Disclaimer: The Night World and all other concepts belong to the lovely LJ
Smith
Note 1: Thankyou so much to everyone who's commented on earlier parts, you lot are all stars!
Note 2: This story is all planned out up till about part 12, and although it has become a continuous story, these earlier parts introduce a lot of characters, so it kind of ends up having a very large cast at the end…
Summary: Kerry Adlestrop's soulmate is dying, so she takes drastic measures to save her life
1
2
3 All for Love
Kerry looked up at the girl sat opposite her. She was, as all Kerry's patients did, complaining profusely. Sometimes she wondered why the hell she had ever wanted to be a psychologist, especially one who helped humans deal with discovering the Night World. All she did was listen to humans and newly made vampires, werewolves or shapeshifters complain about how they had never known about it. But today was a bad day. Her client, Trish somethingorother, was going all moon-eyed about her fabulous soulmate. Which, of course, kept reminding Kerry of her own fabulous soulmate. Her fabulous soulmate who was dying of cancer even as they spoke. It made Kerry want to scream. In the end, she couldn't stand any more sentimental drivel. She simply stood up and walked out of the room, leaving an open mouthed werewolf behind her.
***
"I'm sorry, she's sleeping now; you can't see her."
The nurse was kind but firm. Kerry gripped the bunch of flowers tightly in her hand. There was a veritable garden around Line's bed now, but Kerry always had to bring something when she visited her soulmate. Line had always loved flowers.
"Please, I won't disturb her or anything. I just want to be near her, maybe talk to her, make the most of the time we have left." Kerry's voice squeaked oddly on the last word. Her soulmate was dying, and the pain it caused her was unimaginable. Line was like a light shining in her endless life. When they'd met she'd been so full of life. She could remember their first day together so clearly.
It had been raining over the estate, and was even darker than usual. Kerry made her way to the rehab centre, trying to dodge the huge raindrops falling from the lightening-laced sky. She arrived in reception and taken the clipboard with the details of her next patient on. Line had been her latest, a Norwegian human who'd seen a normal looking man sprout a tail and turn into a leopard. She was sitting in her dishevelled office, a broken umbrella by her side. She looked terrified.
At first there had been a wall between them, a worry about vampires on Line's part, as well as the fact her English wasn't brilliant. But as soon a Kerry said her name, pronouncing it like a straight line, they had laughed. "It's Lee-nah." had broken the ice. And they'd been best friends ever since. It had taken a while for them to realise they were soulmates, though. Even now, Kerry doubted it. There had been no flashes of light, no electrical sparks. Just an overwhelming sense of calm. As she'd explained to Neil a few months before "It's like whenever I'm with her, for the first time in my life I belong. We don't need words, and I love her so much."
"Probably because she was a girl," Neil had replied helpfully. "I mean, it must have been pretty weird to find out your one and only wasn't a tall dark handsome male."
"Hmmm." Was all Kerry had said to that.
Whenever she thought anything like that, Kerry invariably broke down in tears. Neil was dead, killed by some assassin. And as for Line… The leukaemia had come on so suddenly, and there was no cure. Her Leenee was dying.
***
"Please just let me see her," she said in the present. Her eyes were filling with tears, and it was getting harder to breathe. The witch nurse began to look more sympathetic. The Daybreak hospital made allowances for soulmates to be together, especially when the patient was as near to death as Line was. She nodded abruptly and walked away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kerry wiped her eyes and walked along the ward.
Line was in the critical care ward. She passed mutilated agents, diseased humans, all manners of injuries were found here. Line's bed was the most colourful. She had a multi-coloured patchwork quilt on her bed. Her pale hand was resting on it. The flowers—Lilies mostly, Line's favourite—gave it added beauty. Then there was Line herself. She was sleeping, and it seemed to Kerry that she was even more serene and beautiful than the day before. Kerry sat down in the chair next to the bed. Line opened her eyes.
"Kerry," she said weakly. "I'm glad you came. How are you, love?"
"I'm fine. How are you? Have you—"
"No." Line said, with added vigour. "I haven't changed my mind. I love you, Kerry, but I don't want to be a vampire."
