'TIS THE SEASON #1: MINA
A Sailor Moon Sekkushiaru Roman

by Sailor Mac
	"Oh, GODS. . .look at that tree!"
	Mina could only stare wide-eyed at the biggest indoor Christmas tree she'd
ever seen in her life, standing in the grand hall of Farthinggale Manor.
Glen had invited her to stay at his home for Christmas, and she had just
arrived.
	"Now, Mina, you've seen our trees before."
	"Yes, but they weren't that HUGE! This looks like the tree in Rockefeller
Center!"
	He kissed her. "I asked the servants to find the biggest and best tree
they possibly could - just for you."
	"Oh, Glen!" She threw her arms around him, and they embraced for a long,
sweet moment, feeling like they'd slipped away from reality to a world
where there was only each other.
	Then, they were brought crashing down to earth by a loud "A-HEM."
	"Oh," said Glen, easing away from Mina. "Hello, Mother."
	Mina stuck out her hand with a big smile. "Hi, Lady Farthinggale! What a
cool tree you have!"
	"Hello, Miss Aino," Lady Farthinggale said in the clipped tones of the
British upper crust. "I take it that your journey here was pleasant?"
	"Oh, it was great! I've never flown first-class before! And the limo ride.
. .WOW!"
	Her enthusiam didn't seem to be contagious. Lady Farthinggale continued to
regard her cooly.
	"Your bags have been brought up to your room, which is the third suite to
the right on the second floor. You'll have a couple of hours to rest up and
prepare for the Christmas party tonight."
	"Um. . .bags? Did that happen to include. . ."
	"I believe a cat carrier was among the items taken up. It's been placed in
your room along with. . ."
	"Oh, Gods. . .excuse me, milady, but I *have* to get Artemis out of there!
Seeya later!" She started to rush from the room, stopped abruptly, turned,
bobbed a very quick curtsy, then took off pell-mell again.
	Lady Farthinggale sighed as she watched Mina go. "Well, she certainly is.
. .spirited."
	"I love her, Mother. I've loved her from the moment we first met. There'll
never be anyone else for me."
	"Well, Glendon, I can't lie. I'd been hoping you'd find a companion from
among the young ladies in our social circle. . .but I cannot deny that Mina
has been good for you. You light up like a firefly whenever you're going to
see her. And in the end, that's what really matters. . .that you're happy."
	"I am, Mother. I'm happier than I ever thought I'd be in my life. And now,
I'm going to go up and check on her, to make sure she's settling in all
right."
	He kissed his mother on the cheek and made his way up the grand staircase.
* * *
	Mina nearly knocked over an ancient vase on her mad dash into the suite.
She grabbed it just before it toppled and managed to set it upright. Seeing
the suitcases which had been put neatly in a corner, she pushed them aside
until she found what she was looking for.
	"Artemis! Artemis, are you all right?"
	She opened the door of the cat carrier, and her feline guardian crawled
out, slowly, looking like he'd been through the mill.
	"What a way to travel," he grumbled. "Now I know how a sardine feels."
	"I'm sorry it had to be like this, Artemis, but the airline simply
wouldn't let me put you in a seat! And you remember what happened the last
time I tried to slip you through security in my carry-on."
	He stretched and shook his fur out, then began walking around the room to
stretch his legs. "Wow. . .this is some place they've given you!"
	"Isn't it great? I think it's bigger than Lita's apartment! See, this is
the sitting room, and the bedroom's over there. . ."
	"Not that you're going to be sleeping in it," Artemis mumbled under his breath.
	"What was that?"
	"I'm just saying. . .what a beautiful cat bed they've given me."
	There was a knock on the door. "Yeees?" Mina said.
	"It's me, love."
	She opened the door and threw her arms around him. "Thanks for the suite,
honey. . .it's beautiful!"
	"Fitting surroundings for you, my dear. Oh, hello, Artemis!"
	"Hi, Glen. So this is your little shack in the woods?"
	Glen smiled wryly. "It isn't much, but it's all we have."
