Sorry sorry sorry! I kinda forgot how big a cliffy I left this on! That you all for R and R! You guys are the greatest! And you guys can thank SailorMoon489 and Philyzn for reminding (and hounding me with threats to my life) to get this update out tonight. It is nice and long...but you are going to be mad again I'm sure.
Bae-tae Beej88 in the house on this one! Check out her Twist in Time if you haven't already. It just hit 200 faves last week! Congratulations again Beej! Almost be sure to check out Hot and Heavy Chronicles by Ninjette Twitch. New chapter just posted and is fluffy hot!
Again, there is a lovely little playlist for this fic on Spotify called Blood Countess 2. And follow me on tumblr lovelies!
Chapter 10
"Never can true reconcilement grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep..."
― John Milton, Paradise Lost
It was getting dark. Serena had been abducted by Abel 7 hours, 48 minutes, and 45, 46, 47 seconds ago, but who's counting.
They'd been walking through these woods for almost two hours now and had yet to come across anything that looked like a cave. But according to Amy's tracking skills and Andrew's map reading skills, the cave that held Serena was getting close.
Darien walked at the head of their small search and rescue group, followed by Lita, Andrew, and then her. It had taken a lot to get Darien to take them with him. And even then, he only conceded because it was taking too much time to argue about it. It was clear, even at the back of the group, that he didn't want them there.
He was probably right, it did seem as though we were slowing him down. Andrew wasn't the only one who could read a map, but he was better than the rest of them, so he earned his keep. However, Lita and her presence had yet to prove useful. All she could offer was a small amount of protection should they need it.
The rain was starting to pick up, but none of them cared. It was the least of their worries. It did darken the woods around them and silence all the animals that had been scurrying around. It gave her a sick feeling in her gut, which she'd learned long ago meant much more than a stomachache. Something was wrong, and it was bad.
Finally, they came to what looked like a mountain face. They arrived at the cave, but there was no way in that any of them could see. They would have to circle the whole thing to find it.
"Maybe we should split up?" Lita offered.
Darien was already shaking his head, "This place is too big, and we only have one map."
Lita countered, "I can just use the GPS on my phone."
Before she could pull her phone out, Darien was waving his in front of her face. Showing the lack of any kind of signal, "This place is a complete dead zone. Satellites can't pierce the dense woods. It's a miracle that Serena was able to get a call out at all."
She stepped forward, the ominous feeling surrounding her getting heavier, causing her to get anxious. "We don't have time for this. We need to get to Serena."
Without another word, they headed towards a direction, none caring really which way they went as long as it was in the process of searching for an opening. They had made it only a few feet around the endless mountain when they all heard it. It was a scream. One full of fear and sadness, like the scream of someone who knew they were dead already.
It came from behind them, where they had started. Without a second thought, they all started running, doing the best they could to find the source of the scream. It sounded as though it came from above them. It had lasted only a second, not giving them much time at all to locate the source. This fact didn't seem to bother Darien, as he left them all in the dust of his speed.
The mountain curved around, Darien disappearing around it. The man had just been going on about not separating and here he was going off without them. If they got lost, she was going to be so…
Her thoughts were cut short as Andrew nearly ran into the back of Darien as they rounded another blind curve. He was standing there, staring at something on the ground, a lump of something.
She moved around the two of them, coming closer to see what they were now both staring at, but she regretted it as soon as she caught sight of it.
Serena was lying motionless on the ground before them. Blood covered her, and she seemed to have a cut or a bruise on every inch of her body. None of her wounds were healing like they usually did. Her eyes soon found out why. Protruding from Serena's chest was a long, slender wooden stake. Serena wasn't healing because she was dead.
vVv
As soon as he saw her, everything stopped. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. Her lifeless body laid strewn on the ground like a twig that had been snapped in half. She was broken, torn and bloody. But none of that mattered now, she felt none of it as she'd already been ripped away from the pain.
He felt for the string at his heart, hoping to pull on it again and to feel his connection to her again. But no matter how hard he searched, the string was gone. There was no one attached to it anymore.
The others surrounded him, looking at the sight before him. He was numb all over, and he barely registered their existence. She was dead. The shock was the first thing they felt, silent as they looked upon the body. There was no doubt it was her, but as Lita slowly approached the crumpled form on the forest floor, he could tell she was still hoping for it to be someone else.
Getting as close as she could bear, she turned away quickly after a few seconds of observing the body. A hand covered her mouth as the tears streamed down. Only confirming what he already knew to be true. It was Serena.
Abel had killed her. He honestly didn't think he would, given his history with Serena's family. He'd been a fool. Abel loved Serenity, not Serena. When Serena had proven to be nothing like her ancestor other than in appearance, Abel had killed her for it.
And now he was going to kill him.
The only thing he could feel was his bloodlust. Everything else was white noise. He looked upwards from where Serena must have fallen and assessed the best course to get up there and ram his fist through Abel's chest. He was going to rip that son of a bitch's heart out and show it to him. He wanted him to know how it felt to have his heart plucked out of his chest like he was at the moment, hoping it would beat for at least a few seconds while he held it up to his fucking face.
He remembered everything his Uncle had taught him, and the number one thing he'd said was to control your emotions in a fight; that demons will use your heart against you. It was a distraction, and it would get him killed. But right now his mind was painfully clear, his anger heated his blood and sharpened his senses. He'd never felt so ready for a battle in his life. Abel couldn't use this against him, his heart was already dead, lying on the forest floor before him.
His hand reached out to grab the cliff's edge when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Arching his back, not letting go of the cliff, he found Andrew's traitorous hand holding him in an attempt to stop him.
Tears were streaming down Andrew's face as well. "Where are you going?!"
"I'm going to rip him the shreds."
Raye stepped up, "No Darien. You can't fight him, not now. You're in no place to do so."
"I'm in the best place to do so."
He moved to start his climb again when Raye placed a hand on his other shoulder. "We need your help….we need to get her home…."
He shrugged them both off, "I need to kill him."
