~Tales of Time: Part One-Chapter 4-Getting to the Bottom of Things~by Elvenwarrior mailto: elven17@hotmail.com file-talti4.rtf It's me, my friends (and enemas)! I'm back! For you critics, I have come back with a plan! HA! Yeah, right! Enough joking around! Down to the business at hand! Read away! Have fun! Every song I use doesn't belong to me. Neither does Sailor Moon. Kinda wish it did, but it doesn't. Okay, so I lied. But I finally realized that I can't end it in this chapter because it leaves so many loose ends that it's giving me a mammoth headache and an allergy attack. I DO NOT OWN OF THESE SONGS! THEY ALL BELONG TO SOMEONE WITH A LOT MORE MONEY! "We Shall Be Free" belongs to Garth Brooks. For those of you who don't like country, get over it! "The Mystic's Dream" belongs to Loreena McKennitt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena pulled up to the dark alley, fear not even on her mind. Slaughter, yes (triggered by the memory of Methuselah), but not of anyone near and dear to her. Complete chaos, maybe. But fear? Not for this Atlantian, the last of her kind, and granted immortality on the whim of a goddess. Life definitely sucked at this point. Darian was, she was sure, coming after her even at this moment. The promise made on a sultry summer evening so long ago had come true. Darian O'Malley had found Serena Atlantian, lately Serena MacLeod. He had yet to learn, of course, that he was an Atlantian, as well. Once that happened, and he remembered, Beryl would have no power over him. At least, not until she recast her spell. Serena got off the bike, and walked down the alley, not stopping until she reached a piece of wall art, done for some long-forgotten event, and never taken down. A rising sun, brightly piercing the morning sky around it, shone on the building, filling that end of the alley with light whenever the sun caught the mural. Her eyes traveled down from the mural, and came to rest on two large crescents, made from something that had obviously faded with time. But Serena knew what it was, just as sure as she knew who she was and what she needed to do. The crescents were blood markings, made when Amelia and Jack MacLeod had been shot and killed in that very alley, standing, no doubt, where Serena stood now. Amelia had been beaten and raped as her husband watched. After her brains had been blown out, they'd worked Jack over, beating him to within an inch of his life, then ending it with a bullet to the brain. She hiked up her collar against the cold wind that whipped through the alley, and stuffed her hands into her pockets. 'Only a few more days until New Year's Eve.' she thought. The time to make sure Beryl didn't recast her spell. The time to avenge her foster parents senseless deaths, even though the police claimed they'd caught the killer. From an open window above her, Serena heard the sound of country music. More specifically, a Garth Brooks song. We Shall Be Free This ain't comin' from no prophet Just an ordinary man When I close my eyes I see The way this world shall be When we all walk hand in hand When the last child cries for a crust of bread When the last man dies for just words that he said When there's shelter over the poorest head We shall be free When the last thing we notice is the color of skin And the first thing we look for is the beauty within When the skies and the oceans are clean again Then we shall be free We shall be free We shall be free Stand straight, walk proud 'Cause we shall be free When we're free to love anyone we choose When this world's big enough for all different views When we all can worship from our own kind of pew Then we shall be free We shall be free We shall be free Have a little faith Hold out 'Cause we shall be free And when money talks for the very last time And nobody walks a step behind When there's only one race and that's mankind Then we shall be free We shall be free We shall be free Stand straight, walk proud, have a little faith, hold out We shall be free We shall be free 'I only wish I was free.' Serena thought. 