FicWad

The Next Day
10:37 AM

Atlanta jiggled the key into the brownstone key slot. She shook the doorknob and turned the key, hearing the lock click. She sighed in relief and swung the door open, tumbling inside. As Atlanta stumbled in, throwing her bags out into the living room, Herry crashed in after her and tumbled into the living room, falling heavily onto the floor. All the rest walked in after the two, laughing at Herry on the floor, and dropping their bags heavily.

"Ah, home sweet home," Archie sighed, collapsing onto the couch, throwing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.

Odie fell heavily into the armchair, rubbing his eyes. "It is good to be back," he said, shaking his hair with his hands. Atlanta slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, landing on Archie's calves. She sighed and leaned back, resting her head on the edge of the couch.

"It was so beautiful out there. I wouldn't have cared if we stayed out a little longer," Theresa said, she had seated herself on the bottom stair, her head resting against the wall.

"Maybe that'll be out next summer vacation," Herry chuckled, rising up to lie on his elbows.

"We should go inform Hera," Jay said, leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed.

"Well, let's go do that right away," Neil said sarcastically, getting up from the floor. He picked up one of his suitcases and turned back to Jay. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna skip. I need to shower," he smirked. Theresa walked away from her spot on the stairs and stood next to Jay. Without waiting for a response from Jay, Neil strutted up the stairs. Jay motioned for the rest of the group.

Herry groaned as he stood up, grabbing for his pocket. "I'll drive," he smiled, walking quickly towards the door.

10 Minutes Later

Jay removed his gold pendant and lowered it into the detailed key hole. The thin arrow twisted up, sending out a clicking sound. The door easily swung open, revealing a dark and cramped janitors closet. The six teens stalked into the tiny closet; Atlanta reached up and pulled the thin metal cord. When the line clicked, a glimmering wave of blue fell in front of them, taking up the whole wall in front of them.

Seeing this sight so many times, the teens walked confidently forward, feeling the cool rush wash over them. The six emerged into a great hall, their footsteps echoing through the great hall as they walked silently towards Hera's study.

"Children. Welcome back," Hera greeted them pleasantly. Her grey eyes lighted up as she saw the six walk towards her, seating themselves on the striped yellow couches.

"It is good to see you again," she smiled, her eyes glancing warmly to each face. Her smile fell as she only counted six. "But where is Neil?" A quick flash of worry crossed her frail face.

"Shower," Archie grunted, he reached over and grabbed an apple from the bowl, taking a huge bite. As he chewed, Atlanta's hand reached in front of Archie and took the apple from him. She smiled at him and took a small bite.

"So, what news do you have?" Hera said, folding her hands in front of her stomach, looking at the group respectively. Jay took a deep breath and began.

First starting upon their arrival on the island. Hera turned to Theresa and as she began to explain her vision when she first saw Synara. Archie then began his tale, Atlanta added in some parts, her waking up in the cave and what she found. Jay continued narrarating as he and Herry recalled their encounter with Synara.

As they remembered their adventure slash rescue mission, everyone got a word in. Herry proudly detailed his flashlight bashing, using Odie as a model. He raised the invisible flashlight over his head and brought it down, playfully clunking Odie on the head. Atlanta giggled quietly as Odie protested and gave Herry a weak shove.

Things calmed down as they all remembered what happened next. Jay grimly described how the ferocious waves from the ocean shook the boat. Hera's gray eyebrows raised slightly as Jay explained how Synara's body was washed out of the boat. Jay's voice faded away as Hera walked slowly away from them, approaching one of her gorgeous peacocks.

"I am disappointed about Synara," she said, stroking the peacock's vibrant blue neck. The six exchanged glances trying to figure out Hera's thoughts. She turned back to the children smiling. "I am pleased that you all are unharmed," she smiled, nodding sympathetically at Atlanta and Theresa.

Theresa smiled uncomfortably and shuffled closer to Jay, grabbing his arm silently. Atlanta stayed quiet and stared at her feet, her hand rubbing her neck softly.

Hera noticed this. She stood up and slowly walked towards her desk. As she approached it, she turned to the six.

"You are free to leave. Have a wonderful day children," she beamed, turning and sitting down, leaning over her papers.

"Thanks, Ms. Hera," Jay said, standing up and dragging Theresa up with him. The other's mumbled their goodbyes and stood up, exiting the study. Odie split off as they entered the hall, saying he wanted to catch up with the Techno-Greeks. He disappeared down the west hallway towards Hermes' office.

"Herry, can we stop at the Ice Cream parlor?" I have a serious craving," Theresa called up to the front. She saw Herry smile broadly and lick his lips.

"Sure thing, I'm in the mood for munchies too," he chuckled, sending the truck down another road.

