Chapter 20

A silence settled over the large sitting area; it was an unfathomable type of silence. The television set had been muted a mere two hours ago, and now, not a single person spoke. No one knew what to say.

What words could have possibly been drawn together for a situation like this? With such a shocking revelation: a second attack, three more teens mutilated, and by a mysterious outside source… Where was the justification?

Like the rest, Finn couldn't answer that. Instead, he sat in the middle of the large lounging sofa, lost inside his confused head. So consumed, he couldn't pay any mind to Santana's fidgeting form on the right side of him. Neither could he hear the incessant tapping of Sam's foot against the floor, the soothing rubs from Elliot's hand against Olivia's back, or the nervous chattering of Emma's teeth.

Instead, just as in every other crisis he'd faced before, his attention was responsive to only one other person in the room. Turning his head to the left, he watched her intently, reprimanding himself for only being able to conjure one thought.

Focus, Finn; focus on the issue at hand…

But, seriously, how could he? Just an hour ago, he was in a state of complete bliss. So much so, that the outside world was but a blurry cloud of smoke and every little touch felt like a different type of afterlife.

Any efforts he put up at keeping self-control instantly came tumbling down, watching Rachel now. With bony elbows resting against her kneecaps, long fingers with chewed-down nails drove through the loose strands of her long brown hair… Much like his own had only moments ago.

A kaleidoscope of flashbacks danced around the back of his head, then, sitting amidst the concerned individuals. Forget the three teens. Forget the new monster that had found itself into town. The hairs on the back of his neck stood as goosebumps traveled down his body, feeling just like the bolt of an electric current.

The sound of her labored breathing was prevalent in his brain now. There was also the sinister smile on her beautiful face, the pressure of being held down by her strong body, the feeling of her lips against the crevices of his neck, the invigorating scent that radiated off of her marvelous skin, the intoxicating smell of the hair pooling over the sides of their bare shoulders…

The image of the black French lace she wore underneath her shirt haunted his thoughts, on repeat at least a dozen times. And just like that, he was a goner… Snatching the plush pillow propped perfectly next to him, no one raised an eyebrow when he arranged it over his lap.

Their oblivion resulted in his gratitude. If his mind was audible to anyone in this room, especially her, he'd be in a large amount of trouble.

Still, even after the struggle in his pants, he couldn't rid himself of the daydreaming. Maybe he'd have to physically remove himself from the room to do so. Or, maybe he'd have to think of something really unpleasant. Maybe that would erase the memory of how the metal clasps of her bra felt against his fingers, or the sense of accomplishment that began to move through him in the moment... Just a few more seconds and he would have been reintroduced to a picture of her body he hadn't experienced in a century.

Examining the giant space between the two of them on the sofa now, he wondered if this was all one big joke. She hadn't even spared him one glance since their arrival. Instead, her eyes remained on the silent television set, as if deeply in thought.

He knew Rachel well enough to know that she was.

As for the others, to Finn's absolute distaste, they'd been playing pretend. The fact that he was a vampire still hadn't been revealed. And, he really appreciated Rachel for keeping that secret on his behalf. However, he wished she would have spilled the can of beans. Considering the fact that he was much older and stronger than everyone else in this room, he didn't appreciate being talked around like an ignorant five-year-old.

A certain series of conversations between Sam and Will, in particular, nearly sent the lid flying off of his teapot.

This was earlier in the two-hour duration, when the group was still producing adequate conversation. Olivia's horrified babbling coincided with Santana's low obscenities in the Spanish language and Emma's calming coos.

"It's okay, my sweetheart," her high pitched voice wafted through the atmosphere, allowing Finn the notion that she really did consider these teens her biological children. "We're going to get through this. We always do."

That's when he heard their whispers, their disguised conversation. They were trying so hard to remain in a discreet manner; Finn wondered if they knew what they were actually saying.

"Will, what are we going to do about this…uhh…bear? We can't let…it…kill any more civilians. That's already four lives lost."