'Free of my love, free of this immortality. Free of everything.' Tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she leaned against the wall, sobs racking her body. She heard a vehicle stop behind her, and didn't move until she heard footsteps coming down the alley. They were the telltale clicks of high heels, not the scuff of the boots she'd seen Darian wearing. And, last she'd checked, he hadn't been a crossdresser. The clicks came to a stop behind her. Quickly, Serena commanded herself to stop crying, and, wiping the tear tracks from her face, stood, her back ramrod straight. A stench, thick with brimstone, blood, and an evil pulsing, filled the alley. "Beryl." she said icily, still not turning. "Serena Atlantian. What a pleasant surprise." Beryl's voice grated on her nerves. It was high-pitched, not nasal, but more of a head voice. "Your choice of names this time around sucks, Beryl. I'd thought you'd take something stronger, like Athena." Serena replied, her eyes glued to the blood marks. "I would've, but that would've thrown you off. Never would've been able to catch me." the witch said, smiling. "I doubt that. I recognized you outside Darian's office. Or, rather, I smelled you." Serena sniffed now. The scent of ash, brimstone, and blood now permeated the alley, filling her with a sense that evil in its purest form was about. "Good can always smell evil, just as evil can feel sick at good." Beryl said, reciting the code of the universe that they lived by. "Did I ever hurt you, Beryl?" Serena asked suddenly. "What?" Beryl was shocked. Serena turned, her blue eyes not misty, but ice. "What did I ever do to you that would make you sink my home and steal my love?" she demanded. "For that love." Beryl walked away from her, then turned. "Your people had everything. Mine were starving. I thought it ironic to see a great people brought down to their knees by a mere witch. Sinking the island was an added bonus." "Was my love another of your BONUSES?" Serena asked, sarcasm coloring her voice. "No. He was another reason. I couldn't just steal the husband-to-be of the most powerful female warrior in all of Atlantis, now could I? He wouldn't have seen me worthy of him." Beryl said. "Not that anything has changed." Serena shot off, trying to move past the woman. She'd seen and heard enough to last her three more lifetimes. Besides, if she took one more breath of Beryl's noxious perfume, she was afraid she might keel over. Beryl caught her jacket and threw her against the wall, her six-inch nailed hand pinning the slighter girl there. "Oh, but everything had, my little warrior. Darian was prepared to love me. He was even going to propose to me. Just think. The most powerful sorceress and an immortal warrior." "Sounds like a lethal combination." the girl choked. She met Beryl's eyes, and said, softly, "But you aren't the only sorceress around." Immediately, the woman dropped her. Air gushed into her lungs, and Serena took a deep breath before saying, "Energy within, I call thee." Lightening crackled, and a few bolts hit the alley. Beryl laughed as Serena stumbled to her feet. "Pleasant enough trick, for an amateur. But neither you nor your Immortalia friends can do much of anything, since they don't have their partners." Beryl smiled. Serena's fist quickly took that smile away. The redhead went crashing into the wall much the same way Darian had earlier, only she was cursing as she went. The punch was hard enough to ensure that the woman would have a black eye. "Kiss my ass, Beryl." Serena said. She turned on her heel, and walked away. "Eventually, they'll find their partners, just as I found mine. Then we'll bring you crashing to the ground." "Don't count on it, sugar." A violent wind came up, and swept her feet out from under her. Serena hit the pavement, air moving out of her lungs. Beryl appeared, and stacked a high heel on Serena's throat. "Now. To finish what I started." She drew out a long blade, the same type that Methuselah had used. Where she could've gotten it from, Serena didn't know. But now her eyes widened at the sight of it. "Oh, I see you remember this little item. How fortunate. That should make your beheading all that more swift." She raised the blade, streetlights shining off the edge. "Leave her, Beryl." Darian's voice, quiet but strong rang out, through the alley. It was enough to distract Beryl and release Serena. She rolled out of the way, and was on her feet in a second. "If you have any argument, it's with me, not an innocent." Serena was never so glad to see him in her entire life. But the look in his eyes was different. He looked older. Maybe it was the long black duster coat that made him seem that way. Beryl burst out laughing. "Innocent! Is that what you think she is?" The redhead held onto the wall to support herself, she was laughing so hard. "I ought to let you remember your history, just to let you see what a whore she is." Darian sucked in a breath at Beryl's audacity, but Serena did nothing, looking at the alley floor instead. "You don't dare let him remember, witch." she said softly. "If he did, he might actually find out that he was a warrior, like me, and that he loved me." She started walking backwards, her head raised now, her eyes on Beryl. "He can't love you, girl! A mere whelp like you, who could?" Beryl said. She looked into Serena's eyes, and saw her plan. She pushed herself off the wall, and started running toward her enemy. "DON'T YOU DARE, GIRL!" the woman