Time passed; there was no way of telling how much time, nothing to do but sate themselves on each other, not thinking about where they were and why they were there, until, exhausted, they couldn't keep the thoughts away....

"Nephrite, I'm scared."

"Of what, Naru-chan?"

"Where Jadeite healed me, is it strong enough for me to have a baby?"

"Of course it is. He would have told me if it wasn't."

"I don't want to die having a baby, Nephrite."

"I won't let that happen, my love. I promise."

Later... "We won't leave him here forever, will we, Nephrite?"

"No, my love, we won't."

"Promise we'll find a way to get him back, Nephrite, please."

"I promise, Naru-chan. We'll find a way to get him back."

* * * * * * * *

Topaz materialized next to the bed. "Let's see what we've got here, kids." They both looked up at her, startled and half-asleep. Naru clutched the covers to her, but Topaz yanked them away and leaned over to press her hand against Naru's abdomen. Her eyebrows went up, and she smiled. "So soon. Congratulations, Nephrite, you're very... efficient." She gathered up Nephrite's clothing from the floor and tossed it to him. "You can leave now. I'll let you know when it's time to come back for her."

"No," Naru cried softly, while Nephrite said, "I'm not going to leave her here alone!"

Topaz held up the gently-glowing crystal. "Have you forgotten that I hold her life in my hands? I can destroy this crystal with a thought, and I will if you don't do exactly as I say. Don't worry, it won't seem so long. I haven't got the time or the patience to sit around and watch her belly grow for nine months of your time. Or my time, for that matter. I'll speed things up. Now get going."

Nephrite looked at Naru. He hated feeling so helpless and defeated. But Topaz held the one thing he would never bargain away or take chances with, and she knew it. "I'm sorry, Naru. I can't take any risks with your life. Please try to understand."

Though her eyes were wide and frightened, she nodded. Nephrite dressed, then leaned across the bed. He kissed her, a long, soft, deep kiss that would have to be enough for both of them until they could be together again. A burst of dark energy surrounded him, and the next thing he knew he was lying flat on his back in the snow between the two trees.

* * * * * * * *

Jadeite, Kunzite, and Zoisite were sitting around the fireplace, where a huge fire was burning. The fire failed to brighten the atmosphere in the room. The men looked up, surprised, when Nephrite walked into the house. "We didn't expect you back so soon," Jadeite said.

Nephrite rubbed his hands over his unshaven face. "How long has it been?"

"A couple of hours, maybe." Jadeite squinted at him. "You look like you've been gone two or three days, at least."

Nephrite held still for a few seconds, then started towards the bar. "She's got time running faster there." He poured himself a generous dose of very expensive whiskey, and downed it all at once. Topaz had accused him of both drinking and thinking too much. Right now, he didn't want to think at all. He refilled the glass.

"Is Naru...?" Zoisite said tentatively.

"She's pregnant. Topaz will let me know when it's time to go get her." He swallowed the second glass of whiskey; the burning sensation as it went down masked the ache in his heart. He looked at his housemates, his old friends, men he had fought side-by-side with in more battles than he could remember, so long ago.... "I had to do it. I had to do whatever it took to save her. I couldn't take any chances with her life. Topaz could have destroyed her... She still could. I have to do all I can to prevent that, no matter how... how it shames me." He turned from them, took the bottle and the glass, and went upstairs.

* * * * * * * *

Early the next morning, an angry female voice rang through the house. "All right, where is she?" Jadeite, who had been staring into the fireplace all night and had finally dozed off, jumped awake and nearly broke his neck twisting around to look at the intruders. The five Sailor Senshi, shivering in their ridiculous little dresses, stood in the middle of the room, looking mad. Zoisite and Kunzite were hurrying down the stairs, tying heavy terrycloth bathrobes around themselves.

"Where's Naru?" Sailor Moon demanded again. "Is she upstairs with that -- that --"

"Once a bad guy, always a bad guy," Sailor Mars said.

"Naru's mom called me at six this morning, all frantic because Naru hadn't come home. All she knew was that Naru was over here yesterday afternoon," Sailor Moon added.

Jadeite, Zoisite, and Kunzite looked at each other helplessly. Jadeite finally spoke. "Naru... isn't here."

"Well then, where is she? Did she leave here by herself yesterday?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Look at them," Jupiter said. "They know where she is."

"She's..." Zoisite started to say.

"Naru's dead." Everyone looked up at the sound of the low, harsh voice. Nephrite was coming down the stairs, very slightly unsteady on his feet. His hair was a tangle, and he hadn't shaved.

"What?" Sailor Moon said. She had gone deathly pale.

"Oh, damn," Zoisite muttered, and buried his face in one hand. "He's drunk."

"She isn't dead, Nephrite," Kunzite finally said. "You know that."

