Midnight Sunshine

by redchocopanda

A cliche typical college 'popular pretty sweet redhead meets a snarky aloof cold-hearted brunette' that starts with a simple crush, little meaningful looks here & there and with a little twist of things eventually they fall deep in love but things, or basically the universe, tries to get in the way of that, however, love always wins, the end... is not what this story is about.

25. In My Deepest, Darkest Hour

Chapter 25

---

Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

11 years ago

"What are you drawing, Beca"

"A dragon,"

"Is that the dragon who took you far away from home?"

"He's my friend,"

"Your friend? Are you not afraid of him? Dragons are dangerous,"

"He is my friend and no, he would never hurt me,"

---

Pristina, Kosovo

3 years ago

The crowd cheers like hyenas around the ring as the two fighters, a werewolf and a vampire clash in the middle of the ring. Fangs bared, claws unsheathed and eyes flashing in red and yellow. The second round is proving to be bloodier and much more brutal as the fighters wrestle each other to the ground. Yet it seems that the upper hand is in the werewolf's favour as he continues to rain earth shaking punches down at the vampire.

Beca observes the fight, head tilting a bit with an eyebrow arching up at the bloody mess happening in front of her while she adjusts her outfit. She pulls her tight tank top down, making sure to show a good amount of cleavage before reaching at the bottom of said top to roll it up and tying it just below her breasts because exposing her abs and the swell of her breasts are a requirement if you are to get up the arena before every round, walk around in front of all the perverts and hold up a card to indicate the number of rounds.

Clearly, the downside to undercover operations for female undercover agents is the shitty roles you are given. Unlike her partner and new found drinking buddy, Gareth, who is standing on the side with the very difficult job of standing outside the ring to bet for his chosen fighter, being sixteen years old and a female is highly unusual to be out lurking in underground illegal fighting dens that are forcing vampires and werewolves to fight to the death.

Beca thinks it's unfair and that equality is also a problem not only in the human world but also in theirs.

Regardless, she's done a great job in gaining information about the rumoured existence of underground illegal fighting dens and only needs to report it to the people upstairs before being granted permission for the raid, a raid which she is going to have the privilege of leading. Now that's a rare accomplishment for a sixteen year old, in general and in her field, and the thought enough is good to calm her anger.

Anger at the fact that the ring manager, a middle aged perverted pig named Uno, is ordering her to 'show more skin', smile as if she likes being mentally stripped down by the other pigs and keeps slapping her ass whenever she makes her way up. Surely, the pedophile is number one on her hit list. She does have one and it is piling up with names of ugly ass jerks who all want to get in her pants ever since she started this operation.

Once all this is over, she's going to be crossing out names on her list with a wide, genuine smile on her face.

The bell rings out and it takes a while before the werewolf actually stops and raises his fists up in the air proudly to the cheering people. On the other hand, the vampire crawls weekly to a corner, face and body filled with blood as Beca finally makes the final adjustments to her skimpy jean shorts. Five minutes is all it takes before she makes her way up the caged arena, passing by the perverted pig whose eyes rove down her body lustfully and receiving another butt slap which makes her pause for a second or two before remembering to quell down her anger and finish the job. She's going to enjoy beating the crap out of Uno's face after this is all over.

But for now, she's going to have to put up a fake smile, raise up the card that says '3' and circle the ring while disgusting cat calls echo all over the place.

She was supposed to head out of the arena after walking around twice and that's it, the end of her job but this night seems to have other plans by throwing something unexpected along her way.

When she makes her way back, her steps falter, her lips hang open, the card falls from her hands and her wide eyes begin to water. She freezes on the spot as her deep blue orbs connect with the same shade of blue watching her from the end of the room.

But the connection breaks as she's suddenly pulled out of the ring and into Uno's arms, his disgusting hands already roaming down her back until he squeezes her ass with his equally disgusting smile.

"Our little vampire getting a little thirsty from all the blood?" he asks her, smoke breath from the cigarettes he'd been smoking hitting her face.

She looks up at him expressionless, a tear rolling down her cheek as she speaks in a low tone, "I am now," before swiftly swinging a knife up underneath his chin, his eyes filled with shock and terror.

She pulls the knife out of him as shouts erupt and chaos explodes everywhere. Uno's men hurry towards her with the intent to kill but they all drop dead one by one, a knife coming up to their skulls and hearts with such perfect accuracy. Gareth yells at her, pleading her to stop but it's too late. She's too far gone, all because of the appearance of one, Stefan Sala.

Her brother leaves the scene as if nothing happened while she follows him, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind her.

She passes through a series of twists and turns until they emerge out into a back alley where Stefan takes another turn at the far end. Gareth pulls out his gun before handing his spare towards her. Together, they follow him until they find him heading towards an open street, walking towards a black muscle car parked on the side.

Gareth fires his gun up in the air and this brings Stefan instantly to a stop. He doesn't flinch, only stops and Gareth orders him to turn around.

"Stefan Sala, you are wanted for the grave crimes you have committed against the crown and its people. You have to come with us," Gareth says in a firm tone.

He complies, turning around slowly with his hands coming up to level his head. When he looks up, his eyes find hers. For the next few moments, they will remain there.

"On your knees! Now!" Gareth yells as they both take careful steps towards him, guns aimed and hearts beating from the adrenaline rush. Experience says that this encounter can go a million ways no matter how prepared you thought you are.

And sometimes it'll always end in the scenario that you expected the least.

Stefan doesn't yield. He remains on his feet, eyes looking only at her. It only takes one look and three twitches of a finger from Stefan for things to go south.

Three twitches is all it took for Gareth to lose his voice as he freezes, a gun aimed behind his head. It took a minute to let the situation sink in and finally Beca's partner slowly drops his weapon, body stiffening at the realization.

"What's the meaning of this, Mitchell?" he asks in a tone of utter betrayal.

"I'm sorry," Beca almost whispers before taking his weapon and keeping her aim towards him steady.

It certainly doesn't take a minute for him to drop dead on the ground as Beca's chest jumps from shock. Stefan lowers his own gun, wisps of smoke still evident from the nozzle of his weapon, the bullet now lodged at the center of Gareth's heart. Gareth, who is now lying cold on the floor.

Beca's eyes remain fixed on the dead body, gun still in her hand as she blinks away the rush of emotions. She hears Stefan walk towards her, taking off his coat and placing it around her shoulders. Warmth envelopes her as he blocks her vision from Gareth, both Stefan's hands on the side of her face as he plants a soft kiss on top of her head. A tender act he'd always done ever since she was a child.

"Becs,"

The nickname breaks away her haze as she looks up at him. He was the first to call her that and yet it also unfortunately reminded her of expressive baby blue eyes, smiles that reminded her of sunshine and strawberry red locks that smelled like flowers.

It's a dangerous thought and thoughts like that aren't supposed to be entertained.

"He had to go. C'mon now," Stefan says as he starts walking towards the car.

When she doesn't follow, he looks back at her and extends his hand out to her, a gesture she had grown up with as well.

It was never a question and it'll never be.

Always and until the end

---

Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

11 years ago

It had been a week since eight year old Beca's mother was laid to rest. A week since sleeping became hard and happy dreams of flying to wonderful places have turned into nightmares of falling into a dark pit of the unknown.

Sometimes she can still see it, the blood seeping from underneath the door. It scares her and yet no matter how hard she cries nothing will happen.

It's already late in the day but she remains awake, sitting at the edge of her bed, holding a lollipop on her hand. The Vanderbilt princess had given it to her a week ago and now she finds a bit of comfort with it.

A noise makes her turn her head around. It's time and Beca's chest fills up with anticipation and longing. Her window opens and when the thick cream coloured curtains are pushed to the side, the afternoon sunshine spills a bit as an effect and a smile grows on her lips. She quickly jumps out of bed and hurries to the arms that have always made her feel safe.

"Stepy!"

She happily says his nickname as he lifts her up from the floor. Her arms immediately wrap around his neck, hugging him tightly as he does the same, his head leaning against hers.