cried, her high heels shortening her strides. She started swinging the sword in wide arcs, trying to slice. Serena leapt back each time, getting closer to the mouth of the alley, and Darian. She glanced over her shoulder once, and saw Darian moving forward. "Get back, Darian! Stay at the mouth of the alley!" she cried, moving out of Beryl's range. "Why?" he demanded, coming forward. It slipped past him that this was one of the few times she used his given name. "This is a place of death! Her power is greater here!" Finally, Serena spun, and, risking a slice to her back, she ran to Darian. Flexing the muscles she'd trained and honed, she dived at him, catching him by the stomach and pushing both of them out of the alley. She landed on top of him, sheltering him. Quickly, she grabbed his hand, and said, almost yelling it, "Energy within, I call thee!" A wall of solid electricity appeared between them and Beryl. She ran into it, and felt the equivalent of three lightening strikes course through her. Beryl hit the ground, her body twitching. Serena got up and came as close as she dared, and discovered that the witch breathed, but was unconscious. "Thanks." he gasped, trying to regain his breath. "Thank me later. We have to get out of here. Back to a sacred place." Serena stood up, pulling him with her. "A temple." "Yeah, something like that." She looked at the redhead on the ground, and sighed. "I need to call my friends. We need to plan." "Plan for what?" "On New Years Eve, Beryl will recast her spell." Serena turned to him, her eyes full of a deep sorrow. "You will forget all about me, forget I even existed in your life. The loves of all my friends will be like that, while we're tortured with the knowledge that at one time, you loved us. We need to regroup and find a way to defeat her." Her eyes lighted on the shadow of Darian's mansion in the distance (think of Bruce Wayne's mansion in the first two Batman movies). "That." She nodded at it, and Darian turned to see it. "Right. Get your bike. We'll meet there." He grabbed her arm as she made to get away. "And Serena? MEET ME THERE THIS TIME!" She raced up the stairs, not bothering to remove her jacket in her rush. She dragged her bags behind her, their contents thumping with each step. She ran down the hall, hefting the bags when they would only slow her down. 'Please, let me succeed this time, Serenity.' she prayed. 'I just want to win against Beryl this one time.' She threw open her bedroom door, and walked in, throwing the bags on the bed. She went to the closet, and opened it, seeing in her mind the priceless (and expensive) collection of gifts Darian had given her over the centuries, each time after they had been reunited. They added up, and they'd been a pain to have moved from storage, but she'd had it done, using her own money. Now, the presence on each item would help her. She walked in, past the gowns that complemented her coloring and hair, and to a large cabinet. She opened it, and her eyes drifted over them, remembering each occasion. The first was a scimitar, from their first meeting in the Sultan's palace in Morocco. It had its own scabbard, a rich tooled leather. The design was Darian's own crest (unknown to him at the moment), and was supposed to be a wedding gift. She took it out of the sheath, and examined the dried blood on it. She's used it to kill several guards who'd been trying to take her to the sultan. The horny old goat had wanted his rights, rights Serena knew he didn't have over her, and had rebelled. Darian had taken her away with him the next day to be wed, only to be halted by Beryls' men. A tear sprang free from her eye, and drifted down her cheek. 'Too many damn memories!' she thought, shoving it back into it's scabbard and putting it back on the shelf. Next, her eyes caught a necklace of spun silver. She lifted it from it's padded place, and, as she did every time she touched it, she marveled at it's lightness, despite the fact that it was made of over three hundred minute silver chains. It'd had been a gift from a prince to one of his harem girls (again, a harem. At that point in her life, Serena was beginning to get a little tired of being packed away in one). He'd respected her in many ways, none of them bedroom related. She was a "decent" fighter, and an uncanny witch. Serena still smiled when she remembered the way she'd beaten off his guards and then the prince himself, using only her fists and a few combat spells. "Did I give those to you?" Darian asked from the doorway of the closet. Serena didn't turn, didn't dare. Too much of her soul was displayed in her eyes, and she didn't want him to see that. "Yes." she answered softly. She replaced the necklace, then gasped as his hand came over hers. She hadn't heard him move. 