Chapter Eighteen

Abduction

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

At the sound of the gunshot, Serena dove into a grove of bushes next to her. The sounds of running feet and screams filled the air as she tried to listen to hear if the shooter was coming after her. After a few minutes, the sounds of the other people receded and Serena found herself wondering where Darien was. Finally, she stood to make out where everything was and looked straight into the face of a young man.

He couldn't have been more than twenty. He looked more like a doll than anything else, with bright blue eyes, sandy blond hair and a Ken-doll build. But the look in his eyes was not the look you would expect in a kid's face. She stared into those dead eyes and for a moment wondered if he could kill her. He raised the gun, aiming it directly at her chest. A small smile played on his mouth.

Suddenly there was a blur of movement, and the man was gone. Serena turned to see Darien, bleed seeping down the side of his cheek, wrestling with the kid, trying to get the gun away. The gun exploded in their hands, and for a moment, Serena thought that Darien had been shot. The struggling ceased.

Slowly, Darien got to his feet, rubbing his jaw. A bloody lip, and the cut cheek were all that marred his face. The young man was staring blankly at the sky, as if waiting for something. But Serena knew that he would never see anything. She touched Darien's arm, and realized that she was shaking. She stared at her fingers as they trembled, trying to figure out why she was shaking.

Darien's touch brought her out of her thoughts. "Are you alright?" He asked, gently wrapping her shaking hand in his. She nodded mutely, staring at the body.

"They really want me dead."

"I guess so."

"If he knew where I was, why didn't he shoot me from a distance?"

"Because he wanted you to see him." A cool voice said from behind them. Serena knew who it was before they turned to face her. Cat peered down at the body then glanced up at Darien. "He was a rookie. But you did good to not be shot." She studied him for a moment, and then looked at Serena. "I don't advise you to leave the palace again."

"I can't just sit there. Molly was right, I'm too active for my own good, I don't have a pattern. If I stay there-."

"You will have your friends to protect you. And besides. Apparently this one," she waved her hand at the corpse, "figured out you would be here."

"How?" Serena asked. Cat shrugged.

"Have no clue. Could have been psychic. They can be really good or really bad. The really good ones make getting a contract a real pain in the ass." Cat stated with a frown.

"How long do you have to protect me?"

"Until, as you say, the bad guys go away."

"Can't you find out who sent the contract?" Darien asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Working on it." Cat stated glancing at him.

"Work harder." He growled. She blinked but said nothing else as the cops finally showed up.

They spent two hours talking to the cops. Darien and the others had been separated and asked several questions over and over again. One of the officers, a portly-teddy bear fellow seemed particularly interested in what Serena was doing at the time that the guy attacked them. Darien could tell that he wanted to put Serena in jail, from the way he acted, and couldn't help wondering if there was a big bonus in it if the officer did. He almost did. He threatened Serena for about ten minutes, his voice rising with every threat, until another officer stepped in and told the heavy-set officer to get coffee. As he passed Darien on the way to the coffee stand, Darien read his nametag 'Bentley'.

Most of the questions were the same, just worded differently. After they were done and talked for a few minutes amongst themselves, they concluded that it was self-defense, though Darien thought he heard Officer Bentley stating that she was a criminal and needed to be put away. They also decided that the Princess of New Tokyo was in danger, and wanted to put her in a safe house. Serena, of course, argued the point. She knew she was in danger, but she didn't want to leave the palace. Darien wondered if cops could arrest someone for not going to a safe house, but quickly found out that they couldn't, as one cop tried to do just that and the others reminded him that it was against the law. Cat had pretty much been turned into a unexpected witness. Apparently, she didn't want them to know that she was a bounty hunter and had been contracted to guard Serena. The cops finally decided to let them go with a few rather dire warnings.

Once they got away from the scene of the crime, Serena fell into a silence again. Darien felt uncomfortable with both her and Cat in the car so didn't bother trying to get her to talk. As they pulled into the driveway that led into the palace, Darien watched as Mina, Lita, Raye and Amy filed out the main entrance. He stopped his car as Raye leapt into the driveway, her arms thrown open as if she was going to stop his car like a tree. That was when he noticed that their faces were pale and drawn. He started to open his door to find out what was going on when Lita leaned against it, waiting for him to open his window.

