"How could he do this to me?" Liane asked Simone, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"You didn't do anything to deserve this," Simone answered, keeping her eyes fixed on the corridor. "He just doesn't understand."
Liane looked up at the suddenly stoic hybrid and sniffed, wiping the tears from her face. "Simone, can I ask you something?" she wondered.
Simone remained silent and still as a statue at the bars.
"If you're the hybrid they're looking for, then why did you tell me that David was?" Liane asked, assuming that she didn't mind her questions.
"I couldn't have told you the truth," Simone replied, shifting her weight slightly.
"Why not?"
"To be brutally honest, I didn't trust you."
"What?! Why don't you trust me?"
"You are the daughter of an Elder… You didn't even have the courage to keep your own secret to yourself. I didn't think you'd be able to keep mine… You didn't ever stand up for yourself, and frankly… you seemed like a spoiled little princess to me."
Liane made a sound like an "oh" and hung her head in shame.
Simone looked over her shoulder at the redhead and smiled slightly at her, turning back to the bars. "But I trust you now."
"You do?"
Simone merely nodded and remained silent, indicating that she didn't want to talk anymore.
After about ten minutes, the sound of footsteps could be heard, and Sonia appeared at the barred gate of the cell a moment later. She froze when she saw Simone and swallowed nervously. "Simone?" she called, meeting her twin's hard glare.
"I do not want to see you," Simone told her, turning her back to Sonia.
Sonia ignored her comment and stepped closer to the bars. "Simone, I just wanted to apologize for not sticking up for you back there," she said, hiding her eyes behind her hair. "I guess I was still recovering from the shock of seeing you here. To be honest, none of us expected finding you would be so easy."
"Well, I'm sorry to have taken the thrill of the hunt from you all," Simone spat, sarcastically. "I know how exhilarating it is to chase down a helpless lycan."
"Okay," Sonia replied, nodding slightly. "I deserved that… But did you truly believe that they wouldn't figure it out eventually?"
"Oh, we knew that they would catch on after a while," Simone agreed, turning to face her twin sister. "But, we planned on getting me out before that happened."
"We?"
"Yes we." Simone smirked at her sister and rested her hands on her hips, meeting her eyes squarely. "Did you really think that I would simply stroll into the vampire mansion without a plan or back-up?"
Sonia flushed slightly in embarrassment and looked down at her feet. "So, you've been with the lycans this whole time?"
"Yes. They are more family to me than the vampires are, after all."
Sonia smiled at Simone and nodded once in agreement. "Well, I'll see you later, Simone," she said, turning to leave.
"Hey!" Simone called, smiling at her when she turned back around. "When I get out of here, I'll have to introduce you to my daughter."
"Yeah," Sonia agreed, returning Simone's smile. "And you'll have to meet my son."
Simone's smile brightened, and she watched Sonia go back up the stairs before turning back to Liane. "Okay, Liane. Here's the escape plan."
David and Lucas stormed down the hallways to the main hall with a troop of lycans behind them. They stopped in the main hall and turned to the lycans.
"Is everyone here absolutely certain that they want to risk their lives to come with us?" Lucas asked, concerned for his pack's safety.
The lycans all nodded, and several muttered "yes."
Lucas nodded once and smiled gratefully at them before turning to David. "Let's go, David," he said, smiling at the hybrid.
David nodded in agreement and turned to the doors, opening them quickly. He was oblivious to the pair of innocent blue eyes that watched him as he did so.
A little shadow scampered into the midst of the lycans, careful to stay hidden, and disappeared in the group.
Christopher stood just outside the doors to the execution room and waited patiently for the two condemned immortals. He glanced over at the Elders who stood beside him before turning his attention on the hallway when he heard the sound of footsteps. He watched as a small group of Death Dealers dragged Liane and Simone past him into the execution room, and he followed them in.
"She goes there," Felix ordered, pointing to Liane and then the post on the other side of the room. He watched two Dealers follow his commands before turning back to the remaining two. "Chain her down there." He pointed to the chains attached to the floor and watched the Death Dealers as they obeyed their orders.
The four Death Dealers returned to Felix's side and nodded to him to let him know that their jobs had been completed.
