One year later…

Happiness was something Jean had to get used to. She was not accustomed to it. But once Lucien had been turned and she had been able to teach him how to use all their powers, they settled into an easy joy that still surprised her sometimes.

Even after they had gotten married, the happiness still surprised her. It was hard to believe that she woke up each and every day beside her husband. Finally, after so long, she had gotten married as she had always wanted to. She was Mrs. Blake in a way she was never truly Mrs. Beazley. Lucien placed that ring on her finger, and she wore it proudly despite the looks she got on the high street for being a housekeeper who ensnared her employer.

Let them look. Let them wonder. Jean had long learned to ignore the judgments of others. They did not have the wisdom of a century, as she did. They did not have a soulmate at home. They never would. But Jean did. Jean Blake had everything she had never believed to be possible and more.

The days and weeks and months passed with happiness. Not without some hardship here and there, of course, but for the most part, they were happy. Alice assisted Jean in teaching Lucien how to use his powers, and like everything else, he was naturally gifted and a quick learner. He and Alice practiced reading and controlling and shielding. Jean and Lucien found themselves in stitches of laughter as he practiced growing his beard down to his chest and shrinking it, making his eyes turn purple, giving himself a coating of yellow feathers, and finally managing to turn himself into a bat and flying around the room before trying to nuzzle up to Jean and ending up getting caught in her hair. He learned, they loved, and they were happy.

Lucien spent a lot of time in Melbourne with Frank Carlyle after he turned. The men liked getting a pint together for Lucien to ask Frank a million and one questions about vampire society, everything Jean and Alice did not know. And through that, Lucien was able to teach Jean a few things as well.

The most important of which was how much they did not know about soulmates. Alice had only ever heard of the concept, and she told Jean all she knew. Lucien learned much more from Frank. And it rather solved the problem that Lucien confided in Jean he'd been concerned about: feeding.

Jean had taught him how to hunt, how to read the signs of the heartrate and the flow of the blood to not take too much, how to control thoughts and eliminate pain and erase memories. But he was right when he pointed out that the need to feed, especially for the two of them, might cause some problems.

Lucien had told Frank, unbeknownst to Jean, that he had accidentally bitten her that night they made love in the moonlight and consumed her blood, but he had been so overwhelmed by everything else, he did not know what the effect of it was. For most vampires, Frank explained, drinking the blood of another vampire might cause illness akin to food poisoning. But in the case of soulmates, their blood matched as much as their hearts and souls; the extension of themselves.

After a bit of experimentation, Jean and Lucien had learned to sustain each other. Jean had never had bites all over herself before, but she found a pride in them as Lucien had done when she used to feed off him when he was a human. Oh they could both use their powers to heal and hide the marks, but it was sort of fun to keep one or two on occasion.

Things in Ballarat were calm once more, the Blakes had settled into their marriage, and everything was better than Jean could have ever dreamed. They were happy.

Five years later…

Lucien had traveled as a younger man, going to Edinburgh for medical school and travelling Europe, being posted in Singapore and travelling the rest of Asia for the army. But now that he was facing eternity before him as an immortal vampire, he developed a wanderlust to go anywhere and everywhere and to see anything and everything.

He knew that Jean had never traveled much of anywhere since she had been turned. She hadn't travelled further than Castle Maine after leaving the farm where she had known Christopher, staying in Melbourne and the towns around Ballarat. She had always wanted to travel, he knew. She had a thirst for adventure borne of her parents, and she had joined the settlement in Victoria for that reason. But life had beaten that adventure out of her. Lucien intended to bring it back.

And so, they found themselves closing up the medical practice for months at a time and taking trips whenever they thought of somewhere else to go. They explored the jungles of Madagascar. They rode camels through the deserts of Arabia. They chartered a ship down the Nile to explore the pyramids and ancient temples. They wandered the grand bazaars of Istanbul. They spent a whole winter in London so Jean could experience a snow for the first time.

Their best trip, though, was a prolonged grand tour through the European continent. Lucien knew his life would be very long, but he was rather certain that he would never forget what it felt like to walk along the Seine while holding Jean's hand and stopping under bridges to kiss her.