Kerry's throat closed. "Please, Leenee, please. I don't want to live without you. Please."
"No, Kerry. Sorry. You know I'm too old to survive the change. I'll maybe find you next time around." She broke into a smile, but it was that sad smile she seemed to be using so much lately. "I'm tired, Kerry. I'm so tired. I think I'll just go to sleep."
Kerry took her hand and used her powers to send her to sleep. Line fell asleep with a smile on her face. She looked down at her for a few minutes. This girl had brought so much happiness to her life. How could she just die?
In that one moment, Kerridwen Adlestrop made a decision.
***
Line was sleeping, drifting. She'd come to the hospital almost a year ago now, and she and Kerry had been full of hope that the famous healing powers of witches would save her. But finally she'd learned the truth. They could do healing spells on her till the cows came home and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference. She was going to die, and the only way out was becoming a vampire. She didn't no why she didn't want to, after all Kerry was. But she'd spent too much of her life as an ordinary human, and she just couldn't become a vampire now.
Suddenly she stirred. She was moving. It didn't feel like the smooth, comforting movement of the nurses turning her. She opened her eyes, and everything was red. She widened her eyes. Kerry had been wearing a red shirt. ~Oh shit.~
"Kerry?" she croaked, looking up. Kerry was carrying her, supporting her like a baby. "Kerry, where are we going?"
"Shhh. they'll hear us." Through their bond Line could feel Kerry using her powers. ~Oh no, oh no, oh no.~ the thought was circling round her head like a mantra. Suddenly Kerry looked down, and with a deranged kind of smile, whispered "Go to sleep."
Line slept again. When she woke up, she was lying on a couch. It was dark, but she could see the darker outline of Kerry. They were definitely inside, she thought, probably in one of the abandoned houses in the east. Line felt sick in her stomach. She could guess what Kerry was about to do.
"No," she wailed. "Kerry, it won't work!"
"Shhh. Shhh. You'll feel different afterwards. I'm… I'm doing this for you. To save your life. I don't know any other way!"
"Don't save me then!" Line burst out. "Just let me die happily, and catch me next time I come around. You know I'm too old! You know it, Kerry!" Kerry came over and put a hand on her face. There was some colour in her cheeks now, at least.
"I know you don't want to now, but please don't struggle. The last thing I want to do is hurt you."
Then she bit her.
She was amazingly fast. One minute Line was just lying there, and the next there was a piercing pain in her neck. And for the first time in her life, Line *believed* what everyone had been telling her. It was like Kerry's soul had been laid bare in front of her.
Kerry's mind was distraught, lost. /Kerry\ she said. Line had gone from wanting to run away from her to wanting to comfort her. /Kerry, it's okay\ She visualised herself blowing light into all the dark places of her mind. There were so many of them… Line knew Kerry had not exactly been the nicest person in the world till she'd joined Daybreak. But some of the things she'd done were terrible.
Kerry hadn't said or thought anything since they'd been together. But she tried to hold Line out. She didn't want her to see these memories. Line could feel Kerry's desperation, her protectiveness of her. She saw how, in truth, she was being torn apart, broken up. And how she was going to cope without her. But then… Line would not make a vampire. She was twenty two. Kerry had known this all along, but love and grief had blurred her judgement. She drew back from Line's throat and looked in her eyes.
"I loved you," she whispered quietly. Line nodded.
"Kill me." she whispered.
"No! Why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't do it quickly, now, then I'm going to die in agony, and without you. I want to die—" she broke off, her voice becoming thick with emotion, "With you all around me."
Tears filled Kerry's eyes. She looked at Line, in her hospital gown, her fine blonde hair blowing around her like spun gold in the half light. "You're so much braver than me," she wept, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I love you." She whispered, and went for her throat again. Their minds touched. But neither of them said anything. Kerry felt Line growing weaker and weaker, and then, finally, the light of her mind started to slip away. Kerry had the impression something was dragging her with it. It was a silver cord.
Finally, with an impression of a smile, Kerry felt Line's body give a final heave, and then her mind snuffed out like a candle. Kerry drew back and looked with quiet grief on Line's lifeless body. She reached out and stroked her head, before watching the sun rise.
