The Clash of Fate and Destiny
Chapter Four: A Mother's Heartache
tiffany aka basketcase
"Momma okie?"
Serena looked in her rear view mirror, "Momma's okay."
"Momma in tw'ouble?"
Serena muttered under her breath, "Not yet."
After last night at the Garden of Eden had made Serena to start thinking of her own family and how much she was missing them. She had a hard time falling asleep so she decided to visit her parents but hadn't fully formulated a plan. Not even now.
So now she sat in her white RAV 4 with her son in the back seat, and having second thoughts. She knew she could get in trouble with the Outers or worse with the Sisters Fate and risked being discovered, but she really missed her parents even her annoying brother Sammy.
Brushing her doubts away, she told herself it was a 'now or never' moment. Serena took out a coin of the of coin bin. "Heads: go. Tails: forget it," She flipped the coin, and quickly caught it.
Inhaled an unsteady breath, she peeked in between her palms, and found its head facing up. Serena couldn't tell if she was happy about the coin's decision. The coin was flimsy tossed back in its coin bin.
Serena scurried out of her car and set Roxas down after gotten him out of his car seat. Roxas looked up to his nervous-wreck mother who was locking the car up.
She looked down the driveway to the two-story house she grew up in as her heart grew heavy. Roxas was worried about his mother. His little hand grabbed her hand, assuring her. Serena shook out of her reverie and looked down, smiling. Roxas broke into a toothy smile.
"Sorry, let's go." Serena lost her smile when she looked up. She led her son up the driveway to the house. It felt like an eternity for Serena to walk to the front door. Inhaling a deep breath, she lightly pushed the doorbell yet it rang loudly in the house.
The door opened hastily causing the little boy gasped and darting behind his mother's jeans.
"What is it?" An agitated blond teen grumbled. From the look of it, he had just waked up.
A smile didn't reached Serena's lips when she recognized the grumpy teen was her younger brother. "You must be Sammy. Are Mr. and Mrs. Chase home?"
"My name is Sam now. And, yeah, my parents are home."
Roxas whimpered in fear at the sound of Sam's deep voice. His fingers dug into his mother's jeans. Serena winced as she felt Roxas clawed into her legs.
Serena looked at Sam quizzically, raise her eyebrow, "May I come in then?" She frowned at his attitude. She can't believe that her brother's attitude hadn't change instead it changed for the worst.
Sam flipped his long bangs back, leaned on the door, still blocking her way in. "And you are?"
"I'm an old acquaintance of the family."
Sam eyed Serena, not believing her because he didn't see anything old about her except her eyes. He groaned in annoyance as he sidestepped, finally letting Serena and Roxas in.
Serena walked into the living room as Roxas followed her closely. She was amazed that there was little change since she left. She found her parents were reading on the couch, not really paying attention to her or her son. She set down her satchel and Roxas on the couch, making sure she caught her parents' attention.
At the corner of her eye, Sam was making his way up stairs. But Serena, ignoring her parents' hardened stared, called out to Sam and asked him to join them in the living room. Sam groaned again when he complied to Serena's simple request.
Ken was red in the face that Serena intruded in his and Irene's quiet time and didn't introduce herself or the boy. He was about to say something about it but Serena held her hand up, silencing him.
"Ken, Irene, 'Sammy', I am… Serena."
The second Serena uttered her name the spell on them broke. Their eyes became clouded before it became clear. It took them several seconds to realize whom the young woman standing in front of them was.
Tears formed in Irene and Sam's eyes as they jumped on Serena, hugging her like there was no tomorrow. They moved aside as Ken got up from his recliner and hugged Serena. Irene sat back down on her chair, sniffling in a tissue. Sam chose a seat next to Roxas who was still afraid, scooted away from him. Ken released Serena from their hug. He sat back down on his recliner as Serena sat between Sam and Roxas.
Roxas felt very shy, lunged for his mother's arm and hid his face behind her arm.