Felix nodded in response and motioned for them to take their places at the doors. "Everything is ready, my Lord," he said, turning to Christopher.
Christopher looked down at Simone, who was experimentally tugging on her chains, and then up at Liane, who glared at him before nodding once to Felix. "You did well," he told him.
Felix bowed his head slightly and walked past the Elder to take his place inside the front doors.
Christopher fixed his eyes on his daughter's for a moment, half-noticing Amelia and Erik step up beside him, before turning around to face the Death Dealers. "Let's get this over with," he said, taking his place beside Felix.
One of the Dealers nodded and went over to Simone's left side, stopping a few feet away from her.
Simone didn't seem to notice him. She was busily toying with her restraints, trying to figure out just how much force it would take to break them. She was brought brutally back to reality when she felt the sting of a whip on her back. Her eyes flashed navy blue, but she forced the beast in her back down. I need to wait, she thought, the statement becoming a mantra in her head.
Liane watched in horror as her friend took the brutal beating without flinching. Simone's back was drenched in blood, but the stubborn hybrid refused to cry out in the pain she was obviously suffering through.
After about ten minutes of torture, screams could be heard coming from outside the execution room.
Simone sighed in relief and finally allowed her eyes to change fully to the navy blue that indicated the change.
All the vampires looked up, and the Elders and Death Dealers leapt away from the doors as they burst open.
When the smoke dissipated, David, in full hybrid form, appeared with Lucas and the lycans close behind him, and he snarled at the vampires as they got to their feet.
Lucas ignored the vampires and ran to Liane's side the moment he spotted her. He unchained her arms and caught her as she collapsed, her legs wobbling underneath her. He sat down on the floor with her and hugged her tightly, as if she would disappear if he ever let go.
Liane returned the embrace and buried her face in his shirt, sobbing into his shoulder.
Simone growled as she completely the change, and her eyes snapped open, her pupils dilating to almost pinpricks. She jerked her arms upward, and the chains around her wrists shattered into pieces. She quickly jumped to her feet and was at David's side in a flash. She moved to help him with the Death Dealers when she saw Amelia slip out of the room away from the fighting.
Without thinking, Simone left David and the lycans and chased after Amelia. She froze when she heard a familiar cry, and her eyes widened in fear at what she saw.
Amelia stood in the middle of the main hall, holding Lily close to her. Her left arm was wrapped around Lily's shoulders, and her other hand rested lightly on her knee. She was crouched down behind Lily, and she kissed the frightened little girl's cheek spitefully.
Simone growled threateningly at the Elder and took a step closer to her, only to stop again at Lily's sharp cry of pain. She looked down and saw Amelia's fingernail pressed against Lily's neck. She turned back into her human form and met Amelia's eyes squarely. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice sounding defeated.
"Just think of this as revenge for Niklaus," Amelia answered, smirking at the hybrid. She pressed her fingernail closer to Lily's neck, and her grin widened when the child whimpered and moved closer to her.
"Niklaus? You think I killed Niklaus?!" Simone wondered, surprise evident in her voice and eyes.
"I know you killed Niklaus," Amelia replied, glaring at Simone. "My brother told me everything that happened."
"And how would your brother know what happened?" Simone asked, angrily.
"He was there. He was the one who stopped you from killing Sonia and any other Death Dealers."
"He stopped me from killing Sonia?! I would never hurt Sonia. She's my sister, and I love her. I wouldn't even consider hurting her."
"Just the same." Amelia shrugged nonchalantly and smiled down at Lily. "She is quite a beautiful child, isn't she? You must love her very much."
Simone growled furiously at that comment, and her glare hardened even more. She noticed off-handedly that David, the lycans, Liane, and Erik had joined them in the main hall, but she kept her eyes fixed on Amelia.
"Amelia, what are you doing?" Erik asked, stepping closer to her.
Amelia took a step backwards and incidentally dug her fingernail into Lily's throat, drawing blood.
"Don't hurt her!" Simone cried, hearing her daughter's shriek of pain.
"What?" Amelia wondered, looking up at the hybrid.
