A couple of notes before we begin – I'm going to change my updating schedule to once every two weeks. The main reason for this is that school starts for me later on this month and I have a lot to do preparation-wise. Furthermore, I'm going to be crazy-busy once classes etc. start. Please take heart though – this story is extremely important to me and I'm going to make every effort to keep up with it. In My Sight will be receiving semi-regular updates as well.
I have so many, my responses to all of the incredible (and highly appreciated!) reviews will be at the end of this chapter.
Enjoy!
For a Knight's Lady
By: EarthDragonette
Disclaimer: Ash is not my original character. Mary-Lynnette isn't my original character either. Neither are Thierry, or Hannah, or, well, anybody really. Except Reina, the blonde kid from the club, and the pup. Those I'm rather fond of – even if Reina DOES vex me so. Anyway, I'm not making any money off of this story.
Rating: PG-13
Ash rolled over in his sleep, unconsciously trying to figure out why his covers kept disappearing. Eventually, his inability to find any form of blanket or sheet was enough to wake him, and his eyes opened to see that Mary-Lynnette had wrapped the linens in question all around her, burrowing deep inside of them at the far edge of the bed.
This is not cool, he decided, pushing himself into a sitting position and shaking his hair out of his eyes. Squinting at the bedside clock, he saw that it was only around eight or so, and figured that he could count on Mary-Lynnette sleeping at least another two hours.
For him to survive those two hours, however, their bedding situation was going to have to drastically change. Reaching over to the other side of the bed, he delicately uncoiled the sheets from around his soulmate's body, trying his best to avert his eyes when the blanket was nestled anywhere above her knees. Eventually, he managed to extricate Mary-Lynnette from her nest and to straighten out the covers. As soon as he'd distributed the cloth between the two of them, however, she started to tug at it, pulling it around her body once again.
Oh no you don't, he thought, pulling back. He was both amused and annoyed when she met his strength with her own, entering a tug of war despite her unconscious state.
I would have a soulmate that fights even when she's asleep, he observed, pulling a little harder.
Mary-Lynnette had seemed to be growing slowly more agitated with his attempts to keep her from the covers when her struggles suddenly ceased. Taking that as a sign of victory, Ash started to loosen his grip and lie back down on the bed. Before his head had hit the pillow, however, she gave a quick, firm tug, taking at least half of the bedding back and curling it around her.
Okay, that's it.
Sitting up, Ash once again went through the tiring process of freeing his sheet and blanket from Mary-Lynnette. After he'd done that, and before she could try to reclaim them a third time, he pulled her against his body, wrapping his arms around her and tucking her head underneath his chin.
"There," he said, although he knew she couldn't hear him. "At least now we'll both stay warm."
Feeling her first start to squirm away but then change her mind and nestle against him, he had to admit that this new position was definitely one of his better ideas. Gently nuzzling the side of her face, he was finally able to go back to sleep.
Squinting against the invading sunlight, Mary-Lynette moved to rub her eyes and arch into a full body stretch, but instead felt a full body shock when she realized that her arms and legs were currently occupied and fully wrapped around Ash.
When did that happen? she wondered, feeling her pulse leap with surprise and mild panic.
Considering that Ash was asleep, his breathing light and airy against her cheek, responses were not exactly forthcoming.
Feeling a sense of calmness seep into her the longer that she consciously registered Ash's body next to her, Mary-Lynnette took a deep breath.
Okay, she thought. Something must've happened last night to inspire this change in sleeping arrangements. What was it?
Thinking back over the night's events, she remembered coming back to the mansion, talking briefly with Rashel, and going to bed. And then—
And then I had a nightmare, she remembered. About ... losing Ash. And he came into my dream (she wiggled one of her hands free and touched her neck to feel the slight tenderness of puncture wounds from his teeth), and he got me out of it. And we talked.
Feeling more content with her situation now that she had all of her memories sorted out, Mary-Lynnette took the time to bask in the warmth of Ash's long frame and the tenderness of his relaxed expression, feeling giddy at how innocent he looked while sleeping. Almost hesitantly, she reached up to brush some of his hair out of his eyes, smiling at how his brow furrowed slightly at the contact before he burrowed his head deeper into the pillow and pulled her against him even more.
Although she was comfortable with her current position, Mary-Lynnette wasn't one who normally lingered in bed, and it didn't take long for her brain to start planning things it wanted to do during the day. The planning process was quickly followed by a general desire to get up and start acting.
