Chapter One: The arrival

A/N:

Hey guys. This was originally a one-shot but I had a lot more I could do with the story-line so it's now a chapter story.

I came up with this idea whilst listening to the song mentioned in the summary. For those of you who know the song, this is my own interpretation, it might be different from yours but that doesn't make it wrong.

DISCLAIMERS:

I do not own the song this was based on, all rights go to Pierce the Veil.

L J Smith owns The Night World, its dialogues, plot-lines and character names. All other plotlines, characterizations, and details belong to the author: xForbiddenLoveBitesx.

I

"So, when are we going to meet her?" Poppy asked enthusiastically, practically bouncing in her seat excitedly. Her soulmate, James, chuckled affectionately at her behaviour. I shook my head, annoyed she had even asked. I mean, why was I even talking to Poppy, of all people, about this?

Today had stared out okay, before Poppy had so gracefully ruined it, a short briefing on the ever-present fear that is the coming Apocalypse and a quiet afternoon from then on. Most here at Circle Daybreak were on missions or assignments to find the last remaining wild power, the only group of people that can save our world. Or destroy it. At the moment though I had other things to worry about, as Poppy had reminded me. Half a year ago – had it really only been six months? The separation made it feel like half a lifetime – I had met my Soulmate, Mary-Lynette. Meeting her had changed my outlook on life considerably. Before, I was an arrogant, self-centred person who was disgraced with the human race. Mary-Lynnette, a kind, brave intelligent human was almost my opposite but that didn't make me love her any less.

"Aww," Poppy exclaimed suddenly, dragging me out the inner workings of my mind. A frown creased my forehead; I'd forgotten they were there. "Sorry, carry on," She continued as she got up from her chair at the dining table, tugging James by the hand. He gave me a small sympathetic smile before closing the door behind him.

I sighed quietly, again allowing myself drown in my thoughts. After a rollercoaster of a journey to discovering our feelings, I had almost lost her. I had almost lost her because I couldn't be there for her. We both came out of that experience shaken but our feelings for each other burned through the obstacles. I knew then that I needed to be a better person, for her, for myself and for our future to survive. So I was sent away, to return in a year and by then I will have changed, changed so much that it will be someone she is sure about. These past six months I have done exactly that, changed.

I smiled to myself, oh if she could see me now. I turned my head and looked out into the Vegas sky. The sun was setting low on the horizon, painting the remaining clouds in pastel shades of pink and orange. I sighed happily, sunset. A few more hours and the stars will be out. Ever since leaving that little town, Briar Creek, I had gone star gazing every night, never finding the aid of sleep easy to attain. Mary-Lynnette's favourite hobby, her passion, was star gazing so it had become a regular thing, a reminder. Not that I could ever forget her, she's in every thought and always will be. My body suddenly itched to go and watch the stars just to imagine her doing the same, standing next to me, binoculars in hand and eyes bright with excitement.

The pain of being away from her was excruciating. I don't know how Lord Thierry had survived years waiting for his Soulmate to come round again when I'm barely surviving one. I feel incomplete, lost, like I'm without reason. I lowered my head to the table and closed my eyes hoping for the escape sleep brings.

I was interrupted by a rhythmic knocking. Groaning, I got up from my position and walked to the wooden double doors.

Nilsson was standing there his business-like expression staying firmly put. "There is someone at the door to see you, Mr Redfern," He said.

Seriously, Mr Redfern? Who does that anymore? Instead of voicing this aloud I decided to ask: "Who is it?" Annoyance was clear in my voice as I frowned in irritation at him.

"She says her name is Mary-Lynnette, sir," He replied emphasising the word sir with a smirk on his face.

I sprinted down the hallway, past the elaborate staircase leading to the second floor dorms, past the hall where most were seated eating, narrowly missing Poppy as I hastily made my way to the door. As I rounded the corner, the happiness and excitement building in my chest, I caught her expression and my body turned to stone, worry and anxiety curdling my insides. Her normally glowing face was ashen white with fear. Those brilliant blue eyes were wide, staring at nothing in particular but still looking past the point of terrified. Her gaze finally fixed on me as I stood a little away from her, still frozen in my spot. I knew I should reach forward and wrap my arms around her body in a comforting hug but I was too scared to think straight let alone move.