Rei was sobbing now, "Serena wouldn't want you to go blinded with rage like this."
"It doesn't matter what she wants now, does it?!"
He'd had enough. He was going to bathe in Abel's blood. Tonight! Nothing and no one could convince him otherwise. He was going to kill Abel or die trying. Either ending was fine with him. As much as he wanted to kill Abel, he found that death was just as pleasing to him at the moment. So that he could join Serena wherever she was now.
He stopped again, this time not because of a hand, but because of a voice. Lita let out a strangled cry, weak, scared, but also surprised, "Darien."
He looked at her expecting her to give him a piece of her mind as well, but she wasn't even looking at him. He followed her gaze as they led him back towards Serena.
Everyone was frozen as they watched her body move. A small shudder at first, but then she sat up, the stake still protruding from her chest. It was an eerie sight.
He came down off of the rock and back onto the ground. No one moved or made a sound. Her eyes looked around, finding them staring at her, confusion flashing over her face. Her beautiful, alive face. Then she looked down and saw the stake through her, what they had all believed, was her heart.
Her hands wrapped around it, and they all screamed "DON'T!".
She ripped it out anyway, a sick sucking sound coming from the action as the stake tried to hold itself in place. She was in shock. She held the stake out looking it over, her blood coating and dripping from it. Letting it drop, she fell with it to the ground, unconscious.
vVv
It took her a few seconds, but when she woke up, she soon figured out she was in her room. It was dark, not even the tiniest hint of light coming in. Her sleep finally wore off and the pain set in. She hurt everywhere. She wasn't used to feeling pain, and now she found it overwhelming. The majority of it was in her chest. She felt around, carefully assessing her body. Finding cut after cut until her fingers laid on the gauze that was wrapped repeatedly around her chest.
Everything came flooding back. The cave, Abel, making her escape, and then the stake through the heart.
But her heart was still beating. She could tell that much.
"He missed your heart. Just barely." Looking for the source of the voice, she found Ami had been sitting next to her for who knows how long, "Somebody up there must really like you," she pointed upwards towards the sky as she said it, "You're fortunate to be alive right now."
She tried to sit up, making it halfway before giving up and settling into a slumped position, "I don't feel very fortunate right now."
Ami laughed as she leaned over and turned on Serena's bedside lamp, "Trust me, you are. You're even luckier that you didn't graze your heart when you foolishly pulled the stake out."
With the light on, she could now see Ami's face. She had big circles under her eyes, and her face was red and puffy from crying, "Oh Ami."
Ami wiped at her face to clear any remaining tears, "Sorry, but I wasn't sure you were going to wake up. Ever."
She held out her hand for Ami to take, not being able to take it herself, "I'm okay. Never better!"
Ami gave her a leering look as if to warn her, but it came a bit too late, "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you myself." Raye stood in the doorway, her face full of anger and tears, "Understand?"
She nodded, afraid of inciting the pyro's rage any further. Ami busied herself checking over her wounds, helping her sit up and carefully unwrapping the mile-long gauze they had put on her.
The stab wound was covered up with coagulated blood and strange yellow flesh, her usual healing process from this type of injury. The blood had long ago stopped flowing, and now her body was in the process of pulling the flesh and tissue back together. It was a process that actually hurt quite a bit, but probably not as much as an open wound taking its sweet time to heal. Ami shifted, uncomfortable with the sight of it, not used to such strange goings-on. But she covered her again with the gauze.
It wrapped around her from chest to ribs like a tube top. Other than the shorts she'd had on earlier, which were stained with mud and blood, she wore nothing else.
A knock came at the door at which Raye was still standing watch, "Is she decent?"
After a quick nod, Andrew poked his head in the room, relief washing over his tired features when he saw her sitting up. "You gave us quite the scare there, Sere."
At least she could count on Andrew not to give her a hard time, either with guilt from tears or lectures of anger. Lita came in behind him, and Raye shifted to the side to let her in the room as well. She just gave her a warm smile; no words were needed.
She didn't see him, but she knew he was there, lurking just outside of the door and out of sight. The string to him tugged in a gentle rhythm as his heart welcomed her back to the world of the living. But she could also sense his anger as it quivered down the string to her.
She needed a distraction from the brooding man. "Where's Mina?"
Ami sat back down next to her bed. "She went to get your parents from out of town. We feared Abel would come for them as he did with Serenity's family. She called an hour ago to tell us that they were all safe and that she would tell us later where they were."
She let a sigh of relief escape her lips, she hadn't even thought about that. "Thank you, guys."
Raye smirked, "Don't thank us. It was Darien's idea."
She leaned out of bed as much as she could, trying to get a glimpse of him, but it was useless. He was well out of sight.
"Could you guys give us a minute?"
His voice was low and demanding. It wasn't really a request, and they all filed out slowly. Ami was the only one who lingered. Darien finally entered the room, then she stood and left giving her a fleeting glance of sympathy.
Ami shut the door softly behind her while Darien stood a good foot away with his arms crossed. He stared at the sheets on the bed, refusing to look at her. She waited patiently while he collected his thoughts, the silence palpable throughout the room. She wrung her hands as she waited, her heart racing as she watched him boil before her.
When she was falling, the stake firmly in her chest and her body bouncing down the slope, she'd had only one thought in her head. Darien. His face had come to her mind clearer than a picture. He'd been her last thoughts as she fell to what she assumed was her death. Of all the people in her life, and all of the people that she loved, it was him that she'd thought of. And how she regretted every moment that she'd spent fighting him instead of being with him. He'd been right; she needed to forgive him. If anything, so that they could move on with their lives, either together or apart.
She knew he was furious, but she couldn't help but smile as he fidgeted from his rage. He started to pace, no longer able to control his anger in motionless silence.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she remained silent, letting him vent, "I mean...do you have a death wish? Do you want to die, Serena? Is that it? Because I can think of no other reason as to why time and time again you go willingly with psychopaths!"
He was waiting for her to answer. "I do not regret my choice."
He stopped pacing and stared down at her. "You cannot be serious."
