***** Chapter Seven *****
Do you wonder how I stay
So complacent
It's like waiting for the ocean
To save you from the waves
~~~~~~~~
Frank starred at Jack in disbelief, barely believing his own eyes. Jack – here? Shit, they must have gotten wind of the police report in New Zealand. He hadn’t thought that far.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he spurted out, before thinking.
“You reported Rachel’s death in New Zealand. But Rachel died a year ago. So what the hell is going on? What are you doing in London?” Jack replied, sounding quite pissed.
Contradicting thoughts ran through Frank’s head, but at the heart of them all were Rachel. Jack obviously hadn’t spotted her in the corridor. He thought her dead. And the truth… the truth was a mess.
“It wasn’t Rachel,” Frank lied. If Rachel didn’t want Jack to know, he wouldn’t be the one to tell. “It was a young brunette. I think her name was.. Jenny or something.”
Jack gave him a sceptic look.
“We met the night before.. I was really, really pissed, Jack.. You know me. And this brunette was there. She looked so like Rachel, it was uncanny. I thought she was Rachel, and I hit on her. I guess she thought me cute.”
“Bull.”
“I was pissed Jack. When I woke up the next morning her boyfriend came to pick her up. He wasn’t pleased. He took a shot at me, I got a little flesh wound to remember the incident by.”
“And why’d you run off to London like you had a rocket up your ass?!”
“My old buddy Nick needed help. Maybe you ran into him in the corridor.. tall, dark, American..”
“With a blonde on his tail?”
“Yeah.”
Jack hesitated. He had a feeling there was something here, something he wasn’t supposed to know, but what? He’d watched Rachel die, her killer had been caught and they had all tried to move on.
“How did she die?” Frank suddenly asked, looking down.
“She was stabbed. It was.. it was my fault. I turned my back for a few seconds, and.. I’m sorry.” Taking a deep breath, Jack fought back a rush of emotions. “She spoke of you.. before she died.”
Looking at Frank again, Jack felt his anger fade. He’d come here having some wild fantasy it’d all been a lie, Rachel was alive and in some witness protection thing. He would have been so angry with her, but so relieved. He hadn’t killed her. The pain would go away.
Only it wasn’t like that. Pain fades, it doesn’t go away.
*****
Nick glanced over at Amanda as they walked out. She looked deep in thought. His own mind was also struggling with processing it all; Amanda’s return, mysterious watchers, killing an Immortal, Frank turning up looking for his ex-partner and this Rachel.
He wondered how she fit into it all. It was pretty clear she was tied to them, or rather, the Watcher who’d sold them out. Henry-something.
“What did she tell you?” he asked Amanda, holding the door for her. She gave him a quick smile.
“She has a son named David. She’s his birth mom, apparently.”
“I though Immortals couldn’t have kids of their own.”
She looked up at him. “Exactly.”
“So how..?”
She shrugged. “There is something strange about them both. She’s Immortal alright though.”
“I’m driving,” he told her as they approached the rental car. “You can find Joe and ask him why Watchers suddenly chase us, and not just follow in the distance like they used to.”
“What their interest in Rachel is,” she added, opening the car door.
“At least Jonas is out of the way,” he noted, “one less problem to worry about.”
As they got in, Amanda glanced over at him. She knew that look. It was his cop look, whenever he stumbled upon a case. He may have quit the force, but the instincts had remained. She wondered what Immortal life would do to him. She didn’t want him to change. He could be as annoying as hell, but she didn’t want him to change.
“When all this is over.. will you..” her voice faltered. He knew what she meant to say, but he wanted to hear her say it.
“Will I what?”
“Stay with me?”
“Amanda..” he hesitated, turning the engine on, “I.. We can talk about it when this whole mess is over.”
Reaching for the gear stick, Amanda caught his hand mid-air. He looked up, seeing her smile at him in an almost sad way.
“Please?” she said, and he knew she meant it. But it wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t have worked when he was mortal, and it certainly wouldn’t work when he was Immortal. She knew it, too.
Yet.. Yet he wanted to have the illusion that it would work for as long as he could.