"And the list is only going to keep on the rise if we don't step in," Elliot added into the mix, only to reprimand his words as Olivia's concerned eyebrows raised in his direction.

"We'll figure out a plan," Will assured the two. There was something to his voice, so stern, so sure. He didn't seem scared in the slightest.

This was not the case with Sam. "What type of plan, exactly?" he urged. "What if this isn't our type of…bear?"

"No bear is truly safe, Samuel. They can all be hunted and killed with the right amount of focus and determination," Will replied.

Vampire, Finn thought, For Pete's sake, just say 'vampire'.

The remainder of the time, he kept his eyes on Rachel, assuming that she must have at least one thing to add to the argumentation. However, she never said a word.

"Finn," Emma started him, being the first to break the miserable silence. "Would you like a cup of coffee or something? You just look so cold, holding that pillow so close. I could turn up the thermostat or get you a blanket."

His heart pounded, realizing someone had noticed a change made during his session of dirty thoughts. And with her foster daughter… That would be really hard to explain. Instead, he rose in posture.

"No thank you, Mrs. Schuester. I appreciate the offer, though."

She flashed her famous pearly whites, "Of course, my pleasure." She then transfixed her gaze upon her husband. Resting a hand of comfort against his shoulder, he smiled, grabbing it within his own and raised it to his lips.

Finn remembered Rachel once mentioning that Emma had experienced a world of pain in the final moments of her human life. She didn't go into depth, nor did she explain what happened to the young woman. Instead, she compared it to the loss of her father.

"Our coping strategies are completely different," he remembered her explaining. "That, and Emma's a lot less selfish than I am."

"What's that mean?" he asked.

"I've had many chances to let go of my hurt and find happiness again. But when the time came, I decided to keep my sorrows and dwell in it. Emma, on the other hand, took the first chance was offered. She's really strong… Sometimes I wonder if I could ever be like that."

Watching the woman now, he would have to agree with Rachel. Her battle scars were hidden, for her eyes only. He would have never guessed that she had been through so much if he didn't know.

Emma was more than just admirable; she was inspirational. Somedays, he watched her talk to Rachel and the other teens, wondering what Caterina would have been like if she survived his birth and were ever present in his lifetime. Then, he thought of Carole, and decided that she was the only mother he really needed.

He was thrown off again when he noticed Rachel's eyes on him. "I need air," she whispered. The drop of a pen could be heard in the room, so he doubted her words were only meant for his ears. Still, when she rose from the couch, they worked like magnets. He didn't even care if everyone could see the bulge in his pants as the pillow dropped.

Following closely behind in her footsteps out the back door, she ripped the rug from beneath him when they reached the wooden patio. Disappearing into a gust of wind, he only had a matter of seconds to gain momentum and match her pace.

The task would not have been so difficult if he weren't so confused. However, he couldn't predict the path that she was taking. In turn, each little twist and turn in her motions sent him further off-guard.

Before he knew it, they were mimicking Tarzan, swinging from tree to tree. It took a while, but the branches soon began to expand proximity-wise, and then the falls were clear in his view. Ahead, there were only three more trees in front of them before she would fall over and into the icy water.

Since this morning, the beautiful weather dissipated, returning to its former gloom. Grey clouds now hugged a lower portion of the sky as thunder and lightning collaborated in the distance. As for the temperature, Finn knew if he was still human, two jackets would become a necessity. It seemed to have decreased by at least ten degrees.

His assumptions were proven correct when she came to a halt on the final tree. Stopping at the second to last, he watched her for a moment. Not caring for the frailty of the wood below her, she hugged the tree close to her side, one hand simply placed over her chest.

Caution accompanied his approach. She was like a deer in the wild. There was no telling how things would result. One ill motion and she could be off again.

"It appears we've found ourselves here, again." He whispered after flinging across the last set distance, standing behind her as he tightly gripped the branch above them to support himself.