Note 1: Thankyou so much to everyone who's commented on earlier parts, you lot are all stars!
Note 2: This story is all planned out up till about part 12, and although it has become a continuous story, these earlier parts introduce a lot of characters, so it kind of ends up having a very large cast at the end…
Summary: Kerry Adlestrop's soulmate is dying, so she takes drastic measures to save her life
1
2
3 All for Love
Kerry looked up at the girl sat opposite her. She was, as all Kerry's patients did, complaining profusely. Sometimes she wondered why the hell she had ever wanted to be a psychologist, especially one who helped humans deal with discovering the Night World. All she did was listen to humans and newly made vampires, werewolves or shapeshifters complain about how they had never known about it. But today was a bad day. Her client, Trish somethingorother, was going all moon-eyed about her fabulous soulmate. Which, of course, kept reminding Kerry of her own fabulous soulmate. Her fabulous soulmate who was dying of cancer even as they spoke. It made Kerry want to scream. In the end, she couldn't stand any more sentimental drivel. She simply stood up and walked out of the room, leaving an open mouthed werewolf behind her.
***
"I'm sorry, she's sleeping now; you can't see her."
The nurse was kind but firm. Kerry gripped the bunch of flowers tightly in her hand. There was a veritable garden around Line's bed now, but Kerry always had to bring something when she visited her soulmate. Line had always loved flowers.
"Please, I won't disturb her or anything. I just want to be near her, maybe talk to her, make the most of the time we have left." Kerry's voice squeaked oddly on the last word. Her soulmate was dying, and the pain it caused her was unimaginable. Line was like a light shining in her endless life. When they'd met she'd been so full of life. She could remember their first day together so clearly.
It had been raining over the estate, and was even darker than usual. Kerry made her way to the rehab centre, trying to dodge the huge raindrops falling from the lightening-laced sky. She arrived in reception and taken the clipboard with the details of her next patient on. Line had been her latest, a Norwegian human who'd seen a normal looking man sprout a tail and turn into a leopard. She was sitting in her dishevelled office, a broken umbrella by her side. She looked terrified.
At first there had been a wall between them, a worry about vampires on Line's part, as well as the fact her English wasn't brilliant. But as soon a Kerry said her name, pronouncing it like a straight line, they had laughed. "It's Lee-nah." had broken the ice. And they'd been best friends ever since. It had taken a while for them to realise they were soulmates, though. Even now, Kerry doubted it. There had been no flashes of light, no electrical sparks. Just an overwhelming sense of calm. As she'd explained to Neil a few months before "It's like whenever I'm with her, for the first time in my life I belong. We don't need words, and I love her so much."
"Probably because she was a girl," Neil had replied helpfully. "I mean, it must have been pretty weird to find out your one and only wasn't a tall dark handsome male."
"Hmmm." Was all Kerry had said to that.
Whenever she thought anything like that, Kerry invariably broke down in tears. Neil was dead, killed by some assassin. And as for Line… The leukaemia had come on so suddenly, and there was no cure. Her Leenee was dying.
***
"Please just let me see her," she said in the present. Her eyes were filling with tears, and it was getting harder to breathe. The witch nurse began to look more sympathetic. The Daybreak hospital made allowances for soulmates to be together, especially when the patient was as near to death as Line was. She nodded abruptly and walked away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kerry wiped her eyes and walked along the ward.
Line was in the critical care ward. She passed mutilated agents, diseased humans, all manners of injuries were found here. Line's bed was the most colourful. She had a multi-coloured patchwork quilt on her bed. Her pale hand was resting on it. The flowers—Lilies mostly, Line's favourite—gave it added beauty. Then there was Line herself. She was sleeping, and it seemed to Kerry that she was even more serene and beautiful than the day before. Kerry sat down in the chair next to the bed. Line opened her eyes.
"Kerry," she said weakly. "I'm glad you came. How are you, love?"
"I'm fine. How are you? Have you—"
"No." Line said, with added vigour. "I haven't changed my mind. I love you, Kerry, but I don't want to be a vampire."
Kerry's throat closed. "Please, Leenee, please. I don't want to live without you. Please."
