Sweet Destiny 
By: Jessica M. Moonflower & KTstarShot
Chapter 1
Rated: PG-13

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply! 

AN: We're so glad the prologue had such
a positive response, and you can thank Mae
for writing it so beautifully! So please don't
be afraid to review our fic! Reviews are good! ^.^

Mae: Yep, yep! We had Chapter 1 all planned
out, didn't we Jess?

Jess: Right! At least I finally got it out!

Mae: ::glares:: It's about time! ::tackles::

Jess: Gomen? ^_^;;;


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	Pools of white light bathed the dark streets 
of the night in an eerie glow. The sounds of heavy 
footsteps pounding against the pavement echoed 
throughout the quiet and deserted neighborhood. 
Darien's movements were swift and graceful like
a fox's and his senses heightened to the max like
a wolf on the prowl. 

	He felt the adrenaline course through his 
veins and his heart race in anticipation. He hadn't
broke out in a sweat since he left the office and didn't
feel his body tire out easily. The run was invigorating
and it excited him. It allowed him to free his mind
and feel the wind comb through his tousled hair. 

	His feet picked up speed as he thought about the 
woman who lived at the address scrawled on the scrap 
of paper he held in his hand. He wanted to confront the 
woman from the ball once and for all. He wanted her to 
feel his wrath and fear him as he snaked his hands 
around her pretty white neck and strangled her!      

	He unconsciously clenched the tiny paper within
his fist, his rage consuming him. Damn her! Damn her
to hell for screwing up his life! His life was just fine and
normal before he met that cursed woman! Now look at 
him! He was now one of those so-called 'creatures of
the night' who preyed on innocent humans for blood.
It was despicable and a life he was forced to live. He 
might have ended his life years earlier had he not forced
himself to live for one purpose alone--to find that woman.
He had already devoted his whole life for this purpose 
and there was no way in hell he was going to give up on 
it now. He would have his revenge. One way or another, she 
was going to pay dearly for messing up his life. He would 
make sure of it!

	He turned a corner and eased his fast pace run
into a slow jog. He eyed the row of houses, and started 
scanning all the numbers by the door. His sharp vision 
made it easy for him to read the numbers clearly in the
dark. He stopped in front of one and double checked the 
paper to see if the numbers matched. A slow smile 
graced his lips as he folded the paper neatly and placed 
it in his coat pocket.

	He ascended the small steps in confident strides, 
the heels of his shiny black shoes clicking with each step 
he took. He pressed the doorbell button and waited patiently 
for someone to answer. This woman had no idea that death 
was literally upon her doorstep, and he was here to make 
sure that she would never again make someone else live
a miserable existence.

	The door swung open, and Darien's face fell when
his dark gaze fell upon the person standing behind it. A
woman about seventy-years old was dressed in a ratty
cotton cloth robe with tiny wired framed glasses perched
on the bridge of her nose. She eyed Darien suspiciously,
and pushed her slipping glasses higher on her nose.

	"May I help you, young man?" she inquired, her voice
cracking and squeaking in a high pitched tone when she 
spoke.

	Darien winced at the sound of her voice and gave
her a weak smile. This couldn't be right! Did he have the
wrong address?! No, he checked it before he rang the bell.
Maybe she lived here with the old woman? It could be 
possible. One thing is for sure, this old woman was not
the blonde maiden he danced with several hundred years 
ago.

	The old woman tapped her slippered foot 
impatiently, clearly annoyed by the man who had 
disrupted her from watching her favorite television 
program in peace. 

	"Well, what do you want, sonny? I don't have all
night!" she barked.

	"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but do you by any
chance have anyone else living here with you?"

	She glared at him and put her hands on her hips,
her lips set in a tight thin line.

	"You listen to me, sonny, and you listen well. What's 
the big idea barging in on an old lady's home at two o'clock 
in the morning, huh?! I lived here all my life and I don't need 
no smart mouth pretty boy poking his business on my 
property! If you excuse me, I'd like to get back to my television 
show without you bothering me!" She stuck her nose in the 
air and without warning slammed the door in his face.

	Darien trudged down the steps and started for 
home. He was right back where he started--no where.
Why was he always so close yet so far away? She was
unattainable and hard to grasp. Every time he got some
sort of clue or lead it always ended up being a dead end.
He was angry, tired, and frustrated. He refused to give up
on what seemed like a fruitless search for a woman 
whose face he couldn't identify or remember. 

	His dreams always led back to her and that night
when he first met and danced with her. She was a beautiful 
and enchanting young woman. All the women at the ball 
couldn't compare to her. She drew him to her like a bee
was attracted to honey, and he felt himself fall hard and 
fast for someone he barely even knew. And just when his 
dreams were this close in revealing the identity of the 
woman, he'd wake up before he had the chance to finish 
the dream. It happened like that every night. God, was this 
woman going to push him to the brink of insanity?

	He continued to walk without paying careful attention
to where he was going, letting his feet do the guiding for
him. It was a bad idea for he collided with another person,
sending both of them careening to the floor. He snapped
out of his stupor to see books strewn all over the ground
and a blond head of hair rushing to gather the books 
together.

	"I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you." He began
picking up the other books and setting them aside in 
a pile.

	"It's quite all right. I wasn't watching where I was
going," the figure softly replied, straightening up with
the books she had in her arms.

	Darien rose with her to hand his pile over to her
when his breath was caught in his throat. The person he
had bumped into was--beautiful. Her blond hair was
slightly disheveled from their impact, and let loose some
stray tendrils that framed her heart shaped face. She had
skin as white as fresh fallen snow, and pouty lips that were
painted red. Her blue eyes were captivating and looked
like a pair of perfectly cut sapphire stones. 

	She took the books from him and gave him a small
smile while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

	"Well, thank you for helping me pick up my books.
I guess I better get going."

