Chapter Eleven:

Till the End of Time

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I know you know, our souls will be together till the end of time

You know I know, your love is gonna meet me on the other side

And should the angels come down and take my breath away

I love you'd be the last thing I'd ever say…

--Last Breath, Bret Michaels

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The three of them were sitting in the living room, trading occasional glances. Loud crashes could be heard once in awhile, even by human ears. Finally, Beth could stand it no more and spoke.

"What's going on in there?" she asked Mick.

Mick shook his head, choosing to answer her question as if he had no prior knowledge of the situation. Not like he could say anything in front of Sara anyway, even if he'd been inclined to risk Josef's wrath. "Many of the rooms in this place are vampire sound proof; that includes the study. We can hear the uh, crashes because they're loud but I couldn't hear voices even if I tried."

Beth glanced at Sara. The girl was keeping silent, but it was obvious she was a bit ill at ease. "Do you think everything's okay?"

"I think they can both take care of themselves, and I don't think either one of them is killing the other," Mick assured. Well, he was almost 99 percent sure anyway. He didn't want to get involved in another vampire's business, but being in love with a woman he wanted to spend eternity with himself, he could keenly understand what Shane might be going through right now.

Finally they heard a noise and turned to see Shane walking into the room. His expression was serious, and hinted at a difficult time, but he didn't look devastated as Mick would have expected. It did make him uneasy when Shane just stood there looking at them for a moment.

"Is everything okay?" Beth asked, not one known for her patience.

Shane rubbed a hand over his face. "It will be. Mick, Josef needs to see you in the study. Actually… both of you," he added, indicated Beth.

Whatever Mick had been expecting, it wasn't that. The couple traded confused looks and got up to answer the summons.

Shane gave Sara a half smile. "Sorry to keep you out of the loop. We'll have our own, private meeting in just a bit, okay?"

"Gee, I wouldn't want to feel left out," she quipped. "What's going on?"

"Lots of shit. Lots and lots of shit."

XXX

Mick entered the study tentatively, ahead of Beth rather than ushering her in first as his normal gentlemanly behavior would have dictated. He just didn't know what he was going to find; there were some really weird vibes floating around in the air.

The study looked like a hurricane had hit it. Josef was sitting behind a desk that was completely bare of everything, the space around it littered with objects. Among the ruins he saw a laptop and several items he knew to be antiques.

Josef's eyes widened just slightly in surprise when he saw Beth as if he hadn't been expecting her too, but he didn't comment. He waved them toward the couch. "Have a seat."

"Is everything okay, Josef?" Beth asked in a concerned voice, as she perched on the edge of the sofa.

"Everything's hunky dory, why do you ask?" They glanced at each other again. "Hmm… I wonder where that expression came from? We could look it up on – oh, wait, no we can't, my computer seems to be broken."

Had Shane done this damage, when faced with the news? Was that causing Josef's weird behavior and the note of displeasure in his voice? Josef looked up again, and Mick followed his gaze to see that Shane had joined them. He was leaning against the closed door, arms folded in front of him.

"I figured you might need some…support," he answered Josef's enquiring expression, shrugging. A look passed between them that was undecipherable, but it wasn't exactly animosity.

Okay, that shot down Mick's theory about what happened. "Are you going to keep us in suspense?" Mick prodded. "Or tell us what's going on?"

"You'll have to excuse the mess," Josef continued evading the subject. "My cleaning service doesn't come in till tomorrow."

"So you're going to just leave everything till then?" Beth asked.

"What else would I do?" Josef seemed genuinely curious.

"Uh, clean it up?" she responded.

He gave her an incredulous look. "You expect me to clean it up myself?"

"Not everyone has people to do that kinda thing." Shane piped in. "I clean my house."

Josef looked at him like he was stark raving mad. "You clean your own house?!"

"Who the fuck else do you think does it?"

"You're a vampire!"

Shane choked back a laugh. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!"

Mick had the feeling the banter was being created to lighten Josef's mood, or maybe a stalling tactic, but he was impatient. "Can we get back to the reason you called Beth and I in here?"