"I'm sorry I didn't recognized you with your short hair, sweetie," Irene hastily lied to cover up her mistake. Both Ken and Sam nodded, taking her excuse as their own. Irene shook her head, "You look well, sweetie. How have you been?"
Serena pulled Roxas into an embrace, "Life have been nice to me, mom."
"Have you been going to school?"
"I'm… I'm on working on my masters in law at Azuba University."
Ken bellowed, "I didn't realized you were interested in law."
Serena shrugged, "I figured that it's going to be very handy in the future." A secret smile formed on her lips. She had talked it out with Cassandra and both of them agreed that law was good for Serena and would help her when she ascend to throne of Neo-Millennium.
Sam, who was always the one being the bold and obnoxious one, had been eyeing Roxas, asked the one question his parents were hoping to avoid, "who's the kid?"
Both Ken and Irene tensed up when Sam blurted the question. They were hoping her answer would be different than what they were thinking.
Serena looked down at Roxas with love in her eyes, and pulled him closer. "This is Roxas… He's my little boy."
The room got quiet. No explosion from her parents or brother. There weren't any emotions on their faces either. Serena shifted uncomfortable. She could bear with anything except this heart-quenching silence. Her breathing became shallow, as she couldn't stand the deafening silence. "Mom? Dad? Sammy?"
Irene was the first one to snapped of their stupor. But something had changed in Irene. Serena and Sammy could see it. Her posture, her eyes, and her smile have become cold. Her cold eyes looked into Serena's clear cerulean eyes. "H-how old is he?"
"He's two. He's going to be three in late March," Serena answered as innocently as she can despite her mother's cold demeanor.
Serena turned to her brother, startled when Sam grasped her hand. "Can I see him?" His eyes were different than his mother's. It was more loving.
Roxas looked up to his mother. Serena nodded and nudged him off her arm. Roxas obliged, walked over to Sam, with a shy smile on his lips.
Sam looked him over, "He got your nose." He patted Roxas on the head.
Roxas didn't like that Sam patted him. He snatched Sam's hand and spank it with his little hands.
Sam grinned, "And attitude too."
Serena smiled at Sam and Roxas warming up to each other. But she can't relax. Her body was still tensed. Her dad hadn't said a word and her mom stared at Roxas with disgust in her eyes. But she feared the worst of Ken's reaction.
Ken stayed silent, sat still, his face hardened. Anger rose within him, he spoke quite harsh to Serena. "So you ran away and got yourself pregnant." It was more of a statement rather than a question.
Serena's back stiffened and a lump forming in her throat. "Actually, it's the other way around."
Irene gasped in disbelieve, "You were pregnant when you left?"
"Yeah, I was about 5 weeks then," Serena replied, staring back in Irene's eyes, guilt swallowing her up.
The air in the living became heavy. Sam noted the change. He stood up with Roxas in his arms. "Roxas, let's go in the kitchen and see if there's any chocolate chips cookies left." Sam hurried into the kitchen, not wanting to get caught in the storm. Roxas looked over his uncle's shoulder with worry in his eyes.
Serena watched Sam left. She was thankful that Sam took Roxas to another room so he couldn't get caught in the line of fire. She returned her attention to her parents. Serena swallowed the lump in her throat when she witnessed Ken's eyes darkened. "Who's the father, Serena?"
But Serena didn't back away. She would have three years ago. But she have grown a lot these past three years and learnt to stand up for herself and Roxas. She stared down her father, "It's Darien."
"That goddamn boyfriend of your?"
Serena's composure didn't wavered. "Yes."
"I thought you've changed in high school. Your grades had improved, you don't stayed out late as often, and you changed for the better. I was so proud and now…. And I refused to think you ran away was to escape responsibility." Irene covered her stricken face in her hands. She has never felt so disgrace to raise a daughter like that.
