Hi minna!!  Okay.. it's 2:52 pm on Christmas Eve... got three done
and working on four... WE CAN DO THIS!!  Ahh! Bethany: This is driving me
crazy! I've never been on a deadline before!  We need a prep ralley or
something here!
I'd love to write a really long AN, but I have to go work on the epilogue if 
we're gonna get this out by 5!  so see you all later!
and remember, EMAIL!!!!!!!!!!
Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Santa's Secret
Chapter: 3
By: Serenity Raye and Bethany ^_^
Rated:  Geeeeeeeeeee!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*~ Juyban Park - 9:23pm. Christmas Eve Night ~*~

	Mercury stood in the spot where she had last seen Tuxedo Kamen. She 
had worked the figures over a thousand times. It should work, if it continued
raining.

	"Your early." Tuxedo Kamen landed sliently next to Mercury. She looked 
to her right startled, "Sorry I scared you," he apologized.

	"I can do it," she said confidently.

	"You what?" he said, startled. He had never heard Mercury speak so firmly.

	"I said; I can do it. The snow I mean." She held out her computer, "As long 
as the precitptaion the meteriogist predited continues; I can lower the atmospheric 
tempurature and thus create snow." At Tuxie's blank look she sighed. "If it rains."
Wiggling her fingers, "As the guy in the talking box said. I can make it cold, and 
you get white fluffly stuff."

	"Oh." He smiled, "Thank you."

	"Wait!" Mercury smiled, "Not so fast. If you want snow you had better tell me
some more about your 'friend'."

	"Ummm..." he thought of Usagi's expression when she saw her Chirstmas wish come
true, "It's a girl, she wants it to snow for Christmas. I want to apologize to her."

	"Don't worry Tuxedo Kamen-sama, it will snow." Smiling, Mercury closed 
her computer.

	"Thank you Sailor Mercury." Then suddenly he was gone.

	"Your welcome Mamoru-san." She looked at the clock and suddenly remembered she 
still had to wrap her gift.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	Naru giggled slightly and handed Usagi a wrapped box.  "Here,
this was left at my house for you... I don't know who it's from."

	Usagi eyed the box suspesiously, like she expected it to get up
and do a dance for her.  "When?"

	"'Bout an hour ago... open it!"

	Slowly, still somewhat afraid that this was a negaverse trick, Usagi
opened the box. Inside was stuffed with tissue paper.  After rumaging through
it for a minute, Usagi found a small velvet box.  "Pretty... " she noted,
running her hand over the soft velvet.

	Naru twitched her nose. "Hurry!"

	Slowly she opened it.  

	A silver chain lay inside, a rabbit charm laying softly around it.
"Wow," Usagi breathed, taking out the note attached.  "Usagi, hope you
like it. I know you have an obsession with rabbits." 

	"Who's it from?" Naru asked, plucking the note from Usagi's hands
and re-reading it.  "It doesn't say!" she looked up to see Usagi snapping
the chain around her neck. It sat proudly on her collar bone.

	"Must be from one of my friends, we did the secret santa thing this
year." Naru nodded.

~*~An hour later~*~

	"Rei-chan!!"Usagi called her breath coming out in small white puffs
"Wait..huff..up!"

	Ahead Rei stopped looking back at Usagi. But five feet away from her friend 
Usagi slipped and fell to a small heap.

	"Ouch...hey!"she rushed back to the spot she fell and promptly slipped again
"It's ice!"

	Grabbing her friends hand she led her to the patch.

	"Look Rei-chan! Ice! Maybe it will snow!"

	"Maybe Usagi-chan," Rei said quietly glad her friend's wish was coming true.

	"Oh I'm sorry." She looked at Rei suddenly sobering, "Rei-chan, why are you always 
so sad around Christmas?" The two continued walking slowly.

	"It's when my mother died," she said quietly. "She passed away Chirstmas eve."

	"Oh Rei-chan!" she stopped tears in her eyes, "That must have been awful for 
you!" Embracing Rei she whispered, "Don't be sad anymore Rei-chan. Your mom would want you 
to be happy not sad."

	Rei cried softly into her friends shoulder,"I know but it's so hard. I miss her 
terribly. Sometimes I wonder." She pulled back drying her eyes, "I wonder if she was here 
now what would she think of me. Would she be proud?"

	"Rei-chan, your mother would be so proud of you. Your strong, beautiful, talented, 
just perfect! My mom is proud of me and look at me! I can't walk but five feet without 
falling, and I'm constantly late to everything."

	"You can't pass any of your classes, you whine, you," Rei smiled.

	"Your not supposed to agree with me!"
	"But it's the truth!"
	"You can bend the truth!"
	"Are you telling me to lie!"
	"When it comes to me yes!" Usagi stuck her tounge out at Rei
	"Usagi!" Rei hollered returning the guesture.

	After a few moments they both collapsed into a fit of giggles. The clock struck
eleven. 
	
	"I have to go Rei-chan. My mom will be worrying," Usagi said regretfully.

	"Yeah, it's getting really cold out. Maybe it will snow after all."

	"Maybe." Impulsivy she hugged Rei again, "Merry Christmas Rei-chan."

	"Merry Christmas Usagi."

	The two parted both deep in thought. Above a shooting star blazed a trail in 
the sky.

	"Please let Rei-chan get her Christmas wish," Usagi whispered. Down the street
Rei was looking at the same star and thinking of her mom.


~*~Tsukino Residance- 11:30pm~*~

	"Mom I'm home!" Usagi took her gloves and jacket off dropping them in a pile by
the door. Sliding her shoes off she pulled on her slippers and hurried inside.

	"Usagi, we were getting worried about you!" she pointed upstairs, "Shingo has 
already gone to sleep. Your father fell asleep on the couch waiting up for you."

	"Gomen Okaa-san. I was at Naru's. Wait till I tell you what..."

	"Tommarow Usagi. It's nearly midnight! You'll never be able to wake up at this 
rate!"

	"It's Christmas! Of course I'll get up!" she walked up the stairs hearing her 
mom chuckling softly below.

	Changing for bed she imagined all the presents that would be waiting in the 
morning. She still hoped for snow. Glancing outside the window she saw the ground was
still barren. She noticed a figure watching her window from across the street. Looking
closer she tried to see who it was.

	"Luna!" she whispered watching the shadow. Throwing her slipper at the sleeping 
cat she whispered louder, "Luna!"

	"What is it Usagi-chan?"

	"There's someone outside." Looking closer she could swear...no it couldn't be!

	"Dang it Luna!" turning away she grabbed the feline and held her up to the 
window, "See him?!"

	"There's no one out there, Usagi. Go back to sleep."

	Usagi glanced back one last time, "I could have sworn..." She blushed remembering
her encounter with Mamoru at the mall. Touching her lips softly she crawled into bed. 
(SR:With visions of Mamoru dancing in her head,:-) hehehehe) (Bethany: I have the same
visions ^_^)

	Down the block Mamoru looked back at the house smiling. He only hoped Mercury
would come through for him.

~~~~~~~~~~