She remembered pleasant dreams. The soft touch of candied clouds, and the feel of being spun endlessly ghosted through her as the morning sunlight warmed her face. Serena blinked several times and focused her bleary eyes on the waving branches outside her window. The tree was swaying gently in the breeze, and behind it, the tufts of billowing clouds painted the horizon.

She sat up slowly, and beside her, Lita groaned sleepily. Serena glanced around the room and reached up to wipe at her eyes gently. The house was quiet. Luna lay across the bottom of the bed purring deeply. Outside, the birds trilled and sang. It was so oddly peaceful.

She moved to get up, and the blankets pulled away from Lita's shoulder to reveal her loose yellow hoodie. The sight surprised her enough to tug the blankets back even further. Lita's baseball cap tumbled free around loose brown curls. She was still wearing her shorts from the day before.

Serena grabbed her phone quickly, and moved into the bathroom where she would have time to process what her eyes were telling her. Lita had come over yesterday, but it was too difficult to remember why. The moment her fingers brushed across the screen, her text icon exploded in red numbers. When she touched it, only one name came up unread.

There was nothing like getting angry texts from an ex. It was something else entirely to be listed in the hundreds. Completely bewildered and confused, all Serena could do was sink onto the cold bathroom tiles and thumb through the endless barrage of accusations and loathing. It induced a numbness to her mind and chest that made his words harmless, no matter how hateful.

"Rena? I'm supposed to tell you to go to Darien's!" Lita hollered on her way by. "I gotta get going, sorry! Good luck!"

She trekked across town on her own. There was no point calling one of the girls for backup; likely he didn't have anything good to say about her. She felt sure the others would just chime in their own irritations when he ran out.

The night before was a blur. For a moment, she remembered seeing Rini; the sight must have been something from a nightmare. There was warm food and spices, and a dream she couldn't put her finger on. It haunted her. Any moment she could find reprieve from the dream, the dread of a visit to her ex seemed to loom like a falling axe.

The apartment stairs stretched upward eight stories. Something about the dimly lit stairwell brought to mind a memory of the arcade the day before. There was something sinister lurking in the shadows, and all her mind would play was the woodcutting print of bodies impaled on massive spikes. There were moments when the bland white tile shifted into hand-carved stone, when the blast of air conditioning felt like snow and wind. It slowed her steps further, and made her reach for a torch that didn't exist. The visions brought with them a crushing numbness, and beneath that, despair.

The hallway was still spattered with broken wood when she slowed to a stop just feet from his front door. Further down, a resident was hastily unlocking his door and scurrying inside, as if he'd already met with Darien's wrath and didn't want to stick around for second helping. She winced inwardly. After the things he'd said over text, she could only imagine what the other person had been in for.

Her hand pressed against the wall gently to keep herself upright. She felt she'd missed something important about the day before. In her mind's eye, she could see a different version of Darien smiling back at her. Something about his face gave her the impression it had changed very little, and she had seen it so many ways.

"You run right to him?" The hard voice felt like steel spikes in her ears, so full of accusation and hate that it stole what was left of her courage. "Come here." Darien snatched her hand and hauled the tiny blond into the apartment. The shattered door continued across the carpeting. Amy knelt beside the couch with concern and horror edging her soft blue eyes.

Without meaning to or wanting to, Serena couldn't help but look at the tiny girl plastered across the cushions. With a flash of memory, she could see them both screaming at each other across the entryway. Now, Rini's skin was grayed and sullen. Her soft, sugary pink hair was beaded with sweat. Her uniform looked strangely three dimensional next to the flat colors of her skin. It was almost like she was melting away beneath the clothes.

"Look at her. Look!" he snapped, the fingers digging into her shoulders just enough to be uncomfortable. Darien shoved Serena closer. Each hand on her shoulder felt like a vice, but it was nothing compared to the twist in her gut. Her eyes shuttered and began to twitch warmly. How could she look again? How could she face that poor girl knowing their last words had been screaming at each other?

"I know!" Serena whimpered. She should have known the trespass wasn't nearly as offensive as Rini's condition, but somehow she'd thought for sure he'd want to talk about them breaking down the door first. It was stupid of her. Of course Rini meant more to him. She meant more to him than anyone. The thought stung even worse. If Serena were the one melting into the couch, he probably wouldn't have bat an eye.