What's the protocol for getting out of bed when you're with somebody? she wondered, casting her eyes over their tangled limbs. At least, what do you do if you don't want to wake the other person up? She saw how she could easily dump Ash on the other side of the bed, but after their bonding the night before, she was feeling rather kindly towards him.
That is, until he decided to join her in consciousness.
"If you're not going to kiss me senseless, and you're not going to stop all that mumbling and analyzing, then just get up already and let me sleep," Ash said, yawning slightly before relinquishing some of his hold on Mary-Lynnette.
Blinking rapidly at him, Mary-Lynnette eventually found her vocal chords and responded, "Kiss you senseless?"
Opening one dark-green eye to look at her, Ash answered, "Well, yeah. Isn't that how most soulmates say good-morning?"
"How am I supposed to know that?" Narrowing her eyes, she followed up with, "How do you know that?"
Ash grumbled, "Not from practice, that's for sure. Call it my ideal." Here, he grabbed a pillow and used it to cover the top of his head before adding, "But since it seems I'm being denied my dreams, I suggest you go and get breakfast since there's nothing in here to sate your appetite save yours truly."
His bizarre morning sense of humor was almost enough to distract her from something else he'd said – but not quite. Tugging on the pillow, she inquired, "Ash? Did you say something about me mumbling?"
His voice floated out from underneath the pillow, "Yeah. When you were angsting about morning-after etiquette. There aren't any set rules, so you know. Just try not to wake me up with false hopes."
Ignoring his sarcasm, she pointed out, "But, Ash, I wasn't talking. All of that was musing. In my head. To myself."
Ash pulled the pillow off of his face. "Really?" She nodded. "No way," he said, sitting up and resting his head against the bed board. Given his recent teasing, and the entire shirt episode from the day before, Mary-Lynnette valiantly tried to keep her mind away from the fact that he was sitting next to her in nothing but boxers.
It was extremely difficult, to say the least.
Clearing her throat slightly, she assured him, "I'm not joking. I didn't say anything until after you started talking to me."
His eyes now a light hazel as he began to think, Ash stared at the bedspread for a few moments, rubbing his chin slightly. Eventually, he looked up at Mary-Lynnette and she heard his voice in her head.
Can you hear this?
She nodded. "Sure, but –"
Don't answer me with your voice. Try to answer me with your mind.
"But Ash, I don't have any telepath –"
Come on, just try.
Figuring that she might as well go along with him in the interest of scientific research, she decided to be creative and tried to project a few lines of a poem by Ben Johnson: I sent thee late a rosy wreath/ Not so much honouring thee/ As giving it a hope that there / It could not withered be.
Ash's eyes widened in surprise, shimmering into their jostled-multi hued state. Mary-Lynnette clearly heard his voice inside of her mind recite: But thou thereon didst only breath/ And sent'st it back to me/ Since, when it grows and smells, I swear/ Not of itself, but thee.
The last quatrain of the poem, she thought.
"To Celia," Ash affirmed. It's one of my favorites.
Although poetry was a subject that Mary-Lynnette was more than interested in discussing, it couldn't keep her away from the rather stunning revelation they'd made.
"We're telepathically connected," she said, needing the observation to be verbally validated. Looking to Ash in confusion, she asked, "How did this happen?"
Ash reached for her hand, rubbing her palm gently with the pads of his fingers. "From last night, I would guess. I was in your mind for a while – long after I stopped drinking. Maybe that, and us being soulmates, just sort of ..."
"Opened a channel?" she suggested.
Ash nodded. "Yeah."
Feeling her curiosity grow in proportion to her excitement, she prodded, "So, can you hear all my thoughts?"
Ash shrugged. "I guess if you projected all of them, sure. If you don't want me to hear them, though, then just imagine that you're turning down the volume. That should give you some privacy."
That's fair enough, she mused, trying out the low-volume method. Glancing at Ash, he didn't act as if he'd heard anything. "Okay," she said. "Um, should this work with other people? Or just us?"
"I'm not sure," he said, scratching his head. "This hasn't exactly happened to me before. We can ask around later when we go down for breakfast." He turned his head toward the clock, seeing that it was past ten thirty. "Or brunch," he amended.
Mary-Lynnette couldn't stop herself from observing, "But I thought brunch started at eleven thirty?"
Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Ash nonchalantly responded, "Well, then I guess we have an hour to kill. We could ... read together if you want."
