Carry my soul into the night

May the stars guide my way.

I glory in the sight

As darkness takes the day.

And so Sam sped through the traffic of Ohio as the comfort of their world gradually fell apart. Mercedes nearly found it funny that the rest of the world around them was moving forward as if nothing was happening while they were fleeing for their lives.

Forty-five minutes or so into the drive and the sky opened, clouds gathering and thunder rumbling across the jagged landscape. Sam drove methodically, like they weren't literally running for their lives. Mercedes looked at him the whole way to Quinn's house, not paying attention to anything else. If he was driving them off a cliff she wouldn't have batted an eyelash.

Mercedes felt relief rush through her from seeing his wounds close into faint pink lines. Too bad her own injuries didn't heal the same way. She was still afraid to look at whatever damage was caused by jumping through that window. Mercedes' hands stung and her head hurt so bad her temples were pulsing. God only knew what else was wrong with her. Needing a distraction, she chose at that moment to talk to Sam.

"I still don't understand," Mercedes said, cutting into the silence that had fallen over them. "What happened? How did those things find us?"

Sam clenched his hands together on the steering wheel. "I don't know. I've thought about it…but my only guess is that someone found my address and gave it to the Council. And then they sent some of their henchmen out to see if it was legitimate or not."

"But wouldn't there have been more peop—I mean Elites attacking us?" She asked.

"No. Not if the Council is just having them go on a scavenger hunt. They don't believe in wasting their resources like that."

Mercedes felt her temples begin to ache. "Do you think the Elites on our side know what happened?"

"Yes. If we were attacked, I'm sure the others were too." Sam explained, "Damien is probably with Quinn at her estate waiting for everyone else to show up."

…If he made it out alive, that is. She thought.

Sam must've read her mind, because he voiced what she was already thinking about. "He's strong, a lot stronger than I am. I'm sure he's fine."

"I hope so." She murmured, silently sending a prayer that Damien had made it to their safe house.

"I'm more worried about you," Sam said, glancing briefly at her, "You're hurt. And I really don't like the idea of leaving you in a wounded state…"

Her lips curved into a smile and fell just as quickly. It was hard to keep a positive attitude in a time like this. "I may be hurt, but I'd be dead if you didn't protect me when we jumped out of that window earlier."

Sam sighed, shaking his head.

"So what are we going to do, you know, once we're at Quinn's estate?" Mercedes asked him. Sam's jaw clenched and she instantly felt awful.

I never say the right thing, she thought. "I'm not asking for a definitive answer." She added.

"We're probably going to have to leave almost as soon as we get there. The rest of the Elites and I, I mean." Sam finally said.

She smiled. "Do you still think I'm gonna try to leave with you?"

"I know you are." He replied, the corners of his mouth quirking up.

"I want to," Mercedes admitted, "but I won't. I'm not in the business of making your life more difficult." Even though it probably seemed a lot like it. Even though she already though this was all her fault.

Sam reached his free hand over to squeeze her knee lovingly. "These past two weeks haven't been easy but that's certainly not because of you. You're the only reason I am ever happy. You're all I have." Mercedes laid her hand on top of his and looked away, feeling her eyes water. Sam thought way too highly of her.

Change the subject.

"What do you want me to do, once we get there?"

"You'll be with me all the way up until I leave….but once I'm gone, go with Quinn and the other Promises. The older ones will know what to do."

"Alright." She replied.

"Stay with them," He said, "And try not to let Quinn get to you."

She nodded.

"Hey," Sam said, nudging at her hand, "I mean it, don't let her get you upset."

That seemed to be really important to him for some reason. She opened her mouth to ask why but stopped herself. "I won't."

"Okay, good."

Mercedes turned to him. "Are the other Promises my age?"

"I think a few are, but mostly the other Promises are in their twenties…some might be a little bit older."

Mercedes nodded, moving on to something else she didn't quite understand. "This is off topic, but before when you said that the other Elites weren't beautiful, what did you mean? I guess I know what you meant, but…do they not…y'know…look human?"

"Well they're not human," Sam said, "So it would be a bit odd if they looked like they were."

She mulled that over for a moment. "That's why you said that Elites' appearances fit whatever the Promise finds most attractive." She realized.

"Yes."

"Hmm…" Mercedes intoned, staring at the tan skin she had come to love so much. The blonde hair and green eyes that plagued her every thought. So all this time it was a façade? What did Sam really look like, beneath the form he had created to match her desires? "I want to see the real you, someday."

