Title: An Eternal Night

Author: Melissa

Email: RubyFaded@aol.com

Rating: PG-13 basic NW story J (light cussing and light squeamish material)

Spoilers: just to be safe, we'll say all the Nightworld Series & Principals

Summary: this is a fic based on the Nightworld Series with a loose crossover of the movie, A Walk to Remember.

Disclaimer: All things NW belong to LJ Smith, All Things A Walk to Remember belong to Nicholas Sparks & the movie company that created the movie, and all characters you don't recognize are all mine.

Part One;

Allista's warm brown eyes echoed the color in the amber sunlight. Her tawny curls were tossed over her shoulder and her head was tilted back, laughter filling the air like a little child's. She moved like an actress on stage that knew that everyone was looking at her. Each movement carefully thought about and then carried out with the gracest of movements. No one knew that she was suffering. No one could see that her life was slowly slipping away. No one, but Reed who could see the leukemia spreading through her body, day by day and felt the coldness of her disease.

Reed had never taken a hobby of observing any vermin for too long. They were food, playthings, and sometimes an occasional entertainment, but it enchanted him how someone that seemed so full of golden life dying a little more each day; especially one with so much going for her.

His hearing was picking up tidbits of her conversation. She was in a crowd of about five. One of Reed's best talents was picking up emotions. He saw the way some of the girls looked at Allista with jealousy. How they wanted to be like her. Reed also knew that if it had been anyone else in Allista's shoes, then they would have been broken a long time ago. Allista had something that still kept her alive even though it would be less painful to be dead.

"Well, tryouts for the spring play aren't that far, but it doesn't seem to be drawing a lot of people in," Allista replied. Reed's coal black eyes noted the creases in Allista's soft honey skin. She was worried. She was worried that the pain was going to be too much by then and that she wouldn't be able to be in the play. Death hadn't even crossed her mind yet. It was going to claim her when she least expected it.

"Don't worry Alli. It will pick up. We still have a week of tryouts left," A reassuring voice reminded her. Reed's eyes flickered away from Allista to the girl on her left, Sage Redfern. Sage was five foot, eleven inches of pure lamia vampire. She didn't particularly have a soft spot for her cousin, Reed, but Reed didn't really like her either. She was too soft and played with the vermins too long.

Some other girls called out some words of comfort, but Reed could still feel that underlying worry that she was burying underneath her exterior. "I suppose you're right I-" Her words were left unsaid as her long lashes fluttered and she put a hand to her chest.

"Allista!" Sage called out and quickly grabbed Allista before she passed out.

"I'm o-okay," Allista stammered out taking a deep breath. Her skin, which had been glowing now, looked tired and pale and her eyes were no longer glittering from the sun, but with tears.

Sage's regained her composure. Reed had noticed that Allista didn't like for anyone to take notice of her weakness. Sage lowered her voice and stated, "Have you gone to the doctor yet?"

Allista's eyes snapped to Sage, "No. It's nothing, trust me. I'm just tired that's all."

Reed looked at the poor girl and her pathetic attempt to reassure herself that she was okay. Reed's gaze returned to the JD Salinger book that he had been meddling over while he pathed his cousin, "You do realize you're trying to help a lost cause."

Reed could feel the heat of Sage's glare. The red head had quite a temper and Reed regularly tap danced around it. He always did like to get a rise out of his family members. Her voice was sharp in his head, "What I do or do not do is none of your business."

Reed smirked, "Its really quite sweet how you're trying to help the poor girl, but the leukemia is too far gone. Even you know that."

"She may still have a chance if she would just go to the doctor's," Sage stated sadly. Reed could feel Sage's sorrow. He supposed that's how he would feel too if he was losing his pet. "She thinks nothing is wrong."

"Humans," He echoed in her head while standing up and shoving his book in his backpack, "They think they're invincible." He slung the bag over his shoulder and did a small salute in the direction of Sage. Just as he was moving his hand away, Allista's gaze looked up and bore a hole completely into him watching as he lowered his hand. He could see the question in her face as she turned to Sage.

"Who is that?" She asked softly as Sage watched her cousin walk away.

"Trouble," Sage replied giving Allista's hand a pat. "Now how about we go finish putting up those posters before lunch is over?"

Reed chuckled to himself as he walked off the campus. He had enough time to catch lunch on the go. His eyes happened to catch a blonde scurrying across the grass and the smile on his face widened as he followed the girl to her car. He touched her mind, which was as open as a field. "Mandy!" He yelled waving a hand.

The blonde turned her head up to look at Reed who was at her passenger side. "Mandy, sorry to startle you, but can I catch a ride with you?"

Mandy blinked up at him as if she couldn't remember his name. "Sure," She smiled unlocking the door, "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

No, Reed thought to himself, but you will.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Reed's head was bowed over Mandy's translucent skin. He could feel her quiver under his touch and it made him feel so much more empowered. With his fingers he traced the soft blue veins that laid like buried treasure under her skin. He bent his head down, his teeth erecting from their hiding place like knives from a sheath. They pierced her skin and Mandy screamed, luckily his hand had muffled her cries causing no one to turn into the alley way behind the school that he had gotten her in. It was so cliched, but it worked. No one was a fan of a dark alleyway.

