Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter. Thanks to all the readers.
*************************************************************************************************
When Midnight Comes - Chapter 9 By: Hell's Huntress (R)
*************************************************************************************************
The sound of heavy feet echoed through Robert's ears as he tried desperately to run away from the numerous guards that were following him. His legs were no match compared to the long strides each of the guards were taking. If he can't find his horse soon enough he would be gone.
Trying to take cover among the towering trees, his clumsy hands dropped the rare gun he had been using in an attempt to return it back where it belonged. Cursing his stupidity, Robert, breathless as ever, bent down and swiftly grabbed the gun again. It was only a matter of seconds before he could increase his speed, but those seconds had been wasted. Two guards caught up with him. He had made a fatal mistake by stopping for a rare weapon. Now he struggled helplessly in numerous attempts to free himself from the strong arms that roughly held his hands behind his back.
A black piece of cloth was pushed into his mouth which was soon covered by another layer of black cloth which was tied around his head this time. With no words that could escape and a sword in front of his throat, he had no choice but to stubbornly let the guards drag him away. However, he wasn't the only one who made a mistake. They had managed to bind his limbs together and lead him off to his death, but they had missed taking note of the weapon he still possessed.
-----
The guests all ran outside screaming. Only a few people were left, one of them being Isabelle who had screamed in terror. Tears were running down her red cheeks while blood stained her white dress and hands. In her arms she carried her son. The child was bleeding and limp in her embrace.
Darien and Serena stood beside her, watching her cry out her agony. The loss of her son had brought hot tears that stung her eyes, while it only brought both Serena and Darien shock. Darien was gently rubbing his cousin's back in an attempt to calm her down, while Serena could only watch with watery eyes.
She was blaming herself. She was blaming herself for not doing anything soon enough. She knew Robert had tried aiming his weapon at Darien, but she also noticed the mistake he himself didn't catch. Isabelle was in the way. In his panic, there was a large chance we would miss, especially since there were too many people that could block Darien from his view. The sad part was, Serena didn't do anything to stop it. She saw it, but she didn't do anything about it.
Looking at the dead child in Isabelle's arms, she held her breath and quickly strode away, heading for Darien's room.
Darien looked up upon seeing Serena leave from the corner of his eye. He called out her name only to have her swiftly walk out of his sight. With worried features, he ordered Jezebelle to take care of Isabelle who was still choking out her tears. Promising her he would be back in a few minutes, he left her side and followed Serena.
His long legs carried him quickly despite the panic that was trying to hold him in place. He had seen Serena retreat into his room. He was completely expecting her to be pacing around or perhaps staring out the window, but he only found her sitting at the edge of his bed with her back facing him. She was wringing her fingers together while her head was bent down to prevent anyone from seeing any tears that dared to escape.
" Serena, " he silently called out, causing her to turn her head away. Knitting his brows together in confusion, he closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed beside her. She remained frozen, not even flashing him a glance.
Her back rose up and down with her unsteady breathing. It gave him the impression that she was crying, but her silence only made him doubt that.
Placing one hand on her wrist, Darien lifted her chin with the other in a fruitless attempt to make her face him. She remained cold like ice, not even moving a limb. Her eyes blinking every now and then and her heavy breathing were the only movements she made.
" Serena....what's wrong? "
Silence only followed. She refused to look at him.
" Look, I know you weren't expecting him to die at such a young age. He was an innocent child, I know that, but if this is what this is about then I don't think you should be so upset. You had nothing to do with it. "
" I had everything to do with it, " she finally replied with her head still turned away.
Darien frowned and chuckled miserably. " You had nothing to do with it. What are you talking about? I'm sorry you had to witness it, but it wasn't your fault he died. Some man shot him for some reason. He was caught. Isabelle will be fine sometime later.....at least calmer hopefully, and you'll still have nothing to do with it. "
" That's the problem Darien. I won't have anything to do with it, " Serena suddenly hissed while finally facing him. " I won't have anything to do with it anymore because it's in the past. I can't change the past, and that's my fault. "
" No one can change the past Serena. It's not your fault if you can't because no one can. "
" I could've. I saw him aiming the gun at you Darien. I saw Isabelle and her child standing in the way and I didn't do anything about it! Now that's done and we can't change it. I could've changed it. I had the chance, but I didn't, " Serena's voice was rising with anxiety, but it only fainted away in the end.