She kept herself even toned, not wanting to come off as aggressive. "Now we have the advantage. We know where Abel is and he thinks I'm dead. We need to move fast though, he might move on pretty quickly."
"Oh, I'm not worried about that. He's going to stay in town and make sure that you and everyone you love is dead. And he only thinks you're dead because YOU WERE!"
He'd started pacing again, refusing to look at her. "But...I'm not. Can't you just be happy about that?"
He stopped and looked at her, "I am happy about it. I'm ecstatic," he sat down on the bed next to her. "Serena, when I thought that you were dead….I saw you lying there and….."
He couldn't get the words out, but she had a pretty good feeling she knew what he was trying to say. She covered his hand with hers, "It's okay...I'm okay."
He grabbed hold of her hand, holding it in both of his, "No it's not okay. I failed you again. How many times am I going to watch you disappear, only to find you with something sticking out of your chest?"
She laughed, but he didn't. He was being serious. Her anger peaked its head out for a moment, just long enough for it to say something that she regretted as soon as it left her mouth.
"Well, now you know how I felt each time you left me."
He let go of her hand and stood, standing with his back to her. Guilt permeated through her. That was going too far. She'd already decided to forgive him, but there she was, rubbing his nose in it. Focusing her attention back on her hands, she noticed that they were red from her constantly squeezing and releasing them.
This moment was a turning point, she could feel it. Either she could pull him back to her or push him out of her life forever. It was her choice, and he was giving it to her now. Had you asked her a few weeks ago, before he showed back up in her life, what she would choose, the answer would have been easy. But now as she watched his back, flexing back and forth every so slightly from the tension, she found the answer harder to grasp.
She was sore and tired, but she could move regardless of what any of the others told her. Gathering her strength, she made her choice. Reaching out as far as her body and the bed would let her, she latched onto his hand, a gesture that caught him by surprise.
Spinning towards her, he swiftly came to her side, pushing her back onto the bed in the sitting position she'd just been in. When he moved to leave her there, she grabbed him again, pulling him in close, and forcing him to sit back down on the bed with her.
"I'm sorry. That was unfair of me to say."
His eyes searched her face, "I see you still haven't forgiven me."
She shook her head, "No I have. I do forgive you, Darien," he gave her a look of disbelief. "I do, I really do."
He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you sure do have a funny way of showing it."
A smile spread across her face, "It's been a while. I'm out of practice."
She watched as a smile threatened to crack his angry face, he turned away from her eyes, "Damnit Serena, you're making it really hard to stay mad at you. And I really want to be mad at you right now."
She placed a hand on his arm, hoping to get him to look at her again. "No, you don't."
He kept his eyes towards the floor, but he didn't shrug off her touch. Just a hand on his arm and his warmth spread up her arm and into her chest. Her heart beat wildly, hurting just a bit at her already sore wound. She unconsciously started rubbing his arm, and a hand grabbed hers, stilling the movement.
"You should get some rest. Let your body heal."
"It's already almost healed." She argued.
He stood, releasing both their holds on one another. "But it's not healed all the way."
He made for the door, the string on her heart pulling tighter with each step he took. "Will you be here when I wake up?" He turned to look at her, the hurt evident on his face. "I mean here, at the apartment. You're staying, aren't you?"
His hurt faded into a smile, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving you again."
He shut the door behind him. He had told her he wasn't leaving several times before now. But this was the first time she believed it. She let her body slip down further into the covers, butterflies now filling her stomach.
'Hello, old friends.' Was her last thoughts as exhaustion removed any other possibility of more.
vVv
When she woke again, the light was coming in weak beams through the shades of her window. Sitting up, she felt as if she'd been asleep for days, her muscles stiff from lack of movement. But her chest felt much better, and there were no longer visible signs of her fall from grace, her bruises and cuts gone without a trace. With a bit of a limp, she stood and went to her dresser, pulling out whatever was on top, a ratty old t-shirt faded and worn at the hems. It was one of her "working' shirts for when she was working out, cleaning, or doing anything that she wouldn't want to risk wearing anything else for fear it would get ruined.
As she pulled it over her shoulders and down over her bandage, she heard laughter ring out from beyond her door. A welcoming sound as she stiffly made her way out of the small dark prison that was her room.
Temporarily blinded, she shielded her eyes to receive more laughter. "Ah, so she is alive after all. We were beginning to wonder."
She looked over at the voice, finding Lita behind it. "Are we already at the joking part of my near-death experience?"
Raye frowned, but Andrew popped up with a pan from the island. "Yep. If you insist on having so many, we're just going to have to find the humor in it."
She looked around for a certain dark-haired man, but didn't see him, "Where's Darien?"
"I'm right here." Appearing out of nowhere, having been up in the loft, he put a reassuring hand on the small of her back.
Tearing her eyes away from his, she continued her search for the missing members of their team, "Ami and Mina?"
Raye sat at the island in one of the stools, "Ami is doing some research, she borrowed your ID for the library at your school. Hope you don't mind. Mina's still on the road with your family. She says they're all safe and looking forward to hearing from you."
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Darien gently pushed/carried her towards the island to sit, "What did she tell them?"
"That you had a crazy stalker bent on making your life miserable. That you were under police protection but would feel better if they were safely out of town."
Darien helped her up on the stool, which she took without protest. "And they believed her."
Raye shrugged, "You know Mina, always the actress. You need to call them later."
Darien stood next to her, barely an inch away with his hand resting on the back of her chair. His closeness sent overwhelming warmth through her and stirred up the butterflies in her stomach again. His thumb barely touching her back, but she could still feel it, soon began wiggling against her, rubbing in gentle circles that sent shivers down her spine. But she didn't pull away, and he didn't stop.
Lita was eyeing the two of them closely as if she too sensed the change. But it wasn't like they were being subtle about it or trying to hide it exactly. She set a plate in front of her just as Amy walked in through the front door. She wasn't sure what Amy had been looking for, but the look on her face told that she didn't find it.