*****
“Take care, Frank,” Jack told him earnestly as he approached the door.
“You too, mate,” Frank replied, “I’ll give you a call sometime.”
The two men exchanged glances in an unspoken understanding, before Jack walked out. He felt strangely sad, yet relieved. It was out of his system now. Rachel’s death had been like a cancer tumour in his mind, eating away at him silently. It was time to let it go.
He suddenly had a sensation of being watched. The back of his neck tickled, and he could almost feel eyes grilling holes in his back. But when he turned, the hallway was empty.
And Jack walked away. When Rachel looked around the corner again, he was gone. Out of her life. For better or worse. It may not haven been the right choice, but it had been her choice.
A few minutes later, she walked into Frank’s room. He looked up at her, noticing how pale she was and that her eyes were filled with sadness. Closing the door behind her, she met his worried glance.
“You lied to him.”
He shrugged. “If anyone is to tell him the truth, it’s you.”
“I can’t,” she whispered, walking up to him and sitting down on the bedside. “I loved him. I couldn’t tell him.”
“You loved him?”
“After you left.. I was so alone. And he was there. I got used to having him there, and.. Yeah, I loved him.”
They didn’t say anymore for a while, barely noticing the nurse closing the door to the room.
“Rach? Why did you come to me?” Frank finally asked, taking her hand.
“It was the only place I could think of,” she answered truthfully. And suddenly it was all too much, and she fell against his chest, tears flowing. He put his arms around her as she cried for the life she’d lost, for all those she had left behind. And because, with time..
She would lose Frank too.
*****
“Joe?” Amanda called out as she knocked on the door. Nick was looking over her shoulder, and she found his presence a bit distracting. His forearm was brushing against hers and made her hairs stand on end. She looked up at him, wondering just when she ha fallen in love with Nick Wolfe. She hadn’t expected it, and her life sure would have been easier without him. But it would have been so much emptier too.
“You’re staring,” he told her, letting a finger run through her hair.
“Amanda. Nick,” Joe greeted them, opening the door.
“Imagine finding you here in London,” Nick said deadpan.
“Come in,” Joe said as he was taking a few steps into the room, “I see you two have kissed and made up.”
“Let’s talk about Henry,” Nick replied, ignoring the comment. “And why a Watcher sets a Immortal up to kill me and Amanda.”
“Former watcher,” Joe said with a sigh, “it’s a very long story.”
“We have plenty of time.”
“But Henry hasn’t,” Joe replied, looking over at the computer where Lauren’s picture was onscreen. A young, brave girl who deserved to live a long, happy life. But she wouldn’t.
Some people didn’t get to live forever.
*****
Frank was stroking her hair slowly as Rachel began breathing easier. She’d cried against his chest for what felt like a small eternity, and he’d felt helpless.
“I don’t want to live like this, Frank,” she muttered, “This game.. I never wanted.. So many people are hurt. I don’t want to watch David die. I want to grow old.”
“Shhh,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “We’ll deal with this.”
She let his words sooth her, knowing them to be untrue. But she would believe it for tonight, for his sake. She looked up at him, clasping his hand in hers.
It scared him. She was never like this. She had always been strong. He sometimes had a feeling he was talking to a stranger. Maybe she was right. Maybe a part of her had died.
He shook the thought away. It was just the shock that made her act this way, he convinced himself. Better to take her mind of it.
“The first night on the Footloose.. when we..” he smiled, “you know.”
“I wanted it,” she replied softly. He kissed her impulsively, like he had the day on the pier when she had first turned up. He’d been so happy that day, even though he’d known something was wrong.
She let him deepen the kiss, grateful to feel something besides pain and regret for once. It was so simple, and the rest of her life was so complicated. So very, very complicated.
***** Chapter Eight *****
A strange lullaby it is
For it is my own
~~~~~~~~
Lauren had been 16 when she had been diagnosed with cancer. The time before she’d gotten ill, she hardly remembered anymore. It felt faint, like a dream after you have woken up. She could remember her dad laughing, and how he proudly told her he was writing history.
He had loved his work. Her illness had made him hate it.