How had he not been the one to do so? What was more important to him than Rini?

"Do you know her?" The question caught Serena off guard enough to blink. Sunlight had returned flecks of color to Rini's face, and the lines of her hands seemed more real. Still, she was hardly more than a doll. Serena wasn't sure what he meant. Curious now, she traced the familiar line of Rini's heart-shaped face, the delicate upturned nose and thick lashes.

"It's just Rini," Serena breathed. The child was sweating heavily, and barely breathing beneath the charcoal blanket. Amy had spread probes across the young face and sat staring idly at her screen. It was obvious she hadn't gathered much information.

"Look harder." He shoved at her shoulder, trying to angle her so all she could see was the child. Serena struggled to keep her balance, but he was so angry. She could feel it boiling just beneath his skin. "I said…"

"Darien, stop. She doesn't have a paternity test stashed behind her eyes." Amy cut in, retracting her visor. The icy blue eyes rose with heartbreak and loss. Her computer snapped shut as she stood and removed the wires one by one.

"This is not petrified, okay? We've seen that one before, and," Serena stammered. Darien's fingers dug into her collar the slightest bit harder, enough that she couldn't help but gasp and cut herself short.

"Paternity designates who the parents are." Darien's hard voice felt like a shovel to the face. The blond recoiled. Her shoulders burned and ached beneath his claw-like hands, but it was nothing compared to the hatred burning in her ears. She blinked back the tears, forcing her eyes down and away.

Right. Just more proof she was an idiot. Just one more reason he was probably overjoyed to be free of her.

"Let go. Now." Amy's usually quiet voice took on a deadly chill. Serena shivered in the wake of it, though for fear of her friend or the sudden coldness in her chest, she couldn't tell. His hand finally released her shoulder long enough for her to stumble a few steps away. She was shaking.

He'd sounded like this once. When the cold darkness was thick, and the light hardly more than the cast of demon shade. She could still remember the shards in his gaze, his hard stone eyes that could have pierced her without weapons . The memories of the Dark Kingdom hid beneath a veil of death, yet it was thin enough she could still feel that hate ready to pummel through her body in shards of black crystal. She remembered the shadow of his black sword hurtled toward her chest, driven by fiery rage.

He'd never hurt her until then. Until now.

Amy came forward to inspect the arm without another word. Her face was cold, unresponsive, but the touch gentle. Serena forced herself to stare down, not to look at him, not to see what was happening on the couch, not to care if her arm had somehow twisted completely off. Stop. Stop thinking of him, stop remembering him for one whole minute! There were other things to consider! Rini was dying! Why couldn't she make her stupid brain see anything else?

"Don't try that again." The guardian of Mercury leveled a glare at him from beside her friend. Serena wanted to scream, it wasn't his fault! It wasn't his problem she was too weak and stupid and broken that a simple touch could remind her….

She was shaking uncontrollably now, clenching her eyes shut so she could somehow force the memories further away.

"Sorry. I'm sorry, just stress," his voice came closer as he spoke, and she felt herself recoil away from him again. The room fell silent at her move. Her heart was thundering, breath clenching in and out of her body too tight. Any moment now, she felt he would draw his sword again and pin her raging organs to the floor.

Amy's cool hand settled on her arm; it was a move that made her want to run away and never be seen again. Instead, she forced her eyes open again to see the bluenette with concern in her eyes, to see the texture of terra cotta walls and black furniture. This was here and now, not the Dark Kingdom. And though Darien was too polite to finally finish her off, it didn't mean she was stuck like this forever.

"I don't expect you to know that, Serena. We just needed to know if you were aware of who she was." Amy smiled softly, as reassuringly as could be done given the circumstances. Still, there was expectation in her eyes.

"She was." Darien snapped coldly, nodding toward the tiny girl on his couch. His anger had cooled now to that terrifying sub-freezing temperature she'd only seen once before. He'd spoken like that to Beryl so long ago. Funny how easily the tone could be leveled at her. As if Serena had never meant a thing to him.

