Ramifications

Chapter 12

A/N: And you thought the stalker was gone….

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Rating: M (violence, language and sexual situations)

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He twirled the cigarette between his fingers, the black tar from his hands staining the white paper that held the smoking tobacco in place. He had been waiting outside of her house for what seemed like hours and still the young blonde hadn't come out. He remembered how Jim used to talk about her, to dream about her, to call out her name at night. She didn't understand what she meant to him. The man shrugged and sighed, he owed Jim this, soon he would make things right.

Rubbing a hand through his greasy shoulder length hair he rested his head against the white stucco wall. Checking the time on the cracked watch on his right wrist, he realized that it was almost sundown; the little whore should have come out of the house by now. He had been watching her for the last two weeks, frolicking around with that new boyfriend she had. Wait until Jim found out about that Darien kid; he'll be pissed. It didn't matter, soon his friend would be out of prison and how surprised will he be when he notices that Serena is at his home waiting for him. The man chuckled, his yellow teeth reflecting against the dimming sunlight. He continued with his musings until he heard the front door of her house lurch open. His eyes widened and he desperately hoped that his little princess would be coming out to play soon.

The smile that formed quickly dropped and he scowled as Irene walked down the short pathway to the mailbox. The man watched appreciatively as her hips swayed as she moved; no wonder Serena was so beautiful. Too bad Jim had a thing for younger women. Again he shrugged and leaned back against the wall, waiting for the object of his desire to finally exit the house.

Suddenly a red car pulled up in the drive way, and the man couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Right on cue, her boyfriend showed up. That was all he needed, to be caught by this hulk of a man and charged with stalking, then neither him nor his friend will get to enjoy her company. He watched in disgust as Darien strolled leisurely down the walkway, his hands buried deeply in his pockets, the image of the sun reflecting off of the designer glasses he was sporting.

Darien greeted Irene with a hug. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he did notice that Darien turned a deep shade of red after she hugged him. Pussy. She invited the young man inside, and the hunter could hear the sound of Serena laughing along with Darien and Irene. He felt like an outsider. He wanted desperately to be a part of her world. His hands were perspiring and his shoulders were trembling with anticipation. He would have her soon enough and he would keep her, until Jim could taste her too.

"What do you want to do today?" asked Serena, peering through the curtains, surveying the side of the house. She had been feeling rather fearful all day, as if something wasn't right around her. Darien crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Whatever you want," he said, his breath tickling the curves of her ears. She tensed up as she continued to stare outside and Darien became worried. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

She turned to face him, her blonde hair following her movements like a silk curtain blown by the wind. "I…this is crazy…"

"Serena," began Darien, his voice stern. She seemed preoccupied and scared. Slowly, he grabbed her hands and brought them to his lips. He planted a gentle kiss on her palm, waiting for her to continue.

"It's just…all day I've been feeling like someone was watching me, waiting for me. I'm a little scared, that's all."

Darien immediately pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat like an up tempo melody in her ears. Darien heard her sigh as several possibilities filled his mind. What if that man had broken out of jail and they didn't know? He quickly shook the thoughts from his head. He would have known. He had been watching the news every night just to know what was happening with Serena's attacker, and so far there weren't any out of the ordinary reports.

"Do you think I'm going crazy?" asked Serena, her voice small.

"No, meatball, of course not," he replied soothingly, resting his head on the top of her hair. "It's just…Maybe we should stay here for the night."

"Why?" she asked, moving her said so that she could see his face.

"You should always trust your instincts and if something feels off then, maybe we should be as safe as we can and keep you inside."

"But Darien you came all the way over here and-"

"I'd come from anywhere just to see you. We don't have to do anything, Serena. As long as you're safe and in my arms, that's all that matters."

Serena grinned broadly, nuzzling herself against Darien's chest. Try as she might to drive the feelings away, she still felt that someone was out there, waiting to hurt her and everyone that she loved.

"Maybe that's a good idea," she said, grabbing Darien's hand and leading him to the couch. Serena was about to make a suggestion when her mother entered the room with two glasses of lemonade in her hands. Both Serena and Darien thanked Irene before trying to figure out what they would do for the night.

"Why don't you go to Darien's place and rent a movie or something? When your father and I were dating, we used to love watching movies together," said Irene, before winking at Serena. From the corner of his eyes, Darien could see his girlfriend's face turning a bright shade of red and he struggled to stifle a laugh.

"Maybe that's a good idea," he said, nudging Serena in the ribs as she continued to blush quietly.

"I can't believe she actually wants me to go to your apartment," said Serena after her mother left the room.

Darien shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm charming, all parents like me."

Serena grimaced. "How many parents have you wooed with your good looks and impeccable style?" she asked in a playful tone.

"Far too many to count babe," said Darien smoothing out his hair and offering Serena a dazzling smile.

"Really," she said, her eyebrows knitting together in mock jealousy. "What are these girls' names so I can kill them?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because if I tell you and you kill them, I'll have to send you to jail and since I'm very much in love with you, I don't think I'd survive without being able to see you everyday."

"Nice way to get yourself out of the dog house."

"Was I ever in the dog house?" asked Darien, leaning in closer to her. She could feel his breath against her lips and she sighed.