'His Atlantian training is returning.' she thought with a secret smile. "It suits you." he said, lifting it out. "It should. You had to crafted after I beat you up and called you a whoremonger." she replied, wincing at the way the words sounded now. When she'd said them, it had been in defense. Now, they sounded coarse. "WAS I a whoremonger?" He didn't turn to her, but kept looking at the necklace. "Do you want me to answer that?" He nodded. "Yes, you were. Your father gave me to you as a gift when you reached the right age. Naturally, you always were that age, but he thought differently, considering that you were supposedly the son of one of his concubines." She shuddered at the way the old sultan had looked at her. Wanting her, lusting after her. She'd been lucky to escape the harem with her virginity intact, let alone with Darian at her side. "You were a harem girl?" There was a bit of laughter in his voice. "Somehow, I can't see you as that, Serena." "Try to. Your 'father' was a rather lusty old goat. You tried to take after him, and I almost cut your balls off." She said it with all seriousness. "Now, that DOES sound like you." He seemed to smile at it, then he looked at her. Serena gasped as their eyes locked, light blue with dark blue. His soul was displayed for her to see, open like a book. He was in anguish, torn between the spell of forgetting that Beryl had placed on him, and the memories that were slowly battering that wall down. Darian was more himself with each memory, painful or not, that came through. He undid the large, solid silver clasp on the necklace, and moved to stand behind her. Her breath caught in her throat as she caught a glimpse of them in the mirror. They were so different, but the look of complete anguish was in their eyes was alike. He lifted the necklace over, and settled it around her throat. "I haven't worn this for a very long time." she said quietly. Darian's eyes met hers in the mirror, and he smiled. "You should wear it more often." He turned her towards him. "I doubt it. It carries many bad memories for me." Serena knew exactly what was going to happen. He'd kiss her, and make her fall in love all over again ('Yeah, right!' her mind said). Even as he lowered his head, she fought against the feeling of utter love that grew in her. (Author's note: Okay, so I read too many romance novels! Sue me!) "Well, well! Cozy little scene!" Serena felt herself shoved back, and realized that Darian had pushed her away. Most likely, she found out upon looking at the doors of the walk-in closet, because Raye was standing in the door, with a bemused smile on her face. Any second now, she knew, her three other friends would pop their heads in. As if on cue, Amy, Mina, and Lita all showed their heads around the jamb of the doors. Smiles lit their faces when they saw that, even though she'd been pushed away, Darian still held her in his arms. "Geez, guys! Can't a girl get any privacy?" Serena groaned. She almost rested her head on Darian's shoulder, but pushed that impulse down. "Not with close, steady friends like us!" Amy said, grinning broadly. Serena groaned again, and pushed away from Darian. "Please tell me that you at least remembered to bring your boyfriends." she begged. The four girls nodded. "Good. Find a spot, and start to focus your powers. Find your spot AWAY from anyone else, and have your partner with you." The last time they'd fought Beryl with their planetary partners, all the girls had gathered in one spot, and nearly been blown to bits by Beryl. "I hope we remember how to do it." The girls nodded again, and disappeared. Serena sighed, and took off the silver necklace. "I hope this will be the last time we have to fight this battle." "Why?" Darian took the necklace from her, and put it back on its' pillow. "I've been fighting her for all time. Mina, Lita, Raye, and Amy have been fighting her for over twelve hundred years, which is all of their ages combined. But I know how vicious she can get when it comes down to the wire, and there's some chance of us being joined with our loves. Somehow, she always manages to rip it away. I'm hoping," here, she looked at him intently, "that this time, we'll be able to use our powers and obliterate her from the face of the earth and time forever." "Why would you want to get rid of her? Why not just take her powers?" Darian asked. "Did you ever see that show "Highlander"? Well, it's kind alike that. If we take too much bad energy, we lose ourselves in it." She glanced at her watch, and took a deep breath. "They should be in their places by now, starting up their chants. We're doing ours in here." She led him out of the closet, and started to take candles out of her satchel. Darian just watched her, fascinated. There