Disclaimer: do we REALLY need to go over this again???? i own nothing but my own beautimous plot.

a/n: hey.....people.......can't you do better than that???? it's been like 2 weeks and i've only gotten three reviews. i've given up waiting so i'm writing this chapter now. but from now one i need at LEAST four to keep me going. and yes, yes you can review lotsa times so that i will continue.

Chapter Eight:



Stanton sat in an apartment room he'd broken into so that he could think. He had picked the Waldorf today. The honeymoon suite. He wasn't with anyone at the moment, but he needed a very comfortable place to think. There was no question in his mind that he would follow through with anything he could do to go to her, but it would be hard. He hadn't lost a battle since 1530. Well, excluding the last two years, with these new, strangely powerful Daughters. And he had never willingly lost one.

And the Daughters were on alert right now. Jimena had apparantly had a premonition weeks ago and nothing had happened. That was unheard of. He had no idea how he would get Serena alone.

Come on, Stanton! he thought. You are the Prince of Darkness. You are the master of manipulation. Why can't you think of ANYTHING to get them apart??? Well, he sat there for hours trying, but didn't come up with anything. So, degrading though it was, he needed to go through each and every step of the manipulative process, something he hadn't had to do in 300 years.

First, he needed to decide what he wanted to get done. Now this was a stupid step. He knew what he wanted to get done, or he wouldn't be sitting here, thinking this through like an Atrox-damned initiate. Ok....he wanted to figure out how to separate the daughters and keep them away long enough for him to fight Serena. Wow, that helped a lot. On to step number two.

Second, he needed to think of what was most important to them. This was the hardest step. Well, it was important for them to protect innocents and preserve hope. But that wouldn't work. If they were protecting innocents two would stay behind and someone elso would see to Serena. Come on, think Stanton! he thought. Think of what would pull you away from fighting Daughters. Well, nothing would, that was his hopeless goal in life. But wait, that wasn't true. Now there was something. It was Serena. It was his love for her. That's why he was in this mess. He could use Vanessa's love for Micheal, Jimena's love for Collin, and Catty didn't have the strength to fight. That's what he would do. He would order Micheal and Collin captured and knocked out. He didn't want them actually finding out about the Daughters. He had an unsafe fondness of them, and he didn't really want to hurt any of them. Then Vanessa and Jimena would be preoccupied. And Catty was weak so he would send over a few men to keep her from even leaving her apartment.

But how would he get Serena to ignore all that and come to him? He realized that he had skipped steps three through five but he had a plan so he didn't care. He had to get to her just moments before it all started. Just enough moments so that if the Daughters did find out about it the second it started, they wouldn't have time to get there before they had to go defend their loved ones. He would have to fight her wherever she was. And it was almost the full moon. She had the complete advantage. That was good.

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a/n: dum dum dum.......was it good suspense??? maybe???? well whatever.....i don't care. I LIKED IT!!!!!!!! and the only reason i really had this chapter was because i myself actually had no idea how he was going to get Serena alone. it was in reality my own little brainstorm, not Stanton's. so please review. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIW. :-) ....nEway......u know i won't add next chapter and finish suspense untli four more reviews....so get 2 typin. that little blue button down there IS your friend. it won't hurt you. it will only make ME happy. so REVIEW!!!!!!!!!