"Please, don't hurt her," Simone repeated, stepping out of David's reach. "I'll do anything you want. Just… please don't hurt Lily." She could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks, but she didn't care at the moment.
"Amelia, let the girl go," Erik ordered, smiling gently at her. "You and I both know that you don't want to harm the child. So… just let her go."
"You don't understand, Erik!" Amelia snapped, turning her blazing blue eyes on her brother. "I loved Niklaus… He was my mate… my best friend… I needed him… Sacha needed him… This hybrid killed him… You told me so yourself."
"You lied to her about what happened?!" Sonia demanded, appearing on the stairs with Sacha. The two had been there for a while but had chosen to remain unknown until then.
Amelia glanced over her shoulder at Sonia and Sacha before turning back to Erik.
"Uncle Erik," Sacha began, taking her place at her mother's side. "Have you lied to us?" Her voice shook slightly, and her lower lip was trembling as she spoke to him, finding that she believed Sonia.
"I…" Erik stuttered, looking from Sonia to Amelia and Sacha and back again. "I…"
"Papa?" a shaky, little voice called.
Erik looked down to see Rudolf standing beside Sonia, holding her hand loosely.
"Papa, are you really a liar?" Rudolf asked, nervously.
Erik looked between his family members and the lycans before sighing heavily and hanging his head to hide his shame. He'd known this day would come, and he had been dreading it for half a century. He supposed he'd brought it on himself when he'd lied to Amelia about Niklaus' death all those years ago, but it didn't really matter now. "The truth is, Amelia, that she didn't kill Niklaus," he explained, nodding to Simone. "… I did."
Amelia gasped and released Lily, her icy eyes widening at what he'd said.
Lily bolted away from Amelia to Simone, and she wrapped her little arms around her mother's legs, holding her tightly. She buried her face in the leather pants Simone still wore and sobbed into her mother's legs.
Simone returned the embrace and smoothed Lily's unruly black hair back down, keeping her eyes fixed on the Elders.
"I told you that she killed Niklaus, because I didn't want to hurt you," Erik continued, meeting Amelia's eyes briefly. "You would have been even more horrified to find that I had killed him than you would have been if I told you that someone else did… I am truly sorry for lying to you, Amelia. I didn't mean for it to come to this between us."
Amelia overcame her shock after a few minutes, and she walked over to her brother. She studied him for a moment before slapping him hard across the cheek, leaving a red hand mark. She saw him close his eyes tightly, and against her better judgement, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him gently. "I think I'll forgive you for this eventually," she whispered into his ear.
Sacha smiled at her mother and uncle and wiped the stray tears from her eyes. She felt Sonia lay a hand on her shoulder, and she looked over at her, returning her gentle smile.
Amelia released Erik and turned to Simone. She walked up to her and stopped just within arms reach of the hybrid. She studied Simone closely for a moment before holding out her hand to her.
Simone stared at it and then raised her confused eyes to the Elder's face. She was surprised to see Amelia smiling gently at her.
"You remind me so much of myself, just like Sonia," Amelia told her, glancing over her shoulder at Sonia briefly. "I know that we'll probably never come to fully trust each other, but I'm willing to start with a truce… And, to be honest, I'm sick of this war."
Simone looked back down at her hand before smiling and shaking it firmly. "I'm generally a pretty forgiving person, but you threatened my daughter," she said, releasing the Elder's hand. "I agree with you when you say that we'll probably never trust each other, but I'm sick of this war too."
Amelia nodded once in agreement and glanced at the lycans behind Simone. She spotted Lucas and Liane and smiled slightly at them, feeling a slight twinge of nostalgia.
Lucas' eyes widened in surprise at what Liane had told him, and he turned to her to confirm it.
Liane nodded and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
Lucas immediately returned the embrace, kissing her neck lightly. He was truly excited about her news, but the shock had yet to wear off.
Amelia watched the open display of affection between the two and briefly wondered where Christopher was. She looked back at Simone and smiled slightly as she saw the two hybrids doting over their daughter, both scolding her for following the lycans to the mansion. She then turned to look at Erik and barely restrained a chuckle as Sonia slapped him on the other cheek, leaving another red hand mark.
"I'm proud of you, Mother," Sacha said, appearing at Amelia's side.