	"Wait'll you see my dress for the Christmas party," Mina said. "Serena and
Amy helped me pick it out. It's gonna knock you for a loop!"
	"Well, then, perhaps I should let you get ready so you can dazzle us
all." He kissed her. "I love you."
	"I love you, too."
	After he went, Mina sighed, thinking, It's wonderful enough to be with
him. . .but to be with him in surroundings like this! It's like a dream
come true! And now, I get to hobnob with the rich and beautiful at the
party. . .
	She fairly skipped across the room and opened the wardrobe, taking out the
garment bag that held her formal. "Artemis," she said, "I may sound like a
corny old TV show when I say this, but. . .I have a feeling this is going
to be the best Christmas ever!"
* * *
	Mina was breathless with anticipation when Glen knocked on her door a
couple of hours later. When she opened the door, they looked at each other,
gasped, and said in unison, "You look gorgeous!" Then, they laughed and
embraced.
	"I'm going to be the luckiest man in that room," he said, "having such a
beauty on my arm." He took a step back, the better to admire her pink satin
gown with puffed sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and a full skirt. She even
had a matching pink satin bow in her hair.
	"Not half as lucky as me," she replied. "You look very James Bond in that
tuxedo."
	He bowed, then offered her his arm. "Thank you, madam.  . .shall we?"
	"Yes! Let's!"
	He led her down the stairs and into the grand ballroom. Mina let out a
gasp. It was like a movie set! Liveried butlers scurried everywhere,
bringing trays of champagne and hors d'ouerves to people in glamorous
formal wear and enough diamonds and rubies and other gems to fill the Grand
Canyon, Mina thought. Holly boughs festooned with twinking lights were hung
all over the walls, and at the middle of the room was an enormous ice
sculpture of a Christmas angel.
	"Oh, wow. . ." she whispered.
	"It's pretty impressive, isn't it? The staff really outdid themselves this
year."
	"Glen, it's amazing! I feel like Cinderella!"
	He squeezed her hand. "Well, you're *my* fairy tale princess."
	As he led her further into the room, they were approached by an older
couple. "Good evening, Lord Farthinggale," the man said.
	"Good evening, Lord Southbury, Lady Southbury."
	All these people are nobility! Mina thought. It *is* like Cinderella's ball!
	"And who may your lady friend be? I don't think I've ever made her
acquaintence."
	Mina stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Mina! Quite a spread they've got here,
isn't it?"
	The older couple exchanged a glance. "Ah, yes, it's a. . .marvelous. .
.spread," Lord Southbury said. "Would you excuse us, please?"
	Mina watched them move quickly away. "What's wrong with them?" she said.
	A young man about Glen's age walked up to him. "Farthinggale, old chap!"
	Glen gave him a hearty handshake. "George! How wonderful to see you! Mina,
this is an old friend from my primary school, George Ashton-Cross. George,
this is Mina."
	"Hello." The other boy abruptly turned his full attention back to Glen.
"You must come over to the back of the room, all the old gang is there!
Even Hal!"
	"Really? Why, I haven't seen him in years! Will you excuse me for just a
moment, darling? I just want to say a quick hello to them."
	"Sure."
	Glen kissed her, and left with his friend. Mina was left standing alone in
the middle of the room. . .and nobody approached her.
	Why are they treating me like I'm not here? she thought. Well, if they
don't want to talk to me. . .then I'm going to talk to them!
	She spotted a group of women of various ages sitting on couches and
overstuffed chairs near a fireplace, chatting. She walked over to them.
	". . .and I said to him, 'Charles! Didn't the dressmaker call *yet*! This
is the third time I've had to have this dress altered! Oh, you simply can
*not* get decent clothes nowadays!" one woman was saying.
	"Oh, I know exactly what you mean," another replied. "Things simply have
*not* been the same since the London outlet of House of D'Aulaire closed!"
	"Yes," Mina said, "I feel your pain! They closed the Hit or Miss in
Juuban, and now I'm forced to go all the way to *Mandee* to get decent
clothes, which is 10 miles away!"
