Standing there watching her, time disappeared and he could feel her presence pressing at the edge of his mind.  His feet carried him to the path and he started on his way down to the beach.  Blaise heard the footfalls padding through the sand before she knew it was Nick.  She felt him in her mind, but was refusing to acknowledge his presence there.

            His eyes examined the back of her head, following the gently curving lines down to her waist where the wavy tresses ended.  Mesmerized by the breeze sweeping her hair back from her face and toward him, Nick blinked in surprise when she turned her head and he found himself looking into her eyes, even darker than usual.  Hurt was gleaming there and he winced to think that he was the cause of it.

            "Why did you follow me, Nick?" her voice dull and flat, toneless.  She continued to look wounded and held her hands captive within the sleeves of her sweater.

            He answered her question with one of his own, "What did you do to your hands?" as he absently rubbed at his palm with his thumb.

            Blaise took notice of the action and looked down at her covered hands, sliding them slowly from beneath the sweater sleeves to show him the small scrapes on her palms.  "I tripped, scraped them in the sand.  How did you know?"

            His eyes unfocused and looked past her to the water.  "I felt it."  Then he stepped forward, grabbing one of her wrists, his fingers going around the cloth over her skin.  He leaned over and did something he had only ever known one other person to do.  He kissed her palm, his lips brushing lightly along her skin just as Adam had done with Cassie when Portia's brother had hurt her.  The thrill, like fire in his blood, spread through his body from his lips.  The tingling heat that raced up Blaise's arm was pleasant, almost inviting, telling her to be held by him, to stay with him.

            She fought the urge to jerk back from him and instead pulled away slowly, enveloping her hands in her sleeves once more.  She murmured a "thank you" and looked away, feeling uncomfortable in front of a boy for the first time in her life.  Always on the offensive, controlling the situation, Blaise was unused to not having complete power over everything going on in her life.

            Nick drew himself back, surprised at his own boldness in kissing her hand.  When he spoke, his voice sounded soft, out of place in his ears.  "I have this sudden urge to hold on to you... and never let you go," he coughed and looked away, blushing.  He dug around in his pockets, again searching for his cigarettes, finding them and lighting one with a sigh of relief.

            A small smile appeared on Blaise's face as she stared across the blackness of the sea and when she spoke, her voice was just as soft as his had been.  "I have this sudden urge to let you."

            Nick closed the short distance between them and sat in the sand beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, the cigarette between his lips.  He was careful to lay his hand on her shoulder where the sweater covered her, wary of touching her bare skin.  She unconsciously snuggled in closely at his side, fitting under his arm perfectly.

            He continued to puff on the cigarette, savoring the nicotine in his system, knowing that had he not had his pack on him, he wouldn't be sitting still right now.  He also knew deep down that he should quit, but he didn't see that happening any time soon.  Drawing in one last breath, burning the tobacco down to the filter, he tossed the butt away, the wind picking it up and carrying it farther than he could have thrown it.  The now free cigarette hand looped around to enclose her in the circle of his arms.

            Blaise glanced down at the arm lying across her chest, then over at Nick's linked hands on her shoulder, then her head twisted around so she would be on eye level if he ever stopped watching the water.  He did.

            His head turned toward her, their faces so close when he did so that their lips brushed together for a fraction of a second, that moment in time seeming to stretch on endlessly in their minds.  Blaise pulled back, the smallest of spaces opening between them, and looked into his eyes, finding the same desire there that she knew was in her own.  She moved forward again, slowly, cautiously, to place her lips on his, closing her eyes in the tenderest kiss she'd ever experienced.  Nick sank into the kiss with her, surprised by the dawning realization that he was in her mind and she in his.

            Blaise clearly saw the girl he'd loved before and his losing her to her soulmate.  She caught no more than mere glimpses of the "battle" he'd spoken of; not enough to know what happened, and she didn't want to pry uninvited.  Nick, on the other hand, swam in a sea of darkness; the only shining light in Blaise's mind was a blond haired girl with whom he could tell she shared a sister-like bond.  He floated freely, exploring different things until a mental wall slammed up in front of him, blocking him from all her memories before graduating high school.  Being forced away hurt and he drew away from her physically and mentally.  "Blaise, why...?"

            She yanked herself out from under the protective circle of his arms and scooted back in the sand, appalled at what he'd almost seen.  Her life among humans, breaking the adolescent boys in high schools across the country... she couldn't let him see that.  He wouldn't want anything to do with her if he knew what she'd done.  Boys had been put in psychiatric wards because of her, lives had been destroyed.  "You can't... you just can't see that," shaking her head to annunciate the words.

            "It doesn't matter to me.  No matter what happened it doesn't..."

            She cut him off, "Yes, it does matter.  It matters to me," she searched her thoughts for a way out of this conversation and found one.  It was a cold way to do it, but she had to.  "I have a plane to catch whenever I'm ready and I think I'll be ready in the morning.  I know there's a coven here, or at least there was, and that's all I was supposed to find out."