Darien frowned. " Serena, if you're blaming yourself for something like that just because you saw him, then don't. It was too fast. Everything happened too fast. No one could've been fast enough to stop that. "
Serena looked at him with anger and loss written all over her eyes. She looked as if she wanted to tell him so much, but she didn't know where to start.
" You're wrong, " she finally replied. " Someone could've stopped it. The Midnight Prowler could've stopped it. She's fast enough. "
Darien stared at her for a moment. " Wh-what exactly are you telling me? "
" I'm the Midnight Prowler, Darien! " the words flew out in anger as she suddenly stood up. " I was fast enough. I AM fast enough, yet I didn't stop it. I could've pushed Isabelle, her child, and even you out of the way before he fired the gun, but I didn't. "
Darien stared at her watery eyes as her words sunk in. She finally admitted it, and he had pictured him telling her that he knew it all along.
That's not what he did.
He only sat there looking at her with lost words. He wanted to grin at her and finally declare to the world in joy that he was right, but the event that just happened and her burning expression only silenced him. Just looking at all the hatred for herself in her eyes made him forget any words of victory he had been planning to say all this time.
Serena only glared at him for a reason she didn't even know. She wasn't mad at him. She was mad at herself. She hated herself, yet she was glaring at him as if he had just teased her. She expected him to tease her. She expected him to never let her hear the end of it, but his silence only made glare at him absently in silence as well.
Taking a deep breath, she finally pulled her mind back and turned away as if she regretted ever telling him that. For some reason, she didn't. Perhaps it was because he wasn't mocking her, but mostly because she was too angry at herself. She blamed herself. She never thought she would experience such anger towards anyone. This was something she wasn't expecting.
Once the words finally did sink in, Darien stood up and walked towards her. Cupping her chin in his hands, he turned her face gently so that she faced him. This time, she easily allowed him to do so even though she didn't look into his eyes.
" So maybe you are the Midnight Prowler. Maybe you did have the chance to stop what happened. Maybe you could've changed the past, but what good will that do? You only might end up getting hit instead, " he replied softly while waiting for her to reply. Once he received nothing, he continued. " You're fast, but I do know that you're not fast enough to save everyone from that bullet including yourself. "
" Yes, but what sorrow would that bring? If I were the one dying instead of a child then that wouldn't be something anyone would regret. I'm only the Midnight Prowler. She's not that important. I'm not that important. My life isn't as important as that of a child's. "
Darien only looked at her as if she had gone mad. Didn't she realize how much she meant to him? He wanted to shake her and knock reality into her mind. He wanted to tell her that she was worth more than she knows, but no words could make her believe that.
With this knowledge, Darien did the only thing he could do that would at least have some chance of making her believe that she wasn't worthless. He lifted her chin a bit higher and sealed her lips with his own.
Serena nearly allowed a small scream of surprise to escape....nearly. She only looked up upon feeling his warm breath mix with hers, but she only found a handsome man kissing her passionately. Her first reaction ws to push him away. However, just taking one look at him made her release the one reaction she never dreamed of tolerating. She closed her eyes and kissed him back with the stored up passion she never even knew she possessed.
It was almost as passionate as the first kiss they shared, except this time, she wasn't pretending. It was a bit more gentle yet a bit stronger at the same time. It wasn't just lust sealed inside it anymore.
Her spine tingled upon feeling his arms wrap around her waist. She could feel him pulling her body closer to his. She could even feel her own hands absently wrapping themselves around his firm figure. She enjoyed feeling him press his chest against hers. She enjoyed feeling the warmth of his body and the tight muscles he had which were getting firmer under her embrace. It was something that seemed to last forever, but it didn't.
In a few seconds, Darien parted his lips and broke the kiss. Moving back a bit to allow some sort of air to slip in, he watched Serena open her eyes and stare at him in silent shock. It seemed too fast for her. Upon seeing this, he grinned at her and wiped an escaped tear off her cheek. " I suppose you were right about women being powerful, " he teased. " You had me giving you one of my best kisses. "
Serena laughed softly upon hearing his last comment. " I-I don't understand you though. Why would you kiss me when - "
" I know we're not exactly 'pretending' right now, but.......let's just say I've been planning to get that one out for quite a while. What I don't understand is you. Here I was thinking that you would never actually like a man. "
Serena smiled at him for a moment before a look of regret crossed her features. " That's the problem. That man that shot the poor child is Robert. He tried to kill you. I didn't like him. I still don't, so I had a feeling he might try something to get you out of the way. That's why I still have my doubts about this not being my fault. If I had just married him then you wouldn't be involved, this whole mess wouldn't have happened, and - "
" And you would have been living the life of a hopeless wife while I would've still been living the life of a single man who doesn't believe how mesmerizing women like you are, " he finished off for her. " Isabelle told me yesterday that she's pregnant again. Don't worry about the loss of her child anymore because she'll be having another one. She'll calm down soon enough and I can assure you that no one will blame you. "
Serena bit her bottom lip and smiled. " You're not just telling me this to make me feel better, are you? "
" He's not, " a femenine voice cut through their conversation. Both of them turned towards the doorway where Isabelle was standing. " I've lost him, and yes I won't forget that for a while, " she continued with a raspy voice. " But I guess you could say I'll be having another child soon enough.....one that can replace him, if you wish to put it that way. " Isabelle smiled weakly, obviously trying to hide her pain.
