Chapter 17: Late Night Reflections

With a faint nod to Selene, Celeste pulled the door behind her, leaving it slightly ajar in case the cat decided to leave. The events of the night had left Mara exhausted, and the girl had fallen asleep shortly after Celeste had cleaned and bandaged her wounds. ‘Looks like I’ve got the couch,’ Celeste thought, giving that piece of furniture a disinterested look as she headed toward the kitchen.

Ever since the night she had found Sofia, Celeste had had difficulty sleeping. Worries, half-formed plans, and fragments of memories filled her brain and robbed her of sleep. With a resigned sigh, she set the kettle on to heat the water for some tea.

Classes would resume in a few days, Celeste realized, leaning against the edge of the counter. With Jonathan once more submerged in the world of reading, lectures, and tests, she faced several hours with little or nothing to do. She couldn’t spend all that time at the hospital with her volunteer work, her phobia of the place not withstanding.

“There’s always training,” she murmured.

With a bitter smile, Celeste admitted to herself that she did need it. Working out at the gym would allow her to focus on her strength and her endurance, areas that had shown weaknesses in the last several battles. There was also Nadia and Ricco’s invitation to do some training at their gym to revive her gymnastic skills. The companionship the older pair would provide made the offer even more tempting.

The whistle of the kettle pulled Celeste from her thoughts. She quickly found a tea bag and a cup. Gratefully inhaling the aroma, she picked up the cup and took a seat at the small dining table.

However, there was the now dual problem of Sofia and Mara to deal with. Although Sofia was Sailor Althene, she would need some fighting skills before Celeste would risk her in any battle. As to Mara, she wasn’t too sure if the girl was a Sailor Soldier at all.

‘You don’t know what she really is,’ the woman had said. ‘She belongs with us.’

Clearly Mara had some power. Yet, it had taken the form of black light, which disturbed Celeste. Taking a sip of her tea, she leaned back in the chair. ‘It means nothing,’ she told herself. ‘Stop jumping to conclusions. She’s just an innocent girl.’

‘Just an innocent girl.’ The phrase repeated itself again and again in Celeste’s mind. However, another girl’s image took Mara’s place in her mind.

Hotaru Tomoe had been just an innocent girl, too. It was her father and others who had decided to use her in a ploy to bring about the Silence. Numerous lives had been sacrificed in Sailor Moon’s attempt in saving Hotaru.

‘Fortunately, Usagi was successful,’ Celeste thought, ‘but what if she not had been? They had had no way of knowing that everything would turn out right. For a while there, it had seemed that it definitely would not turn out that way.’

Like many times since her encounter with Sofia, Celeste wanted to contact Setsuna. However she held back, wondering if the Timeline would even allow Setsuna to make any disclosures.

But really she just missed Setsuna. With her, Celeste could talk about everything: her past lives, her challenges as Sol, and the murky prospect of the future. She couldn’t discuss all that with Jonathan in fear of burdening him with too much. With the Guardian of Time, there was no need for such reservations.

With a sigh, she stared down at her cup, gazing into the amber liquid. She had to contact Setsuna and ask her about Mara. At worst, Setsuna wouldn’t be able to tell her anything, but Celeste hoped that she would get some answers.

The ringing of the phone jarred her from her thoughts. She grabbed it during the second ring, hoping that Mara was still asleep. “Hello?”

“Did I wake you up?” Jonathan asked.

“No, I was still up,” she replied, noting the late hour. “Is something wrong?”

“Well, you never called,” he stated, “and I was beginning to get worried. I just needed to know that you were alright.”

“Oh, Jonathan, I’m so sorry,” Celeste said. “With everything that happened, I completely forgot.”

“What happened?”

Celeste quickly gave him a description of the encounter. Since she hadn’t had to attack, Celeste didn’t think it counted as a battle. She concluded with her decision to contact Setsuna.

“I think you’re right,” Jonathan agreed. “It definitely wouldn’t hurt to try. Do you want me to come over and check on Mara?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Jonathan,” she replied, grinning. “She primarily just had some cuts and scrapes. Besides, she’s sound asleep at the moment. How are things with your family?”

“Pretty good, actually,” he said, letting her hear his surprise. “I gave them a brief tour of the area and then we sat in my apartment and talked for a while.”

“Did you and your father talk?”

There was a pause before he replied, “Yeah, we did. While we still don’t see eye to eye on everything, we both admitted that we had been wrong. I’ve promised to talk to him and the rest of my family more.”

“I’m happy for you, Jonathan.”

“I hate that they can only stay for a few days now. And they want to meet you again. How do you feel about dinner tomorrow night?”

“Aren’t we moving kind of fast?” she asked melodramatically. “I’ve already met your family, and you’re not supposed to do that until after you’ve together for several months. Next thing I’ll know, we’ll be moving in together.”

“Is that an offer?”

She laughed. “No, that’s not an offer. But, about dinner, yes, I’ll go.”

“Great,” he replied, “I’ll tell them. When I find out the details, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay,” she said, yawning. “If I’m not home, just leave a message.”

“And just where will you be?”

“Do you honestly expect me to sit at home and simply wait for you to call?”

Jonathan chuckled. “Easy, Celeste. I was just curious. That’s all.”

“I have some errands to run tomorrow,” she replied. “They shouldn’t take too long.”

“I’d better let you get some sleep,” he stated. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Celeste.”

“Good night, Jonathan.”

She hung up the phone and put her cup in the sink. With a yawn, she turned off the light and stretched out on the couch. As she drifted off to sleep, she murmured the words she couldn’t tell him yet.