Learning of the adjustment, she leaned all of her body weight against him, causing his grip to tighten.

"Always, "she responded.

In one swift motion, Finn transported them. Now, they sat side by side, on the same branch, avoiding any threat of an unpleasant plummet.

He gave her a few moments atop that branch, just to say anything. However, as time began to dwindle, he discovered her gaze fixed upon the snowcapped mountains in the distance.

"Okay," he finally intervened. This did nothing to capture her attention. Instead, she kept her gaze before her. "Hey," he said, turning her head gently with his finger underneath her chin. "Look at me. What's going on, Rachel? You haven't said one word, not even when the others were talking. I want to know what's up there in that pretty head."

"It's never going to be enough," she finally choked out. "I've realized that now."

"What?"

"There's always going to be something," she continued, as if Finn were expected to immediately make sense of her nonsense. She shook her head profusely at thoughts that Finn wished she'd just reveal.

What was with the hold up? What was so hard for her to say?

Then, his heart nearly stopped beating.

"Are-are you having second thoughts?" The suggestion sounded worse aloud than it did in his head. "About me?"

"No!" she immediately dismissed the idea. "Never," she reached for his hand and did not come up empty.

"I was thinking of us while everyone was talking," she let up. "The way we were in the house…what we were about to do…Then, I realized that I was this close to having my happy ending," she rose her thumb and index finger.

"Before the call…" he interjected.

"And then, poof, gone…" she motioned her hands in the air. "It never stops and when I realized that, I just had to get out of there."

"Well, I'm still here, aren't I?" he asked, pulling her closer to his side. "And, so are you? Right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"But, nothing," he spoke for her. "We're both still here. Nothing has happened to us."

"Not yet."

"Not ever," he assured. "I will take my last breath before I let anything happen to you."

"What about you, huh?" she asked, raising her voice. "Who's protecting you? Because, that's all I care about at this point; if I lose you, Finn…"

"What did I tell you that first time in the tree?" he dismissed her again.

She sighed, remembering. However, she remained silent, too stubborn to give in. This was one of the many odd traits that he loved about her.

Closing his eyes, he smiled before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I told you that I would not go anywhere until you physically ask me to."

"I know," she whispered, leaning closer into his side.

"I meant it then, and I mean it now."

She sighed again, pulling away to look at him. "Well, I'm not, ever... I don't care the circumstances. A life without you means no life at all."

"You know what they say about great minds," he winked, causing her to laugh a bit.

Seeing her smile lifted a collection of boulder rocks off of his chest. Her stress about uncertain possibilities, no matter how small, always upset him.

"Just make me a promise and I'll be alright for the day, okay?"

He then raised an eyebrow, looking to her with a smirk on his lips, "Hmm depends on the promise."

"Hey, I'm being serious," she playfully smacked his arm.

His laughter mellowed out to a smile, "Let's hear it."

"Promise me that when the time comes, if a time does come for a fight, you won't do anything stupid."

The words rang in his head for a moment, shooting him through a time portal and placing him in the center of the action, dating back nearly a century ago. To be exact, the last day they spent together before she was robbed from his side.

It was late afternoon. They'd gotten a late start to his lessons of early-staged vampirism, seeing as though she hadn't returned from her merciless killings until five in the morning.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered from their spot on the bed of grass and leaves on the forest floor, holding her body closer to his, placing a soft kiss against her temple.

After showing her how to swing in the trees, his lesson on scaring away prey with fangs had just about the opposite affect on her. He didn't know if it was due to the lust in the moment or the overwhelming amount of emotion flooding between the two… Either way, she threw tradition to the wind and allowed him to claim her virtue.

"Perfectly content," she replied, placing a soft kiss to the center of his bare chest. Hugging the discarded dress close to her bosom, she strained forward to meet his lips.

"Any pain?" he asked. He still couldn't get it through his head that she was no longer the fragile little human girl.