She had read many of his files on the computer, and she had understood his desperation. She wanted to make her mother live again, but not by taking someone else’s place in the world. There was a place for her mother within her, and for both of them within her dad.
Exhausted, she had fallen asleep, and when she woke, her father had been gone. She knew where he was going, and she knew what she had to do.
Her legs didn’t even shake as she got up, and she felt better than she had in months. She had avoided taking her medication, and while she could feel the muttering pain, her mind felt clear. Her body felt like it was hers again.
She took a long shower. The water felt wonderful against her skin, washing away the smell of illness. Looking into the mirror, the reflection finally looked like her, not a ghost.
She dressed warm, wearing her mother’s clothes. She had outgrown her own. The nurse was asleep in the kitchen, so she sneaked out silently. The dark night sky was the most beautiful sight she had seen in a long time. The stars seemed so clear, blinking down to her. But the stars she was watching were long dead; only their light lived on.
***** Joe’s hotel room *****
“And now we don’t know where he has taken her, we only know she’s running out of time,” Joe summed up, letting out a sigh.
“So we have a former desperate Watcher who wants Immortality for his dying daughter, and sells us out to an Immortal to get it,” Nick observed, “But why Rachel?”
“You are born Immortal,” Amanda replied, “But Rachel.. I think she has become Immortal. If he can find out how..”
“He can make his daughter Immortal,” Nick concluded.
“And he’s running out of time. Lauren doesn’t have long to live,” Joe added, noticing Nick just barely wince at the name. Amanda noticed; she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Of course. Nick’s ex-wife, Lauren Wolfe. She had been tragically killed by an Immortal, an Immortal Nick later had taken the head off of.
“I would watch your friend if I were you,” Joe advised after a short silence.
“She’s staying at the hospital with Frank. I think she should be safe. I can head over there and keep them company just to be sure,” Nick said, forcing old ghosts away.
“Good idea. I’ll go talk to some old friends who might help us find Henry,” Amanda suggested.
“I already have many looking for him,” Joe replied, but she just smiled.
“Yes, but darling.. I can make men very talkative.”
***** The Hospital *****
The sky was slowly turning from grey to black as Nick walked into the hospital. He felt a Presence almost as soon as he did. Assuming it was Rachel, he still walked down the corridors looking over his shoulders until he reached Frank’s room.
Knocking, he waited until he got a reply before walking in.
Frank was asleep. Rachel stood by the bed, but judging by the mess her clothes wee in, he was willing to bet a fortune she’d been in that bed just a minute before.
“How is he?” Nick asked.
“Alright, I think. A lot to think about.” She bit her lower lip. “How did you deal with it?”
“Immortality?” He shrugged. “I don’t. Not yet, and I hope I never will.”
“Why?”
“Because it doesn’t make sense to me. They – we - can live forever, but instead they..” he paused. “Damnit.. I still think of Immortals as ‘they’.”
“So why are you here?”
He looked over at her, wondering how much she had put together. “To be on the safe side. And.. I was Frank not that long ago. A mortal trying to protect an Immortal, knowing I could just be a footnote in her life story, yet..”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Life seemed so precious around her.”
“Nick..” she hesitated, wanting him to understand her need to know. “Amanda never told you that you would become Immortal, did she?”
“No.”
“But you would have wanted to know?”
“Yes. It was my life.”
“And this is my life. I need to know.”
He nodded, opening the door and gesturing to her to follow. They found a silent spot in the hallway, sitting down on by the window. There was a tree outside, the wind causing the branches to gently shriek.
“You’re not.. a run-of-the-mill Immortal, Rachel,” Nick finally said, having wondered how to explain it to her.
“I know. I have a son.”
“Yeah. Immortals don’t have kids by birth. You weren’t born an Immortal, but you must have gained Immortality. And there will always be someone who wants what you have.” He laughed bitterly. “They have no idea the package it comes with.”
“How?” she asked, feeling as if she had been punched in the stomach. She had suspected something like this, but to hear it confirmed.. For a brief second she wished she hadn’t asked, but the feeling passed. At least now she knew.
