Chapter Five

Molly

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimer applies. (In other words I have no rights to SM or the SS in any way, shape, or form.) However this story line is mine.

Warning: Profane language, violence, sexual content and blood, gore, vampires, werewolves and all the good stuff. M-rated.

Double Warning: Bad writing involved

Molly stood uncomfortably at the entrance to the palace, looking like she wanted to enter, but couldn't. Darien frowned at her, and catching his glance, she began to blush. "I can't come in until you invite me."

Darien looked at Serena to see that she was as surprised as he was about Molly's reaction. Molly shifted slightly, and glanced over her shoulder at the horizon. It was around two in the morning, but a fake dawn was lighting the sky. She looked back at them with wide eyes.

Raye sighed from beside Darien. "There are limitations to being a vampire." She said, as she leaned casually against a wall. "They can't enter a place where people sleep and live without an invitation. Vampires don't sleep. They die during the day then come back to life at night. So its like holy ground to enter a place where a human sleeps." Raye explained, "it's the same thing with church or temple, they can't enter it unless they are invited. To enter without an invitation would be like suicide. They would die the moment they stepped over the doorway."

"Oh, sorry, Moll. I invite you inside." Serena said, trying not to smile.

Molly stepped through the threshold looking relieved, and Darien closed the doors behind her. She looked around interestedly, and Darien remembered that she hadn't been to the palace in over two years. Even though he didn't like the thought of a vampire in his home, he couldn't seem to think of Molly as one.

Serena grabbed Molly's hand and dragged her off, talking excitedly. They jogged up the stairs and vanished into the hall that led to the bedrooms. Lita and Raye followed close behind, both talking quietly. He guessed that all they wanted to do, at that moment, was change into something more comfortable. Darien was glad to have been able to turn back into himself after they left Limbo.

He sighed and strode to the study. Luna and Artemis sat on his desk having a heated discussion. They were sitting on the edges of that morning's newspaper. Luna looked up at him, breaking off her statement to Artemis, who looked like he was about to choke on a fur ball.

"Did you guys find anything out?" She asked. Darien nodded, moving to the liquor cabinet and pouring himself a small brandy from the decanter. He brought the glass to his lips and swallowed a mouthful of the fiery liquid, before turning back to Luna and Artemis again.

"Werewolves." He said, taking another swig of alcohol. He felt slightly steadier as he placed the glass on top of the cabinet. I'll take it to the kitchens later, he thought. "A werewolf supposedly killed Lily." He reiterated. He moved to sit behind the desk and put his head in his hands. "You know, the world cant be this unfair. I mean, vampires are bad enough, but werewolves?"

"Well, that explains it." Said Artemis. Darien looked up at the white cat. Artemis shook his head. "The paper says that Lily wasn't the only one to have been killed that way. There were six deaths last night. Most of the bodies had only been torn open, but others had their organs pulled out." Darien had a sudden gruesome image of people bleeding all over the streets, some with holes in their stomachs where a massive muzzle had eaten them out.

"I told you a vampire couldn't have done it." Luna stated haughtily.

"What do you mean?" Darien asked her. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, its simple. Vampires go for blood, not organs."

"That's what Nikolai said. He went into detail explaining exactly where vampires feed." Darien stated, tiredly. Luna looked interested so he explained, "Arteries in the neck, the bend of the elbow, the wrist, the bend between thigh and groin, and the bend of the knee."

"So what else did he tell you?" Artemis asked.

"Nothing much. He said that it wasn't his people that attacked Lily, but a werewolf. He admitted that there are currently two warring packs in New Tokyo, and one of the packs could and would pull innocents into their battle. He said that the pack that's originally from here is quiet; they don't like to attack humans unless they absolutely need to. The new pack is here to fight for the territory, which has become wealthier than where they are originally from, and they are the ones who would bring in innocents, but they usually attack the family members of the New Tokyo pack, not people out on the streets." Darien sighed. "He sent Molly to help us, since she is currently dating a member of the New Tokyo pack."

"How is Molly supposed to help us?" Luna asked sounding surprised.

"Information mostly, and she can arrange for us to meet the New Tokyo pack if we really need to. Apparently the two packs have been at war for almost three years, possibly longer."

"Don't you think it's strange that Nikolai seems to know so much about the packs?" Artemis asked. Darien nodded.

"All I know is that I don't really trust the information. But at the moment we really have nothing to go on." Darien admitted.