Food was piled on her plate, more than she could ever hope to eat in a lifetime. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, all the breakfast classics of an American home. She twerked an eyebrow over at Lita who shrugged.
"I'm practicing my American cuisine."
Her plate looked like an IHOP commercial. But it seemed as though every eye was on her expectantly. She picked at it, the different flavors mixing in her mouth, oddly complementing one another.
Feeling like an attraction at the fair, she looked around for anything to distract her audience off of her. She saw that the glass had been replaced in the doors and had found her opportunity.
Pointing with her thumb, she asked, "How pissed was the super about that?"
"Oh he wanted to kick us out," Raye huffed, "but once I reminded him of the legal repercussions of breaking an agreement like a lease and the added lawsuit of having insufficient safety precautions like double pane glass on a high-level floor, he backed down."
She nearly choked on her bacon, "You didn't!"
Raye beamed, "It's good to have a pre-law friend, isn't it?"
She managed to eat half of the food on her plate before she gave up. There was no more room in any part of her body for anymore. She sat back, finding Darien's hand still on the back of her chair even after taking a seat next to her. He returned to his original affections of softly rubbing her back while he sipped on coffee. She leaned into it, begging for him to continue and further his touch. Just as he obliged, placing his palm on her back causing heat to run wild through her, Lita grabbed up her plate.
"Maybe you should take a shower, Serena. No offense but you look a little gross."
Suddenly very aware of her looks, she pulled away from Darien, realizing how very much she did not want him to see her like this. To everyone's surprise, she hopped off the stool only receiving the smallest sting in response and causing everyone to suck in a lungful of air. Darien's hand still sat on the back of her chair blocking her in. He was watching her intently, looking for any signs of weakness or pain, but all she could think about was how haggard she must have looked.
Her hair unwashed in days and dried blood and mud covering her head to toe, who knows what else, all she wanted to do was shrink under his gaze and disappear. He soon released her, and she raced to the bathroom. Amy followed in behind her, helping her out of her bandages and checking her chest wound.
"It looks pretty good Serena. I can't believe how fast it has healed. I would love a sample of your blood sometime, you know, to study."
Same old Amy. "Yeah sure...later."
Amy blushed at her hastiness and left her to her shower. It took a while to scrub off all the blood, it had really caked onto her, especially her hair. Her skin was pink from all the harsh scrubbing, but she finally got it all off. She wrapped her towel around herself tight and grabbed the mess of clothes and gauze off the floor.
When she peeked her head out, she saw that everyone was busy chatting away in the kitchen. Cursing herself for not grabbing some clothes before running in haste to the bathroom, she now faced the embarrassment of sneaking across the living room to her room in her wet towel.
She lowered herself as much as she could, folding her chest into her stomach and bending her knees. Taking one last glance before taking her chance, she saw that they are all still wrapped up in conversation, no one looking in her general direction. Her hair pretty much dragged the floor, leaving a trail of wet behind her. Stealth and speed that was her mantra as she skidded across the floor.
She was going to make it. She was going to make it just fine. What had she been so worr….
A whistle rang out, loud enough to alert the whole complex. "Hey there sexy thing, where have you been my whole life!"
She didn't dare look even as Lita catcalled her. Frozen, momentarily by embarrassment, she kept her eyes to the floor. She didn't need to look, she knew all eyes were currently on her, especially those of a certain dark blue that she only recently deemed worthy of her attention, and now she had all of his when she least wanted it.
Her hand finally grasped the handle to her room, but the catcalls were not over. "Hey, Serena, if you didn't want to give us a floor shoe, maybe bring some clothes with you next time. We have guest after all!" Raye made her entire body turn red with her words.
She couldn't get into her room fast enough. Oh, they would pay for this.
Safe in her room, she went to the solace that was now her dresser and closet. A bra would hit her chest wrong and rub against the sensitive skin that was still raw from healing. Opting for an old cami that was too small for her now, but had a built-in bra she hoped would help, she pulled it on with a bit of force. It squeezed tightly on her, holding her breast a bit better than she expected, but they looked and felt as though they might pop out at any moment.
To contrast the overly tight top, she pulled a loose jumper over it. The light green and blue flowers and thick straps reminded her of vintage '80s. The hem fell a bit short, upper thigh, but she felt the loose fit made it okay. She did hesitate when she noticed that the neckline dipped low, showing the neckline of the cami and the tops of her breast. It got lost in her thoughts as her finger traced the pink line that now remained from where a stake was in her chest. It almost lined up with the tiny scar she still had from her brush with a particular knife just three years ago. Proving just how close she came to death, a shiver running up her spine.
Looking in the mirror, she now questioned her hair, still wet and sticking to her still heated flesh. Feeling oddly nostalgic, she put it up in her old style, the two buns forming like magic in her hands as they went by muscle memory.
She questioned her choices when she stepped back out into the living room. All eyes were on her, staring. Raye started getting a bit, and she looked to see if her scars were showing that badly.
With great caution, she walked over to the group, still gathered in the kitchen around the island. Looking from eye to eye, only lingering on the dark blue for a moment, she felt the need to cover herself head to toe.
She settled for covering her chest, trying to hide her scars. "Everything alright guys?"
Lita had tears burning in her eyes. "Everything is...just...perfect."
Andrew leaned over to her and squeezed one of her buns, "We are just happy to see you...back to normal."
Darien gently pressed her arms down away from her chest. And gave a gentle tug on one of her pigtails. Really? All this over hair?! Raye ran over to her and gave her a tight hug, no longer afraid of hurting her it seemed. Soon, Amy and Lita had joined, making it hard to breathe.
vVv
"You're putting me on house arrest?!"
He covered his ears as she shrieked, "It's not house arrest, it's protection! We can't risk the chance of Abel seeing that you are still alive."
Andrew joined him as they both stood over the angry blonde on the couch. "We should really consider getting her out of town."
He shot Andrew a thoughtful look, "That's not a bad idea actually."
She shot up from her once restful position and demeanor. "You are not shipping me off somewhere! You need me here to fight!"