“I honestly don’t know.” He let a hand rest on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She looked up at him and saw earnest sympathy and understanding.
They sat in silence for a while the clock kept eating seconds, minutes and hours.
*****
It was a quiet night. Yet some areas of the hospital buzzed with activity, as there had been a ca accident just down the road. Nurses ran to and fro, and doctors desperately tried to treat everyone. No one noticed one doctor silently slip into the elevator.
The upper floors were almost empty, and the only sound was hospital equipment ticking, buzzing or beeping. A few nurses were on call, they nodded to the doctor as he passed. Pausing for a second, he checked the room number on one of the doors, and then walked in.
None of the nurses paid much attention, they had many patients to see to and a long night ahead of them.
Moments passed. Footsteps echoed through the hallway, as Nick and Rachel came walking. Reaching Frank’s room, Nick opened the door, smiling slightly.
“Ladies first.”
She couldn’t resist smiling, but as she walked in, her smile froze.
There was a man standing by Frank’s bed, pointing a gun at him. He was still asleep, looking so innocent and carefree at any other time it would have warmed her heart.
“Henry, I presume,” Nick said, holding his hands out in a non-threatening matter.
“I will shoot,” Henry warned, trying to keep his hand steady. He would shoot. He would!
“He’s done nothing to you!” Rachel shouted angrily, stepping forward. “You want me? Fine. Here I am.”
“Rachel..” Nick warned.
“Shut up, Wolfe!” Henry shot back, “Amanda came over for a visit just a few hours ago. Seemed to think she could talk reason to me. You shouldn’t have interfered.”
“No, we should have let ourselves be killed by some damn Immortal!”
“I sent you a teacher!” Henry called out desperately.
“And that makes it alright?!”
“Shut up! What the hell do you know? You’re Immortal!”
“Not by choice,” Nick said quietly, “what the hell have you done with Amanda?”
“Nothing yet. I’m not a monster. If you stay out, she’ll be safe. Rachel..”
Without hesitating, she walked up to him. Looking him straight in the eye, she saw a flash of regret before the gun came crashing down on her head, and the world went very white, then completely black.
“Hey!” Nick called out, taking a step forward and catching Rachel as she fell. And suddenly he noticed Frank looking straight at him. The two men exchanged glances, then Frank jumped onto Henry.
Caught unaware, Henry still managed to wriggle the gun out of Frank’s immediate reach, but Frank locked his arm with his unhurt one. The two hit the floor silently, seconds later a shot went off.
“Shit!” Nick cursed as the shot hit him, falling backwards. Immediately realising he wouldn’t survive it, he closed his eyes and braced himself.
Frank watched with horror as Nick died. The man was supposed to be Immortal, but.. He gasped in pain as Henry struck out at his wounded arm and lost his grip. Seconds later he looked into a gun barrel.
“Don’t move,” Henry ordered him, getting up.
“I’m not going to let you do this,” Frank warned him, hearing fast footsteps approaching.
“I could kill you,” Henry said, grabbing hold of Rachel, but the gun stayed firmly pointed at Frank. She wasn’t very heavy.
“You could,” Frank admitted, “The world’s full of killers. What’s one more?”
For a brief second the two men looked straight at each other, then Henry struck out, kicking Frank hard in the shoulder. Groaning in pain, Frank felt his vision go black for a second or two. When he looked up again, Henry and Rachel was gone.
“Bloody hell!” he cursed, crawling over to Nick. Feeling for a pulse, he found none. The man was dead.
“Oh my God!” came a terrified cry as a nurse came running in “What happened here?”
“Nothing,” Frank told her firmly, “this man fainted. Would you get a glass of water?”
“I heard-”
“What?”
“I thought I heard..”
“What?” Frank hoped his face was as blank as he wanted it to be. It had to be, because the nurse took one more look, and then retreated. Probably going for reinforcements. And so he sat on the floor and waited, waited for a dead man to be alive again.
“What a mess,” he thought, praying that Rachel would be safe. He couldn’t have lost her now, he’d barely gotten her back.
She was supposed to live forever.