Read together? she mentally echoed.
It's not that bad of an idea, Ash tossed back.
Thinking more softly to herself, Mary-Lynnette noted, This telepathy is going to take some getting used to.
Linking his hands and arching his back in a cat-like stretch, Ash grumbled at Mary-Lynnette. "Fine, then. If you don't want to read, then what do you suggest?"
Watching him stretch, Mary-Lynnette was dimly aware that she was probably drooling on to the bedspread. Ash caught the look in her eyes, and the barest hint of an idea in her head. Flashing her a kilowatt grin, he started to scoot next to her. "Well, we could go back to that whole kissing-me-senseless idea I mentioned."
Backing away slightly and hitting a wall, Mary-Lynnette was both pleased and panicked that she'd run out of room. "You've got to be joking."
Angling himself above her, Ash nuzzled at her ear before declaring, "Make no mistake. With you, that is one thing I would never joke about."
A little over an hour later, as Mary-Lynnette was settling herself on a couch in one of Thierry's dens, carefully balancing a plate of French toast on her lap, she had to admit to herself that she could definitely get used to mornings with her extremely ... energetic ... soulmate.
From across the room, Ash snorted and nearly dropped the dishes that he was carrying. Mary-Lynnette looked at him in alarm, turning bright red from the shock.
Note to self: use inside-inside voice next time.
It's cool, Ash soothed as he sat down on her left. Just give me warning if you're going to have such vivid thoughts.
Bouncing on to the couch across from them, Poppy greeted the pair, oblivious to the rising tension. "Hey! How's it going?"
Coughing to clear her throat (and her mind), Mary-Lynnette turned her attention to the female vampire, glad to see her again. "Good," she answered. "When did you and James get into town?"
Poppy reached up and grabbed a slice of bacon off of James's plate as the tall young man sat down beside her. "Earlier this morning," she answered. "We decided that stuff would be more interesting here than in Beverly Hills." Giving the human girl a mischievous look, she added, "And James wants to go and play in the new laser tag arena they have set up near the Strip. Want to come?"
"I want to," Quinn said, pulling up an ottoman for Rashel before sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of it. Mary-Lynnette was amused to note that instead of eating human food, he was drinking some thick, red liquid out of a tall coffee mug.
I don't have to guess what that is.
Nutritious and delicious, Ash joked. Tastes just like chicken.
Mary-Lynnette groaned inwardly. You're really having fun with this whole being-inside-of-my-head thing, aren't you?
Ash chose not to answer her, instead leaning to the side to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. With some effort, Mary-Lynnette dragged her attention back to the conversation.
"…and our final answer is no, Quinn. You always win when we play, and I swear to High Hera that you're cheating." Poppy crossed her arms and gave the aggrieved cheater a look that reeked of moral high ground.
Deciding to mediate, Rashel tapped her soulmate on the head with her spoon. "Poppy's right," Rashel said. "You do cheat." Before Quinn could open his mouth to defend himself, she pressed on, "And besides, we have practice weapons that need to be rewrapped – you owe me for skipping out on training lessons last week."
The bickering would probably have kept going had Thierry and Hannah not then entered the den, shutting the doors behind them. Quinn gave Rashel a mournful look before looking down to nurse his cup. Although Mary-Lynnette was more focused on the new couple, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Rashel placed her hand tenderly on Quinn's shoulder, and that he took it, kissing the back of her palm.
That's really sweet, she thought.
Ash glanced at her. He didn't used to be sweet, he projected. Quinn had a reputation that was worse than mine. He used to be ruthless.
Having a hard time reconciling such a violent image with the seemingly sweet young man in front of her, she asked, What changed, then?
He met Rashel. She totally turned him around – and he helped her deal with some stuff, too. She has childhood trauma issues that make MY family look healthy and communicative.
Glancing around as Thierry and Hannah moved to get breakfast, Rashel noticed that given all she knew of the present soulmate couples, there probably wasn't a single instance where the soulmate bond hadn't done something to fundamentally change each and every person in the room.
The bond forces us to grow and change, she observed, sipping her juice. I guess your soulmate can act like a mirror to your own soul – helping you see things that you may never have known were there.
Ash grinned, putting his plate off to the side before draping his arm around Mary-Lynnette's shoulders. I think you're probably right.
Internally buzzing because of his praise, any further trains of thought were interrupted when Thierry and Hannah took a seat together on the one remaining loveseat. After organizing his plate and cup around him, Thierry looked at Ash. "Well?" he asked. "How did things go last night?"