Rini did, though. That was the real reason for it all, wasn't it? The same reason she'd gone away empty handed yesterday afternoon, the only reason she'd ever come over in the first place. It all came down to Rini, and the sugar-haired girl was dying. It was strange; just a feeling that stole over her in the moment. Once Rini was gone, Darien would have no reason to stick around. He would be free.

Serena didn't know to laugh or cry. The crumbling combination of nerves and horror and sorrow boiling together in her chest made both a very real possibility.

"She's yours, damnit! Don't you care at all? You're one cold bitch!" Darien snapped finally, and the jolt made the tears finally win out over everything else. They plastered her cheeks and pelted the top of her shirt, dribbling to the floor with hardly a break between droplets. She coughed, startled by the sudden yank in her chest that could have been a reaction to his words, but really felt like a ghost hand clenching around her heart.

"Darien, stop it!" Amy retaliated, and it seemed her arms closed around Serena protectively. It didn't matter, because they were all dolls, and this wasn't reality, and the world would turn aside, and leave them all sitting in the bottom of a toy box any moment. She was shuddering. It was so cold now, nearly unbearable. It was okay, because she knew she couldn't really feel it. All this was a dream, and she'd wake soon, alone and quiet. It would all be over soon.

"She's in shock, Darien! Back off!"

The quiet voice was so sharp. The sudden blast of icy air licked around her shoulders. Pink hair curled around the arm rest in little ringlets that caught the sunlight. Just like hers did.

Any moment now, a giant hand would close around her middle, and she'd be escorted from the apartment in hop-strides that should have made her legs move. Any minute now, the walls would melt away in acid, her teeth would fall out, her hair burn away, and nothing but the raging emptiness would howl around her. Nothing but nothing.

"Her dad," Serena gulped, frigidly wondering how her mind could possibly move in a hollow head. "He's gone, isn't he?"

The room felt quiet again, though it must have been otherwise before. It was so strange not being connected to this reality, feeling as if it were all a play being acted out. She's said something, now, something that made the others stop fighting. What was it? Why couldn't she just think!

"We never knew who it was. Rini wouldn't say." The genius offered finally, pulling Serena's face up to make eye contact. Serena couldn't force her eyes to be still. "Focus for me, okay? She needs a blanket,"

"She needs to grow up," Darien snapped immediately. Serena felt his eyes boring into the side of her skull.

"She's so little, though. Just a kid," Serena mumbled incoherently, still trying to make sense of what they were saying. Rini seemed…too small, too big…too something…she couldn't be related. Not like that, anyway. It was impossible.

"Maybe if she cared as much about her kid as she did that psychopath," Darien growled from one side.

"Not the issue right now," Amy snapped back.

"It's not right. Breaking in here while Rini's…" Darien continued, and the words hit Serena's skull with the force of a thousand atomic bombs.

She remembered. Their meal with burning candles, the hoplessness of his story. She could feel his emptiness and loneliness burning on her skin. He'd been so kind. His words had filled her with deep fear. Not for a life cut short; only for an existence of longing that would stretch across millennia. The way he held her hand, the way he looked at her; it was all a symptom of the madness she'd inflicted. All those souls staked in the hot sun, all those lifeless bodies falling to the ground, it had all been caused by her.

"Jealousy doesn't," Amy began, but Serena couldn't bear it anymore.

"Gotta have something worth being jealous of," she breathed without any hint of fire. The two quieted their bickering instantly. Serena didn't bother trying to look Darien in the face. There was no point trying to reach for some better part of him that would be willing to listen to her. Instead, she stared at his shoes, and pretended she could say the words to herself. "You better say goodbye. She always liked you better."

.

.

…

The hours passed. The sun began to set. Serena sat on the edge of the deck, staring out over the temple grounds without a thought in her head. It had been a long, unproductive day. The scouts were still inside, pouring over every possible scenario, every single possibility. It wouldn't matter.

Rini was dying. It was Serena's fault.

The truth was, she couldn't bear it. The idea that anyone but Darien would touch her made her skin crawl. Even now, even knowing he hated her, she was just that weak. Just that pathetic. The girl shuddered even thinking about it. The girls had even gone so far as to catalogue every pink-haired guy they knew in the hopes of chasing him down. Not that it mattered.

What would they even say? We have this kid who's dying, and a friend that desperately needs to get knocked up?

