Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Seeing Stars ❯ Chapter 18 ( Chapter 18 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: jasonulloa 
Juléi's flight plans are cancelled; Darien comes home to find Raye waiting
for him; and Serena and Tanya discuss the 'date'.
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.14.2003 | Pages: 8 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 416 | Status: Completed
Juléi's flight plans are cancelled; Darien comes home to find Raye waiting
for him; and Serena and Tanya discuss the 'date'.
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.14.2003 | Pages: 8 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 416 | Status: Completed
Seeing Stars
By Jason Ulloa
Original story by Moonsong
Continued with her permission.
Chapter 18
"Mr. J?" Juléi squeaked in fright as she started to reach for the blanket in
order to cover herself.
"Don't move," Jed ordered coldly as he pushed the barrel of his gun into her
chest. "I need some answers from you and I don't want you to try anything. As
far as I'm concerned, I'd love to have just one reason to shoot you right now."
He leaned closer so that he was staring directly into her eyes, and scowled
fiercely. "And DON'T call me, Mr. J!" he growled with calm, controlled anger.
"Y... yes, sir," she stammered just as Erwight started to wake up.
"Hey, who're you talking to...," he mumbled groggily as he started to sit up.
As soon as his gaze fell onto the gun pointed between Juléi's breasts, he
snapped to full alertness. "Holy.... Who the hell are you?!?" he shouted as his
eyes widened in apprehension. "What do you want?"
"Please don't interrupt," Jed ordered flatly. "I have no qualms with killing
you as well, so I suggest you just sit quietly unless you have something useful
to tell me.
"Now," he said as he turned back to Juléi, "I will ask you a question. I want
you to answer it correctly and promptly. If you lie to me, or waste my
time...." He removed the gun from her chest, pointed it at her head, and fired.
Juléi was about to scream in fright, until Jed pushed the gun barrel into her
open mouth. "Now, you weren't about to scream, were you?" he asked with a dark
grin on his face. As soon as he was sure she was going to stay quiet, he
removed the gun from her mouth and placed it back on her chest. "Next time, I
will be aiming at your head, instead of your wall. Understand?"
"Yes, sir...," she squeaked fearfully.
Jed glanced over at Erwight and smirked. "The same goes for you, too. One noise
and you'll be the second person I silence. Understand?"
"Yeah, all right," he grumbled angrily.
"Good. Now that we have an understanding, I want you to stay put and don't
move. Juléi, I will ask you once and only once; where is the Yellow Nijizuishou
crystal? Dissembling and lying will only make me upset... and you dead; not to
mention him."
"All right," she said with a sigh. "I'll tell you where it is."
"No," Jed said flatly. "You'll show me where it is. Now."
"But...."
"Now," he ordered as he took a step back. "By the way...," he added, then
pointed the gun at the phone sitting on a table and fired, "...stay put, and
don't try anything that I wouldn't approve of. Both your lives are counting on
your behavior, so I wouldn't push it." Jed lowered the gun, then glared at
Juléi. "Well?" he asked impatiently.
Juléi was hesitant to get up since she was completely nude underneath the
blanket. "Can't I get dressed first...?"
Jed coldly raised the gun and pointed it at her head. "Now."
Erwight glared at Jed. "Look, I know where the crystal is, so how 'bout you
let me get it?"
"Really, now...," he said with a contemptuous smirk as he glanced at him. "Why
not? Since you seem to be so eager to cooperate, then you can lead the way.
However, if either of you makes a move that I don't like, you get to be the
first one I... take care of."
"Whatever, you son of a...."
"Let's get one thing straight, my friend," Jed cut in as he shoved his gun up
Erwight's nose. "You're not exactly in a very good position, here. Now, if I
were you, I'd shut up unless you were offering something constructive, like
giving me the exact location of the Nijizuishou. Otherwise, I might just lose
my temper and do something drastic. Now, get up," he ordered as he removed the
gun from Erwight's face. "Both of you."
Both Erwight and Juléi got up from the bed while keeping themselves covered
with the blanket. Juléi was relieved to finally be able to cover herself, while
Erwight gave Jed a hard stare. Jed just sighed lightly and shook his head while
trying to keep his patience and his professional demeanor.
"All right," Jed said before they could stall any longer, "show me where you
hid the crystal."
"Just follow us," Erwight said coldly as he and Juléi headed out the room.
"You're not going to kill us when you get the crystal back, are you?" Juléi
asked timidly.
"Depends," Jed replied cryptically.
"Depends on what?"
"On how long the search takes," he told them offhandedly as he started to
follow them into the living room.
"We hid it in the kitchen, in a place you'd never think to look," Erwight said
as he and Juléi moved toward the kitchen.
"Oh?" Jed asked, grinning slightly at the implied challenge. "You think I
couldn't find your special hiding place?"
"I seriously doubt it," he replied stiffly.
"Nate, I don't think you should be taunting him...," Juléi warned.
"No, I find this little challenge of his... amusing," Jed told her. "Not many
guys would have the guts to taunt a man with a gun in his hand." He turned
toward Erwight and grinned wolfishly. "You think I can't find it without your
aid?"
"Never," he answered back.
"You seem like a gambling man... Nate. Care to wager your life on it?"
Erwight's eyes popped open. "What?"
"If you're so sure I can't find it, then you won't mind risking your life on
it, right?" Jed said with a huge, confident grin. "You win, you and Juléi go
free and you keep the Nijizuishou. You lose..., well..., you lose."
"This is insane!" Juléi shouted. "Are you just going to toy with us?!? I'll
give you the damn crystal if you'd just please leave us alone!!!"
"Calm down," Jed ordered as he pointed the gun at Juléi. "Don't interrupt." He
looked back to Erwight and grinned again. "So? What say you? Feeling lucky?"
"Just try and find it. I dare you."
This time, Jed laughed. "I'm beginning to like you, Nate. All right, then, I'll
take you up on that dare."