"No, Kerry. Sorry. You know I'm too old to survive the change. I'll maybe find you next time around." She broke into a smile, but it was that sad smile she seemed to be using so much lately. "I'm tired, Kerry. I'm so tired. I think I'll just go to sleep."
Kerry took her hand and used her powers to send her to sleep. Line fell asleep with a smile on her face. She looked down at her for a few minutes. This girl had brought so much happiness to her life. How could she just die?
In that one moment, Kerridwen Adlestrop made a decision.
***
Line was sleeping, drifting. She'd come to the hospital almost a year ago now, and she and Kerry had been full of hope that the famous healing powers of witches would save her. But finally she'd learned the truth. They could do healing spells on her till the cows came home and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference. She was going to die, and the only way out was becoming a vampire. She didn't no why she didn't want to, after all Kerry was. But she'd spent too much of her life as an ordinary human, and she just couldn't become a vampire now.
Suddenly she stirred. She was moving. It didn't feel like the smooth, comforting movement of the nurses turning her. She opened her eyes, and everything was red. She widened her eyes. Kerry had been wearing a red shirt. ~Oh shit.~
"Kerry?" she croaked, looking up. Kerry was carrying her, supporting her like a baby. "Kerry, where are we going?"
"Shhh. they'll hear us." Through their bond Line could feel Kerry using her powers. ~Oh no, oh no, oh no.~ the thought was circling round her head like a mantra. Suddenly Kerry looked down, and with a deranged kind of smile, whispered "Go to sleep."
Line slept again. When she woke up, she was lying on a couch. It was dark, but she could see the darker outline of Kerry. They were definitely inside, she thought, probably in one of the abandoned houses in the east. Line felt sick in her stomach. She could guess what Kerry was about to do.
"No," she wailed. "Kerry, it won't work!"
"Shhh. Shhh. You'll feel different afterwards. I'm… I'm doing this for you. To save your life. I don't know any other way!"
"Don't save me then!" Line burst out. "Just let me die happily, and catch me next time I come around. You know I'm too old! You know it, Kerry!" Kerry came over and put a hand on her face. There was some colour in her cheeks now, at least.
"I know you don't want to now, but please don't struggle. The last thing I want to do is hurt you."
Then she bit her.
She was amazingly fast. One minute Line was just lying there, and the next there was a piercing pain in her neck. And for the first time in her life, Line *believed* what everyone had been telling her. It was like Kerry's soul had been laid bare in front of her.
Kerry's mind was distraught, lost. /Kerry\ she said. Line had gone from wanting to run away from her to wanting to comfort her. /Kerry, it's okay\ She visualised herself blowing light into all the dark places of her mind. There were so many of them… Line knew Kerry had not exactly been the nicest person in the world till she'd joined Daybreak. But some of the things she'd done were terrible.
Kerry hadn't said or thought anything since they'd been together. But she tried to hold Line out. She didn't want her to see these memories. Line could feel Kerry's desperation, her protectiveness of her. She saw how, in truth, she was being torn apart, broken up. And how she was going to cope without her. But then… Line would not make a vampire. She was twenty two. Kerry had known this all along, but love and grief had blurred her judgement. She drew back from Line's throat and looked in her eyes.
"I loved you," she whispered quietly. Line nodded.
"Kill me." she whispered.
"No! Why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't do it quickly, now, then I'm going to die in agony, and without you. I want to die—" she broke off, her voice becoming thick with emotion, "With you all around me."
Tears filled Kerry's eyes. She looked at Line, in her hospital gown, her fine blonde hair blowing around her like spun gold in the half light. "You're so much braver than me," she wept, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I love you." She whispered, and went for her throat again. Their minds touched. But neither of them said anything. Kerry felt Line growing weaker and weaker, and then, finally, the light of her mind started to slip away. Kerry had the impression something was dragging her with it. It was a silver cord.
Finally, with an impression of a smile, Kerry felt Line's body give a final heave, and then her mind snuffed out like a candle. Kerry drew back and looked with quiet grief on Line's lifeless body. She reached out and stroked her head, before watching the sun rise.