CHAPTER 4
Nora watched the blonde sleep. She had a small smile on her lips as she slept and Nora resisted the urge to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes. She was scared of startling her if she woke up sooner than Bonnie had predicted.
Nora got up and started pacing. Only occasionally, would she look back at Mary Lou and see if she'd moved at all.
A key in the door made Nora look up as Valerie walked through.
The other Heretic stopped just before the lounge and Nora stood in the doorway to it, feeling overly protective of the sleeping blonde.
"Have I come back too early?" Valerie asked.
"No but she's sleeping." Nora replied.
Valerie looked around Nora to see Mary Louise sleeping on the couch.
"Did it work?"
Nora shrugged.
"We don't know yet. Bonnie said she should wake up in a few hours and it's only been-" Nora checked her watch-"half an hour."
Valerie nodded.
"I guess it's best just to keep an eye on her."
Nora nodded in agreement.
"You should go and get some sleep. I'll be staying up tonight."
"Of course but I can watch her if you get-"
"No." Nora cut in sharply.
Valerie gave her a small frown.
"I'm sorry, Valerie but I need to be here when she wakes up. If it's worked..."
"You want to be the first thing she sees." Valerie finished for her then shrugged;
"It's understandable. I'll be in my room."
Nora nodded and watched Valerie head upstairs.
Mary Louise was still sleeping but Nora was getting impatient. When was she going to wake up?
Nora licked her lips and then went over to the couch, kneeling beside it.
She knew that Mary Louise couldn't hear her but that didn't stop Nora from wanting to tell the blonde everything she felt; in some ways it actually made it easier.
"How to begin to tell you this." Nora said softly.
She then brushed that free strand of hair back from Mary Lou's eyes and smiled warmly.
"You have shown me time and time again that what we have is real and when you forgot about me, I doubted that you ever really loved me at all. I shouldn't have because I know without a doubt that you will always be there for me. Your last gift to me was sacrificing your life so that I could be free of Rayna."
Nora wiped a stray tear away and sniffed to stop any more from coming even though she knew it was pointless and she ended up sobbing through the rest of what she had to say.
"If this spell has worked, I just need you to know that I will spend all of eternity showing you how much I love you. You won't ever have to be afraid of losing me again. Yes, I like my freedom and I wanted to experience things in this new world but...all of that means nothing without you by my side. I love you, Mary Lou and I am begging you...please, come back to me." Nora found herself crying openly then and put her head down on the edge of the couch near the blonde's head.
She had never wanted something so badly since the day she had met Mary Louise and now she found that what she wanted then, was the same thing as what she wanted now. She just wanted the love of her life.
"Nora..."
The brunette lifted her head and found Mary Louise with her eyes barely open.
"Mare?" Nora asked, hope filling her voice.
The blonde nodded and then frowned.
"Why are you crying?"
Nora wiped away her tears and smiled a little instead.
"It's just me being silly. Do you remember anything? Did the spell work?"
Mary Louise looked deep into Nora's eyes and then nodded her head.
"As if I could ever forget you."
Nora smiled brightly and kissed her girlfriend with fresh tears coming down her cheeks.
"What happened? The last thing I remember is telling you I loved you right before we destroyed Rayna's power."
Nora shook her head, stil smiling.
"None of that matters now. We're back and we can leave this dreadful place and start over together somewhere new."
Mary Lou frowned.
"Is it just us?"
"No, Valerie is here too. She brought us back."
"She did?"
Nora nodded and then rolled her eyes.
"And now she wants our help to bring Stefan back."
Mary Louise frowned slightly.
"And why should we?"
Nora sighed.
"I guess it would be a nice gesture considering she brought us back."
"But if she brought two of us back, why can't she bring Stefan back?"
"Because Stefan's spirit has gone to the afterlife, we were trapped in some strange dimension. Getting Stefan back is going to require twice the power." Nora explained.
The blonde nodded along, listening.