At first feeling slightly cornered at the request to debrief in public, Ash saw that it was only the innermost soulmate couples in the room and felt himself relax. Mary-Lynnette moved a little closer, her good intentions sending soothing vibes towards him.
"It was all right," he informed Thierry, raising his right hand slightly to play with the ends of Mary-Lynnette's hair. "I didn't sense anything suspicious at the club, although she had a huge group of 'wolves with her."
Mary-Lynnette moved as if to speak, but then realized that this was Ash's report. Still, the action caught his attention and he asked, "What's up?"
"Well ..." she hesitated.
Hannah smiled, waving aside Mary-Lynnette's reservations. "Go ahead Mary-Lynnette. If you saw something, it could be helpful."
"Okay ... I was just going to say that only about half of Reina's guards stayed inside of the building. A lot of the other ones went out through some side exit doors. I think they may have been checking out things from the roof."
Thierry gazed at Mary-Lynnette with a level look before giving her a small smile. "Very interesting," he commented. "We'll make a note of that in the mission write-up." Turning back to Ash, he prompted, "And Ms. Muñoz? Was she accommodating?"
Wincing at Thierry's choice of words, Ash was glad to see Hannah elbow her soulmate in the side. Coughing to cover up his embarrassment, the Nightworld Lord amended, "I mean, did she have the information that we wanted?"
Ash answered, "The procedure went normally, no complications. She actually came up to me first, so it was easier than it could've been."
"Reina Muñoz went up to you?" Poppy questioned, her eyebrows arched in surprise. "Really?"
Ash shrugged, "Yeah. Is that weird?"
Poppy looked thoughtful. "James and I met some of the family when we were on assignment in Spain a few months ago. They're a pretty snotty bunch, so that doesn't really sound like them."
"Maybe she liked my animal magnetism," Ash joked. When the room's occupants only blinked at him, he raised his hands and remarked, "I don't know, Poppy. It was just the way things went."
Clearing his throat, Thierry prodded, "Ash, what about her information? Did she know anything that can be of help to us?"
Turning back to the leader, Ash answered, "Well, I think we may have overestimated her as far as information goes."
"What do you mean?" This was from Rashel.
"She just got back from touring through Greece, and although her memories had a lot in them about her researching Nightworld history, I didn't see much else," Ash said.
"Did her memories feel whole to you?" Thea asked.
Whole? Mary-Lynnette wondered.
As opposed to fragmented – like how memories can be after some are erased, Ash explained.
"No, everything felt pretty solid," he said.
"What kinds of research did she do?" Eric inquired. "Was she successful in at least that much?"
Ash closed his eyes and thought back to the way Reina's memories had felt: fiery, determined, and very complicated. Tossing away the ones about feeding, partying, or sleeping, he narrowed his focus to the hours she'd spent in the library. "She was looking for information about the different stages of the Nightworld – the times when different families ruled. She seemed really fixed on the transition periods between the rising and falling of different races."
"That seems random," Rashel commented.
"It felt random," Ash replied. "That is, it felt random to Reina. The more I think about it, the less I'm sure she knew why she was there."
Hannah leaned forward slightly. "What do you mean?"
"She was agitated while she was working," he recalled. "She ... didn't like being left in the dark about something, and she was upset that she had to work the way Hunter wanted her to."
"She didn't have anything to go on?" Quinn asked.
Ash furrowed his brow, trying to think. "Wait ... there was something ... some kind of phrase or clue." He mouthed words to himself before offering, "Something from a forgotten kingdom, or a land of forgotten kings." He opened his eyes and added, "Her memories had both of those ideas. I guess she was looking at past Nightworld leaders – it must have had something to do with the prophecy."
Something had been tugging at the back of Mary-Lynnette's brain – something about fragmented memories. Ash's comments helped her make the connection.
"Ash," she said slowly, "Do you think Reina may not have been told everything? Maybe Hunter already has some grasp of what's going to happen, and he just gave her a part of it to work on. It's sort of like how magicians have different people work on separate pieces of their equipment so nobody else understands how the whole trick works."
The room was silent for a few moments as the Daybreakers thought over the implications of what Mary-Lynnette was suggesting.
"If that's true ..." Hannah began.