"You don't want to get out of your car yet." She said crisply. "Renee is gone."

"What?" Darien asked, feeling like his heart had stopped and dropped into his stomach. "How do you know? Maybe she's at Hotaru's." He said, trying to reason with himself.

"She was supposed to meet Hotaru, actually. She never showed up. Hotaru called Ikuko to find out if she was sick, Ikuko didn't know where she was. She ended up calling us to see if Renee came here." Lita stated calmly. "We have to find her."

Darien turned to see Serena's reaction, but she looked calmly back at the girls. "Anyone check the parks yet?"

"Hotaru and your mom are starting to check them. Amy and I are going to check the school and her classmate's houses; Raye and Mina are going to check the malls. If you guys could just cruise the streets?" Lita replied to Serena. Serena nodded, looking unconcerned.

Darien also nodded and reversed his car. "Aren't you worried?"

"Hmm?" Serena asked. "Renee has vanished on us innumerable times. No doubt she's goofing off with a friend somewhere. She probably just forgot that she was supposed to meet Hotaru."

Darien shook his head. "You're not the least bit worried that maybe she was attacked by Chad and his pack?"

Serena turned toward him from her perusal of the streets they passed. "Yes, I am. But I am not going to overreact about it, panicking wont help us find her, will it." She turned back to the window as Darien stared at her shocked.

"The road." Cat stated, tapping his shoulder.

They searched for several hours for Renee. It was starting to get dark and Serena found herself fighting panic. She had been showing Darien and the others a calm front, much to their surprise, but inside she felt like a cold hand was clenching over her heart. She didn't want to think about the fact that Renee might be in the hands of one of the various creatures that seemed to want her, but she knew, somehow, she knew they had her. But which creature?

She shifted in her seat and looked at Darien, who looked ragged with worry. "We need to speak to Andrew, he said he would help us." She stated. Darien glanced at her, frowning.

"Are you sure that that is a good idea?" He asked. She nodded.

"I think Chad and his renegades have her. We need to get her back."

Darien sighed and nodded. "Alright." He cut several cars off to get into a turning lane then made his way to Andrew's apartment.

Serena climbed slowly from the car, feeling slightly stiff. Cat climbed out behind her and looked around. "Armed?" Serena asked looking at the dark-haired girl.

She nodded, "Always, you?"

Serena shook her head. "Not used to going into battle situations." Cat flashed her a devious grin.

"Thought as much." She lifted her shirt, flashing a pale expanse of flat stomach, and pulled a small gun from the waist-ban of her jeans. "Don't worry," she said noticing Serena's look, "I have plenty more."

"What happened to you, to make you this way, so young?" Serena asked, for a moment forgetting her worry about Renee. The girl stared at her. Then the innocent look was gone and before Serena stood a noble woman, her face still had innocence, but the energy around her felt amazingly ancient. Even the way she stood had changed, she seemed to straighten and grow taller. Serena felt like she was looking up, even though she was still looking slightly down to meet the girl's eyes.

"I don't believe that now is the time to discuss it." Cat said softly. Then the strange feeling Serena was getting off of her, was gone. It was as if what Serena had sensed, seen, and felt, had been a hallucination. She stared at Cat until she realized her mouth was open.

"Riiiiight." She said turning to face Darien. He was staring at the both of them as if they had done something extremely interesting.

"Let's see if Andrew is home." He sounded almost as if he wanted to be anywhere else in the world. And for a moment, Serena couldn't understand why. But then it hit her, Andrew had lied to Darien. Guess friendship ain't what its cracked up to be. Serena thought with a sigh.

"Lead the way." Cat stated cheerfully. Serena wondered whether that was Cat's idea of a hobby; asking for help from a pack of werewolves to rescue a little girl from another pack that seemed to like killing. Nah, Serena thought as Darien led the way up the stairs.

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.