Serena only looked at her with a worried expression as if she were trying to tell her something. She wanted to comfort her somehow, but she couldn't find the exact words she needed.
" Jezebelle took him away already. Robert's downstairs waiting for your order to send him to his death, " her words seemed to drip out with reluctance. Not wanting to say anymore for fear that she might cry again, she continued. " Right now, I had better get dressed, " she gestured toward her blood stained clothes as she sorrowfully walked away. She wasn't exactly sounding any better. She probably wasn't, because they could still hear her crying softly.
Serena looked at Darien with alarmed features before suddenly walking away.
" Serena, where are you going, " Darien called out before quickly following her outside.
Serena took off any jewelry she had left and walked outside. " If Robert's not dead yet then I know he might try to do something again. "
" Are you saying you want to watch him die? Serena you can't do that. He might try something again if he sees you, " Darien pulled her wrist so that she faced him.
" If I don't make sure he's dead then he might try something with you. I know that man. As long as he's still alive he'll bring someone else down with him even while he's dying. He's still after you. I have another chance to stop him from killing someone again, Darien. I'm not going to let it slip away again this time, " she stated firmly before walking away.
*************************************************************************************************
Author's Notes: Damn, what's gonna happen now? You didn't think Serena or Darien died, did you? Anyhow, tomorrow I will be uploading chapter 10....the LAST chapter to this story so I don't think you want to miss it. Find out what will happen tomorrow. :)
Thanks again to all the readers, please pardon the typos, and remember; the finale is tomorrow!
*************************************************************************************************
When Midnight Comes - Chapter 9 By: Hell's Huntress (R)
*************************************************************************************************
The sound of heavy feet echoed through Robert's ears as he tried desperately to run away from the numerous guards that were following him. His legs were no match compared to the long strides each of the guards were taking. If he can't find his horse soon enough he would be gone.
Trying to take cover among the towering trees, his clumsy hands dropped the rare gun he had been using in an attempt to return it back where it belonged. Cursing his stupidity, Robert, breathless as ever, bent down and swiftly grabbed the gun again. It was only a matter of seconds before he could increase his speed, but those seconds had been wasted. Two guards caught up with him. He had made a fatal mistake by stopping for a rare weapon. Now he struggled helplessly in numerous attempts to free himself from the strong arms that roughly held his hands behind his back.
A black piece of cloth was pushed into his mouth which was soon covered by another layer of black cloth which was tied around his head this time. With no words that could escape and a sword in front of his throat, he had no choice but to stubbornly let the guards drag him away. However, he wasn't the only one who made a mistake. They had managed to bind his limbs together and lead him off to his death, but they had missed taking note of the weapon he still possessed.
-----
The guests all ran outside screaming. Only a few people were left, one of them being Isabelle who had screamed in terror. Tears were running down her red cheeks while blood stained her white dress and hands. In her arms she carried her son. The child was bleeding and limp in her embrace.
Darien and Serena stood beside her, watching her cry out her agony. The loss of her son had brought hot tears that stung her eyes, while it only brought both Serena and Darien shock. Darien was gently rubbing his cousin's back in an attempt to calm her down, while Serena could only watch with watery eyes.
She was blaming herself. She was blaming herself for not doing anything soon enough. She knew Robert had tried aiming his weapon at Darien, but she also noticed the mistake he himself didn't catch. Isabelle was in the way. In his panic, there was a large chance we would miss, especially since there were too many people that could block Darien from his view. The sad part was, Serena didn't do anything to stop it. She saw it, but she didn't do anything about it.
Looking at the dead child in Isabelle's arms, she held her breath and quickly strode away, heading for Darien's room.