"Oh ho no we don't," he gently pushed her back onto the couch, "Your fighting days are over Tex. You're done, stand down."
She crossed her arms over her chest, which only made it more difficult to think given the outfit she was wearing. He was pretty sure she wasn't even wearing a bra! Stop it, Darien, focus damnit. This was so much easier when she couldn't stand him, but all day she had been giving him looks and little touches. And he had been given them back, which she was only too happy to accept.
He leaned over, making her uncross her arms. "Stop that."
It didn't go unnoticed by her, or Andrew for that matter who was giving him a 'sly dog' look that only put his nerves on edge more. She got the hint, and her gaze turned to that of pure evil as she slowly re-crossed her arms and then stood up, putting herself millimeters from him.
Releasing only one arm, leaving the other to continue to push her breast in his face, she trailed two fingers up his chest, walking them up like little legs, until she rested her palm over his heart, no doubt checking his pulse.
"You don't really want to send me away, do you?"
His mouth went dry, he looked at Andrew for help, but he just held his hands up in defeat and walked away. He was on his own.
"Of course I don't WANT to, but we need to Serena, for your own safety."
She gave him puppy dog eyes and stuck out her lip, "But...I thought you said you wouldn't leave me again."
He shrugged her off, running a hand through his hair, a nervous/frustrated habit. Who was this person? When did Serena learn to do that?!
"What happened to the girl who, only a few hours ago, was embarrassed to be seen in a towel?!"
Her cheeks turned red as his reminder of the moment, causing her to falter for only a second before continuing her assault on his reserve.
Not having his chest to rest it on, her arm went back to help the other one. "That was different. I was naked...and wet…"
He could see where this was going, "Okay, okay I get it!"
She stalked over to him, her eyes locking him to his spot. "Please don't send me away Darien, I would be so lonely."
She was playing dirty, and she came to play. Her eyes still on his, she bit her lip, and he lost all the remaining strength he had.
"Alright, you can stay here. But you are still on house arrest!"
She jumped up, kissing his cheek before prancing off victorious. He looked at the others, to see if they could see what he saw. The look in their eyes told him they did. It was as if that stake through the heart had killed the Serena that he had returned to and awakened the one he knew before he left. The light-hearted, sweet, kind, and forgiving Serena was the one who woke up in that bed this morning, having shrugged off the dark and dismissive one he had come to know these past weeks. He had only suffered it for a month, whereas the rest of the room, Amy excluded, had had to deal with it for years.
Serena was still bouncing as she made her way to Lita who was, again, in the kitchen, giving her a fist bump as she continued her victory lap. Lita looked over at him with a smile, "Taught her that."
By the look she was giving him, he knew she didn't mean the fist bump.
A little later, Serena called her parents. He caught bits and pieces of the conversation, beginning with a lot of calming down her parents and a bit of arguing with Shingo. It soon turned to a lighter discussion, her laugh ringing out like a bell from time to time.
Now it was late. The moon shone brightly outside, marred by the occasional cloud threatening a storm. Everyone was slowly retiring to their rooms till soon it was just him and her.
She sat on the couch, her legs tucked under and to the side while her upper body rested on the arm of the sofa, her head leaning on the elbow that held her up. In her free hand, she held a small paperback, deeply engrossed in its contents. He stood by the balcony window, watching her for a long time. Until she sighed and dropped the book to her lap.
"I can't concentrate on the words with you over there staring."
He didn't realize he been so obvious. She looked over at him, faked annoyance on her beautiful face. She slapped the empty seat next to her and he wordlessly obliged.
She turned her body, facing him. He left a respectable space between them when he sat, and he almost thought he saw the disappointment on her face.
But it was fleeting if it were true, her face turning into a smile, "So what does your Uncle think about you spending so much time here? That man does not like me, I don't know if you've noticed."
He felt the color drain from his face. He had forgotten to tell her. The others knew, given his outburst when she had been taken. But with everything that had happened, it didn't seem to make sense to say anything about it. And he had barely had time to mourn. How would Serena take the news? She wasn't too fond of his Uncle, but she had a close relationship with his Aunt. A very close relationship, the bond of student and master was one of amazing loyalty and trust.
She saw the look on his face, knowing it all too well, she just..read his mind, "When?"
"Right before he took you."
Tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to fall any second now. "How...how did it happen?"
"You don't want to know.."
"Please…"
He saw the tears shining in her big blue eyes, and he caved yet again, she was his only weakness, "Abel turned Michael and Michael...killed Diana. I killed Michael."
In a blur of colors, she grabbed him, holding onto his neck, hugging his face to her chest, "I'm so sorry Darien."
For the first and only time, he let a few tears slip out for his fallen family, the last of his bloodline. Now it was all up to him. She pulled away, looking at his face with her own tears slowly falling down her rosy cheeks. He wiped hers, and she wiped his, neither breaking the embrace, her hands resting on either side of his neck while his where on her hips.
"I guess it's just me now. The last of the Van Helsings."
She tightened her grip slightly, "You are not alone."
The tears that she was yet to shed glittered in her eyes like diamonds and he felt the undeniable pull of their heartstring. She had settled herself halfway on his lap, not wanting to fully overtake him. But his mind was already getting hazy, the nearness of her working as a drug on his senses.
"I have never been alone, I've always had you."
She was not shocked by his words, it was true, she had always been his. His family, his friend, his love. He had spent the past month chasing two ghosts, Abel and the girl he had always loved. While Abel was still out of his reach, at least she had returned to him.
For the first time in five years...no longer, she kissed him.
vVv
Lightning flashed, lighting up her room for a few seconds, chasing away the darkness as they stood staring at one another. She had kissed him, on the couch, half climbing and half pulled fully onto his lap. His arms wrapped around her possessively, pulling her deep into his embrace. She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his neck pulling him in deeper to her mouth.
He strayed, pulling his mouth from her lips and traveled down her neck and shoulders, releasing her for a moment to push the strap of her jumper out of his way. She laid back into his arms, giving him full access. When he returned to her mouth, she allowed his tongue entrance, sending delicious tingles up and down her spine.