"Not anymore," she assured him, brushing a hand against his cheek, "just an immense love that could put the classics to shame."

A renewed sense of joy made a way, sending him in a desperate need for every answer that she could provide. He needed every truth of this moment that there was.

"Amelia, you must tell me what thoughts you are harboring at the moment. I need to know," he begged.

"It's simple, I'm thinking of our new life together and all the things we'll do, places we'll go, people we'll meet. And even if our forever consists of just this, you will never hear a single complaint from these lips."

"So, no regrets?" he wondered cautiously.

"Regrets? Finn, I've not a single one. This feeling is amazing," she gushed with a childish grin upon her features. He was glad, after all that had occurred within the past 48 hours that she hadn't yet lost that. "Now I see why it's so important to save this for your soul mate. It wouldn't have been the same with any other person."

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"There's still light here," she told him, patting the place on her chest where her heart used to beat so predominantly. "I don't know how, after what they did to my dad and after all that I have done tonight, but it's there."

"Come here," he whispered, resting his chin against the top of her head. "You're never going to have to be alone again okay, Amelia? Hear me when I say this. You're home with me. Forever."

"Forever," she repeated.

They stayed this way until nightfall approached. Just a long moment of complete bliss, after making love for the first time… It was at the top of the list of defining moments in their history. Holding her as close as physically possible and whispering sweet nothings into her ear, the outside world again became a blur of nothing.

Then, as disappointed as he was to allow the remainder of the moment to fleet away, it was time to move forward. Standing in complete darkness, he assisted in re-strapping her corset and slid the silky dress back over her petite figure. In following moments, he explained the plan set by Antonio and Percy. An acquaintance was waiting within the walls of the abandoned apothecary on the other end of town.

There, they would discuss their escape and a course of action to take against the "believers", who, due to close eavesdropping from Percy, were expected to attack again that night.

"Wait," she pulled his arm, stopping him right before the double doors once they arrived at the abandoned building. They were inside. He knew that much by the sound of their heartbeats. The only heartbeat he'd never be able to hear again would be Amelia's, standing before him. He wondered then how they were the same creature yet still so different. He'd have to ask Percy sometime in the near future. She held a lot more wisdom when it came to the world of the living dead.

"What is it?" he asked, concern flooding his features.

"I-I'm scared," she admitted, taking one big gulp," What if we don't get past this?"

The look on her face sent despair pounding against his chest. The last thing he wanted was her distress. Holding her cheeks within the palms of his hands, he brought her closer to him. "Don't you worry about that, okay? Nothing is going to happen to you, Amelia. I'd sooner die before I let someone lay a hand on you again."

"What do you expect of me if something were to happen to you, then? I know none of these people and you're all that I have left and I can't possibly imagine even trying to go on all by myself forever…" he couldn't take her senseless rambling anymore.

"Hey, princess," big, wet brown eyes looked up to meet his of dark amber. "Please, stop your fretting, for me? We're going to be fine, alright? After tonight, we're going to get as far away from here as possible and we're going to live our happily ever after. Forever, remember?"

"Do you promise me that?"

"With all of my heart, I do."

She nodded, "Then, promise me something else. Promise me that whatever happens tonight, if something horrible does occur, you will not let your guard down. It is necessary that you consider yourself fully, Finn. Even if that means that I end."

"Amelia, you can't possibly expect m-"

"I know I'm being hypocritical. But, it's all I'm going to ask for," she sighed. "I've already lost too much. I don't think I can bear the thought of adding your name to the list of… You understand, right?"

No matter how much he wanted to protest, he gave in for her sake, "I do. Just promise me something in return, Amelia."

"Anything," the soft whisper that escaped her mouth seemed to have warmed a bit of the chilling night air.

"Do not let your thoughts consume you," he warned.

"I promise."

