Late Night Escape

Chapter 2

You could feel the base vibrating through the bodies from the speakers in the dark corners of the Club. The music was so loud it drown out all conversation. Orange, red and burgundy lights flashed to the beat. The air was suffocating, hot, filled with the smell of sweating bodies. But who cared? You went to the club usually for three things. Most went for fun, to dance their youth away. Then came those who wanted to hook up. And finally came those who went to lose themselves. To forget everything and to let go.

Serena was in that last category. She didn't want fun. She certainly didn't want a hook up. No. She came to let out what she held pent up inside. In that moment, she wasn't Sailor Moon, she wasn't the leader, she wasn't the failing daughter, she wasn't the crappy student… She wasn't the Serena that needed to always put up smiles when she felt hurt, insecure or lonely.

A couple weeks ago, Lita had found her crumbled up in an alley after a battle. She had performed surprising well, barely needing Tuxedo Mask's help to save her or the other sensei. All thanks to the extra effort she had been putting in and years of experience finally catching up. It was all finally paying off. Lita had wanted to congratulate her best friend but instead found her going through a total nervous melt down.

Serena had been sparing in the mornings with Lita, studying in the evenings with Amy and trying to copy Rei's and Mina's confidence as much as possible. Yet the brunette knew the pressure Luna and Artemis put on her to find the Moon Princess and crystal. Not to mention that although Serena smiled, she took things to heart easily. Including Rei's comments, Amy's sigh's, every little frown when she didn't perform well as a Sailor Moon… She cared too much. It was in her DNA. She wanted everyone around her happy. She wanted to protect everyone. So, she was harder on herself than anyone could have imagined.

Lita saw all this. Having been alone for a long time, she had learned to observe people and see past their masks. She watched her bubbly blond friend fake smiles while her parents kept criticizing her, not knowing the full weight on their daughter's shoulders. Worst of all, Serena loved her family. Lying to them constantly, hiding her injures really took a toll on her. Lita was well aware how long a person could hold a strong front before they cracked.

It had broken her heart to watch Serena cry until she was hyperventilating. She had rocked her friend until the sobs had stopped, soothed her hair until the tremors had passed and vowed to help her find an outlet. Lots of people found their release in stressful situation through alcohol, drugs, adrenaline or addiction. Alcohol and drugs hadn't even slightly tempted the leader of the scouts, she knew better than that. Addictions other than shopping sprees, were not even an option. Adrenaline, well they certainly had enough of that as the scouts.

And that's when Lita heard it, the beat coming from a club down the block. She remembered how Ken had snuck her in a couple of times into a club where his brother worked. It had been exactly what she needed. She had let the music take over, dissipating her constant anger and releasing her excessive energy. Maybe it would be the same for Serena?

The following night, Lita had snuck into her best friend's window at midnight. Without any explanation, she made Serena use her Luna pen to turn her into a 2-year older version of herself. Then, the two girls snuck into the new downtown club, the Devil's Playground thanks to Ken.

'And here we are,' Serena thought to herself. The DJ was playing the Sucker Punch version of Sweet Dreams, and she swayed to the music sensuously, her eyes closed.

Serena didn't need to be nice here. She didn't have to put on airs. She didn't have to act coy or sweet. She could let her other nature out. Fighting as a Scout had brought some darkness out of her soul. If you asked any soldier, they would explain this to you in simple terms; no matter how nice you were, fighting brought out the dark in you.

Honestly, she was almost 18. And yet everyone still treated her as a child. They expected her to stay a child, sweet and kind. She had so many expectations, that it really pissed her off sometimes. She couldn't be as forward as Rei, as flirtatious as Mina, as smart as Amy or as strong as Lita. She loved them all, but she was only human after all. She had her insecurities and misgivings. And yet she had to be the stone AND heart of the group.

Hence, Serena let everything drown in those couple of hours at the club. She released her boldness, her sexuality, her cunningness, her confidence. She wasn't Serena Tsukino here. She was free.