The change in Josef's demeanor at the reminder almost made Mick wish he hadn't spoken up. He closed his eyes for a moment as if pulling himself together. "I've had a lot of… surprising news tonight," he said carefully. "First of all, I found out that Sarah Whitley is Sara Adams Great Aunt." There was a gasp from Beth at the news. Josef got up from the desk and came around the front, leaning against it as if trying to be casual, but failing miserably. "Then I found out what I believed to be true for four hundred years, wasn't. Shane… Turns out he's not my…he's my…"

Suddenly Josef bolted, heading for the door. "You know what? I can't do this. I'm sorry but I have my own problems right now and I just can't deal with everybody else's tonight. You'll have to tell them," he said as he reached the door and Shane. He glanced back at Mick and whatever he saw seemed to agitate him further. "And I'm definitely not in the mood for any of his angsty whining right now."

Mick stared at his friend, pole axed by the unprovoked words.

Shane took Josef's shoulders. "It's okay, I'll deal with it. You go chill out. Get something to drink," he urged. "Preferably fresh."

Then Josef was gone and they were alone with Shane. The unease Mick had been trying to ignore was making itself known. He didn't want to believe it, but obviously whatever was going on concerned them now. He refused to even try to put any of the pieces together, instead keeping his mind blank as he watched Shane pull a chair over closer to the couch and sit down.

Shane blew out a breath of air. "Sorry about that. He's had a… a really rough night. He didn't mean it."

"What's going on?" Beth blurted out, and Mick almost wanted to tell her to shut up. That whatever was going on, they didn't want to know, didn't have to know.

"It's not horrible news, I promise," Shane assured him. "It just takes some adjustment. Josef and I share the same sire," he told them. "We've always been more like brothers than friends." He noted Beth's surprise, and Mick's lack of it. "You knew," he stated.

Mick met his gaze, nodding slightly. "He told me."

Shane folded his hands together in front of him. "When he told me about Whitley, I realized the whole truth had to come out. What he never knew was that he didn't wake up after my sire tried to turn him. He was like Sarah. I had to feed him my own blood to bring him out of it. I never considered myself his sire but… he sees things differently." He turned his attention to Beth. "The issue of sire is a Big Deal to vamps. It's a bond unlike anything else in this world."

Beth nodded her understanding, having dealt with the whole Mick/Coraline thing. She knew the bond existed even if you didn't want it to.

"Why was he like Sarah?" Mick demanded, a cold sensation settling in his gut.

Shane gazed at him calmly. "The only thing that causes a turning to go like that is if the person being turned is a half breed."

Vampires don't faint. Vampires don't… that was what Mick told himself, but he knew he'd lost touch with the room around him for a minute. When he was aware of it again, Beth was clutching his hand tightly and Shane was now crouched down on the floor in front of the couch, one hand on his arm and the other on his leg.

"Listen to me," he was saying in a calming voice. "It's not that bad. It's—"

"Not that bad... she..."

"Shhh… Beth can be turned, just like Josef was. It will just take someone else to help out. Sort of like a 'tag team turning'." He smiled.

Vampires didn't usually throw up either, it took a very extreme circumstance. Mick fought down the nausea. He knew if he didn't keep a tight control on his emotions, well, he'd make Josef's destruction look pristine. "What if it doesn't?" He couldn't look at Beth, and he was ashamed of that, but he kept his head down. He wanted to be alone, he wanted to leave here and just go off somewhere, but the knowledge that he would even consider taking off on Beth right now made him feel like a coward. He was supposed to be the strong one, he should be comforting her and he couldn't even face her. What kind of a man was he?!

"Look at me, buddy," Shane interrupted his self loathing in that same, soft voice. He took Mick's chin and lifted his head. "It will be okay. I promise you. Trust me; I've been around a long time.

Mick forced himself to look at Beth. He'd known all along what he would see, and it was just as horrible as he'd imagined. It was worry – for him. And concern – for him. And love – for him. Her hand tightened on his in support. We can get through this too, her expression said. We can do anything together. Mick felt tears prickle behind his lids. What would he do without her steadfast faith, her courage? Life would mean nothing.

"You mentioned you served in World War II," Shane said, bringing his attention back to the older vampire. "You learn any French during that time?"

Mick stared, confused at the off topic comment but answered. "Between that and my first wife, some."

"I know a little. Just enough to find the local whorehouse." Shane winked at them.

"Then we're probably about even." Mick glanced sideways at his wife, surprising himself by the hint of smile on his face. "Of course I wouldn't know anything about any whorehouses."