Serena snorted. Gods, he'd take one look and puke. They'd have to drug the poor bastard to even have a shot.

She shivered. Never. She'd never force someone into this life like that. She'd never just expect them to give it all up just to be disappointed in the end. Obviously, the guy hadn't bothered to stick around, or take care of his own kid. Score one for her terrible choice in men.

"You seem pensive." The dark, roiling voice smoothed through the dim twilight. The accent had become more familiar throughout the day. In her mind, they had spoken for hours together. She blinked, wiping at the dried tears on her cheeks. He'd traded his usual black suit for blue. The night was still, though it still seemed he could create that strange aura of movement around him.

"Rini is dying." She must have said it a million times by now. It felt like sounds, though, no real meaning. That same numbness was stealing over her. When he'd begun to tell their story two nights ago, this same feeling had seeped into her brain. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

"The child?" Vlad mused quietly, moving across the grass to stand before her. "Who is she to you?"

It was tempting to go over the past few months in detail, maybe explain everything about the complicated relationship. There had been so many opportunities to get to know her, spend real time with her. It was easy to say now, when there was no time left. It was exhausting just thinking about it. There was too much, and Vlad probably had better things to do that worry about Serena's guilt trips.

"My daughter…apparently…."

The words brought a moment of silence from her companion before he knelt in the grass. The second his face came into view, she felt slap of anger and resentment at herself. How could she have allowed this to happen? How could anyone make her feel the way this man did? It didn't even matter which lifetime it was, every stupid time she'd fall for it. Still? Still, someday she'd fall into bed with some pink-haired, cinnamon-eyed guy even though she knew it wouldn't compare? She felt like such a slut.

"That is not possible." The dark midnight eyes searched her face, his fingers slid across one hand imploringly. The tone was soft and quiet. Maybe he knew, then. Maybe she'd done this before. Maybe that was how he lost his mind, what had driven him to kill in the first place.

The thought was pathetic in retrospect. It wasn't like she'd ever have that much of an effect on him.

His soft hands pressed her bangs away tenderly and tugged the stray hair from her face. His eyes were so strange. There was so much familiarity with his kindness, but also a feel of something more. Maybe it was the madness she was looking for-the same kind Darien had shown earlier today at his apartment. Strange that she had never seen a hint of it in Vlad's eyes. Despite the whispered memories, the sudden chilling fear that slunk through her bones at the touch of another world, it seemed Darien displayed more mental instability. Wasn't the older version meant to be the crazy one?

"Little one, we have never in all our years had a child," Vlad whispered kindly.

The sudden numbness stealing over her limbs may have once been shock or horror. It bled together with the rest of the tragedy, so tired and worn through she felt as if it was nothing more than rags. That crushing sense of defeat so apparent in Darien's apartment, the feeling that something more had been kept from the story, it all came down to this.

Rini was dying. The one chance she may have had for a normal life –even if it would be with some unknown stranger far into the future-was fading with her. The father was gone or worse, and the mother close to death. Her. The Black Moon Clan had come from there, hunting Rini like a dog. The future was a bleak and exhausting as the present. The hollowness suckled at her bones.

Serena was surprised when the wind blew cold on her face, and Vlad stole a tear from her cheek. What was there to be sad about again? Wasn't it always like this? The dazed blue eyes focused again on the face before her, detachedly wondering why he seemed so sad.

It would have been better if they'd never met. This poor, lost soul had spent centuries watching over her as if his love was something more than madness or desperation. Had they never met, he could have lived his life and passed, never to be bothered with her. It's what Darien would have wanted: a chance to live his life and pursue his dream to be a doctor. She knew the others would have been happier, too, had she never existed. The Dark Kingdom never would have come, Beryl wouldn't have turned evil. Strange how the summation of everything that had gone wrong could be centered in one human.

What had Darien called her? A cold bitch? It seemed like he was giving her too much credit.

"Vlad," she paused, focusing again on the preternatural gaze before her. The soft fingers stilled on her cheek. His eyes were kind again, gentle and filled with longing. Would it be too much to ask? Was he capable of giving her the one thing that would make all of this pain disappear? She licked at her lips nervously, the sudden fear leaking through the numbness like a wraith. "Take me with you."