***** Chapter Nine *****
The rest is silence
~~~~~~~~
A small eternity passed, although it was only a few moments. Frank waited, every second feeling like agony. Every second bring Rachel further away from him.
Suddenly, there was a loud gasp from Nick, as he opened his eyes and lived again. Frank stared in disbelief, one thing was to know Immortality existed, it was something altogether different to see someone die and rise again.
“Damnit! Nick cursed, getting up, “Did the bastard get away?”
“He bloody well did, with Rachel!”
“Great. We better find them.”
“How are we gonna do that, genius?” Frank asked sarcastically, rubbing his arm. Bloody hell, his arm hurt.
“I can sense their Presence if they’re close enough.”
“Any ideas where to start?”
Nick shrugged. “I’ll find them.”
“*You’ll* find them? Am I supposed to just stay here and wait?” Frank fought an urge to shout
“I’m Immortal, you’re mortal. If I’m shot, I get up. If you..” Nick stopped mid-sentence “Oh God.. I sound like Amanda. She always pulled the Immortal-mortal crap on me.”
“We should both go, before the cavalry arrives,” he added after a pause. “If we only know where he was keeping his daughter..”
“I know,” a voice broke in.
The two men turned surprised, looking at the young girl who had walked up to them. Thick red hair, with sparkling green eyes, she was beautiful, but quite clearly very ill too. Her skin had an unnatural tone to it, and there was something about her face..
“I’m Lauren, Henry’s daughter,” she told them, feeling her strength wane. It had been a long walk, and her lounges felt deprived of oxygen. Taking several deep breaths, she ordered her legs to keep standing. They felt weak, but they were listening.
“You can trade me for Rachel and Amanda,” she ordered, her voice sounding surprisingly strong even to her. “I will take you there.”
“No,” Nick shook his head, “you can barely stand, I won’t..”
“I am dying.” She didn’t even wince when saying it. “I will not let anyone die for me. I want to save him. Please let me.”
She walked up to Frank, shaking her head. “I did not want this. I am so sorry he took your friend. I’m sorry he came to late, but I came as fast as I could. I swear.”
“I believe you,” Frank replied quietly, all his anger fading.
“How did you know where we were?” Nick asked.
“I read my father’s notes. Please.. I know I can make him understand.”
Walking up to Nick, she looked him right in the eye, willing him to understand.
“Have you ever loved someone so much you wanted to save them from themselves?”
He looked at her for a long time, exchanging a quick glance with Frank, before giving a reluctant nod.
“Alright.”
*****
The wind fell and rose, and fell again. The black sky slowly turned grey, stars paled and disappeared from view. The biting cold was losing some of its teeth. It promised to be good morning.
It would be a good morning if he’d be asleep in his bed next to Amanda, Nick thought with a sigh, shivering despite the air being rather warm. He looked over at Lauren, seeing the strain on her face. She could barely stand. Frank was by her side, ready to support her, but she had not fallen so far.
“It’s the next house,” she said through clenched teeth.
Nick looked up, seeing the pale blue house she was gesturing towards. As they approached, he felt two Presences slam into his mind at the same time.
“They’re here,” he told the other two, “I sense them.”
“We’re coming,” he tried to communicate to Amanda, “We’re coming.”
*****
“Where the hell is she?!” Henry exploded, looking around. Lauren was gone. A part of him wanted to panic, but he forced himself to stay somewhat calm. He had the Immortal.
“Henry..” Amanda began, taking a momentarily break from working on her bonds. She’d been tied to a chair, so had Rachel, who was still unconscious. Henry was pacing the floor, holding onto her sword. She silently cursed herself for being stupid enough to try and take him on alone. 1,200 years and surprised by a mortal. She was getting old.. Nick would have a field day teasing her.
God, she hoped he would get the chance to do just that.
Henry ignored her, thinking. She sighed, just as she felt a new Presence. It could be Nick. It had to be Nick.
“Aw, my head,” Rachel muttered, her eyelids fluttering. “Where.. what..” Her eyes flew open.
“You alright?” Amanda asked her, worried.
“My headache’s killing me.”