"Ooh, ice cream. Good idea Theresa," Atlanta grinned, turning to look back at Theresa in the back seat. Archie was sitting comfortably next to her, his hand resting slightly on her knee.

The gang already knew about Jay and Theresa. They all knew about Archie and Atlanta as well, but Theresa had given them all a little talk. They would wait until the secret couple was comfortable enough to tell them.

Jay held Theresa's hand and stared out the window, watching Herry's truck pull into the parking lot. Suddenly, he felt Theresa's lips on the corner of his jaw. Her hand left his as she reached over to open the door. Jay smiled and stepped out of his door, following after Herry.

The all ordered their ice cream and were soon seated around a picnic table. Jay and Theresa were sharing a chocolate banana split. Archie was eating his strawberry cone while Atlanta laughed into her rocky road. Herry, well, Herry had ordered the largest chocolate avalanche the store had. He seemed to be enjoying it.

Atlanta dipped her pinky into the ice cream and tapped Archie's nose. She giggled and sucked on her pinky as Archie gave her a dirty look. At Atlanta turned away for her napkin, Archie smeared a line of strawberry ice cream across her cheek.

"Archie!" she gasped, wiping the napkin down her face. Archie chuckled and went back to his ice cream.

Jay laughed softly and spooned up more ice cream. He glanced up at Theresa and nearly dropped his spoon. He still couldn't get over that she was finally his. Theresa laughed at Atlanta and Archie flirting as she scooped more ice cream. She caught Jay's gaze and turned to smile at him, spoon still in her mouth. Jay quickly smiled back and shot his spoon down, bringing up a large amount of chocolate syrup. He kept his eyes on Theresa and brought the spoon to his mouth, or at least what he thought was his mouth.

Theresa burst out laughing as Jay's spoon smeared the ice cream all down his chin. Jay quickly brought the spoon back and wiped a napkin on his chin.

"Oh man. Now it's all sticky," he complained. Theresa chuckled again.

"Here," she said, licking her thumb and wiping it across Jay's chin.

"Eww, Theresa, that's disgusting," Atlanta said, disgusted by this.

"My Mom used to do it all the time," she laughed, laying her hand down. Herry burped loudly and chuckled to himself. Chocolate syrup had dried all around his mouth. Some even managed to reach his forehead. He laughed and walked off towards the bathroom.

Twelve minutes later, the five walked back into the brownstone. Neil was in his fuzzy bathrobe watching TV and doing his nails. Currently, the set was tuned onto an extreme makeover show. He waved his hands in front of him, blowing on his wet nails. Herry jaunted forward, snatched the remote and flopped down onto the couch.

"Hey!" I was watching that!" Neil cried as Herry began changing the channel.

"Not anymore," Herry said, reaching over and ruffling Neil's blond hair. Neil scoffed and gathered his bottles. He arranged them so they weren't touching his nails and stomped up the stairs, throwing a glare back at Herry.

"I'm gonna go shower," Atlanta sighed, heading up the stairs. "Neil better not of used all the hot water," her threatening voice disappearing down the hall. Archie stared after her and flopped down on the couch next to Herry.

"I think I'm gonna have a lie down. I'm starting to get jet-lag," Theresa said, rubbing her eyes. She pulled Jay close and gave him a quick kiss. Jay kissed her back and laid his other hand on the side of her face.

"Ahem!" Archie coughed. Jay and Theresa quickly broke apart. Theresa laughed and walked up the stairs, glancing back and smiling.

"Whoa. Things are getting pretty..." Herry started.

"Intense," Archie finished, smiling sheepishly at Jay. Jay made a face and sat in the armchair. Herry and Archie laughed with each other and turned back to watching the TV, mocking smiles on their face.

11:48 PM

The doorknob jiggled quietly as the door creaked open. A faint beam of light cascaded into the bedroom, casting a white line down the pale green bed sheets. Atlanta stirred slightly at the sound and peeked open an eye. Atlanta gasped as she saw the big dark figure approaching her. She frantically reached under her pillow for the small dagger. Atlanta sat up quickly and ripped out the dagger, ready for the attack.

"Whoa! Atlanta! It's me!" Archie's voice shot out, he grabbed Atlanta's wrist and brought the sharp dagger back down.

"God, Archie. You scared the hell out of me," she sighed, tucking the dagger back under her pillow. Atlanta tucked up her legs as Archie moved closer, laughing quietly.

"I didn't expect that kind of reaction from you," he whispered, staring at Atlanta in the dark. He reached over and turned her bedside lamp on.

Atlanta raised a hand as the light momentarily blinded her. "At least warn me next time," she sighed.

"I'll remember that next time then," he smiled. Atlanta blinked and shuffled closer.