"Changed? For the better?" Serena looked hard at the woman she had called mother had insulted her. "Are you saying I was never the perfect daughter you wanted when I was back in middle school, that I wasn't good enough? You don't know what I did or how I risked my neck almost every day back then to continued to live in this world."
"Don't you raise your voice at your mother?" Ken shook his finger at Serena.
Her anger was getting the best of her but she held it back. Serena looked away, muttered under her breath, "She's not my mother.'
"Don't you dare say that," Ken shot up from his seat. His body was shaking in anger and a vein was pulsing on his forehead. "Especially after you ran away and brought up a bastard child."
Serena, too, shot up. Her voice, filled with authority and regal, growled at Ken, "Roxas is not a bastard!"
Something dark flashed in her eyes. Both Ken and Irene saw it. Irene grew silent. She was frightened when she doesn't recognize the woman who was glaring at her husband. The woman, in her eyes, wasn't her daughter but a stranger. Irene felt Serena had changed but not like she had said, and she could tell Serena's presence have change as well.
Instead of showing fear Ken strike her. Serena wasn't anticipating Ken to slap her and with such force that made her fell on top the couch. Serena stared at Ken with such animosity, covering her burning cheek.
Sam returned to the living room just as Ken struck Serena with Roxas trailing after him. When they were in the kitchen, Roxas wasn't able to relax. Not even when Sam gave him a chocolate chip cookie could cheer him up.
Roxas ran up to his mother, his tears threaten to fall. He sensed the person who dared to strike his mother approaching them. Roxas stood in between his mother and Ken but Serena pulled him away from Ken's anger. Sam stood behind Serena and Roxas, in disbelieve that his father could treat his sister and nephew that way.
"Then why are you back?" Ken stood over her. "Are you back because you can't handle the real world? The minute you left this house sent a very loud message that you were responsible! We have done so much for you, love you unconditionally, never questioned your actions but you threw it all away for a fucking boy who got you pregnant!"
"Darien is better father than you are." Serena said with disdain. Her eyes radiated with anger.
"You are not welcome in this house. Get out."
"Fine," Serena sat up, pulling Roxas to her lap, "Don't expect me to return."
The crescent birthmark appeared on her forehead, shining brightly. Ken, Irene, and Sam all stood up and backed away. They were surprised that Serena was capable of this. Ken and Irene's heart grew heavy in fear, witnessing this astonishing power but Sam could feel his sister's warm light upon his skin.
Serena erased her parents and brother's memory of this visit, and recast the shielding spell on her and Roxas. Ken, Irene, and Sam's eyes became clouded. Their heads bent down as their memory of Serena disappeared once again.
The crescent birthmark disappeared and their eyes refocused. When they regained consciousness, they were fazed with confusion. They don't remember anything from the recent conversation they've shared with Serena.
Their eyes drawn to the Serena and Roxas, they opened their mouths to ask who were they, but Serena spoke first, "Thank you for the tea. My son and I will see our selves out."
Serena didn't look at her parents when she stood up. She picked up Roxas and her satchel and marched out of the door.
The three Chases watched the blond and the little boy walking out, dumbfound.
"What tea?" Irene asked as she looked down at the coffee table that was missing a tea set.
Amara, Michelle, Hotaru, and Cassandra took turn pacing in front of Serena's bedroom. They got worried when Serena returned home all tensed and a small bruise on her cheek with a very worried Roxas in her arms. They didn't know what had happened to Serena in the morning. But Cassandra knew full well what had happened, and she was silently steaming at her princess.
It was Hotaru's turn to pace. The others were sitting in the living room, silently discussing what could have caused Serena to be so distressed and with a bruise. On the top of Amara and Michelle's list was encountering Oriel.
The sound of the door opening caused the girls in the living room to jump to their feet and ran to Serena's door. They were disappointed when Hotaru was holding a red-eyed Roxas.
"Momma wanna talk to Puu," Roxas said quietly.