Grabbing his hand, she braced herself with a deep breath before rising on her tippy toes to meet his lips. Holding her tight in their embrace, he showed her all of the love he had for her in his heart; maybe even just a bit more. So much passion left his body, it was as if breaking away could never be an option. In that moment, he knew that it wasn't. What he wasn't aware of, however, was the fact that this would be the last kiss they'd share for some 150 years or so.

In the dark room, not much would have been distinguishable to the human eye. However, the moment the two walked in, he could make out every portion of the tiny space. Broken bottles, slashed paintings, covered furniture…

It didn't take very long to register the faces of Percy and Antonio. Standing near one of the closer walls, the light of the moon shining through a shattered window animated their worried faces. Then, as if magically so, spun around the brunette he hadn't seen in decades.

Cecelia Alexiou, Percy's oldest friend… They'd been introduced maybe a month into settling in with Percy in England. And though her beauty was just as immense as Percy's, with flawlessly rosy pink cheeks and crystal clear blue eyes, the girl had always remained a platonic female connection in his eyes. The only one to ever fall for her was Antonio. Back when they had first been acquainted, the two carried out a very short-lived fling. The moment it all came to an end was around the same time that Antonio began to hang on every word their blonde leader spoke.

He wondered if Percy knew the feelings that Antonio mercilessly dragged around for her. But, before he could further the thought, she took the time to speak.

"Glad you finally decided to show up."

"My apologies," he replied still holding Amelia at his side, "We were held up."

"Yeah, we heard you all the way across town," Antonio smirked. A light blush fell over his cheeks, feeling her grip tighten against his hand.

"Finnegan," Cecelia took the awkward tension in the air as an opportunity to make her presence known. Walking forward, she placed a light kiss to cheek, "Nice to see you again." The accent behind her tongue was hard to mistake. As well as Percy, Ancient Greece was her foundation.

"You, as well, Cecelia," he smiled.

"And you are, young one?" she moved to the side of him. Reaching out an arm equivalent to marble, she took Amelia's left hand and raised it to her lips. He watched as Amelia shifted nervously throughout the process.

"A-Amelia B-erry," she stammered after some time.

If he were looking in from the outside, it would have been very difficult to believe that someone like Cecelia would intimidate the girl standing at his side. Forever trapped in the body of a fifteen year old, she was one of the few who Amelia stood taller than. Just a little girl, and still, the hand inside his own shook with intimidation. If the situation were different, he would have found comedy in it all.

"Mmmm," Cecelia hummed, running a finger through a loose strand of his love's dark brown hair, "interesting."

"What is?" Finn asked.

"She's brand new. I can practically smell the freshness in her blood." A somewhat familiar voice emerged from another point in the room and before he could place the source, it was already apparent. The same moonlight illuminated the face of a brunette slowly stalking toward the group.

This time, the woman was one of Antonio's old acquaintances, Camilia Bruno. They had been childhood friends in Italy and reunited some years after they'd moved to the Americas. It was such a pleasant surprise to Antonio that he invited her to stay for a few weeks within the walls of the temporary home they were sharing.

With Percy's known repellence to the woman and her obnoxious attitude, Finn always assumed that Antonio would abandon his long-lived crush and dive into things with the brunette. That was how he'd been doing things for quite some time, in hopes the blonde would become mad with jealousy. However, after a period of speculation, it became apparent that the girl's eyes of emerald green held a different direction…

Feelings began to spark up on her end, and unlike Cecelia, there was nothing platonic about the connection. In the beginning it was senseless flirting from her end and he made a point to let it go. Still reeling from the love he thought he had for Zara, he felt absolutely nothing. But, the thing about Camilia was that she was always a very persistent girl. Mindless flirting turned to intentional touching, and before he knew it, his desperate search for an end to the pain of his heartbreak led her straight into his bed.