"By the way, nice pajamas," Archie whispered, his nose brushing against hers. Atlanta gave out a small laugh and glanced down. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt with a faded Sailor Moon image on it. She had it for as long as she could remember. Atlanta was about to make a remark back, but Archie's lips stopped her.

They were kissing again. And on Atlanta's bed! Atlanta couldn't believe it, but she pushed the though away, only concentrating on how Archie's mouth felt against hers. The kiss started out slow, but quickly picked up. Atlanta ran a hand up behind Archie's neck, securing him to her. Archie's hand rested on her shoulder, pushing her down slowly. Atlanta lay down and Archie rested next to her, kissing the side of her neck.

Atlanta stifled a yawn as she turned slightly to Archie.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he mumbled, quickly sitting up onto his elbow.

"No, no. Don't apologize, I'm just tired," Atlanta yawned, reaching up to pat the side of his face. "You gonna stay here tonight?"

Archie looked softly down at her, a crooked smile on his face. "If you want me to."

"I'll always want you to," she said quietly, her eyes starting to droop. Archie reached over her and clicked off the lamp. Atlanta felt Archie pull himself under her covers. Soon, she felt his arm around her, pulling her closer to his body. He softly kissed the base of her neck and nuzzled into her hair.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

"'Night," she whispered back.


12:07 AM

Theresa tossed and turned as the bed sheets wound themselves around her. Her eyes were clamped down tightly as she breathed heavily. She was having a vision. In a nightmare state.

Theresa watched in horror as she saw a young girl run down a dark alley, an expression of sheer terror on her tear specked face. Her cries went unheard as a dark shadow overtook her. As the shadow engulfed the young girl, the dark wave grew and began to swallow Theresa.

"No!" she cried out, sitting upright. A cold sweat dripped down her face as her chest heaved up and down. Theresa brushed back the hair from her face and wiped the sweat away. Her mouth felt dry. She ripped back the sheets and stalked out her door, heading towards the kitchen.

Theresa poured herself a cold glass of water and seated herself at the island, pondering her dream.

"Theresa?" Jay's head poked around the corner, a worried look on his face.

"Oh, hi Jay. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" she said, feeling guilty about her outburst.

"Well, sort of. I was thirsty anyway," he sighed, giving her a small smile. He came into the room and opened the fridge, pulling out a water bottle.

Jay brushed aside the hair from Theresa's face, tossing it over her shoulder. He pulled up another chair and rubbed her back softly.

"What happened?" he whispered, watching Theresa close her eyes and breathe heavily. She took another big gulp of water and started explaining. Jay nodded in understanding when Theresa explained her outburst.

"Do you have any idea of what it could mean?" she sighed, taking another sip of water. Jay stared down at the table, spinning the cap of the water bottle with his fingers.

"I'm sorry Theresa, but I'm as confused as you are," he finally said, turning to look at Theresa with a sad expression. Theresa nodded and took his hand.

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" she asked, massaging his hand and giving him puppy eyes.

"Of course," Jay smiled. He bent forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. "C'mon. It's late," he slide off the chair and pulled Theresa after him and up the stairs.

Soon, they were at Jay's door. He pushed it open and directed Theresa in, following her and snapping the door shut. He still held onto Theresa's hand as they navigated through the dark. Jay laughed quietly as he heard Theresa stumble over his rug.

"This way," he whispered, pulling Theresa towards the bed. With his free hand, Jay pulled back the bed sheets and tugged Theresa close to him. They fell onto the mattress giggling.

"Shh..." Theresa giggled as Jay kissed the underside of her jaw. Jay laughed quietly and pulled her closer, tossing the sheets over them. He stroked her hair and kissed along her jaw line.

"Jay..." she whispered, her voice amused.

"What?" he whispered into her neck.

"We should be sleeping," she giggled. Jay brought his head back from her neck. He smiled at her and kissed her again. Theresa kissed him back and broke off, resting her head on Jay's pillow. Jay yawned and tucked his head under her chin. He heard her chuckle softly and yawn.

"See you in the morning," she mumbled, her eyes started to droop as she fell asleep in Jay's arm.

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"Archie," Atlanta whispered into his ear. He made no movement, no sound or reaction to her voice. Atlanta sighed and pushed at his heavy body. Somehow during the night, Archie managed to roll on top of Atlanta. Archie's face was resting on Atlanta's shoulder, his arm laid across her chest. Atlanta's arms were trapped under his body, but she pushed against him, trying to push him off to the side.

As Atlanta pushed heavily on Archie's chest, he mumbled something.

"Archie?" Atlanta said, louder this time. Archie mumbled some random words and nuzzled into Atlanta's neck. Atlanta sighed again and noticed it was getting harder for her to breathe. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

"Fish! Archie, look out for the fish!" Atlanta yelled. She laughed as Archie's eyes snapped open and he flopped around on top of her, yelling. Archie rolled off Atlanta and fell heavily onto the floor, his head snapping around. Atlanta laughed down at Archie, tears coming into her eyes.