"Then it would seem Hunter is ahead of us, and already networking his spies for maximum protection," Thierry concluded. "That also means that he's going to great pains to keep the other members of the Council out of the loop until the meeting. I thought he was keeping information from me ... this just confirms it."
"So what do we do?" James asked.
Thierry shrugged. "If there aren't any spies that know everything, then we'll have to try to find as many of them as we can so we can start building a bigger picture."
A collective groan went up around the room. There wasn't a single member of the Circle that hadn't been running around on dozens of missions over the past few months, and no one was in the mood for the enormity of the proposed project.
"More covert operations in strange languages," Poppy lamented.
"Don't forget about all the phone tapping, the bribing, and email spamming," Thea pointed out.
Quinn couldn't help but add: "Or the strange clothing, stranger accommodations, and unreliable contacts."
"I think your plan is being vetoed," Hannah noted dryly, leaning against Thierry and giving him a gentle smile.
Mary-Lynnette saw Thierry's Wall of Discipline break for the first time as he leaned back against the couch, putting his arm around Hannah. "It's been a long few months, hasn't it?"
Ash muttered, "You mean a long year. We've been spying on everybody and their mother since last September."
James tossed his cousin an amused look, "That's an exaggeration."
Ash shrugged, "If you say so, man. I just know that I, for one, am out for the time being. You guys promised me a vacation and I'm taking it."
With everybody in the room already familiar with Ash's "overworked-underpaid-never fed" rant, just about everyone in the room rolled their eyes. Smiling lightly, Thierry waved his hand, calling attention back to him. "I see your point," he said. After a few quiet seconds, he offered: "Okay, how about this? Nothing is going to heat up until the summer council session – by then, it's very likely that if things go badly enough, Circle Daybreak will be able to come out of the woodwork and make a legitimate and public stand against the Nightworld. For the next few weeks, then, why don't you all take a break and try to relax?"
The entire room sighed with relief.
His dark eyes twinkling slightly with amusement, Thierry continued, "We'll just keep analyzing the information we already have and I'll let our administrative agents take over for the time being. Half of the battle is in being organized well."
"The vacation idea includes you, too, Thierry," Thea said, gazing steadily at the vampire. "You've been stressed out more than the rest of us combined, and if things go as badly as we think they will, we're all going to need to be ready to move quickly once fall comes." Glancing at the Lord's soulmate, she added, "You and Hannah should go somewhere nice."
Hannah blushed lightly, "It's really not that big of a deal," she said. "It's wonderful being able to relax here."
Thierry seemed taken with the idea, though, glancing at the blonde girl with affection clearly discernable on his face. Hannah returned his look, and Mary-Lynnette wondered if perhaps they too had a psychic link. She made a mental note to ask Hannah about it after the meeting.
"Well, we'll think about it," Hannah said. "In the meantime, go out and try to enjoy yourselves. We'll stay in touch and let you know if we need any of you to come back."
Feeling the general sense that they were dismissed, people began to stand and collect their dishes. Mary-Lynnette heard Poppy invite Thea and Eric to play laser tag, but the couple declined, saying that they had to go to work.
"They work regular jobs?" she asked Ash as they walked to a back table where the empty dishes were piling up.
"At a vet's office," he said. "Thea and Eric both have a weird connection with animals – they're both —"
"Going into pre-vet in the fall," Mary-Lynnette finished. "She told me about it yesterday. That's really neat."
Before Ash could comment, Poppy came up to them followed by a slightly irate-looking James. Seeing the tall boy's scowl, Mary-Lynnette couldn't help but ask, "Uh, is everything okay?"
Poppy glanced at James, amusement evident in her green eyes. "It's nothing," she assured the human girl. "Jamie's just mad because Quinn got out of weapons duty, and now both him and Rashel are coming along."
"Wouldn't it be more fun with more people?"
James grumbled, "No it would not. Pureblooded Redferns cheat. They can't be trusted." Giving Mary-Lynnette a knowing look, he added, "You better remember that when you're out with my cousin."
Ash smirked. "Cheating is just another form of creative strategy. You watered down Redferns suffer from a lack of inspiration."
Interrupting the ego contest once again, Poppy turned to Mary-Lynnette and offered, "We have extra room in the car if the two of you want to come, too."
Mary-Lynnette blinked. "You want us ... to come and play laser tag?"
Poppy grinned. "Why not? It's great training in a low-contact atmosphere. Besides, maybe you'll help to keep the peace between our respective soulmates. Modern vampires are crazy possessive – comes from not being able to physically mark their own territories."