	Darien panicked. He didn't want to leave without
knowing her name and maybe getting her phone number
in the process. He had to think of something--anything!
He felt a drop of water hit his head followed by another
then another until the sky was pouring with rain. He thanked 
his lucky stars for such a break, and ran to the beautiful 
young woman who was trying her best to shield her books 
from the rain.

	"I'm sorry, miss, I couldn't help but notice that
you seem to be in quite a bad predicament," he casually 
said, giving her a kind smile.

	"I can't believe it's raining! Just my luck, right? 
This entire day has not gone well for me at all."

	"If you don't mind, I could walk you home while
shielding you from the rain with my jacket."

	She gave him a funny look and shook her head.

	"Honestly, kind sir, you can't be serious. What
about you? You'll be drenched."

	"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You, on the
other hand, don't seem to want to have those books
you're carrying drenched and ruined by the rain."

	She glanced at the books in her arms with a
look of dismay etched on her lovely face. If she ruined
these books in any way, shape, or form, she'd be forced
to pay the library for the damage. It wasn't the money that
concerned her, it was dealing with the cranky librarians
who acted like they had sticks up their asses whenever
she came to borrow a few books. 

	"Okay, I'll take you on your offer. I live a few blocks 
down from here so I shouldn't keep you too long."

	"It's not a problem at all. There's only one thing I
ask of you."

	"And what's that?" she cautiously asked.

	"Tell me your name." 

	She laughed at his simple request and extended
her hand.

	"I'm Serena. And who might you be, fair sir?"

	"Call me Dare. Pleased to make your acquaintance,
Serena." He bent down and kissed her hand.

	She felt her cheeks grow warm from the blush 
staining her face. He was very charming and oddly
familiar, like she met him somewhere before but
couldn't figure out where. She shrugged the feeling
off as Darien placed his jacket over their heads and
began walking with her down the street.

~~~~~~~~~~*

	They passed the time by talking and getting to
know each other as the rain fell softly around them. 
With each passing moment, Darien felt himself grow
fond of her and more curious to get closer to her. Not
only was she beautiful, she was sweet, funny, and
intelligent. He had never met anyone like her, except
maybe for that woman at the ball, but he wasn't going
to dwell on her for the time being. Right now, he 
wanted to savor his time with this beautiful angel.

	"This is it." She pointed to the small brownstone 
apartment they stopped in front of with a small rose
bush growing beside the black iron stairs. "Thank you 
again for your help, Dare. I don't know what I would 
have done if you hadn't came along."

	"It was my pleasure. I enjoyed talking to you."

	"I enjoyed the company. It was kind of lonely
walking home by myself."

	"Yeah. You must be brave to walk all the way
home at two in the morning without anyone accompanying
you." 

	"I'm a big girl, Dare. I know how to handle myself
against any unwanted company." Her eyes held a hint of
mystery and secrecy within their blue depth, and it intrigued
Darien. She was a walking enigma, and it only fueled his
desire to unlock the story behind the lovely Serena.

	"I better get inside and out of these wet clothes. Have
a nice night, Dare."

	"Serena?"

	She turned, droplets of water running down her face
and neck. Her hair was thoroughly soaked, and clung to her
pale skin. She stared at him through wet long lashes, holding 
his gaze without blinking an eye.

	"Yes?"

	"I'd be honored if you would accompany me tomorrow
night for dinner. What do you say?"

	She gasped and clutched the books tightly against 
her chest. What was she going to do? She couldn't go out 
with him! It'd be a mistake, and she would be dragging him 
into something he might be unwilling to accept. She longed
for companionship, someone who would love her despite
her secret life. No, this wasn't acceptable at all. She had
already lived her life in isolation and she would continue
to do so until life had finally let go of its hold on her. 

	"I'm sorry, Dare, but I can't go out with you."

	His eyes grew dark with confusion and his
heart felt the pang of rejection. He had a feeling that
she was just as attracted to him as he was to her.
What changed? Her face remained expressionless
and subdued. He couldn't tell if she was lying or
really telling the truth since her eyes refused to betray
her true emotions.

	"Why not? I really do like you, Serena. You are the
first woman I have met in a long time who has shown me
that you're more than just a pretty face. Are you afraid to
go out with me?"

	Her eyes grew wide with shock and shook her
head vigorously. "No, that's not it. I'm actually busy 
tomorrow night."

	She tried to walk up the steps to her apartment,
hoping to leave him there before he pressed her further
on the matter, but he grabbed her gently by the wrist.

	"How about Thursday then?"

	She groaned. Not only was he persistent, but he
was stubborn, too! He couldn't just take no for an answer.

	"Look, Dare, I really appreciate you coming to
my rescue tonight, but I'm not interested in going out 
with you or anyone. I must go. Good-bye."

	He let go of her wrist and watched her small 
form disappear behind the door. He noted how quickly
she jammed the key into the lock and scurry inside
like a frightened rabbit. He couldn't understand why
she was running away as if he were the Devil himself. 
He had to admit that yes he was somewhat of a demon,
if you could call being a vampire that, but he was one of
the few good ones on this earth that wasn't here to terrorize
people. She couldn't have sensed that he was a vampire,
right? Was that why she refused to go out with him?
Although, she did mention that she wasn't interested in
going out with anyone, not just him. 

	It was rather odd, but no matter. He would make 
sure to meet up with her again, and sweep her off her
feet until she couldn't refuse his offer for a date a second
time. After all, whatever she was hiding, it couldn't be as 
bad as him being a vampire, right?


To be continued...


*~*~*~*~*~

Jess: Yep, this is it! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1 and
look for Chapter 2.

Mae: That's right! It'll be my turn to write this time! ^_^

Both: Please tell us what you think! Ja ne!