Lucy and Maya walked together toward the village, closely following the children. When they arrived, Lucy was introduced to Maya's sister.
"She and her family will care for Christina and Daniel, and Kehlo will remain with them as well. You and Ian will join us in a special hut on the other side of the island, where we will have all the privacy that is required. Make your goodbyes to the children and we will be off," Maya explained to Lucy as the Chief explained similarly to Ian.
Ian and Lucy embraced and kissed the children, until Ian had to gently force Lucy to release them and allow them to return to their play. Maya's sister had three small children and Christina and Danny were laughing and playing as Ian and Lucy walked away. After several backward glances, the chief engaged Ian in a discussion of the most recent island illnesses. Maya allowed Lucy time to gather her thoughts and emotions and walked with the younger woman in a companionable silence.
They reached the remote hut and found guards outside awaiting their arrival.
"You may leave us," the chief said simply. The two large men walked a distance from the hut but remained within shouting distance and kept a vigilant watch of the surrounding area.
After entering the hut, Ian was the first to speak, "I'm sorry… I should have never come here… I am a danger to you and your people. It's best if I leave right away…"
"Are you concerned about the guards, Ian? You should not be," the chief answered him. "They are for your protection, as you have a difficult journey ahead of you. We have nothing to fear from you, my friend."
"You don't know what I've become, chief. I've tried to tell you… but the words… they won't…" Ian stammered his voice filled with pain.
"We know that you have been bitten by an evil creature and that your blood carries a virus that causes you to have unsavory cravings… despite that, you have not succumbed to those baser instincts in all these months," the chief said.
"How did you…?" Lucy said in amazement. "We've hardly told anyone… and no one outside of Port Charles…"
"I have had a vision, my dear. We have known of Ian's illness for some time now… but it was not yet time for him to visit the island…"
"Time… you speak of time as if it can be controlled…" Lucy said softly.
"Not controlled, but if it is respected it may be altered… if it is done in the proper way. I must explain to you about this island. Tirama is a special place… a place filled with good…" the chief replied.
"I know… I know that…" Lucy began.
"… but it has been attacked by evil many times. Evil would like to destroy Tirama, if it could. But we have always prevailed…"
Ian exclaimed, "All the more reason that my coming here was bad idea! I must leave before I am the evil that destroys this place!"
The chief patted Ian on the arm, "No, my friend, you cannot. For you are not evil… the virus that has infected you is designed to make you evil… but you have withstood more temptation than any other man… at any other time…"
"You mean… you mean I was right?" Lucy asked is surprise.
Maya spoke up, "Yes, Lucy, you have unique abilities to see into the souls of others. Ian is a very special man… that is why he is our healer."
"Did I ever tell you that you are the only off-islander who has ever been healer for our people?" the chief asked Ian.
Ian shook his head, both in confusion and starting to feel the affects of his vampire symptoms. He reached out and grasped Lucy's hand, squeezing it tightly while she looked at him in concern.
"Uh… chief… uh… can we continue this conversation… later?" Lucy asked.
"I am sorry for your discomfort, Ian. Maya, bring Ian some refreshment that will sooth his fever," the chief said.
"Uh… chief… a cold drink isn't going to take care of…" Ian began.
"Content yourself, Ian, and trust us. We know more about your affliction than you might imagine," Maya answered as she left to get the beverage.
Lucy and Ian both looked at the chief in wonderment as he continued, "Men with your affliction attacked Tirama long ago, and they were defeated. Unfortunately, some of our people were equally afflicted. The decision was made to create a cure for them… as we do not believe in banishment. The healing waters of this island will ease your discomfort, just as they did those of our people who also craved the blood of others."
Maya re-entered the hut with a cup of water for Ian, which he drank gratefully. After a few minutes he was noticeably more comfortable. He looked at Lucy, "It's sort of like the water in the healing spring… it won't do me any good… but we might be able to take something back for the others…"
Lucy nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but the chief interrupted, "Ian… you are rare among those who are afflicted. You are the only one who has ever withstood the temptation to feed upon another person. In my vision, it was revealed that you are even more special than we realized when we asked you to become our healer. Your time has been foretold since the evil first attacked Tirama… and there may be a way to heal you."
"Heal… you mean take away… this… this… affliction?" Ian asked the hope in his voice almost tangible.
"Yes… but it will be dangerous for you," the chief replied before turning to Lucy, "…for you both."
"I'll do anything… anything…" Ian said emphatically.
Lucy held even tighter to Ian's hand, feeling that the chief's next words were going to change her life forever… and not sure that she was willing to accept the change. She looked at Ian and saw the mixture of love and hope in his eyes and realized that no price was too high to save him… and she quietly nodded her head in agreement. Ian breathed an audible sigh of relief before saying, "What's next?"
"It is very dangerous for you, Ian… and even though you will be cured… the cure may kill your mortal body…" the chief explained slowly. "On this island we have strong herbs… you have used many of them for their healing properties… but one herb has been withheld from you. It has killing properties and is used to assist the old and infirm in their final journey. No one—mortal or supernatural—can withstand its lethal properties, although it makes the passing more comfortable."
"You mean… your people… they commit suicide…" Lucy said in disbelief.