As Jed started to rummage through the kitchen, Juléi turned to Erwight and
glared at him. "What the hell are you doing, Nate??? You're gonna get us
killed!"
"Not if I kill him, first," he replied quietly as he nodded toward the set of
kitchen knives that was sitting not far away from his reach. He quietly slipped
one out of its sheathe and snuck it underneath the blanket, then nodded
confidently.
In reply, Juléi hugged against his side and smiled sensuously at him. "You pull
this off, baby, and I promise that I'll thank you for the rest of the night."
Before Nate could reply, he heard the distinct sound of the refrigerator door
opening. Instantly, his attention snapped toward Jed.
"Of course," Jed said with a small laugh.
"What are you talking about?" Erwight demanded as he slowly moved closer to
him. If he couldn't stab him, he could always throw the knife....
"Let me guess," Jed said as he pulled out a plastic jug. "Orange juice?"
"Lemonade," Juléi replied, trying fiercely to keep her nervousness from being
heard in her voice.
"Lemonade," he repeated with a wide smirk. "Right." As Jed shook the jug, a
small clinking sound could be heard rattling inside it.
"We left it in the freezer to cool down quickly," she explained. "It froze
inside the jug. You're just hearing the frozen lemonade hitting against the
side."
"You know," Jed began as he grabbed a glass from her dish rack, "I'm getting a
little thirsty from this searching. Either of you want some as well?" When
neither one answered back, he began to pour. He got only so much out before a
huge chunk of frozen lemonade came out, knocking the glass into the sink.
"See?" Erwight said, pointing at the sink with his empty hand. "Just frozen
lemonade."
"Well, let's just thaw the rest of it out," he replied as he turned on the
faucet. As the water warmed up, the rest of the lemonade started to melt and
wash away until only a chunk of yellow colored crystal remained. "And here it
is!" he exclaimed as he plucked the wet Nijizuishou from the sink. "Looks like
I win."
Erwight quickly lunged at Jed with the knife in his hand, but failed to reach
him as he effortlessly kicked the knife away from him, then followed with a
second kick to his head. Erwight spun in a full circle before hitting the floor
facefirst.
"Nate!!!" Juléi dropped the blanket and rushed to his side.
Jed went into the bedroom and turned off the lights, then walked back to the
kitchen, turning off the lights as he went. "Oh, yeah," he said when he reached
the kitchen doorway, as if just remembering something. Erwight had just stood
up again with Juléi's help, and now they were both staring at Jed in fear for
their lives.
He quietly raised his gun and fired two shots, then turned around and walked
toward the front door to Juléi's apartment. As he opened the door, two loud
thuds sounded from the kitchen.
"You lose," he said smugly as he shut off the light and locked the door behind
him.
**********************************************
"Now there's no more light coming from Juléi's apartment," Jack reported into
his cell phone. "I think the guy's got what he came for and took care of both
Juléi and Erwight."
"Jack... what have we gotten ourselves into?" Tira asked nervously. "This was
supposed to be just another cheating husband case, like all the others."
"I know, Ti," Jack replied. "First, cheating; then, embezzlement; now, possible
robbery and murder. Adding the fact that this mysterious woman is searching for
the murderer and she won't tell us why...."
"What're we gonna do, Jack?" she asked quietly.
"Did you already call the police, Ti?" he asked.
"As soon as you said that the lights were on in Juléi's apartment," she told
him.
"Good," he said as he started to slip away from his hiding spot. "I'm coming
back. We have to bring all of our evidence to the police. Not only that, but we
need to contact Diane. She has to know about this."
"I think that Miss Silver needs to answer a few questions herself," she said
sternly. "Like, why she's searching for a murderer."
"All in good time, Ti," he told her. "I'm at my car right now, so I'm gonna
hung up. I'll see you when I get there."
"Jack, please don't hang up," she entreated. "I'm scared. I wanna make sure
that you're all right. Don't hang up until you get here, okay?"
He sighed as he opened the car door. "The things I do for you, Ti.... All
right, but you're paying for this particular phone call outta your pay."
"What?" she exclaimed. "Aw, come on, Jack! That's not fair! You needed to keep
the line on for the tape recording!"
"I was only kidding, Ti."
"...oh," she replied sheepishly. "This's no time for joking, Jack! Your life
could be in danger!"
"Right, right...," he sighed as he started his car and pulled out into the
street. "I still think you're overreacting... just a bit."
As Jack drove off, a figure slowly lowered a collapsable viewing lens.
"License plate number: 7YQJ069," he said in a cold, menacing tone. "You have
just made a big mistake, my friend. You know too much, and that problem will
have to be rectified."
**********************************************
"And, cut!" Amy shouted. "Wonderful, people! Let's wrap it up for today!"
"Not bad," Jason said as he walked up behind Amy and hugged her around the
waist.
"Jason!" she gasped and giggled at the same time. "What are you doing?"
"Just making sure that everyone knows the truth between you and me," he said
as he kissed the back of her neck.
"Now, quit it!" she said as she broke free from his embrace and batted at him
playfully. "There's time for that later."
"Later, huh?" he asked with a sly grin.
"What're you plotting, Mr. Evans?" she asked with a mock suspicious expression
on her face.
"Oh... nothing," he said with an innocent look on his face.
"Really?" she asked wryly. "How come I don't believe you?"
"Because," he said as he picked her up and heaved her over his shoulder in a
fireman's carry position, "you're right. Now, let's go."
"Jason!!!" she squealed as she lightly pounded his back, while being carried
out of the studio.
"What's gotten into your brother, Lita?" G.Q. asked as he and Lita witnessed
the brief spectacle between the two lovers.
"Beats me," Lita replied with a small shrug. "The guy's probably just trying to
be a little romantic or something. He hasn't had a whole lot of practice,
though, so I guess he's just experimenting."
"Experimenting?" G.Q. asked with a raised eyebrow.