Lita had put her in one of the many spacious cages the first night they showed up, refusing to let her out until she got everything out of her system. It had been quite a shocking experience but Serena had let the music take over. The DJ mixed sensuous rhythms, blending rock, hip hop, trance, pop, etc. You could feel the sex practically in the air. And Serena had found a new talent that night, dancing.

Lita had been glad that she had put Serena in that cage. The emerald eyed friend soon realized Ken and her had suddenly become her personal guards and bouncers. The tall brunette had been shocked at first by her friend but she had just smirked it away. Lita had her own demons after all. The guys lined up those first Saturdays to get to her, to get a chance to take her home. Or at least a dance. To Lita's amazement, Serena had blown them off easily. Cuttingly even. Getting physically violent when they passed the acceptable line. "Teaching them manners, that's all," shy, sweet Serena had shrugged and kept dancing.

But that didn't matter, not now, at least. All that mattered was the feel of the base, how it took over her whole body and soul. How everything melted into the background. How the tenseness in her back dissipated, her joints loosened. How her frustration eased out of her pores. She could be her almost carefree self.

"Serena!" a deep male voice called beside her.

She slowly turned, opening her eyes. Whoever had figured out her identity would surely regret it. Or would be made to forget it. She wanted to stay anonymous her and free. No asshole was going to get her down.

But asshole or jerk, was the exact description of the guy who froze her in her movement. Her eyes opened wider, startled. 'This isn't happening! Why him!?' she whined.

Darien was standing next to the cage, looking at her as if he wasn't sure what to say. Which was a first.

"Fuck. Off." And with that she turned back without giving him another thought, trying to get back into music. How that man could drive her to distraction and speed up her pulse without doing anything! Even after so long, it really frustrated her.

"Darien! What are you doing here?" Lita had run up the stairs and pulled him to the side against a wall. She turned back and threw a water bottle into the cage to Serena. The blond chugged most of it then let the rest of the content fall over her head and kept dancing.

"Enjoying the show!" His lips curved into a predatory smirk which Lita had not missed.

"Enjoy it, but not a word to anyone! K!?" she smirked back at him, cracking her knuckles, her eyes twinkling.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" his hand on his heart, the other up in scout promise, complete mischief painting his handsome face.

He watched Lita go near the cage and dance with a brown hair guy he had seen her a couple of times with. But his eyes latched on Serena in seconds. This was not what he had expected to find. He had really thought that Alan had been mistaken.

As he had followed his buddy into the club, he got right away pulled toward the front. Around the DJ and stage where a bunch of cages with solo or couple dancers in them. He had watched as Alan pointed to a corner cage only to stop dead still. Darien had gotten a hardon like he had never in his whole life.

He watched as a very curvy, long legged blond moved sumptuously in the cage. Her cascading blond hair was clinging to her sweaty body. Her long legs were in fitted tight black pants. Her black leather halter top clung to her magnificent chest. Her eyes lashes covered in dark mascara. The only color on her, red lip, red bra and red underwear that peeked as she moved. She looked sexy as hell. But it was when she opened her eyes that recognition really hit him. Serena.

Sweet. Innocent. Klutzy. Serena.

And if he had found her tempting before, he didn't know what to think now.

Darien had practically shoved everyone out of his way, that extra strength really coming handy. He had stacked toward the cage like a starved animal. What he was going to do was beyond him. His body moved of its own accord.

His mind was filled with pictures of Serena doing exactly what she was doing. Except, naked, with him, in his bed. Or anywhere else for that matter. Right in that cage was fine with him too. For over 3 years, he had held himself back, had given her space, had not made a move. Nothing. He had assumed she still had a child-like mentality. It had been what she showed everyone. But here was the truth, gyrating in front of him. Gone was the child, a young woman was in her place.

A woman he desperately wanted.

He liked his lips, his mouth dry, his jaw clenched. Fuck, she was hot. Nothing had prepared him for this.

He had always had women fawn over him, run after him, beg him to do what he wanted to them. But he knew it wouldn't be the case with Serena. It would be a fight, as it always had been.

'Let the games begin.' He smiled darkly. "You're mine, little bunny."