Legacy: Star Crossed Lovers

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Seven: A Love Lost

Deirdre had been watching over her stepdaughter and her lover for almost three days now and she was horrified by what was happening. Not only had their entire history been nearly rearranged so that they didn't know her son, but he was also friends with Ethan. It hurt her head to even think about. What was worse was what was coming.

It was what always happened in Bran's twisted scenario. She had seen the paramedics carrying Susan's apparent dead body out of the apartment before going and following Ethan through the Underworld.

There was nothing that she could do to stop him; he was under the spell and therefore unable to do anything else. There was only one thing to do and that was to find Bran and get him to break the spell.

The hard thing was getting around Peter. He was surely going to suspect what she was up to if he caught her snooping around. But what choice did she have? If she did nothing, then Susan and Ethan were going to kill themselves and then, the world was doomed.

Susan was an important part of the upcoming apocalypse and if she was right, then Ethan was surely going to have just as an important role. The two lovers, though mortal enemies, had a bond that few could understand.

Dematerialising out of the hospital, Deirdre arrived at her house in seconds and looked around for her husband.

Which, thankfully, he was nowhere to be seen. Releasing a breath of relief, Deirdre climbed up the steps and headed into the office. Bran was already there, looking into a stone basin with a wide grin on his face, watching the scene that played out between Susan and Ethan. He was already with her, she realised, about to take the potion to kill himself.

"Ah, Mrs. Connelly," Bran said brightly, seeing her standing there. "Come to see the last final moments of your wretched stepdaughter and her traitorous demon lover? Come, have a front row seat. I must say, this has been far more enjoyable than any I've done in the past."

"Well, it's not going to end like that," Deirdre answered, pulling a knife off of the wall. He froze upon seeing it. "You see, I learned something interesting, Bran. If you die . . . the spell reverses itself. And then there's no one to tell my husband what happened."

Bran's face lost all colour. "You . . . you're helping them?" he croaked out. "Why would you . . . you're the Queen of the Underworld!"

"Not by choice," she countered as she took a swipe at him, managing to strike his arm. He howled before throwing an energy ball at her, but not for nothing was she Peter's most prized assassin, even if she was under his spells. She was also very fast.

"So you're not as evil as your husband believes," Bran whispered. "Or are the rumours true, and you are under his control, for trying to betray him, many years ago, when your son was a boy?"

"And might have succeeded, had a friend believed me," Deirdre murmured, but she didn't blame Celandine for not helping her. She had slept with Peter behind her back and flung her friendship at her. She had ever right to not believe her and think that Deirdre just wanted to get to her children. Celandine had every reason to believe that. But that wasn't what mattered now. All she could do now was protect Celandine's daughter . . . and hopefully, Susan would help Bobby the way that Celandine hadn't help her.

The two opposing foes circled one another and Deirdre's eyes focused on Ethan and Susan before looking back at Bran, her eyes going black for a second. "You are going to lower your defences and come to me," she said in a deep, demonic voice.

Bran's eyes went blank and he lowered his hands out of their defensive position before walking to her, the blank look still on his face.

As much as Deirdre hated her demonic powers that Peter had infused in her, she had to admit that sometimes they had their uses. The mind control that she possessed was only one of them. Unfortunately, it didn't help with trying to fight off Peter. His mind control was much stronger than hers was, which made her vulnerable to his power.

Deirdre raised the knife and drove it onto Bran's chest, causing the blank look on his face to fall and he looked down, horror and anguish running through his eyes.

"Give my regards to oblivion," she hissed at him, giving the knife a good twist before he was reduced to flames and exploded.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Deirdre looked at the basin, where the water was clear of any Romeo and Juliet scenes playing in front of them. The spell was broken, she decided as she turned around and froze.

Peter was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed with his eyes focusing on her.

"So," he said quietly, "it seems that my son was not alone in his treachery." Deirdre swallowed and took a step back as he walked into the room. "After I was so close in getting to her, after I planned her death so eloquently and beautifully, you chose to destroy it, when you know I need her dead in order to keep all of us alive? You know she has to be dead in order to keep him from killing us! So why would you do this?"

"Because I made a promise," Deirdre answered coldly, "to an old friend." She kept her gaze fixed on him.

"Celandine," Peter guessed and she kept her face impassive, no answering. "Well . . . you're not going to have to worry about that, Deirdre. You know why? Because you . . . are going back into the box. For eternity this time."

The last thing that Deirdre was aware of was sending a plea to whatever higher power was listening to protect her son.

And she begged to a Susan that couldn't hear her that she would save her son from the fate her husband had in planned for him. And for her, if she wasn't careful.

But then, Deirdre Moore-Connelly was gone and only the Queen of the Underworld remained.

