Hello!

Here we are then, at long last. I hope you enjoy it...

Epilogue:

The "Ming" vase

Hunched inside his sodden hoodie, Michael bent down and placed the bouquet between the graves of their parents.

Red and pink roses. "Great choice, Mikey."

"Thanks." Don't forget the lavender...Mum loved it.

Hazel took comfort in the rain, the feel of it on her skin, and the knowledge the flowers had no excuse to die now. God knows she had partaken in too much death in this lifetime.

Are you ready?

Michael didn't nod. The ground should be wet enough by now. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Ever since their return home, he would do this. Not for long, just to reassure she was still there. Do it.

The cigarette case was small, about the size of a credit card, but it had been her father's before her seventeeth birthday. It hadn't contained cigarettes for the first time in a long while.

Flipping it open, Hazel took out a handful of grey ash. The persistant rain pressed it into the ground with the flowers.

She's home. Michael breathed a sigh of relief.

They stayed a moment longer. What could have been said to their parents had already been said many times before. Kissing their tombstones goodbye, Michael and Hazel walked home. The rain had driven everyone else inside where it was warm.

"We need to stay together." Michael said. I cannot lose you, too.

"You won't, promise."

Now he shook his head; it looked awkward in his hood. "You keep thinking about what she said. About the vampire in Prague.

"Because you do, Mikey." Hazel got out her key. "Do you still have your copy?

"'Course." We can't go there. To Prague. Who knows what we might find?

Oh, I dunno – culture? Hazel unlocked the door, snorting as Michael pushed past her into the house. "Old habits die hard."

"Your house stinks."

Her audience of mannequin heads stared balefully off into the distance. Shuddering, Michael proceded to crack open every window he could find, all the while muttering about dead smoke alarms.

"We're both curious, don't deny it." Hazel shrugged off her jacket, quickly remembering to retrieve the cigarette case. "Besides, you might meet someone there."

"Maybe I already have," he said from upstairs.

What? Hazel felt a twinge beneath her rib-cage. "Since when?" When Michael came down, he was grinning. "Well?"

"It's still early doors." He made a show of dumping his hoodie and padlocking his mouth shut.

"Oh, come on."

"Nope."

"Human or vampire?"

"Vampire."

"Okay. Is he nice?"

Michael ruffled his hair goofily. "Very." He groaned as Hazel landed on him with the grace of a falling alpaca. She cuddled him tightly.

"Aw, Mikey baby! When can we meet him?"

Mikey made a soft noise in his throat. "She'd probably hate him," he whispered. Hazel arched an eyebrow. "He was a psychologist."

"Oh, shit. Did he pscho-analysis the wrong client?"

"Something like that." Michael wriggled out of her hold, and found a DVD to put on. "Shall we watch Julia's favourite?"

Hazel looked at it. "Blimey, Mikey. We haven't seen this in ages!"

"Exactly." He got up. "I'm staying here with you for the forseeable future...if that's alright."

"You didn't need to ask, babe." Hazel punched his shoulder. "Don't start the film without us."

"I won't." As Michael turned on the TV, he watched as Hazel retrieved the "Ming" vase.

Just another of Mum's endearing jokes, eight-year-old Julia had found it on a market-stall in Portobello Road. She had taken an instant liking to it, so Mum had pretended it was priceless. Julia had loved that idea of owning something so rare, though it was anything but valuable. The vase wasn't even the right size for the dynasty. What Ming had a lid?

Nevertheless, Julia had left it with Hazel when she had gone AWOL. Bringing it up was always a sign Julia was having one of her good days, so Hazel kept it.

Maybe now she would remember to dust it...maybe not.

She turned to find Michael looking around the room, his nose wrinkled. "These doll-heads are incredibly creepy, Hazel."

"Well, where else can I put them? There you go, Jools. Much more better."

Michael rolled his eyes. "You mean 'much better'."

"Yes, miss." Hazel crashed back beside him on the sofa, with Julia safely tucked under her arm. "Ready?"

He pressed play.

For the next few hours, the Lewis children reminisced together in peace...although the vampire in Prague was never far from their thoughts.

The end...for now

It SAYS the end, but I'll be posting a bonus chapter after this, heheh.

To all who favourite/followed and reviewed - as always, you are all awesome! Thank you so much for your support and kind comments :)

I'm still working on the plot at the moment, but look out for "The Ties That Bind Us" soon. Set some years after "A Place Called Home", it's going to be the last part of the saga, so expect it to be intense as hell.

Have a great day, all of you!

LookAliveSunshine03