"I guess not," she said, closing the space between them and planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"So, movie then?" he asked, getting off the couch and offering her his hand.

"Sounds like a plan," Serena said, taking his hand and following him to the front door. After muttering embarrassed goodbyes to her mother, Serena and Darien exited through the front door and walked to his car.

Immediately, the hidden man awoke from his light slumber after hearing the revving of a car engine. He watched through hollow eyes as Darien and Serena exchanged kisses, partially hidden beneath the shadow of the car's interior. He frowned. She'd definitely have to he punished for that. Neither he nor Jim would tolerate infidelity, especially not from a woman. Agitatedly, he tapped his fingers against his filthy sleeves, his patience wearing thin. He was tired of waiting. He needed to see Serena, to touch her, to smell her. He needed her tonight.

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Pulling out a heavy rag the man watched as the two of them traipse hand in hand to Darien's apartment. They were so wrapped in each other that neither Darien nor Serena had realized that they were being followed. He promised to teach her to be more careful once they had gotten the chance to spend some alone time together. He couldn't have his future play thing being followed by people with bad intentions. He snickered quietly. He grimaced when she chuckled and backed into a corner just as she threw her arms around Darien's neck. Finally, they entered his apartment, and with the soft click of the door ventured inside; outside he waited.

"I'm hungry Darien," Serena said, her stomach rumbling gingerly.

"Why am I not surprised?" he asked playfully. She grimaced. "I'm only joking. What do you want to eat?"

"I don't know. How about some Thai food?"

"Sounds good to me," he said, walking to the counter and picking up a small discolored pamphlet. "What do you want from there?"

"Surprise me," she said, resting against Darien's couch, her eyes closing as she relaxed on the soft, pliable cushion. He smirked at his girlfriend before picking up the cordless phone and making the order.

"They won't come up to the apartment," said Darien, "I'll have to go down and get once it comes."

"Why not?"

"Safety issue, I guess. It's probably not good to show at a stranger's door. Anything could happen."

Serena shrugged. "Come sit by me."

Darien smiled at the mischievous expression on her face. "Want to watch something in the mean time?" he asked, walking toward her.

"Nope," said Serena, tucking her hair behind her ears and patting the space next to her. "But I can think of something to pass the time."

Serena roughly pulled Darien onto the couch and pressed him into the cushions as she hovered over him. Carefully, she drew light circles across his chest and noticed his nipples hardening through the attractive shirt he was wearing.

"I love you," he said before her mouth descended upon his, filling his mind with vivid colors in variations of darkness, guiding him into a world of bliss wrapped in pleasure. Her hands explored his firm abdomen and he moaned gently as she fondled the waist band of his pants; this girl was going to be the death of him. As his ministrations became more urgent, the distant ringing of the phone brought them both from their ecstatic stupor. Dejected, Serena sat up as Darien sent her an apologetic look and reached for the phone. He heard the faint voice of a woman and realized that his food had finally arrived.

Quickly he reached for his wallet and pecked Serena on the cheek. "I'll be back," he said.

"I'll come with you," said Serena, getting up and smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed on her clothing.

Darien chuckled. "You don't have to," he said, walking toward the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

"I love you," she said, grinning as he winked at her.

"I know," he said, before exiting and closing the door behind him.

Around the corner the watcher could see the man named Darien exit, his stride proud and confident. He hated him. Waiting until Darien exited through the elevator, the older man decided that it was time to make his move. Serena would finally be his tonight after waiting so long; nothing could stop him. Slowly he walked down the hallway before arriving in front of Darien's apartment. The brightly lit corridor made it easy for him to pick the lock on the door. The door creaked open gently as he entered the room and saw his prize sprawled on the couch, her head resting against the pillow, her eyes closed. It was almost as though she were waiting for him. He smiled hungrily. She was so beautiful; the moon light was bathing her pale skin in its warmth. She seemed almost angelic. Quietly he closed the door behind him and Serena barely noticed the sound.

"That was fast," she said, her eyes closed. "I'm so sleepy all of a sudden. That doesn't mean that you can eat all the food, though." She smiled brightly before opening her eyes to realize that she wasn't in the room with Darien. There was a dirty man standing over her with the most disgusting look on his face. Her insides writhed in fear. She opened her mouth to scream when she felt his grubby hands cover her face. She struggled to her feet but the man already had her pinned against him. Muffled shouts were coming behind his hands and the man felt warm liquid tickling his fingertips.

"Oh honey, don't cry, everything is fine," he said, bringing his nose to her neck and breathing in deeply. "You smelled just like Jim said." At his remark Serena began to move violently trying with all her might to free herself from his grasp but the man was too strong for her. "Don't struggle sweetie, I don't want you tired too soon. You have a long night ahead of you."

Her tears were pouring like a rushing river. Her vision was blurry and she was out of the breath. She felt him digging behind her into his pocket and then screamed as a searing pain shot through her neck, traveled down to her toes. She felt paralyzed and suddenly the world stopped moving. She could feel her heart beating painfully in her chest, her limbs were growing weak, her eyelids were so heavy. As her legs gave way she felt his arms tighten around her and she mentally cried out for Darien, for her mother for anybody. And finally as her eyelids fluttered closed, she succumbed to the darkness that was surrounding her and she could hear was his breathing.

Breathing.

Breathing…