While in Paris, they also got in touch with the vampire who had turned Christopher. Lucien had offered to spend his day elsewhere so Jean could meet with Monsieur Argeneau on her own, but she asked that he be there with her. Lucien hadn't wanted to intrude, but he was fascinated by their encounter. The way her whole countenance changed as someone else spoke of memories of Christopher Beazley was heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure. Lucien knew, of course, that Jean had loved him dearly and had changed her entire life and entire self because of him. It was nothing compared to what they shared now as soulmates, of course, but it was still hard for him to see the woman he loved be so hurt, still, over the loss of someone so important to her. But to have another person remember Christopher and speak to her of his past before he'd been in Australia clearly touched her heart. And for that reason, it touched Lucien's.

Monsieur Argeneau paused his conversation to Jean and looked over at Lucien curiously. It took Lucien a moment to realize he'd been so lost in thought that he'd not been shielding his mind as he should have in the company of other vampires. Being with Jean so much, got out of the habit sometimes.

But it was obvious Monsieur Argeneau had already read plenty from Lucien's mind. He turned his attention back to Jean and said, "I have seen other soulmates before in my six hundred years, but even when two people love each other and are soulmates, they are not always good and worthy people. Your husband is a good man and very worthy of you, Mrs. Blake."

Jean smiled at that and reached over to hold Lucien's hand. "Yes, I know. I'm very lucky to have this much love and happiness."

Lucien gave her hand a little squeeze in return. "We both are," he agreed.

Twenty years later…

They had moved to Melbourne and started a new life there. Alice had long moved on from Ballarat, and Jean and Lucien had to age their appearance so much that they were treated as elderly and prevented from doing all the things they were perfectly capable of doing. They still owned the house, but it was best to board it up and leave it vacant for a while, until they could return and start again.

In Melbourne, they could be a young married couple just starting life together. They had a house with a small garden for Jean to grow her flowers. Lucien worked as a doctor in a small private hospital that allowed him to have very flexible hours. They did not travel as much as they used to, though they were hoping to go to Brazil next year.

But then something unexpected happened. If it weren't for the council, they wouldn't have known it was possible. Though it was rare, it was certainly possible.

Jean was pregnant.

It was the most wonderful surprise. Lucien had been a father once, years and years and years ago. Jean had always dreamed of a family, of being a mother. She was so excited. Every little change in her body as the baby grew made Jean cry with joy. Perhaps it was just the hormones. But she was so looking forward to her child. Her child with Lucien.

And after the months of swollen ankles and upset stomach and heartburn and aching back and cravings for tomatoes, Jean gave birth to a perfect baby girl. Lucien was there the whole time, holding Jean's hand and making sure that there weren't any complications while the human doctor at the hospital where Lucien worked did not get suspicious over anything.

Thanks to the council, they knew what to expect during the birth. The newborn was apt to need blood right away, and her fangs might develop within her first hours—something they'd have to hide from the doctors and nurses. But Jean was prepared for her baby. She had Lucien get a few vials of her blood at home and bring them to the hospital when she went into labor. And as soon as she was placed in her mother's arms, Jean poured a vial of blood into her wailing little mouth. It calmed her immediately. Jean had given birth to a perfect, pink, squalling baby vampire.

They called their baby Jennifer, an anglicized version of Lucien's mother, Genevieve. She had her father's blonde hair but otherwise took after her mother in looks. Jean and Lucien both fell madly in love with her.

When they took little Jennifer home, they discovered that they could read her thoughts. As with all vampires, it was almost impossible to control her, but they could read her. It made it much easier to parent, knowing if their baby was tired or hungry or needed to be changed. But it also allowed the new parents to learn more about their daughter than anyone else ever could. They learned that she was curious about everything. They learned that she had a stubborn streak and that she craved independence. They learned that she observed and absorbed everything. And to Jean and Lucien, their Jennifer was absolutely perfect. She was everything they had never expected, and she filled their hearts in a way they'd never imagined. More love and happiness for them to enjoy together.