"You probably won't like me once you do." He said, his voice low and soft. It was the first time Mercedes ever heard him sound so…unsure of himself. And something deep inside her—what, she truly did not know—seemed to swell and burst in the face of his self-consciousness. Because for the first time since they started this journey, she realized that they were much more alike than she had originally thought.

It's this feeling Mercedes is thinking of when she says, "I bet I would. I bet you're beautiful."

When they arrived at Quinn's estate, the uncomfortable ache in her temples and hands only worsened. Mercedes could barely concentrate with her emotions wreaking havoc inside her mind and the physical pain wreaking havoc on her body. The thunderstorm had just begun in the mountains, but it rained as if it had been raining for a while. She watched it idly—almost forgetting what was happening for a moment—as water pelted down on Quinn's driveway in an even rhythm. There was something mesmerizing about nature's symphony. In that moment, she felt oddly calm, and completely numb to the emotional and physical war waging around them. Mercedes wondered when—if—the storm was ever going to end, figuratively and literally. This one looked like it could last ten hours.

Sam came around to the passenger's side just as she was opening it, already prepared to lead her into Quinn's house. They scurried through the storm pouring down on them and nearly ran headfirst into Quinn's front door. The door opened just as they stopped, Damien pushing them in hurriedly.

"Damien!" Mercedes exclaimed as he closed and locked the door behind them. "Thank God you're alright!" She cried, beaming up at him.

Mercedes quickly pulled him into a hug, almost overwhelmed with emotion. Mercedes never realized how much she cared about Damien until presented with the prospect of his death. He was an asshole to her and Sam, but she still considered Damien to be one of her real friends. Damien awkwardly patted her on the back twice before gently pushing her away from him. He was nearly pink.

"Yes I know it's an unbelievable shock to you, but I'm still alive." Damien replied, coughing uncomfortably and looking over at Sam, who clapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly.

"As for you two on the other hand," Damien went on, taking them both in and scrunching up his nose, "You both look like shit."

Sam rolled his eyes. "We just got bombarded by Elitist flunkies, sorry we didn't get dolled up before seeing you."

"Let's go to the kitchen and get you both patched up." Damien said, leading them away from the front door. "So… obviously someone tipped the Council off to our whereabouts earlier today," Damien was saying as their footsteps sloshed rainwater in Quinn's foyer. She tried to feel bad about it.

"Was it someone from our side? Who exposed us?" Sam demanded, pulling Mercedes closer to his side.

Mercedes looked at Damien expectantly, but he was too busy ushering them into the kitchen which was completely devoid of other Elites and their Promises.

Where was everyone?

"Obviously, I don't know or I would've told you," Damien replied, rolling his eyes, "But there's clearly a traitor on the loose."

Sam shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Christ this is fucking ridiculous…when did they find out?"

"It had to have been today because otherwise this would've happened days ago." Damien told him, looking just as confused as they both felt.

"But why?" She asked.

"Fuck if I know," Damien responded, turning back to the foyer as if he expected the traitor to bust through the door at any moment, "I guess for protection."

Mercedes furrowed her eyebrows. "That doesn't even make sense."

"Whoever betrayed us probably thought that if they gave us away to the Elite Council they and their Promise would be spared." Sam explained, placing a comforting hand in the middle of her back.

"But that's stupid."

"It is," Damien agreed, "Granted I doubt they were very smart to begin with."

Mercedes shook her head. "But why would they think the Elite Council would automatically believe them? The Council could've just as easily killed the person for showing their face."

"Desperado." Damien retorted, pulling a first aid kit out of a cabinet in front of his head.

"At least it proves my theory from earlier." Sam said.

"What theory?" Damien inquired, grabbing a spray bottle of peroxide and a roll of bandages.

"The theory that the Council only sent their weakest soldiers after us because they weren't completely confident in the traitor's information." Sam explained, "If they believed wholeheartedly in whatever they told them, we would've never made it out of my house alive."

Damien walked over to Mercedes first, making quick work of cleaning a cut on her arm she didn't know she had. It stung. "I doubt that snake is even alive at this point."

"Well how do we know that the traitor isn't telling them more information right now?" She asked, feeling her hands begin to prickle in pain again. Mercedes still hadn't looked at them directly but she knew her fingers were marred. One of her pinkies felt broken. Ignore it. "What happens once the soldiers report back to the Council that the addresses were correct? Wouldn't it be smart to keep them alive to get more info out of them?"