Not being able to pronounce the letter 'f' when she was a toddler, Beca had fondly called him 'Step Step' which then evolved into 'Stepy' and well, she never gotten rid of it as she thinks it's cute even if he still doesn't think so.

"You feel lighter," Stefan suddenly tells her in fluent French as he brings her back down the floor and this time she avoids his gaze, holding the lollipop tighter. "Have you not been eating all your meals again, lovey?" he follows with a much stricter tone and she bites her lip.

Beca always hated disappointing him.

Being close siblings and with Stefan being the one she always looks up to, she's always fought for his affection, always wanting to be the center of his attention. She can also never keep a secret from him.

"They don't cook like mommy does. It tastes different," she quietly admits, eyes looking down the ground.

She waits for him to tell her how he had already reminded her to finish all her meals, how he made her promise that she'd be good and eat her vegetables no matter how bad they taste. But he doesn't.

Instead, she feels him embrace her tight, leaving her with only a soft, "I'm sorry,"

It sounded so heavy, so sad and years later she will realize just how much those words hold and how hard they will shatter her heart.

But at that time, none of that was important. What was is the fact that Stefan doesn't seem like his usual self. Even at a young age, Beca can tell that something's not right. Her brother keeps pacing and running a hand through his hair, an anxious trait she'd easily acquire from him.

When he stops to kneel in front of her again, holding both her shoulders, Beca knew that some things are about to change.

"I'm leaving,"

The words coming from his lips are hard to understand at once. He always left after his visits every week. It's the part she dislikes the most. It had been countless times when she had begged and pleaded him to stay, to live with them instead. She had even desperately offered her room for him to sleep in and clung to his leg when he tried to leave.

It's useless though.

He's always gone when she wakes up.

Today, his words seem to stir fear and worry inside her because this time, it seems like she'd never get to see him again. She'd just lost her mother and now this. It's too cruel.

"I have to go far away, Becs. I can't visit you anymore when I do," he slowly explains while she instinctively grips on to the cuffs of his leather jacket, her lower lip trembling at the thought.

"Go where? How long?" she asks, as her fingers dig unto his jacket as if he'd disappear any second now.

Stefan doesn't answer and he seems to be thinking about it very carefully. For a few moments they just look at each other. Their connection as siblings had always been strong due to their closeness. Her brother had been in her life since she was born and despite the strange arrangement they had wrapped in a secret he had made her promise to keep, Stefan is family and life without him is a life Beca cannot live in.

And she knows it's the same for him.

"Do you want to come with me?" he asks, gently touching her cheek.

She wants to eagerly say yes, but then there are also things she can't just leave behind, "How about daddy?"

The question changes something in his eyes and she can see it clearly. She can feel it too but she's used to it. It's always the case whenever she talks about their father.

Beca had always known that she has a brother. It's no secret within the family that Darius has two children and it's no secret either that his relationship with his son had been rocky. There were things that they didn't agree upon and forcing Stefan to study in Russia had only made things worse between them. Their father wanted him to be the best. But Stefan loved being the worst and the worst he became.

But in his defense, if there was one thing he was the best at, it's how protective he is of his baby sister.

Darius didn't like him being around Beca. His daughter's fondness for her older brother had always been clear and strong from the beginning. Which was why he had even forbade Stefan from being close to her but it was obvious that there is nothing that he could say to stop them from being apart.

Stefan would sneak her out of the house so they can play in the park. They'd eat ice-cream, chocolates and candies while Beca happily sits on his shoulders, giggling whenever they would play pirates conquering other ships.

"Father would know that you're with me," Stefan finally says as he stands up and walks over to the window.

He turns back towards her and with a smile, he reaches his hand out to her like he always does when they'd go 'explore islands' outside.

She looks at his hand and doesn't even think when she literally runs to take it.

It was never a question and it'll never be.

Always and until the end

---

Pristina, Kosovo

3 years ago

"What took you so long?"

The question she had been asking for years comes up as they sit at some cheap bar at a shady neighbourhood. It smells almost like the underground fighting ring but a little bit better because at least there's food and she's hungry. She hadn't planned on suddenly bringing up such a heavy topic yet her emotions dictate otherwise.

It's been years since she last saw him.

He was half the reason she officially enlisted in the Underworld in hopes of finding him in the darkest of places. Stefan had always been the definition of danger and that's why Beca is quick to enter herself in an organization that faces danger, much to their father's anger. He may have wanted Beca to learn how to protect herself, but to have her end up dancing with death is something he didn't ask for. She joined the organization even before he can do something about it.

It's been years, two to be exact. It's the longest they had been apart and due to the nature of his businesses, his absence had constantly worried her. The 'what if's' had scared her, to the point that has her insomnia and paranoia coming back stronger than it had been before. Without her brother by her side, nobody was there to stop the nightmares in her head from coming alive.

Stefan looks up from his whiskey, placing down his glass before reaching out to take her hand. "But I'm here now. I'm here and this time it's for good. We'll go places and blow shit up just like we planned. I promise,"

When she doesn't say anything, he squeezes her hand, making her look up at him. She could tell that he sees the hurt in her eyes and that's why he pulls her hand closer to him as he leans towards her, reaching out with his other hand to place it on the side of her face, his thumb softly grazing her cheek.

"I promise," he says firmly, looking at her straight in the eye.

She leans into his touch and no words are needed.

It's risky to completely trust someone so much. Beca knows this. She knows about the rumours. She'd been told about them, about what he was being accused of. She doesn't believe them.

But her heart had always been her downfall.

She's already lost half of her soul and heart.

Yet here she was again, falling into the same trap.

Stefan slides his glass of whiskey towards her, pushing aside her glass of iced tea in the process—because she's wiped off her make-up and Stefan's coat makes her seem even smaller. Now the bartender thinks she's a baby and had refused to give her alcohol.

But her brother smirks and slyly says, "Drink up. Grumpy's not looking," he jerks his head to the side where Beca's eyes land towards the busy bartender. She doesn't even think twice as she drinks, her face twisting at the strong bitter taste—stronger than those cheap beers she's had—while Stefan chuckles. For the first time that night, Beca finally smiles.

"You'll get used it,"

She does and now they're laughing like they're high on something as they settle at some traveler's inn. Beca still thinks it's a motel none the less, only with a fancy name. There's probably drugs involved in between all the alcohol she's not sure anymore but she's happy at that moment and it's been a while since she felt that way so, whatever shit was in that cigarette he gave her isn't really important. Besides, it's nice to speak in her mother tongue again after having to constantly use English for years.

He tells her of all his plans, his illegal businesses, his connections to the black market and his clients. He doesn't hold back on sharing everything and it's always been that way between them.

"Maybe we should just rob Corvinn Castle, heard there's tons of good stuff somewhere underneath all that stone," Beca catches him saying, her head heavy and her body totally relaxed as she leans on the bed board, whiskey bottle in hand while Stefan sits across her on the chair, head facing upwards and one leg propped up as he smokes.

"There's a vault. It's real. I've seen it. Father's going to tell me how to open it soon," she admits as he rolls his head to the side, towards her direction.

"Damn, maybe I should get you back home so you can get the codes first and then we can rob Corvinn. You know, piss father off. It'll be fun," he says with a smirk and Beca looks around lazily for something.

"Or I can just give him a call, wake him up and ask for the codes right now? I'll go be like, 'Hey dad, I'm kinda' drunk. Can you tell me what the god damn code is for those three big doors underneath the castle? Can't find the bathroom here, I need to take a shit,' or something," she slurs, her eyes blinking to fight off sleep.

They pause for a few moments, silent before they both erupt into laughter

She feels much better after so many years and if that means betraying the crown then so be it. There's no place she'd rather be right now but here.

Beca's loyalty has always been her strength and her weakness. Her loyalty always tends to lie on the person she's willing to protect to the death.

Always and until the end

---

Zagreb, Croatia

11 years ago

Eight year old Beca holds on to her brother's hand tightly as they walk amongst the dark room filled with lots of people and loud music. Everywhere they turn, people or better yet, ordinary non-vampire people, are looking at her. Beca is used to the attention, being the daughter of royalty and all but what she doesn't really understand is why they were there. Only that her brother had a friend he needed to visit and exchange gifts with.