This was how it was supposed to feel. How a kiss and touches were supposed to feel. Her heart overflowing with her love for him as he laid affection after affection on her. It was wanted, no needed. She needed him, and he needed her. This was what love felt like.
She had pulled away completely, wanting more than the couch and their position would allow, standing and pulling him up with her.
Now they stood in her room. She had brought them both here, and now they were standing before one another, still out of breath from their heated moment on the couch. However, her breathing was shallow out of nerves.
The room lit up again, and thunder roared in the distance as if to push them together. She let her hand trail up his arm, feeling his skin before meeting the sleeve of his shirt and traveling up to his neck. He grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could go any further. She was surprised and hurt until he wrenched her hand, pulling her completely into his embrace. His mouth found hers in an instant, and the two of them continued where they left off on the couch.
He lowered them to her bed, him laying on top of her. Her knee coiled upon instinct, and his hand left her hips to greet it. Sliding his big, warm hand down her thigh until it returned to its original spot on her hip. Only this time it was under the fabric, not over it.
She pushed him up gently and removed her jumper with his help. Now she laid under him in nothing but the extra tight cami and some cloth panties. She silently cursed for not putting on something a little sexier, but it wasn't like she was expecting this.
Her hands roamed his body, finding their way under his shirt to the hot flesh that lay beneath. Understanding her desire, he pulled his shirt over his head in one swift movement. Now her skin was touching his, at least, most of her skin was. She felt around, looking for her next target until she found it, the clasp on his pants. She fumbled with it for what seemed like an embarrassing amount of time. Truly showing her virginal inadequacies. But soon his hand found hers, pushing it aside to undo it for her. She then made quick work of shoving his pants off with her feet.
All the while his hot kisses were melting her body and soul. He left her mouth again, searching her neck with his mouth. She arched off of the bed as his hands found her breast, massaging them through the fabric.
He tried to slip his hand underneath but it was no good, the top was too tight. He laughed and pulled away to look at her face.
"Is this your idea of a chastity belt?"
She flushed in embarrassment. Then tried to remove it for him, but in her heated and embarrassed state, she was struggling with it. He pushed her back to the bed and with his hands, ripped it off of her like it was paper. She was finding it really hard to NOT be turned on right then already, but that just sent her completely over the edge.
His mouth continued its exploration of her flesh, now uninhibited by cloth. Her feet had a mind of their own, hooking a toe on either side of his boxers and pushing them with little struggle. Then he pulled away, standing up and off the bed. She had gone too far, and now he was pulling the plug.
But then he took her hand and gently pulled her up to him. He removed what was left of her top after he shredded it and slipped her panties off her hips and to the floor. She stepped out of them, and he guided her back to the bed, this time laying them correctly instead of hastily plopping across it.
Everything slowed down, he laid her down slowly with great care, and then he laid himself back on top of her just as slow. Her legs were spread, allowing him access but he didn't make any moves to claim her. Instead, he held himself up on his elbows, looking at her.
Both their breaths were ragged, and her buns now fell in a mess as they slipped out of their hold on her head. He brushed some hair out of her face, his hand lingering on her cheek. Nervousness and anticipation were making her heart race with every touch, the lingering moments of her virginity as she laid underneath his thoughtful stare.
Another flash of light illuminated the two of them, together naked on top of her sheets. It was enough to make her head spin at the thought of how quickly their relationship had changed. But in reality, this was always who they were. She had tried to fight it out of fear, and he had wanted to get her to let go and give in. He told her it was for her own good, but she had been stubborn. Now as she wrapped all of her limbs around him, unwilling to ever let him go again, everything fell into place. This was always meant to be, the two of them together.
The thunder roared again, and he leaned in, ready to become one with her at long last. As his ear reached her mouth, she whispered one last thing to him before he changed who they were forever.
"I love you, Darien."
"I love you too, Serena."
It was an overwhelming feeling of being full and whole. Never had she felt empty or as if she was missing anything, until that moment. It was a realization deep in her bones, she had been missing this, him. The storm outside roared almost as loud as the two of them as she stretched around him, holding him tightly inside her.
He remained still, gaining control over both of them, and she grabbed his face and his attention. "You are my one…." His eyebrow twerked in curiosity, unclear if he was following her. "And I want you to be my only."
She watched as the smile formed on his lips before they crashed to hers, pulling back to look at her again. "And you are mine as well, forever."
Without a word or any kind of cue, they moved together in perfect rhythm, he would pull out, leaving only his tip in her entrance, and then thrust back in all while pushed her hips off the bed to meet him. Their movements were slow and tentative but calculated as if planned for years.
He was biting into her shoulder and she was digging her nails into his back, both leaving a mark on one another in their passion. Unbelievable heat covered her, she was burning up. Both of them were sweating, making it slick between them, the two of them letting their liquids mix in every way possible without care.
The tension inside began to coil, twisting and building in pressure. Darien's hands and mouth roamed all over her, an intoxicating mixture of touching, teasing, kissing, biting, licking, and sucking. He was doing all he could to distract himself, to last longer. For her.
The coil inside her was wounded tight, a rubber band about to snap. As much as she wanted this to last forever, she knew that neither she nor him, would make it much longer.
She had expected her end to be fast, a quick release of all the tension that now filled her entire body. But it wasn't.
Wave after wave of what can only be described as pure pleasure ran through her. Every thrust brought it on again, the wave that was crashing and numbing all other thoughts. She was trembling all over, the gravity of her orgasm sending her body into spasms under him. And he didn't stop, continuing to pump into her until the intense burst of energy seeped away, leaving her brainless.
He stilled for a moment, giving her forehead a kiss, before moving again, only for a few short moments as he groaned loudly in her ear. When he stilled again, he laid on top of her, just as still as she was.
vVv
Surely he was dreaming. All of it. Waking up in her bed only proved it, he was actually in a coma somewhere and he was having a long, realistic, hallucination.