Suddenly Sam's entire face lost color. "Shit."

"What?" Mercedes and Damien asked simultaneously.

"We can't stay here; the Council could show up at any moment." Sam declared, looking positively sick.

What? "They could?"

"Yes, they can and probably will," Sam replied, gripping Mercedes' arm as if he was intending to flee, "Which is why we need to leave now."

"Actually no," Damien disagreed, "You don't have to leave."

Sam's entire face contorted, giving him a look that obviously screamed the question of whether or not Damien had lost his mind.

"No one knows that Quinn's estate is the safe house except for us and Thea, who was supposed to gather everyone else up before coming here." Damien explained.

"That means nothing," Sam argued, "For all we know Thea could have betrayed us. Just because you left the safe house a secret from everyone but her doesn't mean—"

"Oh but it does," Damien insisted, "It means everything."

Sam was shaking his head, and Mercedes looked at Damien crazily. Sam was prone to overreacting once things started to look awry, but it was completely understandable in this situation. She was surprised she didn't make the connection sooner.

"Oh for God's sake Samuel calm down." Damien snapped, huffing impatiently. "Don't you two get it? If Thea was the one who betrayed us the Council would've been here by now."

Mercedes felt Sam visibly freeze and then relax beside her. It made sense, she guessed, but she was still confused. "I just don't understand," She admitted, turning to Damien now, "Why isn't Thea here then? Where is everyone?"

"Well I doubt Thea would want to get near the other couples and bring them here when she doesn't know which one is the culprit." Damien murmured, wrapping her left hand up with gauze.

"So she's just waiting in limbo with Puckerman somewhere?"

"…Or she was already smoked out by those decoys the Council sent after us." Sam deduced.

Mercedes felt her heart twist. "She had to have made it out alive. She's strong."

Damien sighed. "We won't know until she contacts us or doesn't show up."

"That is fucking ridiculous," Mercedes exclaimed, trying to clench her hands together but faltering when her fingers lit up in pain. "We can't just stand here and wait around—"

Sam gently grabbed her wrists. "We can and we will. Wandering out there completely blind and defenseless helps no one. Thea is strong, you just said so yourself. She'll make it."

There was a sudden, resounding crash from somewhere nearby. Mercedes almost screamed and stopped herself as Sam all but threw her behind him defensively. She could hear a girlish shriek followed by a string of angry curses coming from upstairs. Who…?

Wait a second…

"Quinn." Mercedes realized just as Damien ran from the kitchen and towards the noise. How could she have forgotten about Quinn?

"I think that might be them." Sam whispered cryptically.

"Who?" She asked, her voice nearly muffled. He had her pinned between his back and a countertop. Mercedes could barely breathe, much less see around Sam to figure out what was happening. The very air around them was quivering and pulsing with energy—but it wasn't like before—

Mercedes heard drifting voices from upstairs.

"….Honestly what the fuck is wrong with you people!" Quinn yelled.

—unlike before, the energy was warm and comforting. There was no way evil creatures like the Council or any of their soldiers could've been emitting that aura. It must've been the good Elites: Thea, Felix, Syren, Paul, and the others she hadn't gotten introduced to yet.

Another woman's voice began speaking and Mercedes perked up at the sound. It was probably Thea. Thank God she made it to the estate in one piece. "Come now it's nothing none of us haven't seen before…unless Damien hasn't—"

Mercedes heard some more yelling mixed with laughter before Sam moved away from her and she could breathe properly again. She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

Sam turned to Mercedes with a smile, visibly relieved. She felt the same way. "If I had to take a guess, I don't think the poor chap has managed to 'get it in' with Quinn, seeing as Damien was so offended just now. What do you think, love?"

Mercedes giggled, covering her mouth with her free hand. "Don't drag me into this."

"I'm just saying," Sam went on, pulling Mercedes into him and wrapping his arms around her, "If we managed to get to almost three rounds then—"

"Then you can shut the hell up," Damien interjected from the second floor as he started descending the stairs with Quinn in tow.

One by one, figures began to come into view from behind Damien. Leading the scene was Thea, wearing a leather jacket and helmet with her fiery red hair sticking out like she had just gotten off Noah Puckerman's motorcycle. Noah walked proudly beside her, wearing an almost identical smile as Sam tugged Mercedes over to the staircase where they greeted everyone as they arrived.