Lita grinned mischeviously in response. "That little stunt he pulled was from a
scene in one movie that we worked on a few years ago," she explained. "In my
opinion, I think he pulled it off just as good as that actor did."
"I see," he said uncertainly. "That explains his sudden... change in behavior."
He shook his head and shrugged to himself. "Well, at any rate, I'm going home.
I've got a few more ideas I'm thinking of plugging into the new script
revision. I'm going for a possible final revision, so I'll just see what I come
up with tomorrow."
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be great," she replied as she jovially
slapped him in the back. "After all, you're the genius writer, right? Later,
G.Q."
"See you later, Lita."
**********************************************
"Th at was pretty good work you were doing back there, Darien," Tanya said
approvingly. "I must admit that you're learning very quickly; faster than I
thought you would. I think even Serena has to admit that your acting skills are
improving rapidly." She paused and glanced pointedly at the blonde actress, who
had just started to walk past them in order to leave the studio.
"Huh?" she said as she turned back. "Oh. Yeah, good work, Shields," she said as
she turned and started to leave.
Tanya blinked in surprise. She was expecting just an offhanded agreement, but
she had actually PRAISED him! It was slight, but still, it was praise
nonetheless.
"Well, Darien, I guess we'll see you tomorrow, then?" she said as she started
after Serena.
"All right," Darien called back. "Bye, Tanya! Bye, Serena!"
"Bye, Darien!" Tanya called back.
"Bye, Shields," Serena said over her shoulder as she exited the studio with
Tanya right on her heels.
Darien grinned to himself, since he had also noted the slight praise that
Serena had given him. She had told him once before that compliments from her
weren't given very often, so he took this praise as an indication of her
warming up to him. Things were definitely starting to work out between himself
and Serena.
Pleased with the work he had done today and with Serena's rare compliment, he
left the studio, got into his car, and started for home.
**********************************************
Dari en walked up the stairs of his apartment complex and headed for his
apartment. He was so happy that he felt like having a small solo celebration:
pizza and a movie or two! Maybe ones starring Serena or Tanya. That would seem
apropos for this celebration of his. He smiled to himself as he took his keys
out of his pocket and reached for the doorknob.
"Darien?" a familiar voice called out to him from behind.
"Raye?" Darien said as he turned around. There she was, standing at the
stairway, as if she had just climbed up the stairs to his level. "What're you
doing here?"
Raye frowned slightly. "No, 'It's so good to see you again, Raye?'" she asked
as she walked toward him. "Just, 'What're you doing here?'"
It was Darien's turn to frown. "I'm sorry, Raye," he apologized. "It's just
that I'm surprised to find you here. After all, you dumped me, remember?"
"I know," she said contritely. "But, that was a long time ago."
"That was a few weeks ago," he corrected flatly.
"Whatever," she said dismissively. "Anyway, I just wanted to come back and tell
you that I thought about the reasons why I dumped you and I've realized that
I've made a mistake." She paused for a moment, then hesitantly reached out to
him. When she saw that he wasn't going to move away, she placed her hand on his
arm and smiled up at him. "I want another chance, Darien."
"Why?" he asked cautiously. "What's different about me now that's making you
want to come back to me? What happened between you and that other guy you left
me for? How do I know that you aren't gonna leave me again?"
Raye flinched at each point that he brought up, but she didn't take back her
hand from his arm. "Well...," she began penitently, "as for the guy I left you
for, it turned out that he was just trying to get me to sleep with him. He
wasn't as sincere as I thought he was. One of his old girlfriends warned me
about him, so I confronted him with that fact and found out the truth.
"As for how you know that I won't leave you," she continued, "I know that you
were always honest to me. I'm sorry that I took that for granted; I didn't know
how lucky I was to have an honest man as my boyfriend." She then moved closer
and smiled pleadingly up at him. "Please, Darien? Accept my apology and take
me back?"
Darien's frown faded slightly as he looked down at her. "I don't know, Raye,"
he began quietly. "You still haven't answered my first question."
Raye frowned in perplexity. "Yes, I have," she replied. "I told you that I'm
sorry for taking your honesty for granted and...."
"That's not what I meant, Raye," Darien interrupted. "I asked you what was so
different about me that you wanted to come back to me. From what I remember
when we were together, you were a little overly concerned about my current
career. It was sometimes to the point where you'd all but demand that I go out
and try to find a better paying job."
"I was concerned, Darien," she told him. "I want to see you succeed. That's all
I ever wanted."
"I'm not all that sure about that," he countered. "It sounded to me that you
just wanted me to succeed so that I'd make more money and be able to provide you
with more things. I remember when you first started complaining that I never
brought you gifts like I used to when we first started dating."
"But, that was a long time ago, Darien!" she insisted. "I'm different now!"
"So, you don't mind that I'm still a production assistant?" Darien asked.
Raye blinked and frowned in confusion. "Wait a minute," she said as she
released his arm and stepped back away from him. "Andrew said that you had a
role in a new movie starring Serena Moon."
"So, you did know...," he said with a frown.
Her eyes widened as she realized her slip. "Yeah, I did," she admitted.
"So, you were only coming back to me because you got your wish and I now have a
higher paying career?"
"Oh, no, Darien," she insisted as she tried to make up for her slip. "I was
just upset because I thought that I was being lied to."
"By me?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow. "Or, by Andrew?" He shook his head
as he turned toward his apartment door and opened it. "Never mind. I don't
really want to know. I don't have any hard feelings toward you, Raye, but I'd
rather that we just stay friends. After all, I'm currently seeing someone else
now."
Raye's eyes widened in shock. "You're... what?!?" she yelled. "You were seeing
someone all this time, and you let me believe that I actually had a chance
to.... Why?!?"
Darien paused in the middle of his doorway and turned back to her. "Maybe it
was I wanted to know whether or not you were truly sincere about wanting to get
back together. I think I now know the answer. I'm truly sorry if I hurt you,
Raye. Please forgive me for that. Good night, Raye." With that, he went into
his apartment and closed the door behind him.