It wasn't even easy getting in as the large men at the front didn't want her inside. They said little girls weren't allowed and Stefan was so angry that Beca was so close to crying because everyone was fighting. She's never dealt with arguments and bad words before but nevertheless, Stefan got them inside.

They both headed downstairs, away from the blaring music and the dancing people and in front of a single door where a guy stood. He stood as scary as the ones up front but there were no arguments this time as he lets them pass without a word.

When they enter, Beca notices the bear head hanging above the wall. It was growling with its teeth bared and she didn't realize that bears can be frightening too. They've always been cute and cuddly to her.

"Sala! It's been a while. I thought you were dead," a short middle-aged man says out loud as he walks around a huge office table towards her brother. He definitely seemed like the boss of the place.

She observes quietly, finding a group of men sitting on the sofas in one corner, drinking and playing cards while the girls they're with, whose clothes looked like they ran out of fabric, sat next to them. On the center of their table, money, cigarettes and guns are present. They don't seem friendly either. By now, it's a familiar sight to her but it still doesn't bring her any comfort.

"It'll take a while to kill a soul as dark as mine," Stefan replies as drops the bags he had been carrying on to the office table, leaving only Beca's red teddy bear bag hanging on his shoulders.

It contained her water bottle, a couple of snacks and her stuffed otter which Stefan bought for her last week. She hugs it to sleep every night since then.

"Ah, and I see you've brought a little friend with you tonight," the short man says as he notices her behind him. He waves at her with his fingers clad in gold rings.

Instinctively, she hides behind her brother, gripping tightly on to the ends of his leather jacket. His smile doesn't make her comfortable at all.

She hears her brother open the bags before pushing them towards the guy.

"The newest craze from Russia. Hits you like nothing you've ever experienced before," Stefan says as the guy inspects the contents of the smaller bag and she can hear the pride in her brother's tone.

After a while the guy nods before motioning over to the burly guy next to him. The larger guy comes back after a moment to lay a brown briefcase on the table. When he opens it, Beca sees that it's filled with green paper.

U.S dollars, she's familiar with them as her family had always been making trips to America whenever her father has business there. They even have a house where they could stay temporarily because of the frequency of their trips.

"I'm also taking some of the usual," the boss guy says as he holds up what looked like some high-powered gun from the larger bag her brother had been carrying.

The deal was complete after a couple more minutes, an exchange of jokes and compliments in between and finally Stefan is carrying along the briefcase and the larger bag that now seemed much lighter than before.

He takes Beca's hand as they head towards the door after a couple of pleasantries about conducting business with each other.

But it's already a fact that things don't always end smoothly. Not when you are involved in the world Stefan Sala resides in.

"How much for her?" the boss asks suddenly and that has Stefan abruptly stopping in his tracks while Beca looks up at him in confusion.

Her brother cranes his neck to the side, "What was that?" he asks in a low tone.

"How much for the pretty little doll you got there?" the question repeats with much elaboration than before and this time Stefan turns a bit to the side, looking down at her.

His dark blue eyes settle on her own where they stay for a while.

"She doesn't come cheap," he answers after moment.

"Of course, as expected. Name your price," the guy says, rubbing his hands together as he smiles a smile that looks predatory.

Beca stays still as she continues to look up at her brother's eyes. She feels him release her hand. He tenderly touches her head down to her face where his fingers linger along her cheek.

"She's priceless," he slowly murmurs in French, words that Beca knows but doesn't exactly understand.

"What?" the guy asks in puzzlement but he wasn't given any explanation.

Instead, Stefan finally breaks away from their shared gaze to face the boss guy, "Where's the bathroom. You know how these things work. I need to prepare the package," her brother tells him

The guy motions to the left and Beca finds herself inside the small bathroom. It was simple with tiles lining up the walls, a shower, a toilet and a single sink.

Stefan kneels in one knee as he places the red teddy bear bag on her shoulders while Beca looks up at him with wide anxious eyes, her small hands grabbing on to his sleeves tightly as he unzips her bag to take out a dagger. Beca had been familiar with the object. She's seen him with it all the time and soon in the future, she'd bring it with her everywhere she goes. It was Stefan's favourite weapon. He fondly calls it his toy, second best only to his electric guitar which he doesn't mind Beca tinkering with.

He takes her right hand, wrapping her fingers around the dagger's handle. The metal felt cold and heavy on her palm. She hated this part all the time.

When Stefan looks at her, she quickly shakes her head, her other hand still gripping his sleeve, tugging him closer to her.

"Stepy, don't leave," she weakly says, her vision blurring as her tears threaten to spill any moment now.

He hushes her softly, almost like a lullaby.

"Beca, what did I tell you about the monsters?" he asks her and she swallows before answering in a shaky voice.

"That they look like us. They walk amongst us, lurking under the sun and because of that, we only have each other to trust," she answers promptly just as he had taught her while he nods.

"There are monsters outside the door so, stay inside and hold on to this knife tightly, do you understand?" he reminds her as she nods, tears already streaming down her face.

"I'm scared," she whimpers tearfully, refusing to let him go as he wipes her tears, hushing her once more.

A loud impatient knock is heard from outside the door and Beca's chest jumps at the sound. It makes her tears fall even harder.

"Stepy, please don't leave me," she pleads as her brother pulls her in a tight hug.

A promising whisper emitting out of his lips before standing up despite Beca's tight hold. He harshly tears her grip away from him as he takes a few steps back, ordering her to stay as he holds a gun now in his hands. All the while the incessant knocking continues, accompanied with booming voices from outside.

She's so scared, the knife shaking as she grips it tightly with both hands.

When her brother unlocks the door to open it, a deafening sound erupts and a body falls down to the ground. Beca sees the look of shock from the boss guy as he now lays down the floor before the door closes back again, covering her in the darkness of the room.

Shouts, more banging sounds and pained grunts are heard from outside. Blood seeps in from the outside and Beca steps back in horror until her bag hits the wall. She sinks down to the floor, her knees pressed near her chest as she continues to cry silently. Her eyes shut tight as if she can also shut out the scary sounds her ears can hear clearly. Sometimes, vampire hearing can be a curse.

The only thing she keeps trying to remember are the whispered promise her brother told her before walking out the door.

"Never,"

It takes minutes until the noise dies down all so suddenly. Silence coats the whole place except for the soft bass sounds coming from the music upstairs. Beca hears only one pair of footsteps and slowly opens her eyes as she looks up at the crack underneath the door where the light spills in. She could still see the blood, even smell the strong scent of it but most of all she sees a shadow crossing towards the door.

For a moment, her heart almost stops when she hears the door knob slowly turn. The door opens and light from outside finally bathes the room. Despite her weak legs, she jumps up and runs towards waiting arms.

"Stepy!"

Sinking in her brother's arms, Beca's whole system floods with relief. He carries her up and holds her even closer to him, his head leaning against hers. She notices his bloody face but there's no time to mend wounds and cuts. Before she knows it, Stefan is carrying her out of the room with one arm, bags and money in the other.

Beca clings to her brother as tight as she can as they slip through dancing bodies but when shouts echo from the direction where they came from, Stefan breaks into a run. There were people chasing them but they make it out of the establishment and into their car. It's black because it's Stefan's favourite colour.

It'll turn out to be her favourite colour too.

"Seatbelt," her brother says as she does as he says.

They drive into the night in an extremely dangerous speed. With Stefan's love for racing, at first Beca hadn't been used to it but as the weeks pass by, she finally learns to sleep through it. In a couple of years, Stefan would teach her how to drive in the same amount of speed and win her first ever illegal car race.

Tonight however, they aren't participating in an illegal street racing competition but it does feel like it. The only difference was the loud, sharp sounds coming from the other cars behind them. She learned that they are deadly things and once it hits you in the heart, you die.

Stefan protectively places a hand over her head, keeping her down as he turns sharply and overtakes other cars.

"Becs, gun!" he orders and she quickly does what she is taught which was opening the small compartment in front of her and carefully handing him the metal device that 'she should never play with'.