It was this way until things began to transpire during her stay. Arguments erupted, she wanted more than what he had to offer. A life together, love, etc…He didn't want it. He didn't want anything at all. Well, maybe just one thing. With his emotions shut completely off, all he could think about was the gooey and warm dark red liquid; the one thing he'd kill for. Before he knew it, he was placed on a bender and every small town within a small radius of the group was rampaged. In turn, this sent all of them packing. Camilia ran in the opposite direction as the other three left due to fear of being found.

These particular three decades, in the early 1700's, he referred to as his Dark Days. He'd never been so violent, so capable of so many slaughters. The guilt that accompanied him afterwards could have been enough to kill him if he weren't immortal. As for Amelia, he never came around to revealing his past with the brunette girl.

A decision he now regretted, taking into consideration the sinister smile on the face of the woman now standing beside Cecelia, looking down at the love of his life like a piece of meat.

"I've only heard rumors of this type of our kind, but now…" Cecelia commented. "Marvelous…"

"Don't work yourself into a frenzy," Camilia rolled her eyes. "I've seen many of them in my times of travel. They're beginning to conquer the world by a storm." It was when she reached forward to run fingers of her own through Amelia's locks that his instincts kicked in.

In one quick motion a gasp left Amelia's mouth as he pulled her behind his body. Taking a hold of his arm, he felt her head rest against his back. Her fear was elevated.

"She's not a toy to prod at. No one else touches her, is that understood?"

Looking to the ground, Cecelia nodded in acceptance while Camilia took his threat as a challenge. Lifting her lips into a seductive smirk she crossed her arms and moved before him in a cat-like swagger.

"Protective of the new one, aren't we?" She rolled her tongue on the 'R' with her thick Italian accent. "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt your precious one."

"What are you doing here anyways, Camilia?" Antonio asked from Percy's side. "Where's Luke?"

He was referring to the boyfriend that she had transformed to vampirism some decades before. Finn remembered Antonio mentioning it to them a while ago.

"Where do you think?" she asked. "He's dead. You're stalker made sure of it."

"Stalker?" Amelia whispered from behind him.

"Shhh," he tried to sooth her.

"So, she doesn't know?" Camilia chuckled. "Are you guys still on the run? Is she in for a bit of a treat…"

"Shut it," Percy warned.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" she pushed the now seething blonde.

"You don't want to be here to find out."

Paying no regards to her heated retaliation, Camilia's eyes instead returned to Finn. And it was in that moment that he realized she was now the one with no emotions. Another thing he realized, she had yet to move past the pain of the past. If she weren't so arrogant about it, he'd make time to feel guilt for his actions.

"I will say, Finnegan," she started again. "One thing hasn't changed. You have a bit of a type. Something about those brunettes…"

"You don't know a thing," he spit through his teeth.

"You're in love with this one," she observed. "I know that. I saw the way you were during her funeral."

Just then, as if the moon shone a little brighter in the small room, he noticed that her provocative satin dress was a shade of dark black. So, she'd attended the funeral. He wondered just then how long she'd been here.

"Amelia," she purred the name of his love before turning back to him.

"Such a shame... If only you could have harbored those kind of emotions nearly a century ago. Maybe it would have been enough to reciprocate all that I was willing to offer you."

Amelia's grasp on his arm tightened then and he wanted nothing more than to turn around and beg for her forgiveness, apologize for never telling her the full truth.

It was then that he realized his mistake in taking her here. He knew that she no longer felt safe, and with the way that things were turning out, neither did he. If anything, he felt on edge…a feeling that he should not have with someone's life depending on his own. The woman before him seemed more like a threat the more she spoke and he silently cursed Percy and Antonio for the planned reunion, whether her presence was expected or not.

Maybe if there could have been an escape planned for just the two of them…

Cecelia placed a hand on Camilia's shoulder, "I think that's enough, Camilia. We're wasting the valuable time we could be using to develop strategy."

"No," she shook her head slowly, her eyes remaining on Finn's. "The timing's perfect, actually."

"What are you-" before Cecelia could question her words, her fingers began to snap furiously.

"Guys!" she hollered and then whistled.