There was an exclamation of "Thank goodness you're okay!" from Thea as she flung her arms around Mercedes. Puckerman nodded awkwardly at her, and Felix said, "I'm surprised you're able to walk, considering Sam's sex drive."

Mercedes could've imploded from embarrassment right then and there but she kept her head high, shrugging the comment off. If Sam could be shameless and proud, there was no reason why she couldn't be too. "Well to be fair I couldn't the first twelve hours."

Felix promptly burst out laughing, clapping Sam on the shoulder. "Try not to kill her with your enthusiasm, Samuel."

Sam only chuckled and nodded in response. She understood there was an obvious storm cloud hanging over everyone at Quinn's estate, but in this moment, Mercedes felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Things could finally start to look up because, at least for now, they were back on track.

Sam and Damien led them all back into the living room where laughing and chattering, they settled on the couch, sat on the extra chairs or leaned up against Quinn's extensive bookcases. Damien stood tall and pale in the middle of the room with Sam who was an inch taller but looked less relaxed. Mercedes wanted desperately to smooth out the line that formed between his eyebrows with her thumb or even her mouth because she hated seeing him like that.

"As you all know," Sam started, looking around the den purposefully, "We were betrayed this morning by someone we believed to be on our side."

Damien nodded. "And considering that everyone is here except for Alonso and his Promise, I think it's safe to say that we know who betrayed us."

Beside Mercedes she heard a few nasty murmurs about whoever Alonso was. She never met him so she didn't have a face to fit with the crime.

"There's no telling if Alonso is still alive or not as we speak, because I doubt the Council would pass up a chance to kill someone that defied them." Sam went on, "However, once the Council realized that Alonso had given them good information, who knows what they did with him."

"That means if we happen to run into our old friend in the next few hours, we shouldn't hesitate to give him a proper greeting." Felix remarked from across the room, eyes murderous.

Sam shrugged, walking back over to Mercedes and taking a spot next to her as Damien spoke. "By all means, finish him off. I'm more concerned with making it back here alive than anything else."

Mercedes clasped onto Sam's hand as tightly as she could, feeling faint. She knew this moment was coming, knew it for nearly as long as she had known Sam, and yet she still couldn't believe this was happening. She felt an odd sense of awareness, torn between wondering if it was all real and desperately wishing there was another way around it. But regardless the moment was here, and she was about to say goodbye to the love of her life. Never mind the small chance that he could come back again; Sam was leaving and anything beyond that was uncertain.

"…plan for an ambush is ruined, and now our only hope is to lead the Council and their soldiers far away from here…" Damien announced, looking around the small circle of immortals and mortals alike surrounding Quinn's massive den.

"The longer we stay here the easier it will be for the council to surround us..." He continued, a grave expression sullying his features.

Felix tutted impatiently from his spot in the living room. "Then what the hell are we waiting on, standing here in this pathetic circle? Everyone is where they need to be. Let's go."

"I agree," A sultry voice from Mercedes' left said, "Enough with this nonsense. Noah and I barely made it here without being seen."

Mercedes glanced about the room, committing their grim faces to her memory. She had never seen so many Elites looking this way before.

Sam pressed Mercedes closer to himself before speaking, "We can't just leave without deciding where to go first. That seems pretty rash, don't you think?"

Felix, Syren, and a few others she still didn't know the names of bristled in frustration. "Then where, dear Samuel, do you suggest we go?" One of them asked.

"Our training grounds," Sam replied, and Mercedes gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, "We know the area, we know how to get there, and it's far away from here."

"I don't care where we go as long as it keeps them away from the estate." Damien cut in, gazing down at Quinn worryingly.

Thea nodded in agreement. "I say we all leave in different groups to throw them off—just in case."

"Are there any objections to this plan?" Sam asked, scanning the section where Syren and Felix stood.

"I say if we stay here any longer we might as well offer ourselves up on a silver platter." Syren commented, his bronzed skin practically iridescent.

"Alright then, let's go." Sam responded, ignoring Syren's attitude.

Mercedes felt as if the ground had collapsed beneath her feet—this was really it…and she wasn't ready, no, no—she would never be ready…if only there was more time…

She could feel Sam's warm hands—he was always so warm—cradling her face tenderly, and the cold feeling of desperation was nearly strangling her now, but Mercedes willed herself to keep it together.

You can fall apart after they leave, but not now.

"I believe in you, Sam." She told him, surprised from the strength behind her words.

Sam surged forward and kissed her roughly, bruising her lips with his. "Remember what you promised me." He said.

You have to go to therapy once this is all over. You have to get better.