"What is going on here?" Jupiter demanded.

Nephrite reached the bottom of the stairs, and walked over to face the Senshi. "Naru's dead. She was killed yesterday. Kenichi shot her to death."

After a few seconds of shocked silence, Moon screamed, "You're lying!"

Nephrite stared flatly at her, then looked at Jadeite. "Jadeite, did you keep her clothes?"

Silently, Jadeite went into the kitchen, to the back door, where he had set Naru's bloodied clothing while he decided what should be done with it. He brought the things to Nephrite, who held them up. The Scouts gasped at the sight of the bloodied coat, sweater, blouse, and bra. Sailor Moon started to cry, burying her head against Sailor Venus's shoulder.

"And you guys didn't call the police or an ambulance or her mom or anything?" Sailor Mars fumed, tears running down her face. "Where is she? Buried down in the basement?"

"She's in hell." Nephrite covered his face with his hand and started crying.

Jadeite took Naru's clothes from him and went back into the kitchen. Kunzite came over to Nephrite and put a steadying arm around his shoulders. "Nephrite, she isn't dead. Not any more. Remember?" Nephrite nodded without looking up. Kunzite addressed the Sailor Senshi. "We have an enemy we didn't know about, someone who survived the fall of the Dark Kingdom. Her name is Topaz. She seems vaguely familiar, but none of us can place her. I believe she manipulated Kenichi into shooting Naru; I don't believe he would have had the courage to do such a thing on his own. Topaz captured Naru's life-energy in a crystal and is holding it, along with Naru's body, in the Dark Kingdom. Naru is actually partially alive right now. When Topaz's full price is paid, the rest of Naru's life will be restored, and she will be set free."

"What price?" Sailor Mercury asked.

Kunzite was silent for a moment. "It's something very personal and painful. I think it should be up to Nephrite and Naru to tell you, if they ever decide they want to."

"Well, if she's being held prisoner in the Dark Kingdom," Jupiter said, "I say we should go rescue her!"

Nephrite grabbed her arm. "Don't you think that's what I want to do? Don't you think I would if I could? But I can't take the risk. Topaz still holds the greater part of Naru-chan's life in her crystal. She would destroy it in a second, for no reason at all, without thinking anything of it. I can't take the risk. All I can do is wait."

Sailor Moon had stopped crying as the news of Naru's status sank in. "But still, we should..."

"Usagi," Zoisite said, "we know you mean well, but anything anyone tries to do will only make things worse. Nephrite's done all he can, and now it's just a matter of waiting."

"Well, darn," Sailor Moon said after a moment. "What am I going to tell her mom?"

"I don't know," Nephrite said, sounding weary. "Tell her -- tell her Naru had to go away for a while. Think about things. She'll be back when she's ready. Damn, my head hurts."

"What do you expect?" Jadeite came out from the kitchen again, carrying a couple of frozen food boxes. "All that booze on an empty stomach. Which one do you want me to zap for you? We've got organic whole wheat calzone with spinach and non-dairy tofu cheese-like substance, or organic sprouts stir-fry with organic brown rice. I don't get it," Jadeite said, addressing the Sailor Scouts, "he eats healthy crap like this and spends an hour a day on the weight machine, and then he goes and gets drunk. You'd think he'd be a little more concerned about his organic liver."

That broke the tense, heavy atmosphere. The Senshi giggled, looking slightly guilty for laughing while Naru was in danger.

"Or," Jadeite continued, "in a city this size there's got to be a place that will deliver pizza or sushi at -" He glanced at his watch "-six-thirty in the morning. So what do you want, Nephrite?"

Some of the tension and weight seemed to leave Nephrite's shoulders. He shook his head. "I'm not hungry. I think I'll just sleep. Time'll go faster if I sleep." He headed back upstairs, keeping a tight grip on the stair railing.

"So, who is this Topaz?" Mercury asked after Nephrite disappeared into the shadows of the loft. "What's she up to?"

"We wish we knew," Kunzite said. "Like I said, she seems a little familiar, but none of us can place her. But she seems to know us very well. As for what she's doing, we haven't the slightest idea."

"Isn't there anything we can do to help?" Moon asked.

"Believe me, I wish there were. But, like Nephrite said, we can't risk Naru's life by striking back."

"After Naru comes back," Zoisite said, "that's when she's going to need your help."

* * * * * * * *

Sometimes she awoke with no idea who she was or where she was, no idea why her belly seemed so out of proportion to the rest of her body. Obediently, she would eat the food the Lady in the gray dress brought her, then she would get up and walk through the dark tunnels until she tired, when she would lie down amongst the silken sheets and fall asleep again.