	She noticed the women glaring daggers at her. Uh-oh, she thought, maybe I
should have introduced myself. . .
	"Um, hello, I'm Mina Aino. I came with Glen. . .that is, Lord
Farthinggale. Um, is this seat taken?"
	One of the women shook her head, slowly.
	"Good! Merry Christmas, everyone! It's such a pleasure for me. . .to. .
.uh-oh!" The hem of her dress had gotten caught on the bottom of an easy
chair. "No problem, I can get it. . ." She gave it a tug, and it came free
- but not without a little ripping sound. "Ooops! Good thing I'm handy with
a needle and thread!" She sat down in the chair and looked around her with
a big smile. Nobody else was smiling.
	"So. . .where's everybody from?"
	The women just exchanged glances. The silence was deafening.
	A waiter arrived with a tray of champagne. The women quickly took glasses,
seeming grateful for this distraction. As they sipped, one of them said,
"Ah, a marvelous vintage! The '82 Veuve Clicquot, is it not?"
	"Superb indeed. But my favorite is still the '78 Moet et Chandon. I can
still remember the first time I had it, on holiday in the south of France.
. ."
	"Ah, you're still going to the south of France? Really! And I thought
Mustique was the 'in' spot. . ."
	Mina brightened. . .here was something she could talk about! "Oh, you like
going to the beach in the summer, too? We've got a pretty decent one we go
to. It's a little narrow, but it's always clean! And the sand is perfect
for making sand castles. . .this past summer, my friends Serena and Lita
and I managed to build a HUGE one, but we didn't get a picture before it
was washed away. Ooh, that was the day that Amy got bitten by a sand crab!
It just kind of latched itself onto her toe, and she was hopping and
hopping around trying to get it off, and none of us wanted to laugh but we
couldn't help outselves, she just looked *so* funny. . ."
	Mina looked around. Her story wasn't going over well. In fact, the women
were all looking at her as if she had three heads.
	Her spirits plummeted. She was *never* going to fit in with these people!
Here she was, dreaming of rubbing shoulders with the rich and titled. .
.and they were treating her like a foreign invader!
	She said, "Excuse me" in a small voice and got up from the chair. As she
started to walk away, she heard one of them say, "Somebody should tell Lady
Farthinggale that her son's taste in women needs to be elevated."
	That did it. Mina burst into tears and pushed her way to the entrance of
the ballroom. She ran down the hall and kept running until she came to the
library, at the end of the corridor.
	She walked slowly to the window and pressed her hand and forehead against
the pane. It was starting to snow, and she watched the flakes drift to the
ground as the tears continued to run down her face.
	Ever since she met Glen, she had dreamed of becoming his wife. But how
could she marry a nobleman if she was so firmly rejected by the nobility?
She had felt like a square peg in a round hole in there. How could she live
like this for the rest of her life?
	Then, she heard a soft voice behind her. "Mina. . ."
	"Go away, Glen. I want to be alone."
	"Oh, Mina, I should never have left you alone. I'm so sorry for what
happened in there." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled
her to him.
	"Glen. . .maybe we should call this relationship off now, before we get
any more involved."
	"What are you talking about? I'd rather cut off both my legs than break up
with you!"
	"I don't think I can be a wife to you, Glen! I'm not a society woman! I'm
not. . .like them." She sniffled. "Maybe I should have listened to that old
saying: 'You'll soon be parted from a fool with money'."
	"Mina, Mina!" He took her hand and led her to a love seat. "If I wanted
someone like that, I'd be with someone like that! I love *you*! You're the
most real and vibrant and alive thing in my life!"
	She leaned her head on his shoulder. "But they didn't like me."
	"The hell with *them*! I don't give a tinker's damn what they think. Mina,
ever since I was a little boy, I felt like something was missing from my
life. I was prepared to be a peer of the realm from the time I was an
infant. Everything was protocol, propriety, and keeping a stiff upper lip.