"Good answer," Shane grinned. "How about you?" he asked Beth, getting a confused negative shake of her head. Then he turned his attention to Mick again. "I know it's gonna be okay, as much as there are any guarantees in life. What other choice is there? When two people love each other, they do whatever they gotta do, because life's not worth living otherwise."

Mick had to acknowledge the truth of that.

"But if it eases your mind any… je m'assurerai qu'aucun de vous deux ne souffrira." If something should go wrong, I'll make sure neither of you suffer.

Mick's eyes widened in shock as he mentally translated and realized what Shane was offering. He found himself touched at the vow. "Thank you." What else could he say? With that, he felt some peace settle over him.

Beth was looking at them in consternation, none too happy with them talking in a language she didn't understand.

"I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, but you have time."

"Maybe so, but I think we're going to head on home now," Mick told him. He had the sudden need to make love to his wife, in their home.

Shane nodded his understanding.

As they left the room, Beth paused, stopping Shane with a hand on his arm. "How did you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

She gave him an impatient look as if sensing an evasion. "Calm him down so quickly like that." Mick had taken the news way better than would be expected given his prior reactions.

Shane shrugged. "I'm good with people. When I want to be," he admitted with a grin.

"It's more than that," she stated, her keen reporter sense picking up on something beyond her conscious grasp. "Is this something… vampire related?"

Shane looked at her for a long moment. "No. It's not any special vampire ability." With that firm but enigmatic answer, he walked away.

XXX

The house was quiet. Josef was nowhere to be seen and the St. John's had left.

"Alone, at last," Shane joked as he finally joined Sara in the living room. He walked over and took her hand, pulling her up from the couch. He led her out to the pool area. "We have to have a long talk. About Josef mostly, but…other stuff too."

Josef especially. She needed to know about their complicated relationship, which had just gotten even more complex. They were the two most important people of his very long life, and there wouldn't be any compromise in that quarter. His honor dictated no less. That being said, it wasn't going to be an easy conversation for him to have.

Shane sat down on one of the lounge chairs by the pool. He sighed. "I know you didn't sign on for all this…"

And he'd never intended to dump all kinds of serious shit on her all at once. The wild child whose main priority had been to have fun and enjoy life, and he'd wanted to give her that for as long as possible. Unfortunately, it seemed the universe had other plans.

Sara made herself comfortable on his lap, facing him with her legs on either side of his. She rested her hands on his shoulders. "What did I sign on for? You. Whatever and everything that means."

He kissed her, and then took both her hands in his, trying not to be too distracted by her proximity. It was something he wasn't good at. Not getting distracted by her, that is. "Well, first of all I've got something to tell you about your family…and mine."

In the end, she surprised even him. Shane knew Sara was special: strong, wise, stubborn, and broadminded, but her reaction to the huge amount of information he gave her made his respect for her grow yet more. The thing that seemed to shock her most was hearing about Sarah Whitley. And her main reaction to the news that her missing and supposed dead great aunt was actually in a coma in New York, the fault of his brother Josef who'd tried to turn her? To express her sorrow over the pain and guilt Josef must have gone through all these years as he waited, refusing to give up on her.

There probably wasn't one person back home who would accuse Sara Adams of being practical. Funny, how wrong so many people can be. When you're faced head on with reality, it does no good to fight against it, deny it or spend time crying over it. Like him, Sara was prosaic about what life handed her. You accept it. You deal. Despite the unexpected turns life was taking and the walking complication that she'd gotten involved with, Sara wasn't about to back down or back out. She accepted Shane as he was, even when that turned out to be so much more than she ever could have imagined three years ago. Come what may.

"We deal with what we gotta deal with," she'd told him. "We do what we gotta do."

Was there any question as to why he'd love her till the end of time?

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End of Chapter eleven: Till the End of Time

AN:

1. My apologies to anyone who actually knows French -- I just let MS Word do the translation for me so I have no idea if it's horrible or not. LOL.

2. I hope the end of the chapter wasn't too... uh, cheesy or whatever. Yeah I skipped over yet another long explanation of the situation. There's just so many times/ways you can describe the same facts.

3. So you think the shit is done hitting the fan? It's not even begun. What till the next chapter...