My muses have been whispering in my ear these past few days and they tell me to post this chapter early. Thank you all for being so patient and awesome by reviewing. Sadly, this is the last chapter of Mystery Girl. If you need more of a fix, you can always read some of my other fics like my previous one- The Jinxed Journey, or my latest- Ski Bunny Blues. But since you're here, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Thanks To: chxpsticks, palikani, kireisnowtenshi, ladykagome1230, Sirenic Griffin, cardcaptor eternity, MoonBunny777, Usagi no Megami, Becx, Usagi-Tsukino-uf06 (hehe i liked your idea!), starrynightmoon (aww thanks!), Hiei's Ice Maiden, SailorButtons, Goddess –Princess-Serenity, crystalblue, Venus love-55, CharmedSerenity3, Ishq, ffgirlmoonie, PixiePam, SulliMike23 (funny… darien said something about smelling coffee a few chapters back ), xfilesoc (x2), CatMoonPrincess and twiggirl06 (my last update was 4 days ago oO;)

Title: Mystery Girl
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: PG 13
Chapter: 20- Oxygen

I walked back into the cafeteria and was greeted by Lucas.

"Hey Sere… I was just wondering if you'd want to come back to my place after school…" He drawled and placed a hand on my back side.

"You know what Lucas… since it's our 4 month anniversary today… I've got a special treat for you." I smiled.

"Oohh… what kind of special treat?" He winked.

"Just trust me." I pressed my body up against his while I blind folded him with my scarf.

"Oh Serena, I never took you as the kinky type."

"Let's go somewhere more… quiet.." I whispered softly in his ear and led him to the back oval where the baseball team was currently having their practice. I hushed the baseball team down while leading Lucas into the centre of the field. The boys will love this… he is after all, their captain. I reached down and unbuckled his belt, pulling his pants down to his ankles.

"Serena I've been dreaming of this moment since we started dating."

"Shhh…" I whispered, smiling to myself as I grabbed the closest baseball bat and in one swift movement, I used Lucas' balls to hit a home run. I watched with no remorse at all as he cried out in agony, rolling on the ground with his hands protectively over his groin. "You lying, cheating, bastard. I know what you did. I know you used me and I know you only wanted me for sex. Come near me ever again and I swear, you won't be as lucky." Now I would've loved to sit there and watch as my now ex boyfriend was wheeled away in an ambulance, but I had much better things to do with my time.

I walked up to Darien's front door holding another batch of freshly baked cookies. I hoped they would've served as some sort of peace treaty or leverage. After all, he did mention how much he liked my cookies. I think he was the only one who appreciated my cooking. At first, I thought he was just being nice, but after the 4th batch of cookies he willingly accepted, I was certain he really did like them.

Ding Dong

No answer. I was pretty sure he didn't have a shift at work this afternoon and his parents were still away in Honolulu.

Ding Dong

Still no response. I wondered if he was down at the beach again. I often caught him down there gazing in my general direction. Half the time I didn't know if he was looking at me or just the view. I figured it was the view since he didn't wave or anything.

Ding Dong

After the third attempt at the front door, I made my way to the back of the house to see if Darien was there. I walked around the side of the house and began to hear the distant sound of splashing. I continued to walk down the side of Darien's house towards the backyard where I noticed him swimming laps in his pool. Placing his tray of cookies down on the glass side table, I took a seat on a warm timber deck chair. The cool blue water parted around him as he swam a casual freestyle. His strokes were perfectly timed with his kicks. I could see the muscles in his arms, chest and legs stretching and flexing to propel him smoothly in the water, making him seem to glide effortlessly. He finished his lap and looked up at me, running a hand through his wet, jet back hair.

"How long have you been sitting there?" He asked and lifted himself out of the pool. I watched the water trickle down his arms and chest in awe. Why hadn't I noticed how well chiselled his body was before? Sure, I had seen him walking around his room wearing only his boxer shorts a number of times, but wow… did he look extra hot today or what?