Darien looked up upon seeing Serena leave from the corner of his eye. He called out her name only to have her swiftly walk out of his sight. With worried features, he ordered Jezebelle to take care of Isabelle who was still choking out her tears. Promising her he would be back in a few minutes, he left her side and followed Serena.
His long legs carried him quickly despite the panic that was trying to hold him in place. He had seen Serena retreat into his room. He was completely expecting her to be pacing around or perhaps staring out the window, but he only found her sitting at the edge of his bed with her back facing him. She was wringing her fingers together while her head was bent down to prevent anyone from seeing any tears that dared to escape.
" Serena, " he silently called out, causing her to turn her head away. Knitting his brows together in confusion, he closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed beside her. She remained frozen, not even flashing him a glance.
Her back rose up and down with her unsteady breathing. It gave him the impression that she was crying, but her silence only made him doubt that.
Placing one hand on her wrist, Darien lifted her chin with the other in a fruitless attempt to make her face him. She remained cold like ice, not even moving a limb. Her eyes blinking every now and then and her heavy breathing were the only movements she made.
" Serena....what's wrong? "
Silence only followed. She refused to look at him.
" Look, I know you weren't expecting him to die at such a young age. He was an innocent child, I know that, but if this is what this is about then I don't think you should be so upset. You had nothing to do with it. "
" I had everything to do with it, " she finally replied with her head still turned away.
Darien frowned and chuckled miserably. " You had nothing to do with it. What are you talking about? I'm sorry you had to witness it, but it wasn't your fault he died. Some man shot him for some reason. He was caught. Isabelle will be fine sometime later.....at least calmer hopefully, and you'll still have nothing to do with it. "
" That's the problem Darien. I won't have anything to do with it, " Serena suddenly hissed while finally facing him. " I won't have anything to do with it anymore because it's in the past. I can't change the past, and that's my fault. "
" No one can change the past Serena. It's not your fault if you can't because no one can. "
" I could've. I saw him aiming the gun at you Darien. I saw Isabelle and her child standing in the way and I didn't do anything about it! Now that's done and we can't change it. I could've changed it. I had the chance, but I didn't, " Serena's voice was rising with anxiety, but it only fainted away in the end.
Darien frowned. " Serena, if you're blaming yourself for something like that just because you saw him, then don't. It was too fast. Everything happened too fast. No one could've been fast enough to stop that. "
Serena looked at him with anger and loss written all over her eyes. She looked as if she wanted to tell him so much, but she didn't know where to start.
" You're wrong, " she finally replied. " Someone could've stopped it. The Midnight Prowler could've stopped it. She's fast enough. "
Darien stared at her for a moment. " Wh-what exactly are you telling me? "
" I'm the Midnight Prowler, Darien! " the words flew out in anger as she suddenly stood up. " I was fast enough. I AM fast enough, yet I didn't stop it. I could've pushed Isabelle, her child, and even you out of the way before he fired the gun, but I didn't. "
Darien stared at her watery eyes as her words sunk in. She finally admitted it, and he had pictured him telling her that he knew it all along.
That's not what he did.
He only sat there looking at her with lost words. He wanted to grin at her and finally declare to the world in joy that he was right, but the event that just happened and her burning expression only silenced him. Just looking at all the hatred for herself in her eyes made him forget any words of victory he had been planning to say all this time.
Serena only glared at him for a reason she didn't even know. She wasn't mad at him. She was mad at herself. She hated herself, yet she was glaring at him as if he had just teased her. She expected him to tease her. She expected him to never let her hear the end of it, but his silence only made glare at him absently in silence as well.
Taking a deep breath, she finally pulled her mind back and turned away as if she regretted ever telling him that. For some reason, she didn't. Perhaps it was because he wasn't mocking her, but mostly because she was too angry at herself. She blamed herself. She never thought she would experience such anger towards anyone. This was something she wasn't expecting.
Once the words finally did sink in, Darien stood up and walked towards her. Cupping her chin in his hands, he turned her face gently so that she faced him. This time, she easily allowed him to do so even though she didn't look into his eyes.
" So maybe you are the Midnight Prowler. Maybe you did have the chance to stop what happened. Maybe you could've changed the past, but what good will that do? You only might end up getting hit instead, " he replied softly while waiting for her to reply. Once he received nothing, he continued. " You're fast, but I do know that you're not fast enough to save everyone from that bullet including yourself. "
" Yes, but what sorrow would that bring? If I were the one dying instead of a child then that wouldn't be something anyone would regret. I'm only the Midnight Prowler. She's not that important. I'm not that important. My life isn't as important as that of a child's. "
Darien only looked at her as if she had gone mad. Didn't she realize how much she meant to him? He wanted to shake her and knock reality into her mind. He wanted to tell her that she was worth more than she knows, but no words could make her believe that.