Mandy kept making shrieking noises that sounded like a broken alarm clock and Reed had the distinct feeling of snapping her neck if he could have gotten away with it. Unfortunately the Nightworld had people everywhere, and once the council was on him, then he was as good as tanned leather. "Will you just shut-up? If you keep resisting its only going to hurt worse," Reed stated. He wasn't going out of his way to make the experience any more pleasurable, but he didn't want the girl yelling about a vampire biting her either. If the council was bad, then the vampire hunter's were worse. Thanks to the lovely and highly rated TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, every girl with a stake now thinks she can kick ass and save the world.

Reed licked his lips and grabbed Mandy's small body up in his arms, depositing her in her beat down Chevy while using a few more of his family's tricks to seal the deal. Whisper a couple of fancy words in her ear and she wouldn't remember a thing. He locked the doors to the car to ensure that she would be safe and then stretched.

"What in the world is going on back here? Why is there a car back here?" A voice questioned loudly causing Reed's whole body to spasm and turn quickly to where Allista was standing. Her hair was in tumbling curls falling around her soft shoulders and the mossy colored shirt that she had on made her look even smaller due to the weight she had been losing. In her hand was a green checkout form from school. It was just his luck that it would be someone's way home.

"It's not what you think," Reed stated trying to intercept the girl, but she was quick and had headed on the other side leaving Reed with a massive headache. Great, now he had two amnesia cases to work with today.

"Oh God!" Allista pronounced dropping her books that echoed in the alley as she tried the doors. Reed was glad he had locked the doors now. "Is she okay? Oh God, she isn't dead is she?" Allista stated. Reed was feeling wave after wave of confusion. It was making him dizzy and he didn't like it. She was giving off emotions like radar and it kept bouncing in his head. The fear. The pain. The questions.

Reed brought his hand to his head. He closed his eyes and tried to block out her emotions. "No, she's not dead," He growled. Shut up, he kept thinking, just shut up. He opened his dark eyes and saw the whirl of a fist. Reed thought that he was going crazy. There was no way that this girl, this meek little vermin could punch him in the stomach, but that's when he felt the dazzling colors of the punch. He was a vampire so it didn't hurt him all that much, but it sure took him by surprise. "What are you doing?!" He accused.

Allista's eyes widened as she looked at him. "You-You didn't even feel that did you?" She questioned looking at him as if she could see the true thing that he was.

Reed toyed briefly with the thought of showing his fangs and incorporating on her hysteria, but thought this could be handled better in the vermin way. He lied. Reed put his hand on his stomach as if feeling the phantom pain and snarled at her, "Like hell I did. Why did you do that? I already told you she's okay."

"She's not moving," Allista replied defiantly lifting her head to look him dead in his eyes. "I'm not leaving until I know for sure," She stated putting her foot down for emphasis. The movement only made Reed want to chuckle.

Reed tried the door, "Unless you have the key, we'll have to wait until she wakes up."

"She's asleep?" Allista asked squinting her eyes and coming closer to where he was standing.

"Well she sure isn't clogging," Reed stated dryly leaning up against the car.

"That isn't funny," Allista commented. She edged closer keeping a safe eye on Reed as she leaned down and looked in the glass. She tapped on the glass and Reed was intrigued to know why Allista was so set on making sure this girl was okay. She was just a human; there were billions more out there. "Maybe we should break the window?" She suggested looking up and into the deep starry pits of Reed's eyes.

"Do you really think shattering glass all over her is going to be safe?" Reed asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"We could try a back window?" Allista stated hopefully looking around for something that would crack the transparent shield. She lifted up a rock and held it out to Reed, "Here, try this."

Reed looked at Allista amused; "You have got to be kidding."

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Allista snapped. "Here," She stated grabbing his hand and it felt like an ocean had hit him. Dazzling colors of topaz and emerald showered his mind as he felt the warmness sing through his veins. It had almost felt like he was alive again, and he kept getting flashes. Faces, dazzling faces all looking at him. He knew them, but he didn't. He looked at Allista. No wonder he could feel her emotions so strongly she was….

No. No, this couldn't happen to him. He couldn't be soulmated to a human!

Reed pulled away from Allista and the rock fell breaking the absolute silence, which had engulfed them. His dark eyes' were wide and dilated as he looked at her. He could see the rise and fall of her chest, as she looked at him, her expression mirroring his own. He had heard stories about some of the most notorious Nightworlder's getting bound to humans, but he had never believed that it would happen to him.

"What just happened?" Allista asked, her voice sounding tired and her face looking as light as a porcelain doll. He ran to her in instinct and caught her weightlessly in his arms as her lashes fluttered and her knees collapsed. Her head lolled to the side and he moved her so that she sat in the cradle of his limbs and carried her home.