"Well I suppose you're right. We should help her get back her beloved being as she did the same for us."
Nora frowned.
"Actually, it was Bonnie that restored your memory."
Mary Lou shrugged.
"Oh, ok. Well we'll send her a fruit basket and help Valerie with Stefan. Agreed?"
Nora took hold of Mary Lou's hands.
"I'm not sure, Mare. Now that I've got you back...I don't know, maybe we should just go. Forget about everything here."
Mary Louise smiled at her.
"I would love nothing more but Valerie did bring us back. We should really repay that."
Nora sighed. She just wanted to start over with Mary Lou somewhere else. She wanted to leave all this behind and just be with the one she loved above all others.
She pictured them maybe going back to England and living in some lovely little cottage near the river in the country and just being happy together. They would go into the city every once in a while and feed but discreetly, making sure to keep a low profile.
Then they would take forest walks early in the mornings and spend nights laying in the fields, looking up at the stars and holding hands but despite her fantasies, she knew that Mary Louise was right so she nodded with a small smile.
"Alright. We'll help her but as soon as Stefan comes back, we get out of here."
Mary Lou leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend.
"It's a deal."
Nora smiled.
"We'll tell Valerie tomorrow but first, you need your sleep. Go on, I'll be there in a bit."
Mary Louise smiled as she looked back at Nora.
"Nora."
The brunette looked up and found Mary Louise smiling warmly down at her.
"I love you."
Nora smiled shyly.
"I love you too."
She then watched as the blonde went upstairs.
Once Mary Lou was out of sight, Nora pulled her phone from her pocket and text Bonnie.
'THANK U. IT WORKED. XX'
The next morning, Nora layed beside Mary Lou and stroked her hair back into place with a warm smile on her face.
The blonde stirred and stretched, slowly opening her eyes.
"Good morning." Nora purred.
Mary Louise looked around the room as if forgetting where she was and then she smiled at Nora.
"Morning."
Nora bent her head, kissing her girlfriend's lips gently.
"I've missed you." Nora whispered.
The blonde smiled and licked her lips.
"And I, you."
Nora kissed her again and then moved to hover over her. She had planned to wait until Mary Lou was more settled but she couldn't help herself. She was done waiting.
Mary Louise groaned as Nora kissed her way up her neck and tangled her hands in Mary Louise's soft blonde hair.
Then before Nora knew what was going on, the blonde flipped them and grinned down at the brunette as she deepened the kiss.
Nora remembered when they had first met, how Mary Louise acted like Nora was her life source and if she stopped taking from her, she wouldn't survive the night.
Any chance the blonde got to touch Nora, she took. Yes she had been nervous of this new world but that didn't seem to be the case now.
Nora tried to flip them again but the blonde was only slightly stronger and held her in place then proceeded to gently bite down on Nora's bare shoulder which made the brunette mark Mary Lou's pale flesh with light scratches and that in turn, made the blonde hiss in pleasure.
"Nora! Mary Lou!"
Nora rolled her eyes and Mary Louise sighed.
"Valerie." Nora muttered.
Mary Louise nodded and then sat back, letting Nora get up and grab the rest of her clothes while the blonde stayed under the sheets.
"What do you suppose she wants?" Mary Lou asked, propping her head up with one hand, her elbow resting on the pillow.
"Probably to talk about Stefan and how to bring him back."
The blonde's eyes widened only slightly at Nora's back as she pulled on her leggings.
"Are we still helping them?"
Nora pulled the white top on over her head and then crawled back onto the bed towards her girlfriend, giving her a light kiss.
"We don't have to. We could always just up and leave." She said with a dark chuckle.
"Nora!" Valerie shouted and this time it sounded as though she were just outside their door.
Nora groaned loudly.
"I'm coming!" She shouted back.
She gave Mary Lou another kiss before getting up and heading for the door.
"I'll be down soon." The blonde promised.
Nora nodded and shut the door behind her.