"Not long now…" I managed and forced myself to look away as he leaned over to grab a towel and dry himself off. I felt the blood rush to my face as I blushed. "I uhh… I just came to apologize for the way I acted earlier… it was really immature."

"No, you were right. I didn't know what to do or say. It was my fault too."

"These are for you." I handed Darien his cookies and lowered my gaze to my lap, not wanting to look him in the eyes. It simply hurt too much. I don't know how he did it- how he could look at me every day, knowing he loved me and knowing I didn't feel the same way in return.

"Thank you." A small smile graced his features as he accepted the batch of choc chip cookies. "Serena… I've been thinking about it," He reached over and lifted up my chin to look into my eyes. "Now I know what I wanted to say, it's something I've wanted to tell you for a very long time."

"And what's that?" In that moment, my hand trembled in anticipation.

"I love you, Serena."

My heart soared upon hearing those very words I've been wanting to hear. My pulse began to beat rapidly in my ears. My breath caught in the back of my throat and I was completely speechless.

"But…" Darien's gaze hardened once more and my heart sank in my chest. I knew this wouldn't be good. "I don't know if I can be with you… I've been there for you all these months and every time I got close to you, I got my heart broken. I don't want that to happen." My eyes welled up with unshed tears. This wasn't the happy ending that I expected. For some reason, a part of me expected that everything would be ok in the end. That Darien and I would be happy together. I guess I was wrong.

"Serena, don't get me wrong, I do love you, and I still think you're wonderful. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met, but I just don't think I can stand getting my heart broken by you again.

"I understand…" I plastered a fake smile all over my face and stood up to leave. "Look… I'm going to the beach later tonight, at about 7:30, and I'll be making… quite a big bonfire. I- I don't want to be alone…"

"I'll be there." Darien gave me a reassuring smile. I nodded and slowly walked back home to wallow in my disappointment.

Darien's Point of View

I watched Serena leave her house at about 7, lagging around a few logs of firewood and piling them on to her kart. She carried a huge, stuffed backpack on her back and slowly made her way down to the beach. I packed a few blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate. Walking back upstairs, I was distracted by my 'shrine' that was plastered all over my corkboard. Pictures that we had taken together, notes that we wrote to each other in calculus or chemistry, mainly about how much perspiration Mr. Keith gave off during a class or how annoying Ms. Crest's voice was when she got excited. I even had a rose petal that had fallen off the bunch of roses I had given to Serena for Valentine's Day. I had little memento's like ticket stubs and restaurant receipts from when went out. I lifted up a photo of us that sat idly on my table near my computer screen. Serena had the most radiant smile. Her golden locks glimmered in the sunlight, giving the impression that she had a halo around her head, and there I was, staring at her lovingly.

Beep Beep Beep Beep

"7:30" I sighed and slung my backpack over my shoulders, making my way down towards the beach.

I slowly walked across the road to the beach and caught sight of Serena, gazing into the flames of her bonfire. Her knees were brought up to her chest and her eyes were closed. I placed my bag down on the sand and sat myself down beside her.

"Thanks for coming, Darien." She didn't bother opening her eyes as she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"How did you know it was me?"

"I know that sweet scent of roses and white musk mixed with your cologne anywhere." She sighed and sadly looked up into my eyes. I resisted the urge to lean in and kiss her. I wanted to make all the pain go away. I wanted to hold her and make her feel better. It then dawned upon me that I was the one causing all this pain. I mentally slapped myself at the realization that I had broken my own oath to never hurt Serena.

"So… what's this all about?" I nodded towards the bonfire and watched as Serena smiled and hopped up, moving towards her backpack. She brought it over and sat back down next to me, reaching in her bag and pulling out a piece of red fabric.

"Good bye sleazy boob tube!" She looked at it one last time before tossing it in the roaring flames of her bonfire. "I've come to realize that I was only an object of sexuality to him. I want nothing to do with him." She pulled out some photos she had taken of him and fed them to the fire. "I'm only lucky that I had you to protect me if anything bad would've happened. I knew you'd always be there for me, no matter what happened." She sighed throwing a dried out bouquet of dull flowers into the hungry flames.