The door slammed open with a sudden bang, and Nick walked in. Henry jumped, bringing his sword up at once. Nick seemed not to notice, walking on. A few steps from Henry, he stopped.
“You!” Henry spat, “You took Lauren! Where is she?”
“She came on her own, Henry,” Nick replied, “She doesn’t want this.”
“Don’t speak of her! Just tell me where she is!” Henry replied fiercely, bringing his sword to rest against Nick’s neck. “I know how to kill your kind. I will.. for..”
“For Lauren?”
“I told you not to speak of her!” Henry snapped, lifting his sword to swing it. Nick jumped back, barely managing to jump away as the sword came at him. “Where is she?!”
Nick said nothing, simply crossing his arms and waiting.
“Tell me, damnit! I won’t hurt Amanda, you and her can just walk away.”
“With a life on our conscience? It’s not worth it.” Seeking eye contact with Amanda, he found himself staring at nothing. Just an empty chair. But he could still feel her Presence, so she had to be near.
“Lauren deserves to live!” Henry cried out.
“So Rachel deserves to die?” Nick countered, focusing on Henry again. In the corner of his eye he thought he saw a glimpse of Amanda tiptoeing towards Rachel.
“She isn’t supposed to be Immortal! I haven’t understood how it happened, but she isn’t supposed to be Immortal!”
“Does that in some obscure way justify killing her?!” Nick kept the argument going, as Rachel was almost free of her bonds.
“I WILL NOT LOSE HER!” Henry felt the last of his restraint disappear, seeing Nick in a red haze of anger, pain and sorrow. He charged at him, swinging his sword wildly.
“NICK!” Amanda cried, freezing in terror. No, no, no, no. He couldn’t die. He was going to live with her for a long, long, long time. He couldn’t die.
“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!” Lauren cried out, coming running from the shadows. Frank saw only a blur, one moment she was beside him, the next she was not.
Henry didn’t hear her cry, so she ran, ran as fast as she could and prayed it was fast enough. Suddenly she had wings, she flew the last metres and knocked Nick away.
He should have been far too heavy for her to push over, but he was too focused on Henry’s attacks and unprepared. She felt a sickening pain in the chest as the sword cut through her flesh.
There was a silence.
Lauren fell backwards, her legs finally giving in. It hurt to breathe, every breath burned in her chest. She saw her father’s look of shock, as he realised what he had done. She seemed to keep falling even after hitting the floor, and she knew she was about to die. The pain would be over soon.
She looked at her father again, and tried to speak. She wanted to tell him it was okay, that her mother was waiting for her. She wanted to tell him she loved him. But her mouth was filled with blood, and she couldn’t speak. Looking him into the eyes, she told him all these things without using words.
He shook his head, the sword falling from his hands.
“Lauren,” he whispered, terrified. “Don’t leave me.”
She gasped in pain, took one last look at him.. and died.
Silence fell again.
***** Epilogue *****
All these days who passed
I did not know them to be life
~~~~~~~~
Henry heard voices around him, but he couldn’t bring himself to hear what they were saying. He felt frozen in time. The image of Lauren staring up at him, her killer, kept popping up in his mind.
He’d killed her.
She was dead.
His eyes were dry, and he kept staring out in the air.
He’d killed her.
“He’s in shock,” Joe said to Nick, shaking his head, “We’ll take care of him.”
The house was filled with Watchers, cleaning up blood and removing files. There would be no trace of the events that had transpired, only the memories would remain. Nick wondered if 1,200 years were enough to push away such haunting images of a young girl dying so long before her time.
“Where did Rachel and Frank head off to?” Joe interrupted Nick’s trail of thought.
“They’re.. recuperating,” Amanda said with a small twinkle in her eyes, hanging up her cell phone. She had been on the phone with Erik, explaining why they’d missed their appointment and asking for one small favour.
Joe raised an eyebrow at her statement, and Nick sent her a mischievous grin. Recuperating indeed.
*****
The room was barely lit. The curtains were closed, just a streak of daylight sneaked past. The bed was made, and empty. The two people there did not feel a need for sleep.