            Nick looked physically ill at the prospect of her leaving, but he regained his composure somewhat and looked to her, nodding, "If you think you need to leave, then leave.  But," he pauses for a moment, "tell me where you're going?"

            She shook her head.  "I can't tell you Nick, but I will tell you what you need to know to find me.  Circle Daybreak.  That's all you need.  If you talk to the right person, they'll know," and with that she turned, kicking up sand in her wake, and walked down the beach, the way she had come that afternoon (had it only been that afternoon?) instead of back up to Crowhaven Road.  And that night, another first happened; tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of leaving in the morning.  Of all the times she'd moved over the last ten years, she'd never cried because she was packing up and moving away.  But now, when the only things she had to pack up were a few pieces of clothing into a singular suitcase, leaving New Salem seemed like the worst thing that could happen.

            Nick watched her go, solemnly fighting tears which wanted to break free in his own eyes, but he was successful in keeping them inside, as he had been for years.  He turned stiffly toward the path to Crowhaven again and walked slowly to it, repeating "Circle Daybreak" under his breath as he made his way home.

            Thea sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair at the airport terminal waiting for Blaise to exit her flight.  Her tanned legs were crossed, khaki shorts riding up higher than usual, and she bounced her foot in time to the music being broadcast over the loudspeakers.  The doors to the jet way opened and she spotted a dark head only a short distance back in the crowd.

            She stood and stretched, making her way forward to meet her cousin with a broad smile on her face.  Blaise looked at her, but didn't return the smile... in fact, she frowned more deeply, her eyes wide and looking spooked, as if she had been through some terrible ordeal in Massachusetts.  "Blaise?" Thea asked, concern overshadowing the smile.

            "In the car," was all she said, her throat sounding dry and closed up, making the words raspy.  She gripped her duffle bag in front of her, using both hands, and followed Thea to the parking area where Thea's car was.  The little white Neon looked prim and clean sitting in the space.  Thea unlocked the doors and Blaise tossed her bag in the back seat as she slid into the passenger side, buckling her seatbelt mechanically.  Thea slid behind the wheel, fastening her seatbelt as well, but barely taking her eyes off Blaise; she was acting so strangely.

            She navigated out of the airport parking lot and merged onto the highway, repeatedly glancing at Blaise from the corner of her eye, waiting for her to speak up since they were in the car.  "They're there," she said flatly.

            "Who?"  Not what Thea had been expecting.

            "The coven.  There are four of them, but there used to be twelve.  Most of them have moved away.  They're all our age.  I met two of the four who are still there," she stopped and pressed her lips together tightly, obviously not wanting to elaborate on that.

            Thea kept silent, respecting her wishes, knowing that Blaise would tell her eventually.  Blaise stared out he window, watching the scenery fly by and agonizing about how to tell Thea what happened.  "Thea, what happens when you touch Eric?"

            Taken aback, Thea's foot slipped off the accelerator and she had to fumble to find it again.  "What do you mean?  You know what happens, I've told you over and over again, trying to make you believe me."

            "I mean haze, sparkles, fireworks, silver cords..." Thea heard no more, suddenly confused.  Silver cord?  Okay, so she hadn't told Blaise everything that happened, so why was she talking about the cord?  Thea thought it was the most personal of the connections in her bond with Eric, keeping them bound heart to heart no matter what.  Being so personal a thing, she kept it to herself, relishing the secret.

            She shook her head and interrupted her cousin, not even knowing what Blaise was saying now, "Wait.  Silver cord?  I never told you about that.  I know I didn't.  Where did that come from?"

            Blaise stopped, looking frightened, the very image of a deer caught in the headlights.  She twisted in her seat to look at Thea and closed her eyes again before speaking.  "I saw it."

            Not catching what Blaise was saying, Thea laughed shortly.  "You saw it?  You couldn't have.  Only the people it's connected to can see it..." she trailed off.  "Oh."

            "Yeah, 'oh'," she looked at Thea, far from happy.  They rode in silence again for a while.

            This time, Thea spoke first, "He's part of the coven?"  Blaise nodded.  "Lucky you, getting a witch for a soulmate," trying to lighten Blaise's mood a little.

            "Yes, lucky me.  Lucky me having been evil and vindictive in high school.  Lucky me he wasn't in my mind long enough to see who I really am.  Lucky me I pushed him away."

            Thea winced at the self-loathing in Blaise's voice.  She had never heard anything like it coming from her mouth before.  "What are you going to do?"

            "Do?  I'm not going to do anything except stay here.  Two thousand miles seems a safe distance, don't you think?  I... I gave him enough information to find me if he ever wants to," she turned her eyes back to the window, now deep within the city and heading for Thea's place.

            "I want you to stay in our guest room, at least for tonight, okay?"

            Blaise agreed and she hauled her bag into the apartment.  Having not slept the night before, or on the short plane ride back, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.