"You know, in the language of flowers, purple carnations mean unreliability. Yellow ones mean disappointment and rejection." I added, not wanting to think about what Lucas could have done to Serena, given half the chance.

"Maybe I should've given them back to him." Serena gave a faint smile before turning to face me. "And what, pray tell, do twenty five red roses mean?" I sat and stared at the bonfire, a small smirk spread across my lips.

"It means extra shifts at the juice bar to replenish my tapped out bank account." She smiled and swatted at my arm playfully. I watched her slowly fuel the fire with possessions she no longer wanted- possessions that reminded her of him. She rubbed her hands together and crossed her arms which were visibly cold. Her cheeks were rosy and flustered by the heat of her bonfire. I reached for my backpack, pulled put one of the blankets and laid it out so we could sit on it. I ushered her to sit closer to me, and as she did, I wrapped the second blanket around her to keep her warm. She laid her head on my lap, looking up at the stars above us. I watched the reflection of the warm orange flames dance within her sparkling blue eyes.

"Would you like a cookie?" I offered and poured her a cup of cocoa.

"Sure. Are these the ones I baked earlier?" she smiled and I nodded. She took a cookie and examined it carefully before taking a bite. I laughed as her eyes widened in shock. "This is horrible!" She tossed the remains into the fire. "Why didn't you ever tell me they were disgusting?"

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings. And besides, they're not that bad… once you scrape off the burnt parts on the bottom and learn to ignore the occasional egg shell and glob of butter every now and then. They're actually quite tasty." I grinned and she laughed, attempting to hide the embarrassment painted across her cheeks. A moment of silence passed and she closed her eyes.

"Serena?" I asked, interrupting the silence. Her eyelids fluttered open as she looked up at me. "W-would you… I mean, do you… do you think that… umm… c-could we…"

She propped herself up on her elbows and I couldn't resist any more. I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers. I felt her gasp slightly but move closer. She gently slid her fingers across the back of my neck, sending chills up and down my spine. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me, my other hand finding hers as I held it over my heart. She reluctantly broke away from the kiss and looked down at her hand.

"I can feel your heart beating…" her eyes twinkled in the moonlight, "It's racing."

"That's what it does every time I think of you. Twenty five red roses symbolises the love I feel for you, each and every hour of the day, and then some." I watched her eyes light up as she smiled and leapt into my arms. "You're my oxygen. I need you. I love you, Serena. Be my girlfriend." It was more of a statement than a question. "I promise you, I'll try to make you happy every single day we're together. I know I can't promise that I'll never hurt you, but I will promise that I'll be there for you to try and make it better."

She looked up at me with a questioning gaze. She searched deep within my eyes as if to ask if what she had heard was real, questioning whether her ears had deceived her. Her cheeks turned from a pale pink hue to a brighter crimson colour. She bit her lip nervously and I felt my heartbeat start to pound, faster and faster. I was hoping she wouldn't let me down again. If she did I'd probably feed myself to the bonfire as a sacrifice to the pyro gods. I could see it now, my hair singed, my limbs burnt to a crisp. Blue eyes crying out in total, utter agony. I'd kind of look like Anakin at the end of Star Wars: Episode III but the pain and agony would definitely not measure up to the pain in my heart. I'm actually starting to wonder if I'm an emo kid now…

She didn't let me down though. Her indecisive look gave way to a look of certainty as she slowly nodded her head. I let out a sigh of relief and grinned broadly at her answer. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight, threatening to never let go. She looked into my eyes and our lips met once again. Finally... I had earned the heart of the one girl I've ever truly loved. Finally, I have my beach angel in my arms and her love for me, is no longer a mystery.

As one tale of the trials and tribulations of love ends, another semi-begins. I hope you all enjoyed that! I GUARANTEE- if you liked Mystery Girl then you'll like my latest story- Ski Bunny Blues. So why not check that out? Thanks for reading and supporting Mystery Girl. You've all been so wonderful but don't stop now. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Read & Review! 'Til next time…

Crystal Saturn