She gripped his hand carefully against her face, hoping the tears would drain away for the last time. His skin was cool and dry, so unlike her marshy, tear-warmed flesh. Maybe a few centuries of soul searching would do her some good, too. Maybe with time, she could forget all that Serena had ever been. She shuddered away from the surprised happiness stealing across his face, because Darien had never looked at her like that. Not even after the doom tree, when her whole being felt crushed beneath multiple attacks. He'd been…placid. Uncaring.

She stood, dropping his hand and wrapping both arms around herself. Even the summer air felt like ice. The manicured trees held shadows of a deep, terrifying forest. Somewhere, maybe in her mind, a wolf cried from miles away. The hollow, lonely sound burned in time with her soul. Maybe that's why the trees seemed so close; why the wind felt like ghost fingers pulling at her hair.

"Serena," Vlad whispered, in his strange, beautiful accent. She wanted it to be real. No matter how stupid it was to believe, she just wanted to pretend that they were possible. Just once. What she wouldn't give to go back to that time on the moon, when Endymion was a childish dream without end. She buried a sob with her fist, biting the flesh of her fingers till there was nothing but white hot pain. It was a lie, and damn it, she didn't care!

"Shh, little one…." The muscled arms were a fever dream of the past drawing around her until there was nothing but him. Unlike the spicy scent of Darien, this version seemed wilder. The smell of trees and snow permeated the air until it seemed they stood together at the top of a mountain. Alone. Happy, even for a little, even if a lie.

"Make me her again," she muttered finally, knowing there was only one way to fix this. Serena was a mistake, but maybe as this past princess, they could somehow make it work. "Please? Just erase everything but her."

She couldn't tell if her begging was meant for the future or now. Someday, she knew he would turn on her too. Someday she'd be doomed to an eternity of this. It was too much. There wasn't much left to hold on to, what little she had was staring her in the face, eyes wide and burdened with something dark and foreboding.

"Serena…" Vlad urged.

"Just do it!" she snapped, hands shaking. He was silent as the quiet sobs finally began to break free. Though no words were spoken, she was carefully gathered against his chest and held while she cried. The noise from inside smothered the sound. It couldn't hush the terrible yawning scream aching to break free of her chest. On some level, she knew she was giving up everything she'd ever wanted or cared about. Considering the past few days, though, she'd never get any of it anyway.

When the crying had subsided, Vlad stood back and offered her a hand. She didn't think twice before taking it and following into the trees. The others chatted on behind her, completely oblivious of the fact that this nightmare was about to come to an end. With any luck, she'd be gone, and every freakish bad guy out there could just take a flying leap, because she was done.

The pair wandered out to the cherry trees coated in shadow and moonlight. Fireflies burned holes in the night around them and the crows screamed from above. She sniffled, wiping at the tears in frustration, hoping she'd never have to feel like this again. Darien didn't love her. Endymion never had. The only time he cared was when he was crazy and out for blood. She shuddered, clenching both eyes tightly closed.

"You'll make me happy, right?" she sniffed childishly, hating how pathetic she sounded. She was asking for the impossible. She knew that. "You'll do your best?"

He said nothing. Despite the kindness in his gaze, there was something more, something dark growing in the depths of his eyes. Perhaps she should have felt some fear, watching his face twist and change, the tilt of his mouth sharpen to glittering daggers. There was nothing left, though, nothing but despair. Vlad bent, his fingers pulling her face to the side until cool breath slid along her neck.

.

.

….

Inside, Darien stared thoughtfully at his hands, wondering why he'd seemed so desperate just moments before. The residual weight pressed against his legs without meaning, and faded with time.

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.

AN

So... I haven't posted this because I was hoping to have some publishing news. Turns out I'm just spineless and a terrible author. Nothing yet. I don't think I'll be back to writing fanfic. It's really lost it's shine for me, unfortunately. But who knows? The Future is always unknown. I do love you guys. I still get your messages and reviews, and I'm so glad for that. Just turns out after years of surgeries and not walking that it's going to take a while for me to find my passion again. Sorry.

Special thanks for slightlyxjaded, who does all my final editing. I haven't looked at this in a while, and it's been up on my facebook account for about two years now. i just haven't had the desire to post it yet. Hope you enjoy.