Raye stared at his door for a few more seconds, then angrily whirled around and
stormed off. "Just wait till I find out who's keeping me from Darien," she
growled to herself. "I just know that if he wasn't seeing someone he would've
been mine again! I swear, whoever's at fault will pay for my humiliation!"
**********************************************
< br> "So, tell me," Tanya prompted as one of Serena's butlers deposted a tray of
food by the couch that the two women were lounging on and promptly departed.
"How'd your date with Darien go?"
"It was NOT a date," Serena retorted as she took a piece of cheese. "It was
just a short lunch." She turned away and reached over the side of the couch for
the remote control to the large screen TV and turned it on.
"A lunch date," Tanya added as she pointed at her with a slice of apple for
emphasis. "Hey, turn it to channel 7. My favorite show comes on in a few
minutes."
"It's a rerun, Tanya," Serena told her.
"So?" she asked as she gave her stern look. "It's still my favorite show! Can't
I see it? Look, just gimme the remote...."
"Hell, no!" Serena replied as she hid it behind her back after changing the
channel.
"Girl, don't make me get violent on you," Tanya warned.
"Hah!" Serena challenged. "Just try and take it. I dare you."
"All right, then," Tanya said as she lunged at Serena and tried to wrestle the
remote away. "Ha! Got it!" she said as she got off of her and went to sit back
at her end. "Nobody keeps Tanya Cambridge from her favorite TV show!"
"I let you win," Serena said with a laugh.
"Yeah, right," Tanya laughed as well. "I beat you every single time since high
school."
"I let you win, then, too," Serena shot back. "I could've won if I wanted to."
"No way," Tanya replied as she switched the station to channel 7. "Damn! We've
already missed part of the beginning!"
"It's a rerun, Tanya," Serena pointed out. "You already know what happens."
"Yeah, but that guy in the first scene is so cute!" she sighed. "Speaking of
cute... what exactly went on with Darien during your... lunch? And no trying
to get off the subject. I've got the remote, so I am Queen! Answer my question!"
Serena couldn't help but give a small laugh at the old inside joke from high
school. One of the theater props that they used to joke about was the 'royal
scepter' with was made using a painted wooden pole and an old TV remote control
that was painted to simulate a bejeweled knob. When Tanya first held that
staff, she said to the rest of the theater group, 'I have the remote, so I am
Queen!', which soon became a running joke with the group for the rest of the
school year.
"All right, Your Majesty," Serena relented. "There's not really a lot to say.
Shields offered to take me to lunch today. I was sorta surprised, since the
last time we had lunch together, the bill cost him almost fifty dollars, which
was probably more than he was used to spending for lunch. Anyway, since he was
so sincere in his kind gesture that I offered to let him pick the place where
he wanted to eat."
"Really, Serena?" Tanya asked as she grinned slightly. She couldn't help but be
pleased at how well her matchmaking scheme was starting out. "Go on."
"Well," she continued, "he took me to a pizza parlor. Can you believe it? Me
going to a pizza parlor of all places?"
"I thought you loved pizza," Tanya said as she looked askance at her.
"Yeah, but I always order delivery," she explained. "Pizza should come to me,
not the other way around.
"Anyway, when I told Shields that I didn't want to go in there - because of all
the unwanted attention that I would start getting - he went to go set up
something with a friend of his, who happens to own a little college hangout
place called 'The Crown' and set up a booth for us so I could actually have
some peace and quiet."
"Ooh!" Tanya said suddenly. "I've heard of that place! It's really popular
among the local college kids and even the faculty. So, Darien's friend owns the
place and he pulled some strings to get you some peace and quiet?"
"Just about," Serena agreed.
"Wow," she said in surprise. "He sure went out of his way for you. Doesn't that
kinda make you feel a little special?"
Serena paused in thought as she reached for another piece of cheese from the
almost forgotten tray of food sitting on the table nearby. "Yeah, I guess
so...."
"You know, I'm jealous of you, Serena," she told her.
"What do you mean?" Serena asked.
"I wish I had a guy who'd be willing to do for me what Darien is willing to do
for you," she told her. "You know what I think? I think he likes you."
"What?!?" Serena shouted. "No way!"
"Just think about it, girl," she said as she elbowed her lightly for emphasis.
"How many guys would be willing to do all that for you, even after everything
you put him through? Not many. Also, why do you think that Darien's willing to
put up with it? Just to pay you back for your dress? I seriously doubt it. Face
it, Darien likes you."
Serena seriously thought about what Tanya had told her. She had a point; with
all the abuse she had shoved down his throat, there was no reason for him to
treat her as he had, except for the fact that he must like her. He did tell her
that the reason behind his kindness was because he cared, but she had written
it off as a kind of charity of his. Now, those words were taking on a different
meaning. Could he have meant that he cared... about her?
"You all right, Serena?" Tanya asked.
"Yeah," she replied quietly. "I was just thinking."
"About Darien?"
"Uh-huh. And about other things."
"What other things?"
"I'm... not too sure, Tanya," she told her. "I'll still need to think about it."
"Well, if you ever need to talk about it some more, I'm still here," Tanya told
her. "And you always know how to get ahold of me."
"Thanks, Tanya," Serena said gratefully.
Tanya got up, went over to her, and hugged her. "I'm always here if you need
me. That's what friends are for. Don't worry; I'm sure you'll figure all this
out in time."
**********************************************
To Chapter 19
**********************************************
Author' s Note: Well, now the plot thickens on both ends. Ah, but where is the
heroine of our movie? I know I haven't been giving her much of the spotlight
lately, but I've been trying to build up the suspense for the moment when she
does show up. Anyway, get ready for more as the story continues! Next chapter:
Jed's progress report; Diane's confession; an attempt on Jack's life; and
Serena comes to a decision about Darien.