With this knowledge, Darien did the only thing he could do that would at least have some chance of making her believe that she wasn't worthless. He lifted her chin a bit higher and sealed her lips with his own.
Serena nearly allowed a small scream of surprise to escape....nearly. She only looked up upon feeling his warm breath mix with hers, but she only found a handsome man kissing her passionately. Her first reaction ws to push him away. However, just taking one look at him made her release the one reaction she never dreamed of tolerating. She closed her eyes and kissed him back with the stored up passion she never even knew she possessed.
It was almost as passionate as the first kiss they shared, except this time, she wasn't pretending. It was a bit more gentle yet a bit stronger at the same time. It wasn't just lust sealed inside it anymore.
Her spine tingled upon feeling his arms wrap around her waist. She could feel him pulling her body closer to his. She could even feel her own hands absently wrapping themselves around his firm figure. She enjoyed feeling him press his chest against hers. She enjoyed feeling the warmth of his body and the tight muscles he had which were getting firmer under her embrace. It was something that seemed to last forever, but it didn't.
In a few seconds, Darien parted his lips and broke the kiss. Moving back a bit to allow some sort of air to slip in, he watched Serena open her eyes and stare at him in silent shock. It seemed too fast for her. Upon seeing this, he grinned at her and wiped an escaped tear off her cheek. " I suppose you were right about women being powerful, " he teased. " You had me giving you one of my best kisses. "
Serena laughed softly upon hearing his last comment. " I-I don't understand you though. Why would you kiss me when - "
" I know we're not exactly 'pretending' right now, but.......let's just say I've been planning to get that one out for quite a while. What I don't understand is you. Here I was thinking that you would never actually like a man. "
Serena smiled at him for a moment before a look of regret crossed her features. " That's the problem. That man that shot the poor child is Robert. He tried to kill you. I didn't like him. I still don't, so I had a feeling he might try something to get you out of the way. That's why I still have my doubts about this not being my fault. If I had just married him then you wouldn't be involved, this whole mess wouldn't have happened, and - "
" And you would have been living the life of a hopeless wife while I would've still been living the life of a single man who doesn't believe how mesmerizing women like you are, " he finished off for her. " Isabelle told me yesterday that she's pregnant again. Don't worry about the loss of her child anymore because she'll be having another one. She'll calm down soon enough and I can assure you that no one will blame you. "
Serena bit her bottom lip and smiled. " You're not just telling me this to make me feel better, are you? "
" He's not, " a femenine voice cut through their conversation. Both of them turned towards the doorway where Isabelle was standing. " I've lost him, and yes I won't forget that for a while, " she continued with a raspy voice. " But I guess you could say I'll be having another child soon enough.....one that can replace him, if you wish to put it that way. " Isabelle smiled weakly, obviously trying to hide her pain.
Serena only looked at her with a worried expression as if she were trying to tell her something. She wanted to comfort her somehow, but she couldn't find the exact words she needed.
" Jezebelle took him away already. Robert's downstairs waiting for your order to send him to his death, " her words seemed to drip out with reluctance. Not wanting to say anymore for fear that she might cry again, she continued. " Right now, I had better get dressed, " she gestured toward her blood stained clothes as she sorrowfully walked away. She wasn't exactly sounding any better. She probably wasn't, because they could still hear her crying softly.
Serena looked at Darien with alarmed features before suddenly walking away.
" Serena, where are you going, " Darien called out before quickly following her outside.
Serena took off any jewelry she had left and walked outside. " If Robert's not dead yet then I know he might try to do something again. "
" Are you saying you want to watch him die? Serena you can't do that. He might try something again if he sees you, " Darien pulled her wrist so that she faced him.
" If I don't make sure he's dead then he might try something with you. I know that man. As long as he's still alive he'll bring someone else down with him even while he's dying. He's still after you. I have another chance to stop him from killing someone again, Darien. I'm not going to let it slip away again this time, " she stated firmly before walking away.
*************************************************************************************************
Author's Notes: Damn, what's gonna happen now? You didn't think Serena or Darien died, did you? Anyhow, tomorrow I will be uploading chapter 10....the LAST chapter to this story so I don't think you want to miss it. Find out what will happen tomorrow. :)
Thanks again to all the readers, please pardon the typos, and remember; the finale is tomorrow!