"Ash," She whispered tears trickling down her face as she uttered my name. "She's… she's… back," She continued. With that final word, it seems her body couldn't take any more and she careened forward her face and mind a shattering blank. Finally awakening from my frozen state, I acted instinctively, surging forward to protect her from further damage. My right arm wound round her waist holding her firmly just before my knees suck to the ground. My left arm grasped her heard preventing it cracking from the fall.

"Thea," I shouted desperation and worry thickening my voice. Thea came running round the corner, towing Poppy. As they both took in Mary-Lynnette's crumpled figure and my defensive position a look of horror crossed their faces. Thea rushed to her side, routinely checking her pulse and breathing rate while Poppy knelt at mine, her eyes overflowing with sympathy.

"It's her, isn't it?" She asked, whispering the words as she glanced again at the body lying slack in my protective hold.

I nodded slowly, the pain gradually rising in my chest, a new feeling I had felt only once before, so briefly, but it hadn't hurt any less. I couldn't lose her now, not when I'd done so much just to prove how deep my love for her was. I couldn't lose her when id only just found her. Poppy, unashamedly reading my mind, squeezed my shoulder in comfort.

I watched in a daze as Thea called for more healers, shooting me a concerned look as she did, gauging my emotions by the colour of my eyes. Poppy had left after Thea's assessment was complete, but not before whispering in my ear, "It will all be alright,"

I prayed her words were right as they carried Mary-Lynette to the sick bay, closely followed by me, never taking my eyes off her. The healers checked her over, once, twice, three times. What was taking them so long? I screamed in my head in aggravation. She'd only fainted, that was all. Wasn't it? I glanced again at her pallid complexion, her eyes shut, a peaceful expression on her face; almost as if she was sleeping. She looked so serene; it would've been breathtaking if I wasn't so damn scared that I would lose her.

An hour passed and nothing had changed, her body was still in the same relaxed pose, her now pale eyelids firmly blocking access to her always bright with excitement eyes. I loved the way her eyes would always light up with intuition as she figured out another unsolved problem. Of course, the moment she'd see me, they'd turn hard and cold as she held back her unbridled anger. I chuckled softly to myself as I relived the moment we'd met. Her confused yet intrigued expression as I told her about my Great-Aunt, that spark of exhilarating electricity as we touched and her sudden, unexplained reaction.

I reached for her hand, lying at her side and took it filmy in mine. She'd probably slap me if she was awake, or kick my shins. Almost instinctively I brought her hand to my lips, applying the lightest of pressure and held it there, inches form my face. A pink haze clouded my vision as I tunnelled; only seeing her, as always. I smiled to myself, enjoying the surge of electric that jolted through my spine. Another thing that would bring out a reaction in her I thought. Relief coursed through me when I realized her hand was still warm and her pulse was still beating, if a little weakly. This didn't mean she was okay though. Stupid, stupid, I cursed myself for even thinking that as it sent waves of doubt crippling my body. I don't ever want to lose her; I don't ever want to lose my Soulmate, my best friend, my life. I can't.

Whoever chose this fate for her, whoever deemed her to an early grave, I beg of you bring her back.

Bring her back or take me with her.

A plan formulated at a hundred miles an hour in my head. If she was about to die now, there was no way I was going to spend the rest of a human life let alone forever without her. Thierry would help; he knew how hard it was to see your Soulmate die and mine wouldn't even be coming back. James might help too, if I asked him. Maybe….

As my mind ran over the possibilities of escaping this world with Mary-Lynnette, I let myself think clearly about the situation. Almost immediately I was hit with a heart wrenching, crippling pain that burned like fire through my body. The ache was vein deep. It burned through all other emotions, clouded my mind and took over my body until all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and let the pain consume me; to let it kill me. I sat there for hours, the pain slowly fading into an agonizing numb.

My hand, still curled tightly around hers, brought both to my face again. My mind, now focusing on ways to make her better, trying to resist the aching numbness my body wanted to succumb again to, brought up something I hadn't thought of before. What if she could still hear me?

"Mary-Lynnette," I whispered, my voice sounding hoarse and tired as if I had been crying although no tears had formed. She didn't respond to my voice in the slightest, her body hadn't moved a muscle. "Mary-Lynnette," I tried again, my voice sounding closer to its normal lazy tone. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me," Again, no response. So I gave up.

A/N:

Oohh, a cliffie! Chapter 2 will follow people! :)

I realize Ash might be a little OC here but we have no evidence of what he is like after he leaves Mary-Lynette, so I improvised!

Thank you for reading, please review.

xForbiddenLoveBitesx