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs to Moonsong and myself, and I would appreciate
you emailing her or myself for permission before posting it
anywhere else. Thank you.
Prologue Copyright © January 24, 2000 Moonsong.
Other Chapters Copyright © August 12, 2000 Jason Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.
By Jason Ulloa
Original story by Moonsong
Continued with her permission.
Chapter 18
"Mr. J?" Juléi squeaked in fright as she started to reach for the blanket in
order to cover herself.
"Don't move," Jed ordered coldly as he pushed the barrel of his gun into her
chest. "I need some answers from you and I don't want you to try anything. As
far as I'm concerned, I'd love to have just one reason to shoot you right now."
He leaned closer so that he was staring directly into her eyes, and scowled
fiercely. "And DON'T call me, Mr. J!" he growled with calm, controlled anger.
"Y... yes, sir," she stammered just as Erwight started to wake up.
"Hey, who're you talking to...," he mumbled groggily as he started to sit up.
As soon as his gaze fell onto the gun pointed between Juléi's breasts, he
snapped to full alertness. "Holy.... Who the hell are you?!?" he shouted as his
eyes widened in apprehension. "What do you want?"
"Please don't interrupt," Jed ordered flatly. "I have no qualms with killing
you as well, so I suggest you just sit quietly unless you have something useful
to tell me.
"Now," he said as he turned back to Juléi, "I will ask you a question. I want
you to answer it correctly and promptly. If you lie to me, or waste my
time...." He removed the gun from her chest, pointed it at her head, and fired.
Juléi was about to scream in fright, until Jed pushed the gun barrel into her
open mouth. "Now, you weren't about to scream, were you?" he asked with a dark
grin on his face. As soon as he was sure she was going to stay quiet, he
removed the gun from her mouth and placed it back on her chest. "Next time, I
will be aiming at your head, instead of your wall. Understand?"
"Yes, sir...," she squeaked fearfully.
Jed glanced over at Erwight and smirked. "The same goes for you, too. One noise
and you'll be the second person I silence. Understand?"
"Yeah, all right," he grumbled angrily.
"Good. Now that we have an understanding, I want you to stay put and don't
move. Juléi, I will ask you once and only once; where is the Yellow Nijizuishou
crystal? Dissembling and lying will only make me upset... and you dead; not to
mention him."
"All right," she said with a sigh. "I'll tell you where it is."
"No," Jed said flatly. "You'll show me where it is. Now."
"But...."
"Now," he ordered as he took a step back. "By the way...," he added, then
pointed the gun at the phone sitting on a table and fired, "...stay put, and
don't try anything that I wouldn't approve of. Both your lives are counting on
your behavior, so I wouldn't push it." Jed lowered the gun, then glared at
Juléi. "Well?" he asked impatiently.
Juléi was hesitant to get up since she was completely nude underneath the
blanket. "Can't I get dressed first...?"
Jed coldly raised the gun and pointed it at her head. "Now."
Erwight glared at Jed. "Look, I know where the crystal is, so how 'bout you
let me get it?"
"Really, now...," he said with a contemptuous smirk as he glanced at him. "Why
not? Since you seem to be so eager to cooperate, then you can lead the way.
However, if either of you makes a move that I don't like, you get to be the
first one I... take care of."
"Whatever, you son of a...."
"Let's get one thing straight, my friend," Jed cut in as he shoved his gun up
Erwight's nose. "You're not exactly in a very good position, here. Now, if I
were you, I'd shut up unless you were offering something constructive, like
giving me the exact location of the Nijizuishou. Otherwise, I might just lose
my temper and do something drastic. Now, get up," he ordered as he removed the
gun from Erwight's face. "Both of you."
Both Erwight and Juléi got up from the bed while keeping themselves covered
with the blanket. Juléi was relieved to finally be able to cover herself, while
Erwight gave Jed a hard stare. Jed just sighed lightly and shook his head while
trying to keep his patience and his professional demeanor.
"All right," Jed said before they could stall any longer, "show me where you
hid the crystal."
"Just follow us," Erwight said coldly as he and Juléi headed out the room.
"You're not going to kill us when you get the crystal back, are you?" Juléi
asked timidly.
"Depends," Jed replied cryptically.
"Depends on what?"
"On how long the search takes," he told them offhandedly as he started to
follow them into the living room.
"We hid it in the kitchen, in a place you'd never think to look," Erwight said
as he and Juléi moved toward the kitchen.
"Oh?" Jed asked, grinning slightly at the implied challenge. "You think I
couldn't find your special hiding place?"
"I seriously doubt it," he replied stiffly.
"Nate, I don't think you should be taunting him...," Juléi warned.
"No, I find this little challenge of his... amusing," Jed told her. "Not many
guys would have the guts to taunt a man with a gun in his hand." He turned
toward Erwight and grinned wolfishly. "You think I can't find it without your
aid?"
"Never," he answered back.
"You seem like a gambling man... Nate. Care to wager your life on it?"
Erwight's eyes popped open. "What?"
"If you're so sure I can't find it, then you won't mind risking your life on
it, right?" Jed said with a huge, confident grin. "You win, you and Juléi go
free and you keep the Nijizuishou. You lose..., well..., you lose."
"This is insane!" Juléi shouted. "Are you just going to toy with us?!? I'll
give you the damn crystal if you'd just please leave us alone!!!"
"Calm down," Jed ordered as he pointed the gun at Juléi. "Don't interrupt." He
looked back to Erwight and grinned again. "So? What say you? Feeling lucky?"
"Just try and find it. I dare you."
This time, Jed laughed. "I'm beginning to like you, Nate. All right, then, I'll
take you up on that dare."
As Jed started to rummage through the kitchen, Juléi turned to Erwight and
glared at him. "What the hell are you doing, Nate??? You're gonna get us
killed!"