were so many different types of candles. Black, red, white, green, purple, and blue candles. She started to lay them out on the small coffee table in the room, forming the tattoo on her back. But this time, the moon and the earth overlapped, symbolizing a joining of those two planets. "What do all these candles mean?" he asked. "That we're finally joining together. All of the planets forming a united front. Black and red are Raye and Chad's colors, the blue candles are Greg and Amy's, green is Lita and Ken's, and ours are the white and purple." She smiled at him as she drew two overstuffed cushions to the coffee table, placing them on opposing sides of the table. "Almost all the other times I've done this focusing, I've had to use a white candle." Darian sat down on one as she continued to move about the room, setting things out and taking deep breaths. She lit the candles slowly, saying something each time. "What is this thing with partners and everything?" he asked. "Well, almost everyone one of us, whether they're normal humans or immortals like us, has a soulmate. Of course, we get to be special in a certain way. Each one of us, that is, my friends and I, have a soulmate that was born either under the same sign or under the same planet. We're drawn to them for a special reason, and it was explained to me by Serenity that battling Beryl was the main reason we'd be drawn together. Together, we can focus the powers of our planets with better clarity," she chuckled, "and with better aim." "Better aim?" "Did you notice that, once I had your hand, I was able to erect a wall of solid electricity between Beryl and us? That's what I mean by better aim. If I hadn't been able to hold your hand, the power would've gone the wrong way and most likely shorted out some street lights." Serena replied, sitting down on the opposite cushion. "What about the gym? What happened with that?" "Full of questions, aren't we?" She smiled. "When ever two partners are in close proximity, it causes an automatic focus. I wasn't trying to focus that time. I was just letting loose some stress. I never intended for it to go as far as it did." She reached across the lighted candles, and seized both of his hands. "It's time we got started. Hold your hands thus." She turned his hands to where the palms faced down, strangely not feeling the heat of the wax flares below his hands. Then, she turned her hands to face the same way, and grabbed his wrists, securing them together. She nodded at her CD player (one of the few gifts Darian had been able to give her without receiving a warning to not give her any gifts), and it clicked onto a familiar song. The soothing and rapid beat filled his head and set the rhythm of his heart. He closed his eyes to center on it. Then, suddenly, a connection flared between them. He felt Serena's pulse in his, felt her joy at sharing this with him, and felt her intense pain, pain that he knew stemmed from the fact that she was alone, had been from the beginning of time. 'You're not alone anymore, Serena.' he thought. The Mystic's Dream (I'm sorry if I don't get all of this right, but I didn't have the lyrics) Signs of dreams on an earthly night Hangs upon the crescent moon Voiceless song in an ageless light Sings at the calling dawn Birds in flight are calling there Where the heart moves the stones There that my heart is longing for the love of you Painting lies on an ivy bough Nestled in the emerald moors Eyes declare a true soft trust Then it draws me far away Deep in the desert while light Sand melts and pulls at the sky Darkness lays a crimson cloak Plants and calls, calls me home So it's there my heart meets you Clutching at the still of the night Now I feel, feel you move And every breath, breathless food So it's there my heart meets you Clutching at the still of the night Even the distance feels so near All for the love of you Cloudy dream on an earthly night Hangs upon the crescent moon Voiceless song in an ageless light Seeking out the calling dawn Birds in flight are calling there Where the heart moves the stones There that my heart is longing for the love of you Once he felt calm both within and without, Darian felt a wind rush past him, mussing his hair, and causing his eyes to fly open. Serena opened her eyes as well, and gasped, her eyes going to a spot over his left shoulder. Keeping one hand in hers, he turned around, and saw a vision in white floating several feet above the ground. "Serenity." he heard Serena whisper. "Is this the one who separated us?" he demanded softly. The vision smiled, and nodded. "Do not be angry, Darian Atlantian." she said softly, her voice very much like Serena's. "I had a reason, and Serena has told you of it. She is a good pupil, and I have taught her much. She