The moment Stefan gets his hands on it, the car suddenly spins around fast that Beca almost hit her head on the door of the car. The car runs backwards as her brother aims the gun at the car chasing them. He fires several times and in seconds the car loses control and skids to the side before flipping over. Their car spins back into the right track and finally they are driving further away from their enemies.

Stefan has good precision, a skill that he'd also pass on to her soon. As a matter of fact, if Beca were to be asked about how she learned twice as fast than the other kids training in Underworld she'd surely never acknowledge any of her trainers.

It's because she never really learned from any of them.

Years later from this night, Stefan Sala would secretly fly to Russia and, much to the puzzlement of her trainers, Beca's skills would miraculously accelerate for some unknown reason until she officially becomes the youngest agent under the black flag. She'd be known for her excellent aim and knife skills, even almost surpassing her superiors.

Honestly, she only has one person to thank and her father is not going to like who it was after all.

But for now, she'd be happily sitting on the back of her brother's car, feet dangling down as she eats her chocolate ice-cream. All the fears she had experienced earlier that night now long forgotten.

Stefan stands beside her, his back leaning against the car while he eats his own ice-cream. He then hands her a map and like clockwork she scrutinizes the colourful picture in all seriousness. Stefan says it was an important job and Beca is assigned to it. She hates disappointing him so she makes sure to do an excellent job at it.

When she finally decides, she points at a place on the map which she finds interesting and shows it to her brother. Stefan smiles, nodding as he folds the map.

"Hong Kong, bigger playground with even bigger players and they have Disney Land too. Smart girl," he praises her, ruffling her hair softly as she grins at him, proud of her choice.

"Now where would I be without you?" her brother says. "I don't need those dumb ride or die chicks when I have my lucky charm here with me. You're all I need…" he says fondly as he lifts up her chin.

Beca had always looked at her brother with adoration. If Chloe had been her sun, wrapping her safely in all its glory and warmth, Stefan to her was like the stars. The ones that would scatter beautifully across the night sky and help her find her way back home. And for so long, home to Beca was a hand outstretched towards her, waiting for her to hold on to and sink into.

As for what she is to Stefan…

They finally head out to seek a place to stay before the sun rises. For the past few weeks ever since they started travelling, Beca had slept in countless hotel rooms, some expensive and some cheap. But for as long as she gets to curl up next to her brother's side, the place doesn't matter.

Every dawn, just before the sun peeks out in the sky, Stefan kisses her gently on the top of her head, stroking her hair softly as he whispers lovingly,

"Good night, my universe,"

Always and until the end

---

Pristina, Kosovo

3 years ago

"Got two," Beca mutters after two bodies fall down the ground, bullets coming straight from her gun.

"Three," Stefan follows quickly as they both take cover behind some huge tanks that were once used for chemicals of some sort. With the council's soldiers hot on their heels, they escape off into some abandoned factory, hoping to even out the odds.

"Keep up, lovey," Stefan quips as gun shots continue to fire towards them.

Exhaling in frustration, Beca aims and fires back an answer, taking three down before facing her brother.

"Five and I have a hangover," she answers, an eyebrow raised as a challenge which he replies with a smirk.

"Just five?"

Beca almost growls as they continue running out and around the factory, heading towards Stefan's getaway car. He has smartly planted escape vehicles around the city and she's pretty sure everyone who knew her brother, knew that Stefan sitting behind the wheel would mean that catching him in one would be bleak.

It was supposed to be a smooth escape. But when they reach the car with Stefan heading over to driver seat, Beca hears a clicking sound that quickly fills her up with dread. Stefan hears it too as he fires towards incoming Underworld agents holding up weapons that Beca recognized as Rippers.

From the name, it isn't hard to guess what kind of weapon it was and what kind of damage it would do.

Rippers, are known in the Underworld as two circular objects the size of an average person's face with jagged razor sharp edges stacked together as they spin in opposite directions. It is mainly used against rogue or criminal werewolves in their wolf form where their skin becomes too thick for ordinary bullets or knives to penetrate.

Unfortunately, this deadly weapon is now being used on them. The council seems to be desperate on catching Stefan and 'rescuing Darius Du Pont's only daughter' thus, the appearance of the special soldiers from the black flag.

If only they knew whose side she was leaning to and that rescuing is not needed.

In Beca's eyes, time slows down drastically. Her brother keeps firing until he runs out of bullets. He was in the open and she knew it was a bad spot to be. Two Rippers are fired.

The scene before her has an obvious ending.

Stefan was fast with half his genetics being vampire but his other human half doesn't make him as fast as Beca.

She kicks her heels against the ground emitting a sudden burst of speed and in seconds she's on the other side pushing her brother out of harm's way.

The noise dies and all she hears is silence. A ripper zings behind her passing her by an inch and it's so fast that she feels the swift gust of wind on her neck. Stefan starts falling down the ground, his wide eyes looking at her, filled with shock and disbelief.

Then everything suddenly turns back to normal and the moment it does, Beca feels a force hitting her. In seconds she feels a strong excruciating pain on her arm, just below her shoulder. Sharp jagged blades ripping through, flesh, muscle and even going deep enough to scrape through bone.

The impact was so strong that her body twists to the side as she falls backwards, landing heavily on her back. When it all settles in, that's when she feels the intensity of the pain. She cries out sharply.

It feels like she lost an arm, the pain travelling all over her body and making her see spots. It was extremely painful and it was the worst she's ever felt.

Beside her, Stefan finally loads his gun with a click and then he's shooting furiously at their attackers before turning to her. He holds on to her good arm, pulling her up quickly but this creates another wave of unbearable pain that she cries out again.

She crashes in the backseat as he drives like a mad man. Her body starts to shiver from too much pain, blood flowing down freely from her wound.

Vampires can lose limbs too. Especially when they aren't being treated immediately or if said limbs are intentionally severed. Beca is close to losing her arm.

The symphonies in her head are getting louder again with her eyes starting to flutter close. She could feel being carried in Stefan's arms as he heads up a flight of stairs, all the while trying to keep her awake with every shake and shout.

Her vision clouds a little and in the haze she could see a flash of red, long red locks falling from above her, cascading down and tickling her face as she lays down on what smells like grass. There's a gentle wind blowing around them and behind all the tangles of red, she could see the weeping willows' leaves swaying softly. There's a smile hidden underneath those locks, bright and beautiful while a pair of baby blue eyes hold her weary gaze. They sparkle so brightly, as bright as she remembered them to be.

"Becs!"

There's a shake and she feels the pain. Reality comes crashing back as red locks, baby blue eyes and infectious smiles disappear at the back of her head.

There are other people tending to her while Stefan remains right next to her, holding her hand. She feels them cutting on the sleeve of her jacket and shirt. Stefan glances over at the damage before looking right back at her. She must look as white as snow by now.

"Just a scratch, nothing serious. You'll be fine. Trust me," her brother tells her although he seemed to be convincing himself rather than her.

He touches her head lightly, his thumb brushing over her forehead.

"I'll kill them all," he promises lowly before being handed a dagger, his favourite one.

She wants to stop him, yell even, but she didn't have the strength to do so while he starts rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. He doesn't even hesitate as he starts slicing his own flesh, right in his inner arm where dark red blood oozes out of the wound immediately.

He offers his arm towards her, "Drink," he says.

The smell of blood makes her hungry as her irises turn red and she suddenly feels a deep thirst. She sucks in as much of the delicious liquid as she can.

Her brother must've thought it was her first time drinking from a warm body which was why he made the cut in order to push her to drink.

If only he knew how her sharp fangs sunk into soft flesh years ago.

The memory makes her stop drinking, turning her head away and finally speaking.

"It won't work. I won't heal. Not like this," she blurts out with much difficulty as her brother looks at her with a frown.

"You need blood! It's what heals you and stops the bleeding. If we don't do it now, you're going to stay stuck in a limbo between life and death for a week before you start healing up," he counters, trying to press his arm back against her lips but she refuses.

One look at her wound and Beca knows her brother is smart enough to know the reason.

"The bleeding isn't stopping. You're not healing, Becs," he says slowly as the realization dawns on him. She can hear him exhale heavily and the chair he was sitting on creaks as he shifts his weight.