"Not if I kill him, first," he replied quietly as he nodded toward the set of
kitchen knives that was sitting not far away from his reach. He quietly slipped
one out of its sheathe and snuck it underneath the blanket, then nodded
confidently.
In reply, Juléi hugged against his side and smiled sensuously at him. "You pull
this off, baby, and I promise that I'll thank you for the rest of the night."
Before Nate could reply, he heard the distinct sound of the refrigerator door
opening. Instantly, his attention snapped toward Jed.
"Of course," Jed said with a small laugh.
"What are you talking about?" Erwight demanded as he slowly moved closer to
him. If he couldn't stab him, he could always throw the knife....
"Let me guess," Jed said as he pulled out a plastic jug. "Orange juice?"
"Lemonade," Juléi replied, trying fiercely to keep her nervousness from being
heard in her voice.
"Lemonade," he repeated with a wide smirk. "Right." As Jed shook the jug, a
small clinking sound could be heard rattling inside it.
"We left it in the freezer to cool down quickly," she explained. "It froze
inside the jug. You're just hearing the frozen lemonade hitting against the
side."
"You know," Jed began as he grabbed a glass from her dish rack, "I'm getting a
little thirsty from this searching. Either of you want some as well?" When
neither one answered back, he began to pour. He got only so much out before a
huge chunk of frozen lemonade came out, knocking the glass into the sink.
"See?" Erwight said, pointing at the sink with his empty hand. "Just frozen
lemonade."
"Well, let's just thaw the rest of it out," he replied as he turned on the
faucet. As the water warmed up, the rest of the lemonade started to melt and
wash away until only a chunk of yellow colored crystal remained. "And here it
is!" he exclaimed as he plucked the wet Nijizuishou from the sink. "Looks like
I win."
Erwight quickly lunged at Jed with the knife in his hand, but failed to reach
him as he effortlessly kicked the knife away from him, then followed with a
second kick to his head. Erwight spun in a full circle before hitting the floor
facefirst.
"Nate!!!" Juléi dropped the blanket and rushed to his side.
Jed went into the bedroom and turned off the lights, then walked back to the
kitchen, turning off the lights as he went. "Oh, yeah," he said when he reached
the kitchen doorway, as if just remembering something. Erwight had just stood
up again with Juléi's help, and now they were both staring at Jed in fear for
their lives.
He quietly raised his gun and fired two shots, then turned around and walked
toward the front door to Juléi's apartment. As he opened the door, two loud
thuds sounded from the kitchen.
"You lose," he said smugly as he shut off the light and locked the door behind
him.
**********************************************
"Now there's no more light coming from Juléi's apartment," Jack reported into
his cell phone. "I think the guy's got what he came for and took care of both
Juléi and Erwight."
"Jack... what have we gotten ourselves into?" Tira asked nervously. "This was
supposed to be just another cheating husband case, like all the others."
"I know, Ti," Jack replied. "First, cheating; then, embezzlement; now, possible
robbery and murder. Adding the fact that this mysterious woman is searching for
the murderer and she won't tell us why...."
"What're we gonna do, Jack?" she asked quietly.
"Did you already call the police, Ti?" he asked.
"As soon as you said that the lights were on in Juléi's apartment," she told
him.
"Good," he said as he started to slip away from his hiding spot. "I'm coming
back. We have to bring all of our evidence to the police. Not only that, but we
need to contact Diane. She has to know about this."
"I think that Miss Silver needs to answer a few questions herself," she said
sternly. "Like, why she's searching for a murderer."
"All in good time, Ti," he told her. "I'm at my car right now, so I'm gonna
hung up. I'll see you when I get there."
"Jack, please don't hang up," she entreated. "I'm scared. I wanna make sure
that you're all right. Don't hang up until you get here, okay?"
He sighed as he opened the car door. "The things I do for you, Ti.... All
right, but you're paying for this particular phone call outta your pay."
"What?" she exclaimed. "Aw, come on, Jack! That's not fair! You needed to keep
the line on for the tape recording!"
"I was only kidding, Ti."
"...oh," she replied sheepishly. "This's no time for joking, Jack! Your life
could be in danger!"
"Right, right...," he sighed as he started his car and pulled out into the
street. "I still think you're overreacting... just a bit."
As Jack drove off, a figure slowly lowered a collapsable viewing lens.
"License plate number: 7YQJ069," he said in a cold, menacing tone. "You have
just made a big mistake, my friend. You know too much, and that problem will
have to be rectified."
**********************************************
"And, cut!" Amy shouted. "Wonderful, people! Let's wrap it up for today!"
"Not bad," Jason said as he walked up behind Amy and hugged her around the
waist.
"Jason!" she gasped and giggled at the same time. "What are you doing?"
"Just making sure that everyone knows the truth between you and me," he said
as he kissed the back of her neck.
"Now, quit it!" she said as she broke free from his embrace and batted at him
playfully. "There's time for that later."
"Later, huh?" he asked with a sly grin.
"What're you plotting, Mr. Evans?" she asked with a mock suspicious expression
on her face.
"Oh... nothing," he said with an innocent look on his face.
"Really?" she asked wryly. "How come I don't believe you?"
"Because," he said as he picked her up and heaved her over his shoulder in a
fireman's carry position, "you're right. Now, let's go."
"Jason!!!" she squealed as she lightly pounded his back, while being carried
out of the studio.
"What's gotten into your brother, Lita?" G.Q. asked as he and Lita witnessed
the brief spectacle between the two lovers.
"Beats me," Lita replied with a small shrug. "The guy's probably just trying to
be a little romantic or something. He hasn't had a whole lot of practice,
though, so I guess he's just experimenting."
"Experimenting?" G.Q. asked with a raised eyebrow.
Lita grinned mischeviously in response. "That little stunt he pulled was from a
scene in one movie that we worked on a few years ago," she explained. "In my
opinion, I think he pulled it off just as good as that actor did."
"I see," he said uncertainly. "That explains his sudden... change in behavior."