And then, you came to my school. I remember seeing you put your things in
your locker, and they'd fall right back out and hit you on the head, and
you'd just laugh about it. You had such *joy,*  Mina, such enthusiasm for
life. I'd never seen anyone like you before. And I knew what was missing
from my life was a sense of *fun.* You helped me find out what fun was."
	"Glen. . ." She wrapped her arms around him. "I love you."
	"And I love you, too. Come on, let's forget about that party. We'll go up
to my suite and have our own, private Christmas celebration."
	Hand-in-hand, they left the library, and headed for the grand staircase.
* * *
	Once the doors of his suite closed behind him, she took him in her arms,
bringing her mouth to his. Their lips caressed each other, and she make a
little sighing sound. He pulled her tighter, his mouth opening, letting
their tongues touch and stroke. His lips moved down her neck, and she
leaned her head back, reveling in the feeling of this man's mouth on her
skin.
	He loves me, she thought. He truly does. And I love him. I can feel the
power of our love shining all around us. . .
	He pulled away from her and sat on the bed, gesturing for her to sit
beside him. Opening a bureau drawer, he took out a wrapped package.
	"Happy Christmas, my darling," he said.
	"Oh, Glen. . ." She opened the paper, and found a dark blue velvet box.
Jewelry of some sort, she thought.
	Lifting the lid, she peered inside - and gasped. There was a chain studded
with jewels, from which was suspended a huge stone in a gold setting,
surrounded by small diamonds.
	"It's. . .its gorgeous!"
	"This necklace has been in my family for generations. It's always been
given by the oldest son of the family to the woman he loves and intends to
marry." He took the necklace and put it around her neck. "I love you, Mina.
You're the light of my life."
	"Glen, I love you too. You're the star in my heart."
	Their lips came together again, and the kiss deepended quickly. His hands
came around to her back, unzipping her dress.
	"Let me show you," he whispered, "just how much I love you."
	He eased the shoulders of the dress down, then tried to push off the whole
thing - but didn't have much luck. The dress kept getting caught somewhere
around her waist. She laughed. "Allow me." She pulled the dress off and
tossed it on the floor, her slip quickly following it.
	"Breathtaking," he said. Even her satiny pink bra and panties had been
purchased especially for the occasion. The necklace still sparkled on her
chest.
	"Now," she said, "shall we take care of you as well?"
	She brought him into a kiss as her hands started unfastening his tuxedo
jacket. She was amazed at the number of pieces that had to come off -
jacket, vest, cummerbund, tie. . .Finally, she got to his shirt and
unbuttoned it, slowly. . .only to find an undershirt beneath!
	He smiled. "Looks like you're not quite done yet."
	"Ah, but this part looks easy." She grasped it and pulled it over his
head, then kissed him deeply again. Her hands roamed his chest as she
kissed her way down his neck, then moved slowly lower.  . .When her lips
encountered his nipple, she kissed it several times, then brushed her
tongue over it. He let out a deep groan, which intensified when she started
sucking. Her hand reached lower, finding his hardening manhood through his
pants and stroking it. He began to writhe with passion, his moans begining
to sound like a plea.
	She pulled away, and he removed his pants, then brought his lips to hers
again, his hands reaching around her to undo the clasp of her bra. He eased
her onto her back, pulling the garment away.
	"Now," he said, "to get you back for what you just did to me. . ."
	He cupped her right breast in his hand as they kissed, brushing his thumb
back and forth across the nipple, feeling her begin to stir beneath him. He
kissed his way down her neck, and soon, his hand was replaced with his
mouth. He licked the nipple first, slowly flicking his tongue back and
forth, then took it in his lips and started to suck. She groaned, reaching
for his hand and putting it over her other breast, then reveled in the
pleasure as his fingers brushed over the hardened tip, while his mouth
continued to tug at the other.