Sun poured in around them but she was still motionless on the mattress next to him. The sheets stopping at her hips, she curled next to him, an arm the only thing covering her chest. Her hair falling out of its hold sometime during their escapade, it was spread out around her. He drank it all in, every second, breath, an inch of skin the sun illuminating all of it.
As he took in her form, his eyes landed on the two small marks that lay in between her breast. The first, a small, almost unnoticeable scar, a thin white line. Dangerously close to it sat another mark, larger and still pink and angry. He traced a finger down the both of them, a small reminder, forever, of how close they came….
He shook the thought from his head, continuing his memorization of her skin. He soon found the two matching scars on either of her shoulders, the marks even harder to see if you weren't looking.
She shifted, moaning and twisting till she was now laying on her stomach. Her hair now covering most of her like spun gold, he swept some of it to the side and off her back. He was able to easily find the spot where he had stabbed her, a pang of guilt washing over him at the sight of the still rather angry mark on her upper shoulder. He leaned over, placing a kiss on the spot.
His eyes were wandering over her lovely backside when he felt he was being watched. Looking back up, he saw two light blue eyes looking at him between strands of hair. Their eyes met, he was caught, but neither of them said anything, just watched one another's faces as the memories of the night before played over in their minds. He watched as a blush crept onto her lovely face. That only deepened when she realized they were both still in the buff.
He slid back down into the bed, scooping her up into his arms, her blush extending down her neck as he did. Pulling her in close, his body covering hers, he laughed as her body continued to redden.
"Good morning."
She averted her eyes, unable to bear his gaze, as she mumbled. "Good morning."
Her smile was wide and warm and contagious. "How are you feeling?"
Hands flew up to her face, trying to hide. "Fine."
He laughed at her antics, trying to look at her around her small hands. "Just fine?"
She nodded her head, keeping her hands planted over her face, he was trying to be on good behavior but her adorableness was making it difficult. His hand left her hip and he stroked her back, hoping to calm her down a bit. Her response was a small low moan that did not help matters.
"If you don't cut that out, I'm going to have to leave." His voice was low, a whisper but heavy with the desire that was growing inside of him again.
Her hands left her face, grabbing onto his instead. "I don't want you to go anywhere."
A whisper as well, but undeniably laced with wanting just like his. Her clear blue eyes looked to his as if begging him. He was suddenly very conscious of the warm body that he had pressed against his. Her leg lifted, skimming across his skin as it landed on his hip, wrapping delicately around him. It did him in.
His lips caught hers and she returned his passion tenfold. Her small hands drifted downward, over his chest and to his back, gently scratching up his shoulders down his spin, driving him mad.
He pushed himself on top of her, her back now on the mattress with her legs splayed around him. Tasting her skin again, he left her mouth and traveled down to the easily accessible flesh that laid before him. She moaned her pleas for him to continue. As he continued to lower himself, her hands left his back and dug into the top of his hair. Once he was satisfied, sure he had gotten every inch of skin, he went after the only place left.
Her hands gripped the sheets tightly and after a few moments, she could take no more of his teasing. But he wasn't going to make this like last night. Last night was slow and sweet as they discovered one another. It was completely satisfying. However, this morning, he had other plans. It would not end so quickly for either of them.
He pulled her legs up, putting them on his shoulders and started showing her exactly what he had in mind.
vVv
Either those two honestly didn't think the whole apartment could hear them or they didn't care. Whichever one it was, it was making her miss Andrew all the more that morning. He had left early, saying he had 'errands' to run before work. Whatever the hell that meant cause he didn't act like he was off to pick up his mail or anything.
Another loud moan came from Serena's bedroom clearly stating that the two of them were nowhere near done. Picking up her coffee, she plopped unceremoniously on the couch and turned the tv on, turning the volume up on high to block the sexcapades in the nearby room.
It hadn't been five minutes when Raye came stomping out of her room straight over to her, "Geez Lita, do you have to have that thing cranked up so loud?!"
Before she could say anything, Raye had swiped the remote from her hand. So she let her turn down the volume watching as confusion set in, then realization, embarrassment, and turning the volume back up.
Raye sat down next to her, "Oh my God."
"I know right?"
"I need a boyfriend."
"You know, I've been meaning to ask. Can you….?"
The look on her face implied the question to Raye, "Yes I can. There are legends that say I will be significantly weakened, that a large source of my power comes from my….. innocences."
"Man, talk about unfair! Why is it that women are always punished while men get to run around spreading their seed like we are going to run out?"
Raye shrugged, "It doesn't really matter. It's not like I'm that strong already."
Lita wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "What are you talking about? You are amazing Raye!"
"Yes, well, I still want some….new experiences."
"We will work on that. Till then, I'm going to make some," she paused, looking at the clock, "brunch. Probably should make something high in carbs for those two. They are going to need it!"
vVv
Getting dressed had been a challenge. Darien had no trouble, throwing on the black t-shirt and light colored jeans he had on the night before that had been left on the floor of her room. However, every time she would put something on, Darien would try to remove it. The only thing she had managed to get on was her underwear, his hands grabbing and touching whatever exposed flesh it could find.
"Okay, that's it, get out!"
He looked surprised but still had a dashing smile on his face. "You're kicking me out?"
She did her best to keep her face serious as she spoke. "I want to get dressed and you are making it impossible, so git!"
She pointed to the door for emphasis, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, kissing her lips and lowering to her neck. She was about to push him away when he released her and walked out. When the door closed, she leaned heavily against her dresser, feeling tingly all over. There was soreness in between her legs, a reminder of the night before...and that morning. She flushed at the memory, finding it hard once again to get to focus and get dressed. Even when he wasn't there he was hindering her.
A bra still sat uncomfortably on her chest, but Darien had destroyed her only other option besides going completely bra-less. As much as she figured he would enjoy that, she would not. She switched to a sports bra, it didn't rub against her angry pink wound but it did press her breast a bit on it, making it a bit uncomfortable, but not as much as the underwire that would be jamming into it otherwise.