He shook his head and shrugged to himself. "Well, at any rate, I'm going home.
I've got a few more ideas I'm thinking of plugging into the new script
revision. I'm going for a possible final revision, so I'll just see what I come
up with tomorrow."
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be great," she replied as she jovially
slapped him in the back. "After all, you're the genius writer, right? Later,
G.Q."
"See you later, Lita."
**********************************************
"Th at was pretty good work you were doing back there, Darien," Tanya said
approvingly. "I must admit that you're learning very quickly; faster than I
thought you would. I think even Serena has to admit that your acting skills are
improving rapidly." She paused and glanced pointedly at the blonde actress, who
had just started to walk past them in order to leave the studio.
"Huh?" she said as she turned back. "Oh. Yeah, good work, Shields," she said as
she turned and started to leave.
Tanya blinked in surprise. She was expecting just an offhanded agreement, but
she had actually PRAISED him! It was slight, but still, it was praise
nonetheless.
"Well, Darien, I guess we'll see you tomorrow, then?" she said as she started
after Serena.
"All right," Darien called back. "Bye, Tanya! Bye, Serena!"
"Bye, Darien!" Tanya called back.
"Bye, Shields," Serena said over her shoulder as she exited the studio with
Tanya right on her heels.
Darien grinned to himself, since he had also noted the slight praise that
Serena had given him. She had told him once before that compliments from her
weren't given very often, so he took this praise as an indication of her
warming up to him. Things were definitely starting to work out between himself
and Serena.
Pleased with the work he had done today and with Serena's rare compliment, he
left the studio, got into his car, and started for home.
**********************************************
Dari en walked up the stairs of his apartment complex and headed for his
apartment. He was so happy that he felt like having a small solo celebration:
pizza and a movie or two! Maybe ones starring Serena or Tanya. That would seem
apropos for this celebration of his. He smiled to himself as he took his keys
out of his pocket and reached for the doorknob.
"Darien?" a familiar voice called out to him from behind.
"Raye?" Darien said as he turned around. There she was, standing at the
stairway, as if she had just climbed up the stairs to his level. "What're you
doing here?"
Raye frowned slightly. "No, 'It's so good to see you again, Raye?'" she asked
as she walked toward him. "Just, 'What're you doing here?'"
It was Darien's turn to frown. "I'm sorry, Raye," he apologized. "It's just
that I'm surprised to find you here. After all, you dumped me, remember?"
"I know," she said contritely. "But, that was a long time ago."
"That was a few weeks ago," he corrected flatly.
"Whatever," she said dismissively. "Anyway, I just wanted to come back and tell
you that I thought about the reasons why I dumped you and I've realized that
I've made a mistake." She paused for a moment, then hesitantly reached out to
him. When she saw that he wasn't going to move away, she placed her hand on his
arm and smiled up at him. "I want another chance, Darien."
"Why?" he asked cautiously. "What's different about me now that's making you
want to come back to me? What happened between you and that other guy you left
me for? How do I know that you aren't gonna leave me again?"
Raye flinched at each point that he brought up, but she didn't take back her
hand from his arm. "Well...," she began penitently, "as for the guy I left you
for, it turned out that he was just trying to get me to sleep with him. He
wasn't as sincere as I thought he was. One of his old girlfriends warned me
about him, so I confronted him with that fact and found out the truth.
"As for how you know that I won't leave you," she continued, "I know that you
were always honest to me. I'm sorry that I took that for granted; I didn't know
how lucky I was to have an honest man as my boyfriend." She then moved closer
and smiled pleadingly up at him. "Please, Darien? Accept my apology and take
me back?"
Darien's frown faded slightly as he looked down at her. "I don't know, Raye,"
he began quietly. "You still haven't answered my first question."
Raye frowned in perplexity. "Yes, I have," she replied. "I told you that I'm
sorry for taking your honesty for granted and...."
"That's not what I meant, Raye," Darien interrupted. "I asked you what was so
different about me that you wanted to come back to me. From what I remember
when we were together, you were a little overly concerned about my current
career. It was sometimes to the point where you'd all but demand that I go out
and try to find a better paying job."
"I was concerned, Darien," she told him. "I want to see you succeed. That's all
I ever wanted."
"I'm not all that sure about that," he countered. "It sounded to me that you
just wanted me to succeed so that I'd make more money and be able to provide you
with more things. I remember when you first started complaining that I never
brought you gifts like I used to when we first started dating."
"But, that was a long time ago, Darien!" she insisted. "I'm different now!"
"So, you don't mind that I'm still a production assistant?" Darien asked.
Raye blinked and frowned in confusion. "Wait a minute," she said as she
released his arm and stepped back away from him. "Andrew said that you had a
role in a new movie starring Serena Moon."
"So, you did know...," he said with a frown.
Her eyes widened as she realized her slip. "Yeah, I did," she admitted.
"So, you were only coming back to me because you got your wish and I now have a
higher paying career?"
"Oh, no, Darien," she insisted as she tried to make up for her slip. "I was
just upset because I thought that I was being lied to."
"By me?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow. "Or, by Andrew?" He shook his head
as he turned toward his apartment door and opened it. "Never mind. I don't
really want to know. I don't have any hard feelings toward you, Raye, but I'd
rather that we just stay friends. After all, I'm currently seeing someone else
now."
Raye's eyes widened in shock. "You're... what?!?" she yelled. "You were seeing
someone all this time, and you let me believe that I actually had a chance
to.... Why?!?"
Darien paused in the middle of his doorway and turned back to her. "Maybe it
was I wanted to know whether or not you were truly sincere about wanting to get
back together. I think I now know the answer. I'm truly sorry if I hurt you,
Raye. Please forgive me for that. Good night, Raye." With that, he went into
his apartment and closed the door behind him.