Fifty years later…

Jean spent all day in the kitchen, eager to make everything perfect. She was just so excited. Lucien was busy with patients all day, and the house was bustling as usual.

After many happy years in Melbourne, the Blakes decided to return to their home in Ballarat. And just as it had been all those years before, they took in boarders for Jean to feed and care for. Only this time, instead of a lovely district nurse they loved like a daughter, they took in other vampires. It was nice to be with others like them, to share stories and learn more and more about their kind. There always seemed to be something new to discover. Lucien loved it, of course, and Jean found a sense of community that she'd lacked for a hundred years before Lucien had entered their life.

But today was a special day, because Jennifer was finally taking some time off of work to come visit. Their daughter had grown up to be as bold and adventurous as both her parents. Only she didn't travel or get a fancy education or become a doctor. No, instead Jennifer became a police officer. Lucien was so proud of her, as he had enjoyed his time as police surgeon immensely. Jean was proud of her, too, of course, but she worried for her sweet daughter. Well, to Jean, Jennifer would always be her baby girl. Never mind that Jennifer was over seventy years old and using the shapeshifting abilities inherited from her parents to maintain her appearance. She was wonderful at what she did, and she loved it, and that was all that mattered to Jennifer's parents. Jennifer had gotten a very prestigious position on an undercover team that she couldn't tell Jean and Lucien about, but she was finally finished with her operation and had a few days to spend with her family.

The front door opened without knocking, something that the modern world seemed to find acceptable, much to Jean's chagrin. "Alright?" called a familiar voice.

Jean wiped her hands on her apron and hurried to greet her daughter. "Hello, sweetheart!"

Jennifer rushed into her mother's arms with a beaming smile. Jean felt a warm calm come over her to have her daughter in her arms once more. But before she could let herself get too emotional about it all, she pulled back.

"I've made scones," Jean announced. "They just came out of the oven. Your dad should be finished in a few minutes. And I'd like you to meet some of the boarders." To see if you can't read one of them, Jean added, speaking her thoughts directly to Jennifer.

A strange smile and blush crossed her face. "Actually," Jennifer said, "I wanted to wait till Dad was here, but I'll tell you…"

That very second, Lucien appeared. "Dad's here now, what do you need to tell us?" he asked, coming to give Jennifer a hug.

She laughed at his timing and went up on her tiptoes to hug her very tall father. Jean sometimes wondered why Jennifer never bothered to shapeshift to be taller. Or why Jean herself didn't do the same thing. Maybe her daughter felt, as she did, that it was terribly nice to be small and delicate in Lucien's big arms.

When Jennifer pulled away, she looked at both of her parents and gave a smile. "I found my soulmate," she announced. "He worked with me on this operation, and I couldn't read him. And I'll tell you more when we sit down. I'm starving, there was a bloody traffic jam on the M8. I want one of those scones."

She led the way into the kitchen, leaving her parents in shock in her wake. Jean looked to Lucien. "She…" Jean couldn't quite find the words.

Lucien seemed to recover first. He came to pull Jean into his arms and kissed her hair. "Our little girl's been grown for quite some time now. But she's found the last bit of life we always wished for her," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "All we've ever wanted was for her to be safe and happy and loved. And now she'll be all those things. I think we can agree, Jeanie, that finding a soulmate is the best possible thing the world has to offer. The best blessing of our kind."

"Yes," Jean agreed, hugging her husband close. "All the good in my life truly began when I found you. I've been so happy every single day because of you. And now Jennifer can have that, too."

They pulled apart slightly to gaze into each other's eyes. As always, though they could not read each other's minds, they knew well enough with the other was thinking. It had been more than three quarters of a century that they had been soulmates together. They had experienced all that life could offer in that time, and they'd have far longer to be together. It was the sweetest blessing imaginable, as Lucien had said. And even better, they knew that having a soulmate meant one thing above all else: an eternity of happiness and love. They'd had plenty of that so far, but forever stretched before them, promising all of this and so much more.

THE END