Frank was kissing her neck hungrily, his fingers making slow circles on her hip. Rachel had her eyes closed, letting all her thoughts be drowned by the hot flashes of desire that pulsed through her.
She let her fingers run through his hair. It was wet from the shower they’d taken, washing away old pain and the feeling of death. A part of her wondered how long it would last, if it really would lessen the pain of loosing David and Jack and everyone else who thought her dead. Another part of her knew it wouldn’t.
She ignored the thoughts, pushing herself closer to Frank. Her shoulder came in contact with his wounded one, and he groaned in pain.
“Sorry,” she muttered. They didn’t speak again, as his lips met hers in a greedy kiss. There was no need for words. She let all thoughts drift from her mind, only feeling. She could almost feel Frank, almost like a Presence.. Shivering, she pulled back.
He looked at her with worry. She gave him a quick, reassuring smile, trying to locate the sense of Presence in her mind. It was gone, almost as if it had never been there. Frank pulled her into a fierce embrace, and she fell to the floor with him.
She would worry about it in the morning. For one night, she would let herself feel alive.
And with Frank caressing every part of her body while kissing her senseless, it felt good to be alive. It felt good to be in his arms, to feel his warm skin next to hers.
It gave her hope that there were life beyond death.
*****
“I’ve been killed twice this week,” Nick complained as he and Amanda began walking away from the little pale blue house that looked just like any other house. It would probably be sold to a quite normal family, unbeknownst of the tragedy that had occurred there.
“Poor baby,” she replied, somewhat mockingly.
“By the way, how did you manage to free yourself?”
“Nick..” she gave him a look “where’s your faith in me? I’m hurt. I’m the greatest thief in the world, remember? I never let a simple rope stop me.”
“Really,” he said dryly.
“Really.”
“So how did Rachel become Immortal?” Nick asked, changing the subject. She shrugged her shoulders.
“Henry was unable to find out,” she answered, “maybe we will never know.”
“And Frank?” He smiled at her, for the first time in weeks feeling like life wasn’t a tangled mess. She smiled back at him.
“I think he was born an Immortal,” she suddenly said. He didn’t seem surprised.
“I could almost sense his Presence when he was near, only it seemed….”
“Severed,” he finished for her. They walked in silence for a while, a silence neither minded.
“Can you lose your Immortality?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Some die peaceful deaths and don’t have their Immortality triggered. But… I don’t know.”
He looked at her and smiled.
“Good to know you don’t know everything at twelve hundred years old.”
“Just almost.” Her reply made him smile again. It felt so easy to smile at her.
“I invited them to stay at The Sanctuary for as long as they wanted,” she added, referring to the bar she and Nick owned “It’s Holy Ground. They would be safe.”
He nodded. They walked in silence for a while, watching the river move lazily towards the sea.
“You think it can work out for them? An Immortal and a mortal?” Amanda asked after a while, gesturing out in the air.
“Who knows? If they love each other..” he trailed off, feeling her hand gently take hold of his.
“You think it can work out for two Immortals?” Her voice was steady, her face even, but her eyes seemed to shine at him.
Smiling, he pulled her into an embrace and just held her. He felt her smile against his neck, and he found himself wondering what 1,200 years would be like with her. Never boring, that was for sure. Gently, he kissed her.. A warm, tender kiss that curled her toes. A mild wind caressed their skin as they stood there, whisking away the last touch of winter.
It reminded him that nothing could last forever. One day, he would leave her. Or she would leave him.
Just as long as it wasn’t today.
“Let’s go home,” he whispered.
***** Sydney *****
The waves crashed against the beach and Erik’s bare legs as he walked towards the picnic he’d spotted on the beach. He could hear laughing, a child laughing. Playing with his father and stepmother, he seemed so innocent. Just like any other kid, hadn’t it been for the fact that his mother had died.. and risen again.
Erik smiled as he walked past, looking the kid straight in the eyes. And he knew. Amanda had been right, he would have to call her later and tell her so. Poor kid. Cursed and gifted beyond imagination.
David Goldstein was a pre-Immortal
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