A moment of complete silence passes by and finally he speaks again.

"Who is it?"

Beca can hear the frustration in his tone, the anger building from inside him rising in dangerous levels. She knows him so well.

Which is why she chose to remain silent.

"Who," he starts again, standing up as he rubs his face with his hand. "Who did you bind your soul to?" he breathes out, unable to face her.

The name lingers at the tip of her tongue but she doesn't spill it. She hasn't spoken that name since her and Thomas Vanderbilt's stand-off months ago at the 345th Annual Royal International Military Exercises.

But Stefan was smart and he knows her well. It was so easy to put two and two together. There weren't many people in her life after all and there aren't any secrets between them.

"Where is she?" he asks in a foreboding tone this time and Beca weakly shakes her head.

This triggers him and soon the lampshade next to the bed is harshly thrown against the wall. Stefan inhales and exhales again, his hands resting on his hips as he tries to calm himself down.

"We'll talk about this later," he finally says before turning to his men and motioning over to her.

There's a flurry of movement everywhere and Beca already seems to have an idea of what's to come.

Her brother kneels down next to her at the side of the bed, his hand covering hers.

When she looks at him, his eyes have softened, "She better be worth all this pain. We're going old school," he says in almost a whisper and before Beca could reply another wave of excruciating pain grows from her arm.

Her brother holds her down as they start manually repairing the wound. The pain makes her scream and want to kill someone. A couple more men try to hold her feet down as she starts thrashing. It takes over fifteen minutes of hell until she finally blacks out.

The image of fireflies, trees and the smell of chocolate chip cookies wrapped in a comfortable warmth invades her dreams.

Becs? Can you hear me? Please—"

Beca wakes up with a start, sweat covering her back and neck. She feels the pain in her arm but it isn't as bad as it was before. It felt like hours but she's guessing it's already been a couple of days. Her throat is as dry as the dessert and she stinks.

When she looks around, she pauses when her eyes land on her brother's. She sighs in relief at the sight of him sitting casually on the chair at the side of her bed, whiskey bottle in hand.

He helps her sit up, leaning comfortably at the bed board before handing her a glass of water. Her face twists in discomfort at the contact of water on her dry throat yet she finishes it in seconds and has him refilling it once more before she is completely satisfied.

When she meets his gaze again however, Beca wishes she had remained unconscious a bit longer. She's familiar with that look he's sporting and it's definitely held with questions she really doesn't want to answer right now.

However, she also knows that there is no escaping this. She's also aware of how Stefan's mind works so she gets straight to the point.

"She stays out of this," she bluntly says, staring at him right in the eye as he takes a sip of his drink.

He replies with a sarcastic chuckle, eyes looking elsewhere as he shakes his head. He stops for a moment, still silent before looking up to meet her in the eye.

"You really think," he slowly begins, taking his time with his words. "That you can just make your soul mate 'stay out of this'? That she's not going to be part of this fucked up world you and I are in? That she even has a choice?" the anger in his voice rising with every word he spits out at her.

Beca exhales heavily as she counters, "It's not—we're not 'soul mates'. It's more of a friendship thing. I know it's a mistake, a stupid little ritual underneath a tree that we did when we were kids! But it happened and I don't know what to do about it,"

He scoffs at her words, his body turning and straightening up to face her fully.

"A stupid little ritual, huh?" he shakes his head again. "You think that you can just bind your soul to someone you like and that's it?" he asks sharply, lifting the hand which held his whiskey bottle to point towards the door.

"If that's the case then my mother would've been Queen and you wouldn't have been born,"

His strong words stun her. She didn't know about that. All he really told her was that their father left his mother when she got pregnant. That Darius had just been a reckless teenager who hadn't understood the concept of responsibility and believed that money was the solution to everything. The money which helped Stefan and his mother live a simple yet comfortable life.

The awkward silence stretches between them until Stefan breaks it, his voice much calmer now, "That's the reason why I can't completely be mad at him. He gave me a sister,"

He slowly reaches out to her, the familiar gesture making her chest tighten. She wraps her hand around his. When he stands up, he plants a kiss on top of her head before heading for the door.

"I meant what I said," she suddenly blurts out, making him stop to turn back at her. "She doesn't get involved in this,"

There's conflict in her brother's features and she already knows what he is about to say even before he opens his lips, "I warned you about this. Your enemies will always go after the one thing you care about the most. Soul mate or not, you've gained a weakness. Now they have a weapon they can use to end you,"

His words only bring something akin to fear but she pushes the thought away because she doesn't understand why she feels that way. It was just that, a mistake.

But then, she knew that if Stefan were to fix said mistake the way he fixes all of his mistakes, Beca knows that she has to step in.

After all, eliminating her mistake would be too much.

"Please," she says softly, the most vulnerable she has ever let herself be. "She will remain unharmed,"

Stefan sighs and she knows that he doesn't agree with her.

"She's not to be touched. Promise me that," she presses on and this time she could tell that he had lost the will to argue.

"She won't but I can't promise anything," he says dejectedly but not with a final word in it, "Because if it goes down to me choosing between you and her then I'm sorry but she has to go,"

It wasn't entirely how she wanted it to play out but that's good enough. Besides, there's just no way that the soul she was intertwined to would ever want to be a part of her world again.

She could never be a part of Chloe Beale's world either, even if she wanted to.

With the life she has chosen, Beca knows that anytime death could claim her and that what they had would only be memories of the past.

She thinks that the conversation is over and hopes that the issue would never to be spoken of again when Stefan pauses once more.

"Paired souls can't be apart for so long," he says.

There's no question in it but Beca could feel it. She knows what he is trying to get at and with him, evading the question would never help. He'd find out eventually.

So she finally admits the truth, "Father takes business trips. I come with him until I'm old enough to fly on my own. Once a month would do or at least whenever I can. I just need to be near her and it curbs the…" she trails off because the word hanging at the tip of her tongue is something she didn't realize she felt.

Longing

"…the need to recharge,"

Life is so unpredictable sometimes and these words are words Beca would regret. The mistake would soon become something precious and the weakness will turn into the very thing she takes her strength from.

But life is unpredictable and sometimes it throws things at you that is almost too much to handle.

Like accidentally finding the missing camera footage of the night her mother died.

Like realizing that she had been living in denial all this time.

Like figuring out that the monsters she'd been warned about was right in front of her all along.

The monster whom she loved so dearly.

So she does the one thing every person does when filled with too much pain.

Destroy everything.

She hacks through bodies, ripping and tearing everything that breathes her way until she makes it down the basement where she knows he is at. She's a mess, blood dripping from her face down to the blade she is holding. But she couldn't stop it. Even if the bodies turned out to be young teens, Stefan has trained to be loyal to him.

"You killed her," she says, her voice hollow.

Stefan stands in front of her, his weapon on the ground where he willingly dropped it while she points her blade at him. Blood flows down from his face where she had slashed him out of blind rage.

"I never wanted her to die," he answers softly and that's enough to make her bring him down to his knees, blade now pressed to his neck as she looks down at him with anger.

"How could you do this to me?" she asks shakily, tears bursting from the corner of her eyes as they slowly make their way down her cheeks.

"She wasn't even part of the plan. You were. I meant to take you away from him, our father, because I couldn't kill you. I tried that too many times ever since you were born so our father would know what it's like to lose a loved one," he confesses.

"It was supposed to be easy. A little baby had no chance with a knife buried in her little chest but then when you opened your eyes and looked at me. Your little hands came up to reach out to me and I realized that I couldn't do it. So I watched you grow instead, waiting for the right time but turns out, killing you would become impossible. How could you possibly kill someone you love?" he looks up at her with reverence and it only hurts.

But she knows he is right and she ends up sinking down in a corner, her heart now a mess.

Being betrayed by the people she loves seems to be the only constant thing in her life and Beca hates that she had succumbed to the same predicament yet again.

Once had already been unbearable. Twice is enough to end her.

She lost Chloe and now she's about to lose Stefan.

What a twisted and cruel life she has indeed.