Her response was instantaneous. "You remember your promise." She said.

Come back to me.

Sam stared down at her in awe, like he was seeing her for the first time. "I love you, Mercedes."

"I love you too, Sam. Always."

Sam stared down at Mercedes until Damien nearly pulled him from her grasp, but she never looked away. There was still so much to say, so much she wanted to tell him, so many opportunities lost. She hadn't said she loved him nearly enough, hadn't kissed him enough, hadn't praised him enough, nothing she did was enough. Mercedes had wasted their time abysmally, too busy feeling sorry for herself or being afraid of falling in love with him. And now it was long, long gone and over with. Mercedes watched unblinkingly as he walked away from her, one foot in front of the other until he and Damien were distant figures in Quinn's yard and someone's Promise closed the door behind them.

Someone was nudging her, asking if she was alright, but Mercedes couldn't hear them. Not really. She was in shock. "Mercedes? You're Mercedes, right?"

Mercedes turned toward the voice, too devastated to truly be confused. "What?"

The girl chuckled, smiling at her. "Are you Mercedes?"

"Yes." She finally answered, taking the new person in.

She was short, almost as short as Mercedes but not nearly as big. The girl had a sweet face and wore glasses half the size of her face. Her hair was blue and she had a nose piercing. Usually Mercedes would've taken her for a hipster or a goth, but "nerd" was the first word that came to her mind for some reason. She looked like she was in her early twenties.

"Hello!" She said, waving her hand in greeting, "My name's Elena, and I'm Felix's Promise. I'm sure you've met him by now."

"Uh…yeah." Mercedes muttered lamely. How did someone like Felix end up with this girl? How did that even work? He was the last person she would've guessed to be paired with a personality like Elena's…

Elena laughed, tucking blue strands of hair behind her ears. "He's a piece of work, I know. But he's mine. Besides, Felix is a teddy bear beneath all of his bravado. Trust me."

Mercedes looked down, reminded of her own Promise who was far away now. She already missed the weight of his palm in hers, the reassuring presence she felt whenever he was around.

"Sam's your Elite, right? I mean, that's a pretty stupid question to ask. I'm sure everyone in this house knows who belongs to who."

Mercedes' voice was a broken whisper. "Yes."

"I only spoke to Sam once," Elena continued, either oblivious to Mercedes' crumbling face or indifferent, she didn't know, "But he's really kind. Even if I didn't know you were his it was obvious that he is yours. When we talked and he mentioned you…his entire face lit up."

"All of the Elites are like that." Mercedes croaked, feeling her chest begin to ache.

"That's true! But when you see love on a person's face you don't recognize it sticks out more, you know?"

A lump was starting to develop in her throat. If Mercedes didn't get away from this girl fast she was going to collapse on the spot.

"I'm sorry Elena I um—"

Either by irony or a miracle, Puckerman had somehow managed to sneak up behind Elena and poke her on the shoulder, taking her by surprise.

"Puck!" Elena shrieked, jerking sideways and giving Mercedes enough time to slip away from them.

She briskly walked upstairs and away from the social gathering of Promises, feeling like she would faint at any moment. Her hands were shaking on the railing and she could hear herself panting into the air. Mercedes felt like she was about to have a panic attack.

Unsurprisingly, Mercedes found an unoccupied bedroom in Quinn's gargantuan sized mansion. She didn't bother turning on lights because she didn't want her situation to become any more real than it already was. Right here, in this darkness, if Mercedes closed her eyes she could almost pretend that she was just dreaming. She would wake up in darkness but Sam would be right beside her, his head pressed against her hair and his arms around her.

Mercedes wondered then, where Sam would be waking up tomorrow morning, and for some reason, that's the thought that sets her off. She shoved a fist into her mouth after the tears started because the noise her sobs made were terrifying. She sank down into the carpet and cried, praying her thunderstorm of emotions would pass soon. But just like the storm outside, this one felt like it would last a long time too.

Thanks to: Zeejack, rocklesson86, myhiggins25, krazykay23, Kimpa7809, Mercypowaaa, Cherica, bcandylandgirl, Emestee1, Guest, dayjavoo1 and Daydreaming for reviewing the last chapter!

It's been awhile ~as usual~ so you might have to reread the last chapter to remember what's going on. I certainly had to, haha. I sped through the last few pages or so because I was happy to finally have a finished product to release so God only knows if this makes sense or not. I hope ya'll liked it though…

Please review!