"No… but when the spirit is waning… and the outcome is sure… our people have the opportunity to choose their time. We usually know in a vision that it is the moment, and choose the clarity of the herb to see a path to our next life… it is never taken for escape," Maya answered the other woman.
"I… see…" said Lucy although it was clear that she did not fully understand the custom.
"And you think that this herb might kill the vampire in me, but spare my life?" Ian asked the chief.
The chief nodded, "We will mix it with the healing waters and some Morca… the combination should permit you to observe past lives and the lessons you received from them… if you are indeed the chosen one of prophecy then you will survive the ordeal. If you are not… it will mean your death. The choice is yours, Ian… you and Lucy must decide together if this is the path that you will choose."
Ian glanced at Lucy who nodded her head imperceptibly, although tears were freely flowing from her eyes, and looked at Maya and then the chief before nodding his head in assent. He leaned toward Lucy and laid his head on her shoulder, crying along with her in both fear and relief.
Lucy looked at the chief through her tears, "When?"
"Tomorrow evening, as the sun descends below the horizon, Ian must drink the potion. You may stay with him to ease his discomfort for a while, and then others will tend him as you embark on your own journey," the chief replied.
"My journey? No… I need to stay with Ian… if we can't have a lifetime… then I have to take whatever there is… I can't leave him…" Lucy rambled.
"You will not leave him… his body will be beside your own throughout your journeys… and there may be times when you connect in spirit as well… but there is much to do, Lucy… much more than you asked of me when we met in Port Charles," the chief replied.
"But we didn't meet in Port Charles… I've never seen you before yesterday," Lucy exclaimed in exasperation. "You don't know me or what I want…"
Both Maya and the chief looked at her quietly, and Lucy dropped her eyes, "Okay… you do… I know you do… but… Ian… the thought living my life without him…"
Ian pulled her tightly into his arms and whispered in her ear, words only for her, "I love you… more than anything or anyone in all of my lifetimes… but I have to try…"
Lucy sobbed, "I know… I know…"
Maya and the chief glanced at each other and left the hut to allow Lucy and Ian time to absorb everything that they had learned, and to deal with their uncertain future. They held each other in their arms and cried together for a while. When Lucy tried to make love with Ian, though, he stopped her and drank more of Maya's water.
"No, Lucy… not now… not yet… we need to talk," Ian told her when she looked at him in sadness and pain.
"What… what do you want to talk about?" she asked him hesitantly.
"If… if this doesn't work… I want you to… to go on without me," Ian began. When Lucy started to interrupt, he placed a finger gently against her lips, "Please, hear me out."
Lucy nodded quietly before Ian continued, "I have made a will, and it's in a safe deposit box in Port Charles. I have left all of my worldly possessions to the boy… there's not much but I want him to have all that there is. And I have left guardianship of the boy to you…"
"Danny…" Lucy breathed as Ian continued.
"You are the only mother he has ever known, and I want him to grow up with Christina in your loving home. Please… promise me that you will care for him…" Ian whispered.
"Of course I will… I love that boy…" Lucy answered. "But what about your family? Your mother? Won't they want to raise him?"
"If you can find a way to make them a part of his life, that would be rich indeed… but you are to be his Ma. Now I have one more question for you, my Lucy…"
Lucy sat and watched in confusion as Ian lifted her hand and held it to his lips, "Will you marry me, Lucy Coe? Right here, right now? Before I take this potion that may end my life… our life together… will you become my wife?"
Lucy was so surprised that she couldn't say a word at first, and Ian laughed at her quiet, "Will you look at that! Lucy speechless… I never thought to see the day!"
Lucy laughed at his joke and whispered, "Yes, I'll marry you… but how?"
"The chief will marry us and Maya and the guards will be our witnesses. We can have one nighttogether before our journeys begin… and you can return to Port Charles as my widow with an even stronger claim to our boy."
"No… if you only want to marry me so that I can have Danny… that's not good enough, Ian," Lucy answered in consternation. "I've married for less before… but not you… I will not marry you except for one reason… and you know what that is…"
"Aye… I know what that is… and you know that is the reason… I love you beyond measure Lucy and I do not wish to die without having you as my wife… please… I promise that I'm not giving up… I'll fight to stay with you, my Lucy… but I need to be your husband for at least one night," Ian said haltingly, the raw emotion causing the tears to well in his eyes.
"Yes… of course… call the chief and Maya… let's do it now," Lucy said as her own tears trailed down her cheeks.
Less than an hour later, Ian and Lucy stood in native dress on the beach before the chief as he married them in the traditional Tirama way, witnessed by Maya and the guards. Although Lucy and Ian would have liked for Danny and Christina to join them, there was not enough time to explain it to them. Instead they agreed to have another ceremony of wedding and celebration if they survived the ordeals that they would each soon face. As the chief pronounced them husband and wife, Ian took Lucy into his arms and kissed her with all the passion and love that his soul could muster and she did the same. They spent their wedding night on the beach in a flower bedecked bower prepared by Maya and made sweet and tender love until the sun rose the next morning. They stayed together, feeding each other fruits, swimming in the ocean, and talking quietly together until nearly sunset when they returned to the secluded hut with both hope and fear of the future.