"Your mother's death haunts me and it will haunt me for the rest of my life. It's karma that you are growing to become the spitting the image of her except for your eyes. Your mother's eyes were brown," he says before his face hardens and his eyes turn cold.

"I should have just killed that Vanderbilt girl instead. I knew she was bad news from the moment you couldn't stop talking so fondly about her,"

He doesn't even get to add more to that as Beca is up on her feet in a flash, pushing him up against the wall with the blade hovering above his chest, the anger rising up inside her once more.

It doesn't stop him though.

"She's going to be your downfall. It would've been easier, sinking a blade right into her heart as I watch the life drain out of her eye—"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence as the dagger abruptly plunges right through his chest. It's only a few seconds later that Beca realizes what she had done. The horror of what she did comes crashing in her and she pulls out the blade as quick as it came before pressing the wound with her hand, blood spilling out of her fingers.

Stefan's hand covers hers as he slowly slips down the floor. She holds him steady, the anger in her eyes now replaced with fear and panic.

"I knew it," he weakly says with a small smile as she presses the same blade against her own wrist.

"I know you hate the taste you but you need to drink," she hastily says. "It'll heal you,"

However, he calmly keeps going with his line of thought even as she fumbles to save him, "You do love her. Hiding things from me won't work, you know that,"

"Drink, Stepy!"she yells in desperation, pressing her wounded wrist towards his lips.

He finally obliges much to her relief even as he grimaces and moves his face away. Stefan doesn't drink blood and that's because of his human side. It still helps him heal though and that's all Beca cares about right now. It's easier to focus on that rather than the conclusion he had given her.

She believes that he was wrong.

And maybe deep down she's trying to convince herself that.

"You love her so much that you're willing to hurt me to protect her but," he continues, tiredly leaning his head against hers.

"Not enough to kill me. And that's all I needed to know,"

His words will bother her for the next few years until she finally realizes that he probably knew of it all along, how the end would look like.

But for now, her father's soldiers would soon barge in minutes later to find her leaning against the wall facing the door, alone. She'd tell them where he went, a secret door leading to an alley a couple of blocks away, but she also knows that it's useless because he'd be long gone by now.

In the next few years, Beca would be leading her own team with only one mission and that is to capture Stefan Sala alive.

Ironically, she'd be fighting against the person she swore loyalty to. Maybe it's no surprise how many times she'd fail in doing so.

Always and until the end

---

The outskirts of Bartholomew Cross

A couple of months ago

"Go. Go home, Chloe. That's an order. My final order. When you return to safety, our blood contract will end. You're free,"

Beca closes her eyes as she leans her head back, exhausted both physically and mentally. She could still hear the loud beating of the half of her heart and she feels her own chest tightening at the pain of being forcibly torn apart from the person whom she's so deeply connected.

It was already hard to watch tears fall down the eyes that had always been so bright and full of life. Beca's not supposed to feel that way but her heart cannot be stopped.

The sound of a chair scrapping along the cement floor brings her to open her eyes again before tiredly facing the man sitting in front of her.

Her brother sat casually opposite her as he pulls the table filled with torture tools closer in order to place two glasses on top of it. He then opens a bottle of whiskey to pour it on each glass.

It painfully reminds her of that time they got drunk at some bar years ago.

She watches him for a while until she feels the chains on her wrist loosen and a glass of whiskey being offered in front of her. She takes it without a word although her weak fingers almost drop it for a second there if it weren't for her brother's hand tightening around hers.

When he leans back on his chair again, Stefan inhales sharply and crosses his legs as his eyes bore down on her. There's a smile in them and Beca already knows how this 'talk' is going to go.

So she beats him to it, "What the hell do you really want?" she mutters before taking a sip.

"She's very beautiful," Stefan deflects instead and his words instantly make her look at him in anger. He smirks, "Especially those perfect bright blue eyes,"

When she doesn't budge, he raises up his hands in mock surrender at her deadly gaze, "I just wanted to meet the woman who can easily render you powerless,"

Instead of an answer, Beca raises her glass unsteadily towards her lips to take a sip. She's really exhausted and will probably collapse any moment now.

"She can be yours if you just make a move. All you have to do is kick away that Vanderbilt heir she's dating. Bird face doesn't deserve her and we both know how easy it is for you to take him out of the equation for good,"

When Beca's eyes pierce right back at him, Stefan easily defends his answer.

"Your princess doesn't have a bond with Heckle and Jeckle's long lost brother. They're not going to last and if they do, she'll be miserable for the rest of her life," Stefan tells her with a tone much serious than before.

Beca doesn't believe in his words or that the bond she shared with the Vanderbilt princess is that of the infamous soul mate bond. Chloe is not hers. It's impossible and it'll never happen.

"I told you to keep her out of this," she bites back, ignoring his words. Unfortunately for her, it just irritated her to find amusement in his eyes. It's like having an argument with herself.

Growing up close, it's inevitable that their mannerisms, their personality, their views in life, their dark humour, sarcasm, vices, tattoos, hobbies and addictions, they share all of it that they could certainly beat twin siblings when it comes to mental telepathy.

"And she will," Stefan assures her. "When we take over the council and of Corvinn then you can have Chloe Beale as your Queen," he simply adds as if it was such an easy act to achieve.

It's absurd.

However, one word sticks out and Beca isn't even sure if she heard it correctly.

"We?" she repeats, letting out a dry laugh. "There's no 'we' in this scenario, Stefan. Or do you want me to remind you why that happened to be so?"

Her brother swirls his glass slowly as he eyes her with the same level of amusement as one would have while observing a kitten playing a ball of yarn.

"Are you telling me that you're going to stop me?" he asks before taking a sip of his whiskey. He looks at her in a much softer expression before he speaks just as softly.

"Are you ready to kill me now?"

The question rattles her with the memories she doesn't want to recall and yet she tries not to let the conflict show. It's useless though. He can easily see right through her.

This time, Stefan stands up. He turns around with his back facing her and somehow this worries her because she knows him as much as he knows her. He is acting strange and she can tell that there's something he is carrying. He might be labelled the villain but he was still her brother.

The brother she loves and when Beca loves someone it is forever.

It's her biggest weakness after all.

"Why… are you suddenly interested with Corvinn? And please, stop giving me those bullshit lies you told me earlier. You said Chloe can be my Queen which means you still want me to wear that crown. You never had any intention of taking it because you've always hated royalty but not this much. What the hell are you really trying to do?"

Her brother remains silent and Beca knows she's asking the right questions so she pushes some more.

"Stepy,"

The nickname is enough to break through him as he turns back towards her and she couldn't help but feel that maybe what he was about to tell her was something that she wasn't prepared to know.

She was right.

The explanation came in a form of a small black and white photo that Beca had rarely seen in real life but was familiar with.

An ultrasound photo.

She looks up at him, the question already evident in her face and thankfully her brother speaks before she can say anything dumb, "It's a boy," he says before swallowing thickly.

"You're going to have a nephew,"

The words make her whole world stop as she glances back down at the wrinkled photo in her hand. Her mind races to a million more questions until her brain finally taps into a memory three years ago. It's a name to be exact, a fleeting conversation or more likely a small banter between them.

"Mia, is it her?" she asks weakly and it only takes one look to confirm it.

The girl whom her brother has had an on and off relationship with for years, Mia Black, also half-vampire, half-human or half-lings as pure vampires would call it. They met at the military camp where they both underwent training. Both not wanting to be there that they decided to escape the program and live the dark life half-lings have no choice but to enter in order to survive.

The council always makes sure to have a record of every vampire and half-ling. Half-lings have it worse than pure vampires because they easily blend with humans. They cannot turn a human into a vampire yet they can produce half-ling children, a fact that the council is trying to control. Vampire bloodlines must remain within the community and the spread of half-lings is something that they fear of happening. It would be hard to document their existence and would mean the loss of total control over their kind.

Beca calls the council's plans bullshit.

This changes everything and she knows that in the end she has to choose. But then why choose when she can find a much better solution?

"It doesn't have to be this way," she slowly says, eyes still staring right at the photograph before finally breaking away to look up at him. "You don't have to do this. The crown will fall on my head now that…"

She trails off because sadly there's one more issue to be addressed.

