? I smile sadly. ?I have all the time there is.? She laughs. ?I know. And that?s one of the things I have to get used to. But I think it?s best that you don?t come home yet.? ?I understand.? ?I?m sorry Amy.? She walks to her car and turns back ?I have this Thursday off. Would you join me for dinner?? ?I would be honored.? She smiles and gets in her car. It?s not much, but it?s a start. I walk back to the house and pick up the telephone, dialing Lita?s number. ?Hello?? ?It?s me.? ?How?d it go?? ?Better than I expected, but still not all that great. I?m not going home yet, but we are having dinner Thursday.? ?So you?ll be accepting my offer?? ?If you?re sure I won?t be in your way...? ?Nonsense! I?ll be delighted to have you! It gets lonely cooking for one, and not even Serena can eat here all the time! Besides, if I know you, (And I DO), you?ll be studying or reading or messin with your computer. When can you be over?? ?Whenever.? ?I?ll be right over with the Thunderclap. Don?t wanna bug Darien, he?s out with Serena.? ?All right, I?ll see you soon.? I set down the phone and smile. It?s nice to have such friends. I wait on the front steps, and soon hear the distinctive noise of Lita?s truck coming down the street. She honks the horn and waves. I shake my head as the green atrocity comes to a lumbering stop. ?Lita, you need a new car.? ?No way! The Thunderclap is perfect? She pats the hood affectionately. I shake my head and lift the first box. *** Jump dodge duck jump duck dodge jump roll duck... ?OUCH!? I turn and see Serena smirking wickedly. I look at the smoldering remains of my pretty pink bow and my significantly shorter ( as if it could GET shorter) skirt. I moodily rub my bruised tail. Suddenly, I see a flash of light from the bushes, and soon another, and another, and yet another. The Press. Great. Serena?s silvery laughter echoes across the temple grounds. I turn and glare at her. ?Thanks a lot.? ?Told you you?d pay for that stunt in English!? she replies. *Sigh* ?I knew better. I KNEW better. But did I listen? Noooooooo, not ME. And just look what you did to my skirt! Isn?t it short enough already?? Serena continues to laugh, and I shake my head as the flashbulbs continue to illuminate the clearing. ?ENOUGH WITH THE PICTURES OF MY TAIL!? I roar at the reporters, before turning to my esteemed princess. ?This means war, blondie.? ?Now, Jupi, you know you can?t hurt her.? ?Please? Just a little Mars? Just a tiny bit?? ?Welll..... think what Darien would do to you.? Sighing, I throw in the towel. ?OK, Fine. You win.? Marching into the bushes I change into a new fuku, and then we resume our training. I can?t help but smile. Things haven?t really changed that much after all. And for some reason, I doubt they ever will. *** Nine Months later, the wedding of Serena Tuskino to Darien Chiba took place at the Cherry Hill Temple. It was a simple affair, although at the time it was the most desired invitation on the planet. The event was chronicled in newspapers around the world. Amy eventually reconciled with her mother, but chose to remain living with Lita. Mina reveled in the spotlight, and thoroughly enjoyed the attentions of the press. She regarded the accident in the alley as a blessing in disguise. Raye used her fame to shed light on the scams of self- claimed psychics, and was able to remove most of them from operation. Lita eventually married a guy she met in college, who was nothing like Freddie at all. Much to everyone?s dismay, she never got rid of the Thunderclap. She can still be seen driving around Crystal Tokyo in that awful looking truck. Crystal Tokyo came into being two and a half years after Lita?s trial. Scott Alexander remained an honored guest at the Crystal Palace until he died at the ripe old age of two hundred three. The Neo-Queen later admitted to using the crystal to extend his life, as well as those of all immediate family members of the Sailor Solders, Andrew, Rita, Molly and Melvin. And Lita was right- nothing ever really changed. THE END! I hope you enjoyed that. I don't know abot you, but I'm sure glad that it's over. Now, ON TO THE NEXT PROJECT! Fare thee well, and may the stars shine upon our next meeting! --Adrian Do svidanya, Do skoroy vstrechi!