--

Susan could feel herself waking up as her eyelids fluttered open and, as expected, she found Ethan standing right above her. But he looked so miserable, so anguished, so grief-stricken that for a moment, she wondered if Bobby had gotten the message to him.

No matter. She would just tell him now. Smiling, Susan reached up to touch his cheek just as he lifted a vial to his lips and drank its contents.

Her hand collided with his cheek and he spun around, his brown eyes going wide the moment that he saw her and a blue mist flew over them before breaking into a million pieces. Vaguely, Susan wondered what had happened and why she was lying on a table in a hospital and why Ethan was right next to her, shaking visibly.

"Ethan?" she asked, terrified as she sat up, grabbing hold of him and helping him to lie down. Ethan's face was white and he was trembling and gasping, trying to get his breath. She picked up the vial that was in his hands and stared at it. "What was here?" she demanded.

"Potion," he forced out. His teeth were chattering. "It's . . . from . . . a dark priest . . . in the . . . Underworld. He . . . he has the power to . . . extract certain . . . traits from . . . demons. Like . . . immortality."

Susan didn't understand what was happening. "So it's getting rid of your immortality?"

"Yes," Ethan moaned. "And the only . . . thing that has . . . kept me alive . . . for all these years." He moaned again, leaning into her embrace. "Oh, gods, Susan!" he yelled, pain evident in his voice.

Not knowing what to do, Susan just held him, memories of the past few days sweeping over her and her eyes widened. "Brandon!" she screamed, desperate. Maybe he could heal him . . . maybe . . .

White orbs swirled into the familiar figure of her Whitelighter. "Susan, what the heck . . .?" he began.

"Heal now, ask later," she snapped as she held Ethan tightly. She was barely able to keep him steady and could feel him growing weaker in her arms. Soon, he would be gone.

Brandon moved towards them, laying his hands over Ethan, but nothing happened. He looked worried and tried again, but no healing glow appeared and Susan looked at him, panicked, as he lowered his hands. "There's nothing I can do," he whispered. "This is . . . extremely dark magic and it's blocking mine."

"I know," Ethan murmured. "Susan, listen to me. Don't follow the pattern. This spell . . . was meant to get rid of both of us. Don't do what they want you to do. Stay alive, my love. Live . . . for me. Promise me," he instructed, his voice shaking, yet firm.

Susan was crying as she clutched Ethan, cradling him in her arms. "I promise," she whispered. "Please, Ethan, you can't leave me. Not now . . . not now that we found our way back to each other."

Ethan gave her a weak, shaky smile that was only vaguely reminiscent of the smile that she knew and love. "Don't want to go," he managed. "Can't stop it, though. . . . Susan, promise me that you'll survive. That no . . . matter what happens, you . . . won't give up. Stay strong, for me . . . and for your brother. You . . . you have to take care of Bobby, Susan!"

"Bobby . . ." Susan's eyes flashed with pain.

"Yeah, Bobby, sweetheart . . . you have to save your brother, remember? He can't lose you too!"

There was nothing that Susan could do to stop the flood of tears that swarmed down her face at his words and she bowed her head over his, giving him a kiss of passionate, longing, and despair that left them both breathless.

"I love you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "More than I will ever love anyone in this life. And I will always be yours."

"As I am yours," Ethan breathed. "Smile for me one last time, sweetheart. Please, I want . . . I want to remember that smile one last time before I . . ." His voice gave out, unable to finish that last sentence, but Susan knew what he meant. She gave a small sob, brushing away her tears and gave him the smile that she had always given him. Full of life, laughter, and kindness that had made him fall in love with her.

Ethan focused on that smile as he felt his immortality being stripped away and then he felt his soul being lifted away, leaving his body to be turned to dust before his love's very eyes and she broke into a fresh sobs as she broke down, her grief and anguish weighing down upon her.

Chris and Brooke, who had been coming towards their friend to find out what had happened after the spell broke, came running into the room, shocked by what they had found.

Brandon just held his sister, knowing that Peter was going to pay dearly for this. Because he knew that it hadn't just been Ethan that had been the intended target, it was Susan too.

And he had failed to reckon with the fury of a witch who had lost her family once too often and her very loyal, very stubborn friends.

--Fade to Black--

End Credits

Guest Stars:

Robert Pattinson as Ethan Hale

Jack Devonport as Peter Connelly

Drew Barrymore as Deirdre Connelly

Hilarie Burton as Moira

and Matthew Macfadyen as Bran

AN: I know, it's kind of a cliffhanger ending, considering that this is the last episode I'm planning to write, but I had this finisehd before I decided to end it and this was the way I planned the whole Romeo and Juliet episode--which I've had in my head for awhile--so I couldn't bring myself to change it. But anyway, I'm sorry that this is ending and thank you, everybody, for staying with me this long. I really appreciate it.

Lady Dawson