Chapter One

Epilogue

There was only darkness. She was in a void where there was no light or sound. She was alone and the shadows pressed in against her. Was she dead? Had she slipped into nothingness? Was this all there was on the other side? She fell to her knees and gave a cry of heartbreak. Where was her love? She knew that if he still possessed a force of life, he would come for her. Was there nothing left of the man that she loved? Had he passed into this oblivion at death? The cold from the floor seeped into her bones and she wondered why she still felt anything in this place. Let the darkness take her. Nothing mattered anymore. When he left, he took her heart with him and cleaved her soul from her body. She was only a shell. A walking dead already. She hugged herself and rocked on her knees. Please, let it end, her heart cried. She decided that fading into the darkness was better than living with her ghosts.

She heard the footsteps then. Someone was coming. The hair on her arms stood up and she knew that it was not her love. How had he found her? Surely, she beyond his reach here. She froze in place and listened. The footsteps came again, only they were closer, now. She shakily got to her feet and held out her hand in front of her. She walked forward, reaching into the darkness and hoping to find a way out. Her fingers came into contact with a wall and she followed that until she came to a doorway. She slipped through to find herself in a darkened hallway. But, from the blinking overhead lights, there was enough light to see by. The hallway seemed to end in shadows, but still she ran down it. After a while, she turned and looked behind her. The shadows began to swirl and a form began to take shape. With a cry of fear, she turned and kept running. But, in her broken heart, she knew that it was futile. He was coming for what was his. She had promised. A bargain made with the devil for all the right reasons was still a bargain made with the devil. She had promised all that she held dear just to give her love a little more precious time. She had made her bargain with that creature and he had done his part. But, fate had simply altered it's course and found another way to take her love from her. And rather than honor the bargain, she had chosen to follow her love into death. But, he had not been waiting for her. Not in this dark and lonely place. Maybe, she was cursed. Her love didn't belong in a place like this and she prayed that his goodness had taken him somewhere into the light. A place that she could never reach.

"Natalie," came Carlo's voice.

'No', she screamed in her head, but no sound came out.

"Natalie, come back," he ordered her.

She opened her eyes and found herself in a hospital bed. Her wrists were bandaged and all sorts of tubes and wires were hooked into her body. The beep and hum of machinery broke the silence. In the harsh fluorescent lighting, her eyes searched the room. He stood at the foot of her bed. He was beautiful with olive skin and dark, curly hair. Those ancient eyes that held so many secrets stared into hers.

"Did you bring me back?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "There isn't anything beyond this existence, Natalie."

"I don't care anymore," said Natalie.

She tried to stop from crying in front of him, but the tears could not be stopped. They welled up in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks. Carlo moved in a flash and was next to her. He leaned down and touched a tear. He held it up and seemed to marvel at it. He turned those knowing eyes to hers again.

"I do care," he said. "You made a deal with me and you will keep it."

He moved and ripped out all the tubes and wires. The machinery began giving beeps of alarm and he quickly picked her up into his arms. He turned to the open window that he had used to gain entry and then they were flying through the night. She could barely raise her head. Evidently, he had only given her enough of his blood to keep her from dying. The wind rushed through her hair and Carlo's strong arms held her close to him. She gazed down at the twinkling lights of the city below. The world of man that Carlo had every intention of taking her away from. Yet, for the first time, she only felt the magic of his presence.

He alighted with her in the woods within a small clearing. The moonlight gave enough light for Natalie's still human eyes to see. Carlo gently laid her on the grass and brushed her hair out of her eyes. He unraveled her bound wrists and gazed at the cuts that she had inflicted upon herself. He made a noise of pain at her suffering and dropped his fangs. He pricked his finger and rubbed his blood into her wounds. Natalie's astonished eyes saw the cuts close and disappear.

At her confused look, he said, "I won't have you carrying a reminder of your pain for all eternity."

He reached down a hand and petted her. His eyes were dark now. He was in a predator mode, thought Natalie. But, she still could see a glimpse of something else in his eyes.

"I chose you, Natalie, because you are special," he said. "After thousands of years, I only have one other child. But, in you, my blood will run true. You are the perfect vessel."

"But, I came to you," said Natalie. "I sought out your help."

"I knew of you before that, Natalie. I allowed myself to be found," he said.

He bent to her neck and she felt his fangs on her throat. She weakly tried to push him away, but her hands only met an immovable wall. He surprised her by gently kissing her cheek. He moved to her ear.

"I love you, Natalie. I always have," he said.

And with that, he plunged his fangs into her throat and began to aggressively pull her life blood from her body. Carlo's hand caressed her and Natalie found herself sinking into darkness. Her last thought was that she would rise, but she would always carry the darkness inside her.

A/N: This was Natalie's perspective on how she became a vampire. Her story will continue on as she finds her way into the True Blood universe.