Disclaimer - I don't own any of LJ's characters and I don't make any money
blah blah blah. However, I do own Tar, Dain, Zarach and Bono, but
unfortunately, they haven't been paying their rent so I don't make any
money out of them either. Damn. Reviews are really appreciated.
CHAPTER SIX - MEETING
Ash stood still, astounded beyond words. He'd unconditionally looked for her without question for several days, without a single thought as to what to do when he found her. It reminded him of the time when he'd chased into the woods at Briar's Creek. He just hoped it didn't end the same way.
He stalked through the shadows into alleyway, just in time for him to see her break the neck of the empty husk she'd just been feeding on. She looked up. Dammit, She'd seen him. He moved deeper into the alley, moving always towards her. He remembered her words in his vision:
"When you next see me, you have to touch me Ash. Make me remember. Make me understand." He would make her remember.
Xanna stretched and smiled, supple as a cat. She waited for the ashen one to wait for her, he never made the first move, he was always so defensive.
Maybe it was this line of thought that gave Ash the advantage he needed. He flung himself at her. She was so surprised that he'd begun the offensive so quickly, that he'd already pinned her to the ground before she'd thought of how to react. She almost growled at him in rage.
"I'm doing what you told me, Mary Lynette."
Since both his hands were occupied holding her down, he let his cheek sink against her face. She tried to twist away, but the more she resisted, the closer he came. A warm blue feeling began to envelop them both and she found herself in a completely different place.
She opened her mental eyes. She was in grassy meadow; everything was green and young, bright and fresh. It made her sick. Ash was sitting next to her, gazing at her and she was laughing with him at some silly joke he'd made. She loved him, she realised. He was her soul mate. It was like watching someone else control her body.
"That's not funny." She heard herself say and she reached out to pretend to hit him. He grabbed her hand and pulled beneath him. What he didn't expect was for her to fight back. She pushed him hard to the right, giggling with glee as they began to roll across the meadow, limbs intertwined. When they finally came to a stop, he stopped laughing and looked at her, as if for the first time, really seeing her.
"I need you, Mary Lynette." He said quietly. This triggered some mental reaction in Xanna's mind and as he leaned down and kissed her, an electricity seemed to flow between them. She felt his love for her, and her love for him. She remembered why she had come to the coast.
She pulled back.
"I'm scared Ash."
"I know, Mare." He smoothed her hair out of her face. "Don't worry. I'm coming into the enclave tomorrow. I'll set you free."
"No, Ash. Don't come. You don't understand. These vampires are telepaths, you won't stand a chance against them."
She pushed her way out of their soul mate connection and pushed Ash off her. She stood up in the alley. Her memory came back to her in drips and draps. She had come to the enclave to kill the brotherhood. She would do it. "Goodbye, Ash. And thank you. Thank you for making me remember."
Mary Lynette ran off towards the enclave and Ash led alone in the alley.
She tried lock her memories away with iron determination but it was like trying to pretend you didn't have a leg, when quite obviously you did. Dain would see through her disguise easily. Unless she could distract him somehow. She'd seen the way he looked at her. She couldn't. It had been different with Tar. She'd hadn't remembered Ash. How could she seduce a telepathic vampire.
To save your soul mate's life, she answered herself silently. She clenched her fists. Ash wouldn't heed her warnings, he would come anyway. He would need Dain to be distracted. Dain was the one responsible for scanning. Distract him and distract everyone. If this was the only way to save Ash, then so be it.
*** Ash wandered across town, feeling much stronger after feeding and also after just being with her. Her presence gave him a strength that just wasn't there when he wasn't with her. Ash met up with Quinn outside the motel and they both went in for some well deserved rest.
Ash was the first one awake and once again dragged Rashel and Quinn out of bed and into the land rover. Quinn had scouted the car park the previous morning, so he drove over quickly. Ash was relieved to find Zarach already there, waiting. He didn't trust the shapeshifter, but there was something about him, something that shone through his exterior. If Mary Lynette had trusted him, then so would he.