"He stabbed himself at the heart before I could stop him," he says as he takes the photo from her, unable to meet her in the eye.

"We both know he was heading there," Beca admits and they share a look, one that says that what had happened was sad but it wasn't surprising.

For the past few years, their father was secretly in the worst stages of depression. The effect of losing a soul mate causes such things to happen. It's like cancer but with the act of suicide as the terminal stage and no chemotherapy can cure it. Darius has survived far longer than the usual and that's only because he was the King. It meant that all eyes were always on him, hindering him from causing harm to himself. Even Beca had experienced having to wrestle a weapon out of his hands several times before he can inflict self-harm.

It only delayed the inevitable though.

The incident that Stefan caused had been his ticket to freedom or at least that must've been how it feels like.

Vampires that had lost their mates have been known to undergo intense grief which becomes more and more unbearable as the years pass after the separation. However, there are still some that are lucky enough to pass through the tough years successfully and are likely to find a new mate.

Their father wasn't one of them.

"I had his body be brought to his room for the mean time. After this is over, we can hold a burial," Stefan tells her in an uncomfortable tone and Beca knows he is struggling.

From the start, they never had a good father and son relationship with Stefan choosing to leave and discard the opportunities Darius was offering him, to become the most decorated soldier and be assigned to the royal army dedicated in protecting the crowned heir. It wasn't Stefan's dream however and Darius wasn't exactly having it. Beca had unfortunately been witness to some of their arguments.

Robbyn's death had worsened that strain and Beca knows that their father had not forgiven Stefan for it, that even if their father were alive, there will never be a chance of forgiveness happening even if Stefan sincerely begged for it.

But despite the unfortunate fact, Beca doesn't let go of the main topic at hand, "I can fix this. This child… your son, will be protected. He has the blood of a Du Pont and I swear upon my life to keep him safe," she says firmly but Stefan shakes his head.

"It's going to be the same all over again," he resigns, looking away and Beca's heart sinks at the thought because even if she denies it, even if she tries to fight for it, there's still truth to his words.

"They will find out. They will take him and put him in some cage where they can watch over him like some lab rat," he says with such bitterness and hurt.

"They will train him and use his abilities to protect the crown until he dies… just like what they did to me, only I had it better than the others because my father was the king. I had a house to live in, cars, money and all that but my future was set on stone. There is no freedom, no choice, none of that," he continues, stepping further from her and towards the door before stopping.

"You will be able to protect him but for how long, Becs? You can't be Queen forever and what do you suggest happens if he finally has his own children? More half-lings, then what? The cycle continues even as we leave this world. It'll never change and that's why this is the only answer," he says, voice unwavering even as Beca can hear the cracks in it.

When he fully faces her, Beca is assaulted with the memory of him standing by her window when she was eight.

"Where is your loyalty, Beca? Those ignorant pure bloods who thirst for control and want to destroy your family? Or are you going to fight beside me, your own brother? Choose now because we don't have time,"

With that, he looks at her right at the eye and offers his hand towards her.

Always and until the end

---

Corvinn Castle, Romania

A couple of months ago

Beca wakes up to the light shake she feels on her shoulder. She had passed out due to exhaustion and lack of sleep. When her eyes adjust to her surroundings, she recognizes the walls of Corvinn and one of the guest bedrooms for visiting ambassadors. When she looks up, she finds her brother looking down at her.

Carefully sitting up, she runs her fingers through her hair and figures that she really needs a warm bath but when she smells something delicious wafting from the plate Stefan is handing over to her, she feels like good food would do for the moment.

"Everything is in place. You were right about the switch and the route we should take. They were at the airport. Some of the original council is now held hostage at the throne room but I am sure that they may have re-assembled a new one and that's why the assholes outside are plotting a rescue operation," Stefan reports to her in a lazy tone as he takes another sip from his whiskey. "For them and for you," he finishes as he eyes her.

"We have to move," Beca suddenly says as she pauses from eating and stands up, her wounds now closed and healing. They weren't really that deep to begin with. Her brother made sure of it.

Stefan nods before walking out of the room. Beca places her plate aside and follows him into Corvinn's control room where his computer technicians are now camping out with their laptops and devices.

Beca scans every monitor like a hawk. She knows the protocol for these kinds of situations. It would only mean that at this point, they will bring everything they got on them. But then if you're up against Beca Mitchell herself, the odds will never be on her opponent's favour. Strategy and wit has always been her best qualities.

Suddenly she looks up the ceiling. "Rooftop," she says as Stefan glances at her, already getting what she's trying to warn him.

"Reload every weapon you have, they'll be coming in from above as well," Stefan barks at his commanders who start handing over high powered weapons to each other and relaying orders on to their radios.

Stefan hands over the controls and Beca begins to state every possible entry point at the monitors and plots out a defensive strategy that would be hard to break.

When her brother turns to her, there's urgency on his eyes, "It's time, we have to go," he tells her in a calmer tone as she nods distractedly, eyes still on the monitors where the council's soldiers are starting to make their way to the castle's entrance.

"Wait," Beca abruptly says as she holds up her hand. She watches carefully before finally speaking once more.

"Be ready to cut off the power starting with the throne room," she orders the technicians as she watches a military van stopping in front of the huge two door main entry way.

"In three, two, one… Now!" she says quickly as they intercept the signals going out to the council's screens, the live feed from the cameras start turning off one by one just as she had wanted. The council's technicians must be losing their minds at this very moment.

Three more cameras from various rooms shut down before the rest follow. Now the council has no visual and Beca can finally walk out confidently with her brother towards the throne room.

A report from the control room comes in and Stefan looks at her for confirmation.

"Open fire at sight," was the only thing she coldly orders which he then relays to his men.

In a minute they reach the vaults with Beca opening the first two heavy stone gates easily. When they reach the final gate however, her fingers suddenly stay still. Stefan notices the change and is on her side in a second.

"What's wrong?" he asks yet Beca doesn't look at him, her gaze still lingering at the small screen that can open the last gate in front of her. She remains quiet for a couple more seconds before finally clearing her throat to speak.

It comes out weak and uncertain but audible nonetheless, "Are we doing the right thing? Is changing the documented rules and wiping the council along with its heirs going to solve everything? Or are we just continuing this terrible cycle and making it even worse?"

Her hands are shaking now and her heart thumping really hard in her chest. Her words are creating a new and huge gap between them, marking this the first time she has openly opposed to him.

"Is that your true choice?" Stefan says after a couple of tense moments, both their eyes locking with each other, dark blue against dark blue. Beca almost feels as if she is looking at another version of her.

"It's just going to open a new breed of hate and suffering. If we have to end it, let's end this right!" she says, more loudly this time and the gap widens even more as her brother takes a step back, drifting further from her. The pain in both their eyes as clear as the cleanest waters.

"Nothing is ever right in this world," Stefan says and his voice seems so far away.

He shakes his head sadly, "I thought this day would never happen but here it is," he trails off and Beca understands it all.

The bitter end.

They remain still and the silence is so tense as they stand opposite each other. This wasn't like one of those catch and retrieve operations she did in order to capture her brother. Admittedly, she always misses her mark with him around. She always fails when it comes to him because deep down being enemies was never what they both wanted. They've clashed countless times but it was only right this second that everything seems so real now.

In a second everything becomes a blur, Stefan had reached out for his dagger while Beca had tapped on her boots, setting off the miniature bomb's timer she has carried all this time. An agent should never be without a weapon and Beca has taken this reminder very seriously.

Chaos ensues, blood spills in her rage, the bomb explodes as she ducks behind a wall for cover and Stefan makes his escape. She manages to open back some of the camera's live feed having memorized the access codes earlier and assemble all her generals. It's insane to think that every step starting from the beginning had been run by her. She had manipulated the whole game from the start and now, who else but herself is going to finish it?

The war has begun and she feels like she's being torn to pieces with every step she makes to close the gap between her and Stefan.

Everything is falling apart now and yet she was still denying this fact.

She finally finds him on the floor just below the rooftop, sitting with his back against the tiles made of centuries' old stone, a remote device slowly being played with his fingers.