Raye stared at his door for a few more seconds, then angrily whirled around and
stormed off. "Just wait till I find out who's keeping me from Darien," she
growled to herself. "I just know that if he wasn't seeing someone he would've
been mine again! I swear, whoever's at fault will pay for my humiliation!"
**********************************************
< br> "So, tell me," Tanya prompted as one of Serena's butlers deposted a tray of
food by the couch that the two women were lounging on and promptly departed.
"How'd your date with Darien go?"
"It was NOT a date," Serena retorted as she took a piece of cheese. "It was
just a short lunch." She turned away and reached over the side of the couch for
the remote control to the large screen TV and turned it on.
"A lunch date," Tanya added as she pointed at her with a slice of apple for
emphasis. "Hey, turn it to channel 7. My favorite show comes on in a few
minutes."
"It's a rerun, Tanya," Serena told her.
"So?" she asked as she gave her stern look. "It's still my favorite show! Can't
I see it? Look, just gimme the remote...."
"Hell, no!" Serena replied as she hid it behind her back after changing the
channel.
"Girl, don't make me get violent on you," Tanya warned.
"Hah!" Serena challenged. "Just try and take it. I dare you."
"All right, then," Tanya said as she lunged at Serena and tried to wrestle the
remote away. "Ha! Got it!" she said as she got off of her and went to sit back
at her end. "Nobody keeps Tanya Cambridge from her favorite TV show!"
"I let you win," Serena said with a laugh.
"Yeah, right," Tanya laughed as well. "I beat you every single time since high
school."
"I let you win, then, too," Serena shot back. "I could've won if I wanted to."
"No way," Tanya replied as she switched the station to channel 7. "Damn! We've
already missed part of the beginning!"
"It's a rerun, Tanya," Serena pointed out. "You already know what happens."
"Yeah, but that guy in the first scene is so cute!" she sighed. "Speaking of
cute... what exactly went on with Darien during your... lunch? And no trying
to get off the subject. I've got the remote, so I am Queen! Answer my question!"
Serena couldn't help but give a small laugh at the old inside joke from high
school. One of the theater props that they used to joke about was the 'royal
scepter' with was made using a painted wooden pole and an old TV remote control
that was painted to simulate a bejeweled knob. When Tanya first held that
staff, she said to the rest of the theater group, 'I have the remote, so I am
Queen!', which soon became a running joke with the group for the rest of the
school year.
"All right, Your Majesty," Serena relented. "There's not really a lot to say.
Shields offered to take me to lunch today. I was sorta surprised, since the
last time we had lunch together, the bill cost him almost fifty dollars, which
was probably more than he was used to spending for lunch. Anyway, since he was
so sincere in his kind gesture that I offered to let him pick the place where
he wanted to eat."
"Really, Serena?" Tanya asked as she grinned slightly. She couldn't help but be
pleased at how well her matchmaking scheme was starting out. "Go on."
"Well," she continued, "he took me to a pizza parlor. Can you believe it? Me
going to a pizza parlor of all places?"
"I thought you loved pizza," Tanya said as she looked askance at her.
"Yeah, but I always order delivery," she explained. "Pizza should come to me,
not the other way around.
"Anyway, when I told Shields that I didn't want to go in there - because of all
the unwanted attention that I would start getting - he went to go set up
something with a friend of his, who happens to own a little college hangout
place called 'The Crown' and set up a booth for us so I could actually have
some peace and quiet."
"Ooh!" Tanya said suddenly. "I've heard of that place! It's really popular
among the local college kids and even the faculty. So, Darien's friend owns the
place and he pulled some strings to get you some peace and quiet?"
"Just about," Serena agreed.
"Wow," she said in surprise. "He sure went out of his way for you. Doesn't that
kinda make you feel a little special?"
Serena paused in thought as she reached for another piece of cheese from the
almost forgotten tray of food sitting on the table nearby. "Yeah, I guess
so...."
"You know, I'm jealous of you, Serena," she told her.
"What do you mean?" Serena asked.
"I wish I had a guy who'd be willing to do for me what Darien is willing to do
for you," she told her. "You know what I think? I think he likes you."
"What?!?" Serena shouted. "No way!"
"Just think about it, girl," she said as she elbowed her lightly for emphasis.
"How many guys would be willing to do all that for you, even after everything
you put him through? Not many. Also, why do you think that Darien's willing to
put up with it? Just to pay you back for your dress? I seriously doubt it. Face
it, Darien likes you."
Serena seriously thought about what Tanya had told her. She had a point; with
all the abuse she had shoved down his throat, there was no reason for him to
treat her as he had, except for the fact that he must like her. He did tell her
that the reason behind his kindness was because he cared, but she had written
it off as a kind of charity of his. Now, those words were taking on a different
meaning. Could he have meant that he cared... about her?
"You all right, Serena?" Tanya asked.
"Yeah," she replied quietly. "I was just thinking."
"About Darien?"
"Uh-huh. And about other things."
"What other things?"
"I'm... not too sure, Tanya," she told her. "I'll still need to think about it."
"Well, if you ever need to talk about it some more, I'm still here," Tanya told
her. "And you always know how to get ahold of me."
"Thanks, Tanya," Serena said gratefully.
Tanya got up, went over to her, and hugged her. "I'm always here if you need
me. That's what friends are for. Don't worry; I'm sure you'll figure all this
out in time."
**********************************************
To Chapter 19
**********************************************
Author' s Note: Well, now the plot thickens on both ends. Ah, but where is the
heroine of our movie? I know I haven't been giving her much of the spotlight
lately, but I've been trying to build up the suspense for the moment when she
does show up. Anyway, get ready for more as the story continues! Next chapter:
Jed's progress report; Diane's confession; an attempt on Jack's life; and
Serena comes to a decision about Darien.
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs to Moonsong and myself, and I would appreciate
you emailing her or myself for permission before posting it
anywhere else. Thank you.
Prologue Copyright © January 24, 2000 Moonsong.
Other Chapters Copyright © August 12, 2000 Jason Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.