Zarach easily found the cove, and began clumsily climbing the wall. Rashel caught up with him first and quickly overtook him, being the best climber among them. Ash seemed to think that his arms were going to fall off if he climbed any further and made it known often enough. Quinn was pleased to have a small amount of the old Ash back, even if it meant listening to him complain for hours on end.
*** Mary Lynette sat on the edge of her bed. It was time. Luckily she's managed to extract some of the details of their departure from Ash's mind during their soul mate link and Ash would be just about to start his climb now. If she was going to do something, she'd better do it now. She'd done her best to give herself the lost little girl look, but this was going to have to do. She slipped out of her room and gently pushed open Dain's door.
The first rays of morning light shone around the edges of the black curtains, casting an assortment of shadows around the room. Dain looked up at her approach, uncomprehending why she was half dressed and in his room.
"I couldn't sleep." She offered, hoping he would buy it.
He pulled over the cover, offering a space next to him and she quickly jumped in. Heart beating ridiculously fast, she slipped underneath the cover. She snuggled down next to him and shut her eyes, hoping against hope that all those looks he'd given her weren't for nothing.
Dain tried to breathe. She was in his bed and he wasn't doing a thing about it. But she was Tar's wife, he told himself. Yes, another voice told him, was being the most important word. Tar is dead and you're not. She's in your bed. Dain closed his eyes and felt her turn over in her sleep, laying on her back now. He looked across at her. In the first shadows of morning she was breathtaking. He ran his hand across her face and pulled himself closer to her. He kissed her neck and ran his hands through her hair. He felt her respond to him and open her eyes.
"Dain?"
Mary Lynette looked at him, feigning to be confused for a moment. He had caught the bait, hook, line and sinker. She just hoped she could completely distract him long enough for Ash to creep past his senses. Dain would never scan inside the enclave, he wouldn't expect there to be any reason to have to. She ran her hand along his jaw line and back behind his neck, trying to get him to focus all his attention on her. She drew his head down and kissed him. Mary Lynette prayed for Ash to hurry and ran her hand down Dain's back, urging him closer to her.
CHAPTER SIX - MEETING
Ash stood still, astounded beyond words. He'd unconditionally looked for her without question for several days, without a single thought as to what to do when he found her. It reminded him of the time when he'd chased into the woods at Briar's Creek. He just hoped it didn't end the same way.
He stalked through the shadows into alleyway, just in time for him to see her break the neck of the empty husk she'd just been feeding on. She looked up. Dammit, She'd seen him. He moved deeper into the alley, moving always towards her. He remembered her words in his vision:
"When you next see me, you have to touch me Ash. Make me remember. Make me understand." He would make her remember.
Xanna stretched and smiled, supple as a cat. She waited for the ashen one to wait for her, he never made the first move, he was always so defensive.
Maybe it was this line of thought that gave Ash the advantage he needed. He flung himself at her. She was so surprised that he'd begun the offensive so quickly, that he'd already pinned her to the ground before she'd thought of how to react. She almost growled at him in rage.
"I'm doing what you told me, Mary Lynette."
Since both his hands were occupied holding her down, he let his cheek sink against her face. She tried to twist away, but the more she resisted, the closer he came. A warm blue feeling began to envelop them both and she found herself in a completely different place.
She opened her mental eyes. She was in grassy meadow; everything was green and young, bright and fresh. It made her sick. Ash was sitting next to her, gazing at her and she was laughing with him at some silly joke he'd made. She loved him, she realised. He was her soul mate. It was like watching someone else control her body.
"That's not funny." She heard herself say and she reached out to pretend to hit him. He grabbed her hand and pulled beneath him. What he didn't expect was for her to fight back. She pushed him hard to the right, giggling with glee as they began to roll across the meadow, limbs intertwined. When they finally came to a stop, he stopped laughing and looked at her, as if for the first time, really seeing her.