She picked up a loose, racerback tank that was dark blue with a beach scene printed on it. The neckline and armholes stretched low, showing her gray bra beneath. Under that, she opted for a pair of light blue denim shorts. She tucked the front of her shirt in as otherwise, you wouldn't even know she had on pants given the length difference in the shirt and her shorts, and pulled her hair up into a mess on top of her head before emerging from her room.
Darien sat at the island, drinking coffee while Raye and Lita stood on the other side, leaning againstcountertopss across from one another. She walked over, standing next to Darien, who wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him.
Raye and Lita turned to greet her, pausing their conversation. "Good morning Serena."
"Good morning."
She stole a sip of Darien's coffee, regretting it in an instant as the bitter liquid burned her taste buds. Slipping out of his hold she went to work making her own cup, full of sugar and cream.
As soon as she rounding the island, she landed in enemy territory, Raye and Lita circling her.
"So….how did you sleep?" Lita asked with a strange look on her face.
She walked around the two with the cream back to her started cup. "Fine."
Darien huffed, his eyes never leaving his paper -that he stole from Raye- as he disapproved of the description she gave their night once again.
She returned the cream to the fridge while Raye and Lita looked at one another in conference. "She was never very good with subtle you know."
Lita shrugged, "I was going for polite."
They both turned back to her with smirks on their faces and Raye spoke first, "You know that those temporary walls do nothing to block out sound, from coming in….or out?"
Raye raised an eyebrow, questioning if she was following her drift and Lita nugged her with her elbow. "Now who's being subtle?"
Darien's chuckle escaped the paper he was hiding behind, not wanting to be apart of this strange conversation but clearly following it better than she was at the moment.
"Can you two stop being weird and just come out with it?"
Lita sighed, placing her hands on both of her shoulders. "We could hear you…."
When she still looked confused, Raye shouted out from behind Lita, "We know you two banged last night!"
"And this morning," Lita added.
She could feel the fire erupting on her face as she was sure she was now the shade of a tomato. Looking over to Darien for help, he still hid behind the damn paper. She wanted nothing more than to rip in from his hands and beat him with it.
Hiding her face behind her hands did nothing for her, she could still see Raye's and Lita's gloating faces.
Lita removed her hands from her shoulders and grabbed her wrist instead. "So was last night the first time."
"LITA!"
Her screech didn't deter them in the slightest. Amy came down from the loft yawning, "Rough night?" Raye asked.
Amy shot Serena a look. "Yeah someone kept me up all night."
Lita laughed, "All night?! Darien you dog!"
A grunt was all that was heard from him but it did little to stop Lita's investigation. "So come on Serena, spill. It was the first time right?"
She pulled away from her grasp. "How is that any of your business?!"
"Because it means I won the pool!"
Raye elbowed her hard causing Lita to grunt loudly, she eyed the both of them. "What the hell are you two up to?"
Amy sighed behind her, "Might as well tell her now, it's all over anyways."
"Amy!? You're involved in this too?"
The bluenette blushed while Lita spilled the beans, "We may have had...a little bet going."
She could feel her anger rising, hot into her throat. "A bet about what exactly?"
Darien lowered his paper slightly, eyeing Lita as she continued. "Well...we were betting when the two of you would…..get together."
"You WHAT!"
Raye pulled Lita out of immediate danger. "We knew it was only a matter of time before the two of you caved and slept together."
Lita held up a hand for a high five from her. "But my girl held out a whole month! I knew you would."
"I had three weeks."
She turned to Amy, "Not you too?"
She shrugged, blushing, and pointing at Raye. "Raye had two weeks!"
Raye gasped at being tattled on, "Well Andrew had a week! He really has no respect for the two of you."
Darien tried to hid behind his paper again, but this time she ripped it from his hands. "Did you know about this?"
He looked slightly offended, "Of course not!"
Raye waved her hands, distracting her from her death glare on stormy blue eyes. "He didn't have anything to do with it. It would have messed with the results, giving someone an unfair advantage."
Lita beamed, "Yeah and I just won $500," she turned her death stare onto Lita who quivered under it, "which I will be using for your...birthday present! Happy birthday!"
She seethed, mumbling death threats into her coffee. Darien glanced at the clock and finished off his coffee. He stood, gathering himself and heading towards the door.
She chased after him, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to check out Abel's lair. See if he is still there."
"Are you kidding me? Your just going to go there, by yourself, like you are visiting a relative's house?!"
"No, I'm going to stop back at home, get some weapons and tools, and then careful survey the area."
"But it's dangerous. Let me go with you."
He stopped his exit and looked her straight in the face. "Absolutely not. I thought we covered this last night. You are not leaving this apartment and you are not fighting."
"But…"
His finger stopped her, landing on her mouth and then trailing down under her chin, "I will be fine. He is not going to be there anyways. He will have moved to a new place. I'm just going to look for clues to his new place or whatever else I can find. I have done this a hundred times, without Michael, I know what I'm doing. I'll be back tonight," he gave her a sweet but short kiss, "I promise."
vVv
It took three hours, taking care of the bodies, sifting through the mess, and finding his rock climbing gear, but he was finally on his way back to the 'nest'. That's what they called the place that Vampires slept. There was usually multiple Vampires in one nest, as they liked to group up for protection while at their most vulnerable.
He had climbed the front of the cave, where they had found Serena, and was now looking down the hole that she climbed up. There was no way she could have climbed this, not without some help.
Making quick work of the propelling gear, he was standing within the cave in no time. The sun was making its final stretch across the sky and he knew he needed to hurry up. He scanned the opening he now stood in, looking up and down the walls of the cavern. He saw blood on the wall heading upwards, a handprint that he had a feeling was Serena's. So she did climb out this way. But how?
He clicked on his flash light and followed the most likely path. Serena had told all of them bits and pieces of her escape, and he went off what little bit she had told them. Going over a wooden bridge he remembered her mentioning, he knew he must be getting close. How in the hell did Serena get all the way to that opening away from Abel.
He rounded the corner, coming to what he assumed was the 'bedroom' his eyes wide at the sight, "Shit."