Sometimes she awoke to run her hands over her swelling abdomen, seeing how much her baby had grown since her last awakening. She remembered a lover, a man, a beautiful man, a luxuriant fall of auburn hair, intense blue eyes like jewels, hands that were strong, gentle, skillful. She wished that her beautiful lover were with her, to move his hands over her belly, easing the aches, marveling at her ripe femininity. She wished she could see his face again, as it was when he was lost in passion, then lie with his long hair flowing across her like a blanket. When the Lady in the gray dress brought food, she ate, then she walked through the tunnels, knowing that the food and exercise were good for her baby. She would do anything for her lover and their baby.

Sometimes she awoke to the knowledge that she was Naru, that she had died and been brought back to life, that she was being held hostage in the Dark Kingdom until her and Nephrite's baby was born, and that when she went free she would have to leave her baby behind. These were the times when she would curl up among the silk sheets and cry heartbrokenly, when she would refuse to eat what Topaz brought her and to get up and exercise, relenting only when Topaz threatened to destroy the crystal that held the rest of her life. If Topaz destroyed that crystal, then she would never see Nephrite again, would never have a chance to reclaim her baby.

Nephrite emerged from his grief and shame to the reality of waiting for the time when he could go get Naru. Sometimes he made an effort at trying to concentrate on running his business, but mostly he took to spending hours at a time seated on the balcony, nursing along a bottle of designer water, oblivious to the cold. There were times when he longed to drink himself into oblivion, and he tried it a few times, but the resultant headache and self-loathing always reminded him that this was not helpful to Naru or himself.

The others never left him alone outside for very long. Inevitably, after an hour or so, one or another of them would join him. Sometimes he even felt like having company, and would talk to whoever was with him.

Jadeite came outside late one afternoon, carrying two enormous cups of steaming hot coffee. The clouds were gray and heavy with snow, the wind was sharp, and Nephrite gratefully wrapped his hands around the warm cup.

"So how long has it been?" Jadeite asked. "About three weeks?"

"Nineteen days," Nephrite answered.

"How much longer?"

"I don't know. Topaz indicated that this wouldn't take the full amount of time that it usually does. She's got time running faster, where she is."

"Hmm." The coffee was cooling rapidly; the two men worked on drinking it before it got too cold.

"You know how I wanted things to be for her, for us," Nephrite suddenly said. "I wanted to do things right for her."

"I know. You told me."

"It's all ruined now, everything I wanted for her."

"Why should it be ruined? Can't you start over again, once you've got her back?"

Nephrite shook his head.

"What was it Topaz said to Zoisite, about destroying dreams? She can only destroy them if you let her, Nephrite. If you give up --"

"Do you know what I think about more and more often, Jadeite?" Nephrite forced himself to meet his friend's eyes. "How good it was, with her. I'm afraid that when I've got her back, that's all I'll be able to think of and I won't be able to keep myself away from her. How will we be able to start over again, if that's the case?"

"You'll just have to marry her sooner than you'd planned." Jadeite smiled a little.

"As if her mother would ever give her permission now."

* * * * * * * *

Topaz watched the two men from her perch on the roof, and smiled. Her first plan was going perfectly. It was making all of them unhappy, especially the traitor and the little redheaded tramp who had lured him away from his duties. The misery would not end any time soon, and as an added bonus, Topaz would soon have herself a minion. She had always wanted minions. She should have had them -- it was her birthright, as her mother's daughter, to have minions.

Another plan was taking shape in her mind, this one aimed at those two freaks, those men who took pleasure in each other. Oh, how they would suffer... And they were both beautiful, too. This would be fun.

As for the fourth... Topaz refused to believe that he didn't have any weak points. He was a loner, he didn't seem to be particularly attached to anyone or anything, except for his friendship with the other three. An idea began to form... Perhaps that was his weak point.

She looked back down at the two men on the balcony, and decided that it was time to insert herself into the conversation.

* * * * * * * *

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Nephrite jerked around at the sound of Topaz's voice. She was floating just beyond the railing of the balcony. "What are you doing here?" he growled.

That feline smile of hers spread over her face. "I just thought you might like to know that it's time to come get your precious Naru."

Nephrite stood up abruptly, knocking over his coffee cup. The liquid froze almost instantly in a thin layer on the table. "What do I have to do?" he demanded.

"Just come through the gate. Alone, this time. Oh, and if you didn't figure it out last time, the key that unlocks the gate is truth. Painful truth." She winked one yellow eye at him. "See ya, tiger." Then she was gone.

"Well," Jadeite said, "what are you waiting for, tiger?"

Nephrite ran inside, down the stairs, and out the front door towards the clearing, plowing through the snow. He stopped in the spot where the gate had been before. Painful truth... "I want her again. No matter how wrong it is, or how bad it is for her, or whether she wants me or not. I want her again, and I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself."

The black gate stretched into view.