"Of course, Little Prince," Cassandra nodded and proceeded into Serena's room. The others went back into the living room, worrying about Serena.
Curtains were drawn, prohibiting sunlight into the bedroom. The peaceful wallpaper didn't help but make the room darker. The calmness in the bedroom was threatened by the darkness, and the air was still like death was hanging around. But Cassandra was afraid her princess had fallen deep into the darkness.
Her trained eyes directed to the slump body under the satin sheets. She sat on the edge of the bed, massaging her princess's back. Silence fell between them but Cassandra refused to let Serena hide behind it.
"That was a stupid move on your part Princess."
The lump stirred, "Don't say it. Don't say 'I told you so'."
"I'm not that cruel." Cassandra sighed, "Princess, what would make you go see your family, let alone breaking the spell on them?
Serena rolled to her back, her tired eyes connecting with Cassandra's red sorrow eyes. "I don't know. I was missing them. I just didn't think they would react that way especially my mom… No she's not my mom anymore, no mother would do that to any child." Her hand went up to her bruise cheek though the bruise was slowly fading away.
"I'm sorry you have to go through it but since you exposed yourself to your family, Oriel would have been alerted."
"I know," Serena pushed herself against the pillows, "Go tell the others what happened."
Cassandra nodded. She got up and made to the door but Serena called out to her, stopping her from leaving. "Puu, do you mind taking care of Roxas till the morning?"
"I don't mind."
"Thank you."
Cassandra returned to the living room with a heavy heart. She couldn't bear Serena being so grim and it broke her heart to see her princess so heartbroken.
Serena stayed in bed until she was sure the Outers and Roxas have left. So many thoughts have been going through her mind but her need for her mother was strong. But her mom was not supportive and her mother, Queen Serenity, was no longer of the world. Then she decided to go to the next closest thing she came to a mother, the Sisters Fate.
She slowly slipped out of bed, and stood next to the bed. Serena willed her crescent birthmark to appear, her clothing melted into a blue gown, but her short blond hair stayed the same. The sacred circle swirled from under her. Gathering her strength, Serenity teleported to another realm in a shimmering light.
"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in."
Serena twirled around, facing the speaker. She bowed deeply to the Sisters Fate. "You sisters must be angry about me."
The three sisters were lounging on their own chaise in a rich crimson parlor. Tapestries with stories woven on covered every inch of the parlor's walls.
The sisters didn't look happy at all, their eyes were dark. But Serena didn't cowered, willing to take anything the sisters would throw.
But Corina softened; her dark curls reacted to her emotions. Being the softer and cheerful sister, she couldn't stay mad at the Lunarian princess, for they have special relationship. Corina stood up from her chaise and opened her arms. Serenity didn't take a second thought, rushed toward Corina's arms and sobbing.
"You will not expect that from neither me or Agatha," Leni said, her head faced to watch her sister and princess. Her blond hair dancing like it was amused at Serenity's sorrow.
Corina lightly pulled away and seated her and Serenity down on her chaise. Serenity wiped her tears away but looked away from Leni and Agatha's hard gazes.
"Did you expect there would be no punishment from your actions?" Agatha spoke, her hair laid still.
Serenity looked up but she stayed silent. She knew the other two sisters were mad but didn't say anything defending herself. All she did was plead with her eyes to not punish Roxas for her actions.
"There will be no punishment, Agatha," Leni sent a crossed look to her sister. "What were you expecting out of that?"
"I was expecting my parents to welcome Roxas before I re-cast the spell on them," Serenity explained softly, tucking her short strands behind her ear. "After the generals swearing their allegiances, it made me realized how much I missed mother and my family on Terra and I wanted my mother for comfort."
"Which mother?" Corina clueless asked.
"My mother, Queen Serenity. I missed her so much and since she's no longer here physically. So I went to my mom. I was heartbroken to see her reacted badly to Roxas and me," Serenity sighed.