They're alone now.

He looks up at her and Beca knows that he's as tired as she is. Maybe not entirely physically but more emotionally drained. They've been playing this game for far too long now.

"Well played," he mumbles with a weak smile.

"You taught me well," she honestly answers back in the same way. In a distance she can hear the ongoing fights, a contrast to the silence of the floor they are in.

"I'm proud… of you," he follows and her eyes begin to sting a bit. It meant a lot coming from him.

She cautiously steps forward and slowly raises her arm up towards him. It only occurred to her that not once in her life had she initiated it. It was always Stefan who sought out her hand.

"Let me help you. I'll do everything to make this right. Trust me, I'll make it happen. Please, just come with me. You're my brother and I will always be there for you. No matter what happens, that won't ever change," she sincerely says as his eyes fall on her hand then back up at her face.

"I trust you with my whole life. I trust you so much because I love you," Stefan admits softly and it breaks her heart to see him like this, vulnerable and broken, so she inches closer, palm open and outstretched towards him.

He takes it and relief washes over her as she pulls him and crashes into his arms, a sob breaking in her throat. She hugs him tighter, letting him know through the sincere gesture that she has forgiven him.

"You're the only one I really loved in this world. I lied earlier about what I said about this world because there was one thing that is right in it and that is you," he whispers against her hair but there was sadness to his tone and Beca's chest suddenly floods with fear for the next words he is about to say.

She can feel it and she dreads hearing it out loud.

"I'll do anything for you, anything… except for this,"

She shakes her head miserably because she's too late.

Stefan continues to hold her tightly in his arms, "There's a chopper waiting on the rooftop. It's for you,"

"No, I'm not—"

"You can't save me. I'm far too gone. I can't turn back now. I'm sorry, lovey,"

Tears blur her vision and the pain in her chest becomes so loud it's almost deafening. This was goodbye, the end and the last time she was going to hold him in her arms.

This was it.

"Please don't do this," she pleads sorrowfully in between the choking sobs, her fingers digging on to the fabric of his coat while she feels him plant a kiss on top of her head.

"Not you. I can't lose you," she desperately clings to him. "I've lost too much. I'm not letting you do this,"

Stefan looks down on her, touching her face the same way he did when she was young and afraid of being left behind the door. His thumb softly brushes her tears.

"I can make it right. I'll make it right," she repeats like a broken record but Stefan shakes his head.

"Not everything can be fixed,"

The words shatter her into pieces and Beca almost forgot just how powerful a set of letters combined together were until now.

"And not everything that is broken is irreparable. Always remember that, Becs,"

He begins to pull away but Beca doesn't let go, strong in the belief that she can still find a solution for this. His words haven't sunk in and it will take a couple more months until they finally do.

"You promised me you wouldn't leave me. Don't leave me," she begs, ready to fall down her knees if need it be.

"Never. I'll always be with you… always. Right here," he says as he motions over to her heart.

"We will see each other again, in time. I'm sure of that,"

But she wasn't having it. "No! I need you here! I need you now! I need you!" she screams out before breaking down miserably.

"I don't have anybody else but you,"

This time, it's Stefan who shakes his head.

"You know that's not true,"

Beca doesn't understand. She'd been on her own all her life. The people who come into her world have always left her in the end. They leave her lost and left alone to reel from the pain of separation. It always ends that way.

But not Stefan. He was constant even though he brought her pain and suffering. He was the only person who had remained permanent in her life. She could watch the whole world burn and still not give a damn because she has him. He is her brother, her best friend, her mentor, her partner in crime and her family. Their relationship was twisted and maybe even unhealthy but he is everything to her.

To lose all that with just a press of a button?

It's the end.

Stefan gives her a small smile, "She'll stay,"

Beca gets confused at his words, wondering what he meant by that until he finally says her name.

"Chloe. She's the one. She'll stay. I have a feeling that she'll be able to do it, the one thing I failed at… to be with you always and until the end,"

She freezes at his words and when she tries to protest he quickly beats her to it.

"Don't let her go because I'm sure she won't,"

He finally pulls away, creating distance between them. He digs through his pocket but to his obvious surprise, his detonator isn't to be found inside it. Instead, he finds it in between her fingers.

"I won't let it happen. You're going to watch your son grow up. You're going to witness the change that I will fight so hard for. You're going to see the day where all of this will just be some bad memory of the past. You're going to grow old and have me call you grandpa as your hair starts to go white. You're going to have to ban me from taking my nephew out for excessive amounts of candy and ice-cream every Christmas or his birthday," she says with so much certainty that she strongly believes that it'll all happen one day.

Stefan sighs heavily in reply, looking down the ground before finally making a decision. He takes out his dagger and Beca's chest clenches at how things are about to go.

"There's only one way this could end," Stefan begins and Beca takes a step back, gripping the remote device tightly. "There's only one way to make me stop because I'm going to keep going until… you end it,"

He takes a swing at her as she jumps back, dodging his attacks. She knows he is pushing her to do it, the one thing she can never do.

Kill him.

He goes for a much aggressive attack despite her hesitation and as painful as it was, she knows that innocent lives are at stake. It's all in her hands now.

It's the only way.

The reaction is natural as she collides against him, bringing him down the ground as they wrestle for the detonator. She takes a punch and throws back more as they fight for dominance.

She's learned everything from him that their moves were so similar. Their attacks are met equally that it's like watching a closely tied match. It's very hard to tell who will come out standing in the end.

"You want to go and die?" Beca says angrily through gritted teeth as Stefan grabs her from behind.

"Then let's go and die," she continues, her mind already set.

Her eyes flit over to the camera hovering above them and hopes that it wasn't one of the cameras that she had opened back up. Her thoughts drifting into baby blue eyes and soft, shiny red hair before she closes her eyes and…

…dies.

Her last words, drifting through the air along with her tears.

"Together, always and until the end,"

---

Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

A couple of months ago

"What are you drawing, Beca?"

"A dragon,"

"Still fascinated with them, I see,"

"I don't really have to be here. I said I'm fine and I have a lot of paperwork to finish so, can we just get on with this mental mumbo madness,"

"I just want to know how you're doing after the incident at Corvinn. Alright, I'll get to the point then, is it the same dragon you befriended as a child?"

"Maybe and I'm not gripped by trauma or shock. This is really unnecessary,"

"If so, this little chat won't take long then, your highness. How's your dragon friend?"

"Is this a joke? And again, call me Beca,"

"No, it's an innocent question and my apologies, Beca,"

"He flew away,"

"Is he coming back?"

"No,"

"You seem so sure of that,"

"I am,"

"Do you miss him?"

"Should I… repeat the question, Beca?"

"I miss him,"

"It's understandable but have you ever thought of finding a new dragon friend?"

"I… don't want to,"

"But?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that there's a 'but' in between all of this and it's bothering you,"

"The only thing that is bothering me is an idiot who keeps following me around,"

"An idiot dragon?"

"Not a dragon, just an idiot,"

"Why don't let him in then? Are you scared?"

"Of what? And the idiot is a… her,"

"Of letting her in because she might just… fly away too,"

"Maybe,"

"But what if this idiot is finally going to be the one to stay?"

"Don't you think it's time you retire? Isn't it tiring to listen to problematic people for more than eleven years? Sip some blood by the beach, relax and enjoy or something,"

"I've actually already contemplated on it these past few weeks,"

"Great, send me a post card when you get there. We're done here, right? I have a meeting in half an hour,"

"Yes we are—oh and Beca?"

"What?"

"I hope that you won't let fear dictate your life. You deserve to be happy too. Have a good night, your highness,"

---

Author's Note:

Guess who's back and finally finished this long ass chapter?

God, this really is the longest chapter I've ever done. And just when you thought Beca's story can't even be more depressing. So, what would Chloe think of all this? Is Stefan right about her staying? Hmmm... give me two more weeks and you'll find out because I'm so in demand that people just can't get enough of the red panda charm (forgive the no sense of shame in my part, it's been a long day and I'm going to pass out now. bye).

Thanks for waiting. You guys are really amazing with all the support.

Love you all!