It was quiet.

Rea slowly turned in a circle with a frown.

The space she inhabited was bare. Not dark, not light...just empty.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"Between."

The voice made her turn and her eyes widened. "Mama?"

A woman began to appear before Rea's eyes. Her eyes and skin were dark and a bright scarf held a fall of braids away from her face. "It's good to see you, child."

"How are you here? How am I here? Where are we?"

The woman smiled. "Always with so many questions." She gently caressed Rea's face and the witch closed her eyes at the familiar touch. "As I said before, we are in between worlds. A place between life and death, between one breath and the next...a place where you must make a choice."

"What kind of choice?"

"Whether to stay or to go." The deep voice made Rea turn.

"Papa!"

The older man smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Good to see you, amore."

Rea crossed the space and hugged her father tightly. "I missed you. I missed you both so much."

"We missed you too. There is so much that we wanted to teach you, to tell you but there wasn't enough time." Rea's mother crossed the space and joined the embrace. The family stood together holding each other for what seemed like forever but for Rea it wasn't long enough.

"How are you here?" asked the witch.

"Magic, of course," replied her father. "Nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it."

The group stood together in silence, enjoying the fact that they were together once more. "You said I had to make a choice," said Rea after reluctantly pulling back.

Her mother nodded. "Rea, you're dying."

"What?" Rea shook her head as she tried to remember. The battle came back to her in flashes, she felt the pain of her injuries and the final surge of energy as she drew from the power of the storm. Then there was nothing.

"Your body was severely injured and you drained away nearly all of your magic. Your spirit still lives but now you have to chose to stay here or to go back," said her father.

"How can I be here? Does everyone get a choice like this when they die? Did you have a choice?"

Rea's mother shook her head. "No, not everyone gets a choice. My love, if we could have stayed with you we would have." The older woman took Rea's hands in her own. "You always stirred things up no matter where you went and this was no exception. When you and Dominic fought your powers awakened spirits that had been dormant for centuries. They're called the Watchers. They once guarded the land and protected the hostages that were exchanged in order to prevent treachery. They have a power that I have never seen before. The Watchers can heal your body, they can make you whole again but only if you choose to do so."

"What if I don't want to go back?"

"Then you move on," said Rea's father.

"What's it like?" she asked?

The warlock smiled at his daughter, in his eyes she was still a curious little girl. "It's perfect. There's no pain, no enemies, no fighting."

"Is there magic?"

The man chuckled. "Yes, there's magic but only white magic. Any darkness is immediately banished. No one can harm you there."

Rea glanced back and forth between her parents. "Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt, baby?" asked her mother.

"Letting go."

The priestess wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Yes and no. Physically it's painless. It's just like falling asleep. But I won't lie to you, it's emotionally agonizing. You have to let go of everyone you've ever formed a bond with...everyone that you've ever loved. You don't get a chance to tell them goodbye or to tell them how you feel, it's just over. Depending on the strength of the connection you can sometimes feel it break and that in itself is torture."

"Is that how it felt when you left me?"

"Yes. It was like someone was ripping my heart into a million tiny pieces."

Rea shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know what to do. I'm so tired of fighting and running and just...existing. I'm so tired."

"I know you are, my dear," said her father. He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Can I ask you a question?" Rea nodded. "Do you love him?"

Rea sighed. "I don't know."

"He loves you," said her mother.

"I know," replied the witch. "I would never give up paradise just for one person, no matter how much they loved me. You know that."

Her mother smiled slightly. "I know you wouldn't." The woman looked at her daughter's conflicted face and felt her heart tighten. "I can't make this decision for you but perhaps I can help." The priestess waved her hand and two images appeared. The one on the right showed a landscape bathed in sunlight, birds sang and wildflowers bobbed in the breeze. Rea could practically feel the warm air caress her skin and she knew that the air would be pure and clear. In her heart she knew that is what peace looked like, it was something she had longed for her entire life yet never achieved.

The image on the right showed the aftermath of the battle. The three wolves and Neil stood to the side nursing their injuries while Dominic's charred corpse began to disintegrate in the background. Rea was shocked to see herself in Ryan's arms. Her body was limp and lifeless, her skin was pale and her lips were turning blue. The vampire held her as if she was made of glass and even in the rain she could see the tears running down his face.

Standing between her parents she took their hands in her own. She looked between the two images and felt her parents hold her close.

"Our time is short," said her father. "You must choose."

Rea looked between the two scenes and felt her chest tighten. On one side was a life of purity, of magic, of love and an eternity with the family that had been stolen from her. On the other side was a life of pain and uncertainty and danger and the knowledge of her family's fate weighing on her with every heartbeat.

With a shaky breath she closed her eyes and made her choice.