“I love you.”


Late Night Reflections With a faint nod to Selene, Celeste pulled the door behind her, leaving it slightly ajar in case the cat decided to leave. The events of the night had left Mara exhausted, and the girl had fallen asleep shortly after Celeste had cleaned and bandaged her wounds. ‘Looks like I’ve got the couch,’ Celeste thought, giving that piece of furniture a disinterested look as she headed toward the kitchen. Ever since the night she had found Sofia, Celeste had had difficulty sleeping. Worries, half-formed plans, and fragments of memories filled her brain and robbed her of sleep. With a resigned sigh, she set the kettle on to heat the water for some tea. Classes would resume in a few days, Celeste realized, leaning against the edge of the counter. With Jonathan once more submerged in the world of reading, lectures, and tests, she faced several hours with little or nothing to do. She couldn’t spend all that time at the hospital with her volunteer work, her phobia of the place not withstanding. “There’s always training,” she murmured. With a bitter smile, Celeste admitted to herself that she did need it. Working out at the gym would allow her to focus on her strength and her endurance, areas that had shown weaknesses in the last several battles. There was also Nadia and Ricco’s invitation to do some training at their gym to revive her gymnastic skills. The companionship the older pair would provide made the offer even more tempting. The whistle of the kettle pulled Celeste from her thoughts. She quickly found a tea bag and a cup. Gratefully inhaling the aroma, she picked up the cup and took a seat at the small dining table. However, there was the now dual problem of Sofia and Mara to deal with. Although Sofia was Sailor Althene, she would need some fighting skills before Celeste would risk her in any battle. As to Mara, she wasn’t too sure if the girl was a Sailor Soldier at all. ‘You don’t know what she really is,’ the woman had said. ‘She belongs with us.’ Clearly Mara had some power. Yet, it had taken the form of black light, which disturbed Celeste. Taking a sip of her tea, she leaned back in the chair. ‘It means nothing,’ she told herself. ‘Stop jumping to conclusions. She’s just an innocent girl.’ ‘Just an innocent girl.’ The phrase repeated itself again and again in Celeste’s mind. However, another girl’s image took Mara’s place in her mind. Hotaru Tomoe had been just an innocent girl, too. It was her father and others who had decided to use her in a ploy to bring about the Silence. Numerous lives had been sacrificed in Sailor Moon’s attempt in saving Hotaru. ‘Fortunately, Usagi was successful,’ Celeste thought, ‘but what if she not had been? They had had no way of knowing that everything would turn out right. For a while there, it had seemed that it definitely would not turn out that way.’ Like many times since her encounter with Sofia, Celeste wanted to contact Setsuna. However she held back, wondering if the Timeline would even allow Setsuna to make any disclosures. But really she just missed Setsuna. With her, Celeste could talk about everything: her past lives, her challenges as Sol, and the murky prospect of the future. She couldn’t discuss all that with Jonathan in fear of burdening him with too much. With the Guardian of Time, there was no need for such reservations. With a sigh, she stared down at her cup, gazing into the amber liquid. She had to contact Setsuna and ask her about Mara. At worst, Setsuna wouldn’t be able to tell her anything, but Celeste hoped that she would get some answers. The ringing of the phone jarred her from her thoughts. She grabbed it during the second ring, hoping that Mara was still asleep. “Hello?” “Did I wake you up?” Jonathan asked. “No, I was still up,” she replied, noting the late hour. “Is something wrong?” “Well, you never called,” he stated, “and I was beginning to get worried. I just needed to know that you were alright.” “Oh, Jonathan, I’m so sorry,” Celeste said. “With everything that happened, I completely forgot.” “What happened?” Celeste quickly gave him a description of the encounter. Since she hadn’t had to attack, Celeste didn’t think it counted as a battle. She concluded with her decision to contact Setsuna. “I think you’re right,” Jonathan agreed. “It definitely wouldn’t hurt to try. Do you want me to come over and check on Mara?” “I don’t think that’s necessary, Jonathan,” she replied, grinning. “She primarily just had some cuts and scrapes. Besides, she’s sound asleep at the moment. How are things with your family?” “Pretty good, actually,” he said, letting her hear his surprise. “I gave them a brief tour of the area and then we sat in my apartment and talked for a while.” “Did you and your father talk?” There was a pause before he replied, “Yeah, we did. While we still don’t see eye to eye on everything, we both admitted that we had been wrong. I’ve promised to talk to him and the rest of my family more.” “I’m happy for you, Jonathan.” “I hate that they can only stay for a few days now. And they want to meet you again. How do you feel about dinner tomorrow night?” “Aren’t we moving kind of fast?” she asked melodramatically. “I’ve already met your family, and you’re not supposed to do that until after you’ve together for several months. Next thing I’ll know, we’ll be moving in together.” “Is that an offer?” She laughed. “No, that’s not an offer. But, about dinner, yes, I’ll go.” “Great,” he replied, “I’ll tell them. When I find out the details, I’ll let you know.” “Okay,” she said, yawning. “If I’m not home, just leave a message.” “And just where will you be?” “Do you honestly expect me to sit at home and simply wait for you to call?” Jonathan chuckled. “Easy, Celeste. I was just curious. That’s all.” “I have some errands to run tomorrow,” she replied. “They shouldn’t take too long.” “I’d better let you get some sleep,” he stated. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Celeste.” “Good night, Jonathan.” She hung up the phone and put her cup in the sink. With a yawn, she turned off the light and stretched out on the couch. As she drifted off to sleep, she murmured the words she couldn’t tell him yet. “I love you.”


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