"Oriel now know that you have made contact with your family when you broke the spell on them," Leni spoke, "You and your son are in danger."
Serenity hanged her head, whispered, "I know."
"Good. You have all your memories from Silver Millennium, am I correct, High Princess?" Corina asked, tugging her arm.
Serenity nodded. She remembered everything from her mother's nightly lullabies to her father's funeral to her many parties and festivals to meeting and loving Endymion to the end of her beloved kingdom. The day she have all her memories back, she was six months pregnant and went through a terrible emotional breakdown. The Outers were worried about her and Roxas's health.
"Members of the Lunarian Royal family excelled in archery because the goddess Selene was a master archer herself. And you were a champion yourself in Lunaria and Atlantis."
"I know Leni," Serenity nodded, "I was a master archer like the goddess."
Corina smiled as she stood up from her chaise. She walked across the parlor and disappeared behind a tapestry with a story that have a Mercurian emblem. Corina returned to the parlor carrying a mid-size old leather trunk. She walked back to her chaise and sat down, setting the trunk between her and Serenity.
"You are defenseless ever since you relinquished your role as Sailor Moon," Agatha finally spoke. Unlike her two sisters, Agatha had little words but when she speaks, her words cannot be ignored. "We do not want you to wholly rely on the Silver Crystal. It is not time for you to."
"What am I going to do then?"
"You, Serenity," Leni stood up and approached the leather case. She unhitched the leather straps and flipped the trunk open. Inside was a white bow and white quiver. She took the bow out and handed to Serenity, "Will inherit Selene's enchanted bow and silver arrows."
Serenity examined white bow closely. It was a white wooden short recurve bow. It curved outward at the ivory tips. It was about four feet long of a white varnished wood with carving covered with silver leafing spiraling like vines along the top and lower parts. The ivory leather grip was etched with a crescent moon accented with silver leaf trimming.
"I thought Selene's bow and arrows were lost when the gods left for the heavens?" Serenity asked, her fingers trailing the silver leafing.
"Selene had trusted her enchanted bow and silver arrows in our possession for her descendent in need. Actually she specially left it for you, High Princess," Corina giggled. "Now this will be your weapon to use in place of the Silver Crystal. The sacred circle and spells are safe to use. It won't drain you easily unlike the Silver Crystal," Leni instructed.
Serenity nodded, placing her bow on her lap. She took the ivory quiver out of the trunk. It was slightly curve and she could tell it was built for comfort. The ivory darkened with age, making it more beautiful. Roses and vines were carved at the base and opening of the quiver. A large crescent engraved, accented with silver leaf trimming, carved below the opening on the outside. The white leather strap went on the backside, and it had etching of doves.
She pulled a silver arrow with white bird feathers out of the quiver. Serenity could tell the arrow was made of a special alloy that could only found on the moon.
"Selene's silver arrows are as enchanted as her bow. Your powers will course through the silver arrows, enabling you to easily cast spells and not missing your targets", Leni said, returning to her place on her chaise. "You will not have a problem using this bow and arrows, will you not?"
"No I won't," Serenity said. She slipped the arrow back into its quiver. The bow and quiver floated to Serenity's face as she raised her hands. The bow and quiver disappeared in a shimmering light.
After talking to the sisters, Serena teleported to the park. The sun was still high in the blue sky. Since her son was in the care of her Outer soldiers and Terran Generals, she doesn't have to return home immediately. Serena sat down on her favorite bench that overlooked the lake. She sighed as she wished everything were back to the way it supposed to be. The way before Oriel disturbed time and destiny for her greed.
Sorry it took so long because of school and such. I had to cut chapter four into two chapters. So chapter five will be out in a day or two after couple touch-ups. Plus Blood Inc. chapter four will come out when TCFD chapter five are out.
Thanks for the marvelous reviews. Keep reviewing!
-tiffany aka basketcase