"What'd you do that for?" he demanded, taking a deep breath and falling back onto the floor, breathing heavily.

"You were on top of me," she laughed. Archie lifted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. "I had trouble breathing," she laughed, watching Archie scoff at her. "You were practically crushing me!" she laughed again. Atlanta quickly grabbed a spare pillow and threw it down at him.

"I was actually thinking of something while you were crushing me," Atlanta said, her voice taking a slightly serious tone. Archie raised himself up and rested on his elbows.

"Were you now?"

"Yeah. I think we should tell the team about...us," she choked out the last word awkwardly.

"Yeah. I was thinking of that yesterday," Archie said, he raised himself up and sat cross legged. He looked up at Atlanta and twisted his white muscle shirt back into place.

"Theresa already knows, but I don't think she's told anyone," Atlanta said, rubbing away the sleep in her eyes.

"Well, c'mon then," Archie stood up, stretching his arms and arching his back. He reached down and took Atlanta's hand. "Let's tell them then."

It was still early in the morning, but everyone would be up anyway. Archie and Atlanta held hands as they walked nervously down the stairs and into the kitchen. Odie was bent over his hot bowl of oatmeal, reading the entertainment section of the newspaper. Jay's eyes darted back and forth as he read the headlines, drinking his black coffee. Neil was picking his nails and eating a big bowl of fruit salad. Theresa munched on toast while Herry had his head buried deep in the refrigerator.

"Um, guys?" Atlanta coughed as she and Archie walked in. Four pairs of eyes looked up at them.

"We have something to tell you," Archie mumbled.

Atlanta took a deep breath and looked forward. "Me and Archie, well we're kind of -"

"Dating, we know," Neil stated. Archie and Atlanta stared at him in shock.

"Theresa!" Atlanta cried. Theresa dropped her toast and threw her hands up.

"I didn't tell, I swear!"

"Well, then who did?"

They were all quiet as Theresa went back to her toast. Jay set down his coffee and newspaper as he turned in his chair to face the couple.

"Well, we kind of knew all along," he smiled awkwardly. Archie and Atlanta glanced at each other, still slightly shocked.

"Is it really that obvious?" Archie said, his brow furrowed.

"Oh, c'mon. It was only a matter of time before you guys hooked up," Neil said, turning away from the island and setting his bowl inside the sink. Archie smiled weakly down at Atlanta as she gawked at the team.

"I-I guess so," Atlanta shrugged as she walked towards the cupboards, pulling out a cereal box.

The breakfast went by quickly, Neil ran upstairs to get ready for the day, and it took him about an hour to get ready, on his good days. Archie and Atlanta had dressed into their track suits and gone for a brisk morning run. Odie and Herry decided to have a video game competition before the day officially started. Theresa and Jay were left alone in the kitchen, cleaning up.

"I should go talk to Persephone," Theresa brought up, rinsing her plate and stacking it with the rest. "You know, tell her about the vision."

Jay nodded. "Maybe she'll have an idea of what your vision meant."

"Yeah, I hope so too," she sighed, rubbing her temples. Jay kissed the top of her head. "Do you want me to drive you anywhere?" Jay laughed softly.

"You can meet me in the library after you're done," he said, slinging his arm across Theresa's shoulders and walking towards the stairs.

"Hey! Can you drop me off at the school too, Theresa?" Odie called from the couch.

"Sure thing, Odie," Theresa turned her head to give Odie a smile. He nodded and went back to playing video games with Herry. Jay and Theresa heard Herry's cry of satisfaction as a loud animated beeping came from the television.

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Well, there ya go. The first chapter of Beauty's Battle. I must say, I'm quite proud of it. I ADORE the whole Archie coming into Atlanta's room. I rather enjoyed writing that. Let me tell you, I was squeeing the whole time. My parent's must think I'm a freak. I thought the part with the little dagger under her pillow matched her personality. I have something like that under my pillow...only it's a mirror.
It helps me have good dreams! Kind of like a dream catcher...Oh man. I'm dribbling. OKAY. I'm not sure when the Chapter 2 will be coming up. I want to start working on that as soon as possible. I'm just glad that the exams are over. I don't have to study anymore! I'm gonna have to do some witchcraft type research for the next chapter. Cuz, it's going to begin with Theresa and Persephone having a little ritual of some sort. But, I got it all figured out.
Hopefully, the next chapter will be up in a couple days. Possibly a week.
So far, there is two sentences with Chapter 2. I think that my writing talent was drained after I did those 2 chapters. It's only a matter of time before it ref-fuels it self and I jump back into the seat once more.
YEAH SAILOR MOON
Christina!