Amelia looked over at her, and for a split second, she was the gentle little girl of years before, not the hardened warrior she was now. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly, smiling when Sacha returned the embrace.
Sacha smiled slightly at her mother and buried her face in her thick, black curls, reveling in the embrace she hadn't felt in years.
Amelia pulled away a moment later and kissed her daughter's forehead, tenderly brushing a few stray curls out of her face.
Simone, David, and Lily stood in the main hall of the vampire mansion with Sonia, Erik, and Rudolf.
"Once again, I'm going to miss you," Sonia said, smiling at Simone.
"I'm going to miss you too," Simone replied, returning the smile.
David and Erik watched as the sisters hugged before turning to each other. Their eyes narrowed slightly at each other, but their scowls turned into smiles a moment later. They shook hands and pounded each other in the backs, already friends.
The four adults all looked down at the pair of children beside them and smiled at them.
Rudolf's blue-green eyes were fixed on the floor, and he scuffed his shoes idly on the carpet. He seemed uncertain for a moment before he presented a perfect white lily from behind his back. He held it out to Lily and smiled at her before looking down at his feet again in embarrassment.
Lily gingerly took the flower from him and stared at it a moment before smiling at her cousin. Her look turned confused briefly before she smiled slyly and kissed his cheek affectionately. She flashed her teeth at him in a quick, grateful smile and scampered off to show her flower to Liane and Lucas.
Rudolf's hand went to his cheek, and he blushed in embarrassment.
Simone and David both laughed at him, while Erik and Sonia only smiled brightly at their shy son.
"Aww," Sacha commented, stopping beside them. "Wasn't that sweet?" She smiled at the hybrids and vampires when they looked over at her before turning to her mother.
"It's almost time for us to go," Amelia announced, smiling briefly at the hybrids. "Have you two said your good-byes."
"We're just waiting for Liane and the American Elders," Sonia answered, turning to Amelia.
Almost as if on cue, Lily dragged Liane and Lucas into the room and up to the group of people. "I found them for you, Aunt Sonia," she said, proudly.
"Good job, Lily," Sonia replied, patting the girl's head. She turned to Liane and Lucas and smiled at them.
"We just came down to say goodbye to you, Erik, and Rudolf," Liane told her, lifting her baby to her shoulder.
"How's Cecily doing?" Sonia asked, smiling at the sleeping infant.
"She's fine," Liane answered, smiling at Sonia. She wrapped her free arm around the other vampiress' shoulders and hugged her gently, relaxing when Sonia returned the embrace. "I really liked you, Sonia. I'm sorry you have to leave so soon."
Sonia nodded in agreement and lowered her eyes to the floor to hide her sorrow.
"You weren't planning on leaving without saying farewell to us, were you?" a gentle male voice taunted.
The group of immortals all looked up at the stairs to see the two remaining American Elders, Robert and Evelyn, at the top. They stood amongst the group a moment later, arm in arm and all smiles. They quickly hugged their friends and bid them farewell, smiling at all of them.
The European vampires all liked the American Elders. They were gentle, kind, and always cheerful.
Robert was a tall, lean vampire who looked and acted about twenty. His dark brown hair was cropped short, and his golden brown eyes were friendly and warm.
Evelyn was a very attractive, slender vampiress who looked no older than eighteen. Her auburn hair fell in loose curls to the middle of her back and hung freely around her face. Her hazel eyes were bright and still held the innocence of a child.
In fact, the two remaining American Elders could be accurately described as children. They were much younger than the European Elders, and they acted more like children than any Elder should.
"We thought it only appropriate that we escort you to the airport," Evelyn said, smiling at Amelia and Sacha. She gestured for them to follow her, and she and Robert led them out to the waiting car.
They all climbed in and returned the waves of the friends they were leaving behind. They watched the mansion until it disappeared from their view over the horizon.
Author's Note: I have a prequel written. I just need to get it typed onto my mom's computer. Apologies to anyone who is eagerly waiting. It may take a while.
Author's Note: I have a prequel written for anyone who's interested, but my computer is being gay. It won't let my friend e-mail it to me. Apologies to anyone who cares.