	His other hand slipped downward, over her panties, and began to caress her
womanhood through her panties. Mina's hips jerked upward, and she cried out
his name, loudly. She felt like she was going to burst into flames any
second. Oh, if only he'd strip her panties away, let her feel his fingers
directly against her most sensitive flesh. . .but he continued what he was
doing, as she moaned and writhed in desire.
	"Oh, please. . .please, I need it, I need it. . ."
	He raised his head. "What do you need, my love?"
	"I need to feel you touching me. . .I need you to take my panties off and
put your fingers right there. . ."
	"I'm not going to put my fingers there." She moaned in frustration. "I'm
going to do something even better."
	He stripped off her damp undergarment, and pushed her legs apart. Then, he
was lowering his head to her, and she felt his tongue start to explore her
sweet secrets. She cried out, her head tossing from side to side, her hand
clutching the sheets. He played around a bit, dipping inside of her, then
swirling around and around her entrance. . .but soon, he decided to give
his girlfriend the release she so badly needed. He flicked his tongue up to
her jewel and began to lick it with rapid motions, and she wailed, feeling
hot pleasure fill her and fill her until she thought she'd burst. . .and
then, everything exploded, and fiery ecstacy flooded her as she shuddered,
shouting his name and "I love you!"
	He came back up to her, kissing her face tenderly as the final shudders
passed through her.
	"Mina, my darling. . ." he whispered.
	Their lips came together softly, caressingly. She could taste herself on
his mouth, and it was glorious.
	She rolled him over on his back, and straddled him, her lips continuing to
come together with his again and again. Pushing her naked womanhood again
his manhood, still covered with his boxers, she began to move, sliding back
and forth against his hard length through the fabric. He let out a loud
groan. She resisted the urge to pump harder and faster, preferring to tease
him as he had teased her. Slowly, slowly, she continued to rub against him,
as his face contorted with his need and he uttered long, low sounds.
	"Mina," he gasped, "please take them off. Please make love to me."
	"Hmm," she said. "I'll think about it."
	"Miiiinaaaa. . ."
	"Okay, but first. . .who do you love?"
	"You! Always and only you!"
	She kissed him. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear." She climbed off
him, stripped off his underwear and reached in his bedside drawer for a
condom, which she applied as fast as she could. Climbing back onto him,
she positioned herself so he was just touching her entrance. There was a
moment that seemed frozen in time, when they looked into each other's eyes,
communicating their love without words. . .then, she pushed, and they were
one. He sat up, they wrapped their arms around each other, and she began a
rapid thrusting motion. She leaned her head back, her eyes closed and her
mouth open, glorying in the sensations. . .the hot tingles running through
her body, the feel of his body in her arms, the sounds of his ecstatic
moans and sighs. . .They brought their heads together and kissed, their
tongues mingling and dancing as she continued to pump, the pleasure
building and building in them both. . .When he brought one hand around to
caress and stroke her breast, that did it.  She froze, feeling her whole
body locking up as she trembled at the brink of the abyss. . .and then, she
was flying over the edge and shrieking, her whole body shaking as she was
consumed with a blaze of pleasure. . .and she heard his own hoarse cries of
joy as his own climax wracked him.
	As they kissed tenderly, there was the sound of church bells ringing in
the distance. "It's midnight," he whispered. "It's officially Christmas
Day."
	"Merry Christmas. I love you."
	"Happy Christmas. I love you, too."
	They snuggled under the covers, with her still wearing the necklace. We
consecrated it with our love, she thought, touching it.
	As she started to fall asleep, she thought about the evening, and the
other people at the party didn't bother her anymore. As long as Glen loved
her, she didn't give a damn what the rest of the world thought of her.
	His love, she thought, is the best gift of all.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first installment in a series of Christmas
stories I will be doing throughout the holiday season, one story for each
Inner. I hope to be able to do a New Year's one as well.

Lots of love and thanks to the Lemon Tree gang: Mark, Sonya, Jeffrey,
Yohann, Galos, Kenton, Jeffrey, Sally and Alhana!

Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply. These characters ain't mine, I'm
just borrowing them for a little while.