Luna and Artemis exchanged looks.

Serena watched as Molly carried her coffin into the wine cellar. Well, Serena helped by holding one end for balance as Molly carried the weight. Serena was shocked at her friend's strength for a moment, but then reminded herself that Molly was a vampire, and the shock dissipated.

They had had to scour the palace for over an hour to find a room suitable for Molly to stay in during the day. The only room had been the wine cellar. Every other room had windows.

"I know you are uncomfortable with me being here, Serena. I could just stay at the Dance Hall, and come at night." Molly said, staring at Serena doubtfully.

Serena forced herself to smile, "are you kidding? It will be just like having a sleep over." She made a face. "'Course I cant wake you up in the middle of the day to watch movies and eat popcorn, but we can work around it." Molly laughed, and Serena felt her smile become genuine.

They set down the coffin and settled it against the only free wall in the room. Molly sighed and wiped her forehead, mostly out of habit since she wasn't sweating. "Yeah, you're right." She said. Suddenly, her face fell. "Uh, Serena?"

"Yeah, Moll?" Serena asked looking around the room and wondering if there was a way she could decorate it for Molly. She was thinking of asking Molly to stay at the palace with them, so that she wouldn't have to work all the time at the Dance Hall.

"I have to feed when I get up at night." She said, her voice small. Serena turned to look at her friend, and saw Molly curling in on herself. Her arms were wrapped over her chest and she stared at the floor.

"Oh." Serena said, reminding herself again that Molly was a vampire. "How soon after you get up?"

"As soon as possible."

"Maybe we can come up with something." Serena said, thinking.

"I can call Nikolai and ask him to send me a feeder at first dark." Molly suggested, not looking at Serena.

"A feeder?"

"Yeah. They are people who know about us and are willing to let us feed. I think that they hope that if they spend enough time learning about us and paying, that we will change them into one of us. I thought Nikolai told you about feeders." Molly explained.

"Yeah, he did, I forgot." Serena grinned. "Paying?"

"They give us a tithe, well actually," she blushed slightly, "they pay us to feed on them." Serena stared at her surprised.

"Will Nikolai allow you to have a… uh… feeder?"

"I think so, I have to ask though."

"Well, lets go find a phone and ask. If he says no, I'll tell him I'll send Mars to the Hall while he's asleep and let her burn it down." Serena said, smiling at the thought. Molly paled. "I'm just joking, Moll. But he wont have to know that." She nodded but still looked pale. Serena sighed and grabbed Molly's hand. They walked back through the palace to Serena's room.

Molly had a quick discussion with someone on the other end of the line, probably Nikolai, and hung up looking relieved. "He said he would send someone."

"Good." Serena said from her perch on her bed. She watched Molly for a moment, as Molly sat down on the edge of her bed and looked around. "Hey, Moll? Can I ask you a question?"

Molly smiled slightly, "You just asked one."

"No, I mean, it's a serious question."

Molly's face fell. "Yeah?"

"How did it happen?" Serena asked. "Did you know about them? Were you a feeder?"

Molly looked at Serena, surprised. "No. I mean, no I didn't even know the Strigoi existed." She grabbed one of Serena's stuffed animals and hugged it to her chest. "It's weird. I mean they are around-." She paused blushing. "I mean, we are around, and its like no one knows we exist, except for the toys and feeders."

"Toys?" Serena interrupted.

"Uh… well some Strigoi take humans as lovers, they don't feed on them or anything, but other Strigoi call them toys, because they usually break after a while, or get passed on to another Strigoi who wants them when the first Strigoi gets tired of them." Molly explained, patiently. She smiled at Serena. "It's alright, they are always very willing. I mean, most of the Strigoi are extremely beautiful."

"Most of them?" Serena asked, getting interested in spite herself at the conversation.

"Yeah there are a few Strigoi that had been captured by churches and temples in the past and have scars from it. Others were in fires, or somehow got blessed. And some Strigoi can rot." Molly said, shuddering slightly.

"Rot?" Serena asked, staring at Molly, horrified.

"Yeah, they can let part of their body kind of decay, you know like they would have decayed if they had stayed dead. And the rot can be unbelievable. The Strigoi I know that can do that can let her body parts rot really fast, so it's like been dead for years in only a few seconds. And the smell is just… Ugh." She said, shuddering slightly again.