Wreckage then sounded from all sides of the room. Glass breaking, doors being kicked in, boots on the concrete floor… Angry screams could be deciphered as the space lit with a bright orange glow. Human men surrounded the five in the same amount of time it took Camilia to take off in a gust of wind.

He was lowering himself in his defensive crouch with his fangs shown when realization sunk in. The doors behind him had also been kicked in. There were men behind him. Before he could turn around, her grasp was no longer against his arms. Instead, he whipped around to find her in their custody.

A distraction… That's what it had to be, because as he watched her desperately thrash against the men, he was restrained by four others.

"No, no, no," he cursed. "This can't be happening. Amelia!"

She put on a good fight in the beginning, being able to free herself twice. A number of men were tossed into nearby trees by her newborn strength. However, those men soon got back up and the group gained in numbers.

"Get your hands off of me!" her cries of defeat were like daggers to his heart. All the while, he remained useless against the four set of arms accompanying his shoulders. "Let me go!" she screamed.

Fury rose within him. He wanted to kill every single one of them. He wanted to rip out each individual throat with his teeth, taste the blood of the perpetrators daring enough to touch her... He didn't even care if this meant sacrificing his own life. But as the injection found its way to his neck, he felt his body only growing weaker.

So he watched, screaming out her name again as her teary eyes met his.

"Ow!" she screamed as one of the men injected her neck with the same substance they had with him moments before. Vervain…So focused on the scene in front of him, he couldn't hear the struggles of the other three in the room. "What are you doing to me?" her voice broke as the exhaustion began to creep in. Even in her powerful immortal state, he could already tell that she was no match to the clear liquid behind the syringe.

"Amelia," he coughed. "I'm so sorry."

"Help me," she cried as she began to fall to the ground, just about the same time that he did. When he hit the hard concrete, he felt nothing but defeat. The situation was now a lost cause with no saving hope, the same way he knew that his heart would be in moments to come, considering what he had to do next.

"Forget," he whispered.

"What?" she cried. "What did you say?"

It would work. They were close enough for his eyes to capture hers. Just a few words and her pain would be gone. There would be nothing more for her to hold onto, to fight against for. And once she regained her strength, he knew that she would be able to break herself free from these men.

"Forget me, Amelia. You have to forget." "Everything."

If he thought his heart was broken by having to surrender this way, it shattered into a million tiny fragments when he watched her eyes go blank. He was no longer her love, her home, her forever… Instead, the brown he loved so much bore straight through him in an unfamiliar type of way. The same way one viewed a stranger…

He had just become no more of a stranger to her than any of the other "believers" in this room.

"I love you," he whispered as he watched the group whisk her away into the darkness of the night.

Then, darkness of his own followed as his face hit the concrete.

"Finn, Finn…"

"Finn, are you okay?"

"Huh?" he asked, falling into a state of temporary confusion before returning to his current surroundings. He was no longer on the dusty old floor of the apothecary. Instead, he looked down and around at the snowcapped mountains in the distance and the extravagant greenery for miles. He then felt his arm against the shoulders of the one he was previously reaching his arms out to, calling her name as they carried her away from him.

"I got scared for a second," she smiled, caressing his cheek with her hand. "I thought you might have gotten lost up there."

"Sorry," he sighed. "I guess I had a lot more on my mind than I initially thought."

The guilt he'd been trying to push back was now starting to seep in again. He was lying to her. He'd been lying to her for quite some time now. But it was the same excuses. He didn't want to lose her and he knew that if he revealed the fact that he erased her memories all those years before, that's exactly what would happen.

"Care to share?" she tilted her head in morbid curiosity. "I'm dying to know what thoughts I have to compete with."

Honesty was the giant knife around the corner, waiting to plunge itself directly into his heart. If she walked away, he'd never be the same.

The previous image his brain provided him before he returned to reality promoted itself to a loop now. The same scene played over and over again… They were carrying her away.