knows that she will never be powerful enough to battle Beryl by herself. She needs her friends, and, most of all, she needs you." Her voice was cultured and wispy, very much a whisper. "What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to rise. Serena's hand in his tightened enough to keep him on the cushion. "Have you told him of the bond you share, student?" the vision asked Serena. She nodded. "Then I think it is time you opened the floodgates Beryl has been forcing closed for such a long time. Darian Atlantian, it is time to relive your past lives." She looked at Serena. "Say it." Softly, Serena started to say words, words in a language that Darian had never heard before, but he somehow recognized. Like slamming into a brick wall, memories started to slam into his mind. Memories of him and Serena, playing as children. Laughing and dancing with unbridled joy. Other memories started coming as well. Darian saw himself helping Serena leap over a tall adobe wall, his companion dressed in what looked like Arabian clothes. More memories came, piling upon each other. So many lifetimes he'd lived, he realized. And in each one, he'd some how managed to find Serena, or she had found him. Even as Darian was discovering his memories (Serena sincerely hoped that this would be the last time she'd have to perform the spell of remembrance on him), she knew that, in other, quieter places of the house, Chad, Seiya, Ken, and Greg were discovering their memories as well. Serena finished the incantation, and looked at Darian. There seemed to be two of him. 'Exhaustion is all it is.' she told herself. 'Shake it off.' She felt herself teeter, and was amazed at how quickly Darian made it across the coffee table to grasp her. "Serena! Are you okay?" he demanded. She nodded and shook off the dizziness. "What did you do to me?" She smiled. "I gave you your memories back." It was a simple as that. "And I hope with all my heart that this will be the last time I have to." "What? Why?" "Each time drains her of vital power she needs for battle." Serenity said. She looked at Serena with eyes that were almost cold, and ordered, "Go see if the others are finished. You must start planning for battle as soon as possible." Nodding, Serena stood and walked out of the room. Serenity pinned Darian with ice-cold eyes. "She must love you very much to do this for you." "I wouldn't know, lady. I haven't known her for very long." he mumbled, looking at the ground. "The hell you haven't!" The bark of laughter and the profanity made him look at her. "You have known Serenity for as long as there has been a plane of immortality. Your souls were meant for each other." The goddess sobered. "But she came very close this last time, when she did the spell of Restoration. Too close." "What do you mean, too close?" Dark blue eyes darkened with curiosity. "Serena has done this countless times for you. Each time, it has weakened her. When she was younger, it would only made her sleepy. Now, it almost caused her to lose consciousness." Serenity said. "When she runs out of power, she dies." Darian murmured. "Yes." It was a simple answer. "There is a challenge that you and she must conquer before you can truly be together." "A challenge? The last few hours have felt like challenges!" Darian exclaimed. "You will become mortal again." This caught him like a swift kick to the groin, and the look on his face was about the same. "WHAT?" "Before Beryl is destroyed, you will be mortal. It is a simple as that. I do not know when it will happen. I only know that it will happen soon." Serenity said calmly. "Mortal? Has Serena ever been mortal in her life?" he asked. "Only in her first life, when she met you. I granted her immortality. It chills my blood to see Beryl exercise that power." the goddess replied. Darian didn't know that the goddess had a drop of blood in her by her pallor. "Does Serena know any of this?" Darian asked quietly. "Yes. She knows that, when she becomes mortal, she will be so weakened that a single wound could kill her, even if it is not in an area that normally would kill." "How has she stayed alive this long?" "I only know that her great love for you has kept her alive, and her heart strong. She would die for you, Darian. This I know for certain." All of the air in his lungs rushed out at one time as he was struck by how much Serena would sacrifice for him. Her life. FOR HIM. The concept completely blew his mind. It, in fact, blew his mind so completely, that he didn't hear the doors burst open. "Serenity! Darian! Beryl's here!" Amy cried, running in. Not far behind her was Greg, who looked mad enough to punch a hole in the nearest wall. "She's got Serena!" The blue-haired girl stopped in her tracks, looking at him. "And she's not alone."