"So how'd it happen to you if you didn't know that they were there, or a feeder? Were you a toy?"

Molly shook her head. "Actually, its stupid. I mean I guess I should have known. My boyfriend, Josh, he's a werewolf and I didn't know it. Well, apparently he didn't do what Nikolai had asked him to do, and turned me as a punishment to Josh." She shifted uncomfortably.

"You mean he took you against your will?"

"Kinda. I mean, he said that if I didn't do as he asked, he would kill Josh." Molly shrugged. Serena's hands balled into fists on her bedding. She felt so angry that she was tempted to send Raye down to do as she had teased earlier. Burn the Dance Hall down and hope that somehow Nikolai was inside. "Oh, don't be angry, Serena. It's actually been kinda cool. I mean, well the job actually kinda sucks. But I have a lot of friends there, and," she blushed slightly, "guys notice me."

"Guys noticed you before, Moll." Serena said, shaking her head. "Otherwise you wouldn't have been dating Josh."

"Well, that's true." Molly admitted. Then she grinned. "One of the feeders I had about a week ago asked me to marry him."

Serena felt her mouth fall open. "No way!"

Molly laughed. "I don't even know if I can get married. I mean, I would have to be married by a pastor wouldn't I. Would a pastor really be willing to do a wedding at night?" Serena giggled.

"That had to be embarrassing though." She said.

Molly nodded. "He got mad because I said no, I had a wonderful boyfriend already." She grinned wider. "He wanted to know all about Josh, I think he wanted to go beat him up or something. Then I told him that Josh was a werewolf. Boy, did he drop it fast!"

Serena laughed. "I guess that works."

"You haven't met Josh yet, but you would like him. He's really nice."

"He'd better be." Serena stated, sticking her nose in the air. "Otherwise he'd have the Princess of New Tokyo to answer to!"

Molly laughed as someone cleared their throat in Serena's doorway. Both Serena and Molly jumped. Darien smiled as he leaned against the door jam. "Sorry to interrupt your girl talk session, but it's a half hour to dawn, Molly." He said glancing at his watch.

"Oh great, now you're our father." Serena teased, surprising herself with her jovial mood. Molly giggled. Darien flashed Serena one of his best grins.

"God, I hope not!" He joked back. His face became serious. "Actually, I thought that the both of you would forget that Molly needs to be below when the sun comes up. I knew you guys would want to talk all through the day and well into tomorrow night, but I think it would be a little hazardous to Molly's health." Molly nodded and stood.

"Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow night, Serena."

Serena stood and impulsively hugged Molly. "Goodnight, Moll."

Molly stood still for a moment, surprised, then hugged Serena back. "Good day, Serena." She grinned and walked from the room.

"Rest well." Darien called to her after a moment's hesitation.

"Thanks." Molly called back.

Serena sat back on her bed and took a deep breath. She felt better talking to Molly than she had for a while. Her thoughts flicked to Lily, and she found herself wondering if Molly and Lily would have gotten along. She sighed, knowing that they were probably too much alike to actually be friends without fights. She knew that from experience. Everyone told Serena that she and Raye were too much alike for their own good.

Darien sat down next to Serena. "There were other attacks, Serena."

Serena looked up at him. "Huh?"

"Other than Lily. There were six other attacks. All of the people had their stomachs ripped open." Serena felt like she had been doused with cold water. She had forgotten that she was supposed to be working to avenge Lily's death with the monster that had killed her.

"Any clues?"

Darien shrugged. "We didn't see the murders, they were in the paper."

Serena sighed. "Well, there isn't anything we can do about it right now. We all need to get some sleep. I'm surprised Renee didn't know we got back yet."

Darien nodded. "Yeah. We need to talk about a plan when we all get up though."

"First we need to figure out what we're dealing with. I think the first plan is Research."

Darien stood and nodded again. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He kissed her forehead lightly, startling Serena. "Goodnight, Serena." He said as he walked out of the room.

"Goodnight, Darien." She whispered to the closed door.

AN: Feel free to read and review. Leave comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, etc if you wish. Also leave your emails so that if you do have a question, I can respond to it. I will not respond to flamers. All I ask, if you do have something to say against my writing, is that you word it politely.

AN: Thanks to Kamalchemy88, blue bull dog, moonqueen, and Princess Consuela Bananahammock.

To blue bull dog; I try to update once a week, but sometimes get distracted. Thanks.