His thoughts from that moment were now present in his screaming conscious. He would never see her again. She wouldn't know who he was. They would never get the happy ending that they planned on. They would never love again. She was lost to him forever. He would sooner die than move on.

Looking down at the girl watching his face closely with eyes of desperation, a loud sigh of relief left his mouth.

"Come here," he closed his eyes, pulling her closer against his body. Wrapping his arms firmly around her shoulders, he rested his lips to the top of her head. The smell of her hair was different, of course. It had been nearly two hundred years. But the feeling of her skin against his had never changed. Neither did the sound of the pattern in her breathing.

"What was that for?" she asked after finally pulling away.

"It's my turn to demand promises."

She waited.

"I can't lose you. Ever. I know I don't say it enough. But, Rachel, the very thought of someone taking you away from me…" he stopped himself, raising his fist to his mouth, remembering the "believers". "You're my everything."

The words didn't take very long to sink in. And once they did, she took it upon herself to return the gesture, leading him into her embrace. And they stayed this way, until the orange glow of the surprising sunset shown against their faces.

The icy breeze was no threat to their spot on the branch. If anything, it was the most comfort he'd felt in ages. With her frame leaning against his, she rested her head against his chest as his arms wrapped around hers. Resting his chin against the top of her head, they pointed out shapes in the clouds until they were gone and replaced by the darkening sky.

Soon enough, the glow of the stars and moon replaced the bright orange and they knew that it would soon be time to return. He didn't like the disappointment that settled within his chest once they landed on the ground. However, her hand intertwining with his took some of that feeling away.

Now, as he followed in her footsteps back towards the house, she appeared to be in a reverie of her own again. Before he could ask, she spoke, "I wonder if they identified the victims yet."

"Well, were about to find out," he replied, noticing the warm glow of the house in the near distance.

"But, hey…" he stopped, tugging gently on her arm. She turned to look up at him. "Whatever we face in there, know that it's not going to change us, okay?"

She nodded, allowing him to pull her into his arms again. One would think that after the many times they'd been doing it, she'd become sick of the embraces by now. But, she never did. "I'm going to love you walking out of that house just as much as I did walking into it."

She smiled, pressing a kiss to his hand still within hers. "Then let's go," she told him.

An engulfment of warmth occurred, pushing open the same door they'd used to escape hours earlier. The first thing he noticed walking behind Rachel was a loud female voice. However, it didn't belong to any of the other girls in the household.

Making the round behind Rachel into the living room, it was then that he realized it belonged to a reporter, speaking through the speakers of the large TV.

No one seemed to have moved an inch since the last time they were in this room. If anything, the group looked more on edge. Maybe it was due to what was being discussed by said reporter.

Rachel's assumptions were correct. All three victims of last night's mysterious mauling had finally been identified. Stopping short, he could have crushed Rachel's hand with the squeeze he applied. Three simple images popped up on the television with the nonchalance of the lady in the background continuing to filter the packed air around them.

"Oh, no," Rachel gasped. "Finn, I'm so sorry."

Three pictures, that's all they were… Three football pictures from this year's season.

The white words on bottom "breaking news" red strip on the television now read:

"Jamie Pierson, Tanner Stevens, and…"

He found it almost impossible to process this. He imagine the nine lettered name listed below as something associated with death. Not after what had recently happened to Puck. But, there it was, right in front of him on the television screen.

"Mike Chang."

Hey guys! So, i'm back... Yes, i've been gone a really long time. I sincerely apologize for that. It's not due to a lack of trying. I have been typing and retyping this chapter for so long, wondering where the hell i would take it and i wanted it to be perfect. That, with the stress of finals and just college in general have put a strain on my writing altogether. However, i remained positive and chose not to give up. Hence, here we are with Chapter 20! I hope you all enjoy! Also, Happy New Years! Nothing better than a fresh start, am i right? Hope 2018 brings nothing but smiles and laughter to all of you! -Kat