"I need you, Mary Lynette." He said quietly. This triggered some mental reaction in Xanna's mind and as he leaned down and kissed her, an electricity seemed to flow between them. She felt his love for her, and her love for him. She remembered why she had come to the coast.
She pulled back.
"I'm scared Ash."
"I know, Mare." He smoothed her hair out of her face. "Don't worry. I'm coming into the enclave tomorrow. I'll set you free."
"No, Ash. Don't come. You don't understand. These vampires are telepaths, you won't stand a chance against them."
She pushed her way out of their soul mate connection and pushed Ash off her. She stood up in the alley. Her memory came back to her in drips and draps. She had come to the enclave to kill the brotherhood. She would do it. "Goodbye, Ash. And thank you. Thank you for making me remember."
Mary Lynette ran off towards the enclave and Ash led alone in the alley.
She tried lock her memories away with iron determination but it was like trying to pretend you didn't have a leg, when quite obviously you did. Dain would see through her disguise easily. Unless she could distract him somehow. She'd seen the way he looked at her. She couldn't. It had been different with Tar. She'd hadn't remembered Ash. How could she seduce a telepathic vampire.
To save your soul mate's life, she answered herself silently. She clenched her fists. Ash wouldn't heed her warnings, he would come anyway. He would need Dain to be distracted. Dain was the one responsible for scanning. Distract him and distract everyone. If this was the only way to save Ash, then so be it.
*** Ash wandered across town, feeling much stronger after feeding and also after just being with her. Her presence gave him a strength that just wasn't there when he wasn't with her. Ash met up with Quinn outside the motel and they both went in for some well deserved rest.
Ash was the first one awake and once again dragged Rashel and Quinn out of bed and into the land rover. Quinn had scouted the car park the previous morning, so he drove over quickly. Ash was relieved to find Zarach already there, waiting. He didn't trust the shapeshifter, but there was something about him, something that shone through his exterior. If Mary Lynette had trusted him, then so would he.
Zarach easily found the cove, and began clumsily climbing the wall. Rashel caught up with him first and quickly overtook him, being the best climber among them. Ash seemed to think that his arms were going to fall off if he climbed any further and made it known often enough. Quinn was pleased to have a small amount of the old Ash back, even if it meant listening to him complain for hours on end.
*** Mary Lynette sat on the edge of her bed. It was time. Luckily she's managed to extract some of the details of their departure from Ash's mind during their soul mate link and Ash would be just about to start his climb now. If she was going to do something, she'd better do it now. She'd done her best to give herself the lost little girl look, but this was going to have to do. She slipped out of her room and gently pushed open Dain's door.
The first rays of morning light shone around the edges of the black curtains, casting an assortment of shadows around the room. Dain looked up at her approach, uncomprehending why she was half dressed and in his room.
"I couldn't sleep." She offered, hoping he would buy it.
He pulled over the cover, offering a space next to him and she quickly jumped in. Heart beating ridiculously fast, she slipped underneath the cover. She snuggled down next to him and shut her eyes, hoping against hope that all those looks he'd given her weren't for nothing.
Dain tried to breathe. She was in his bed and he wasn't doing a thing about it. But she was Tar's wife, he told himself. Yes, another voice told him, was being the most important word. Tar is dead and you're not. She's in your bed. Dain closed his eyes and felt her turn over in her sleep, laying on her back now. He looked across at her. In the first shadows of morning she was breathtaking. He ran his hand across her face and pulled himself closer to her. He kissed her neck and ran his hands through her hair. He felt her respond to him and open her eyes.
"Dain?"
Mary Lynette looked at him, feigning to be confused for a moment. He had caught the bait, hook, line and sinker. She just hoped she could completely distract him long enough for Ash to creep past his senses. Dain would never scan inside the enclave, he wouldn't expect there to be any reason to have to. She ran her hand along his jaw line and back behind his neck, trying to get him to focus all his attention on her. She drew his head down and kissed him. Mary Lynette prayed for Ash to hurry and ran her hand down Dain's back, urging him closer to her.