Snorting, Mary-Lynnette couldn't quite get that image out of her mind.
Very funny, Ash thought to her, the sneer evident in his mental voice.
Getting a hold of herself, she turned to her soulmate and asked, "Well, do you want to go with them?"
Ash ran his hand through his hair. "I actually thought you and I could go camping tonight. I know a place a little less than a hundred miles south of here that's great for stargazing. If we want to go, though, we should leave soon so we'll have time to set up our stuff."
Poppy and James exchanged a knowing look. "Oh ... stargazing," Poppy remarked with a knowing smile. "I see. Well," she said, clearing her throat, "Don't let us keep you. We'll just see you when you get back."
The vampire pair retreated to the other side of the room before Mary-Lynnette could respond to Ash's suggestion or Poppy's teasing, leaving her somewhat bewildered.
"So ..." Ash said. "Are you up for it?"
An image briefly flashed through Mary-Lynnette's mind of the bright lights and loud noises of the strip, as well as of the smoky atmosphere of the Black Iris. She then recalled the way the desert had looked on their drive in – calm, rugged, full of privacy, humming with life, and surrounded by endless sky.
I think I've had enough of the city for now, she decided.
Turning to Ash, she asked: "When do you want to leave?"
It was around 7:30 in the evening when the couple neared the observation site. As they turned off the exit towards Cima, Ash downshifted, pleased when he heard the gears of the jeep accommodate him without complaint. Although he had been loath to give up his convertible for the trip, he knew that the jeep was more practical for off-road travel and camping, especially since it had enough room in the back if they decided to forgo sleeping outside.
Looking out the window as they left I-15 to bumpily make their way down a dirt road, Mary-Lynnette couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure it's legal to camp in this place? It's so deserted out here, it almost looks protected by the government."
Ash glanced at her briefly. "It is, sort of. Thierry owns most of it, and he makes a big deal about keeping developers away."
"Why did he buy it?"
Ash pointed out her window to what looked like a series of caves. "See those? They're old mines from the 1800's. They're all abandoned now, but Thierry used to operate them. It's one of the places he got his money from."
Although she knew very well that Thierry was thousands of years old, it was still somewhat disconcerting to see physical evidence of his mind-numbing lifespan. "Didn't anybody wonder why the owner of the mines never died?"
Snorting at her, Ash shifted again as he turned off the road, eventually parking the car near a large hill that was made up of a montage of rocks. "Thierry's pretty good about making his various aliases die at appropriate ages," Ash remarked, turning off the car. "I guess it's something he's used to."
Mary-Lynnette nodded to him and opened the door, stepping out of the car and stretching to loosen up her neck and shoulder muscles. She walked around the foot of the hill to exercise her legs a little, examining the location's potential as a campsite.
"It doesn't have a lot of things for us to use," she remarked, pulling her long, brown hair up off the back of her neck. "We're lucky we brought extra stuff with us to make up for not having it out here."
Ash came up behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Yeah, the further away you get from Vegas, the harder the ground is – not so great for water sources. Besides, most of the natural water in Nevada is pretty contaminated, so it's just easier to bring all of your own gear."
"What about you?" she asked, turning to face him and enjoying the slight pink haze that formed when he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are there enough things to hunt here?"
Ash lifted his shoulders slightly. "There's enough if I want to make the effort. I brought a cooler with me, though, so I'll be fine. It's only a night trip, after all."
Mary-Lynnette nodded, noticing the outline of the tent still in the back of the jeep. "Should we set stuff up?" she asked.
Reluctant to let her go, but knowing that she was right in getting their area organized as soon as possible, Ash opened the back of the car. Pulling out the tent, a number of blankets, sleeping bags, coolers, and a portable stove, he piled them next to the jeep before turning back to his soulmate. "The ground's pretty hard," he said as he kneeled down to sort through the equipment, "so I brought titanium stakes. With my strength, we should be able to secure the tent."
Mary-Lynnette watched him with fascination as he started to unbundle the tent. Ash pulled out the poles and stakes before finally looking up at her. "What?" he asked.
She kneeled down, moving to help him arrange the poles. "I just didn't expect you do know anything about camping," she admitted. "I figured you'd leave me with all the setup while you went to scout or something."
Ash gave her a shrewd look. "Secret agent," he reminded her. "I've had training for all sorts of conditions."
"But you work in clubs," she pointed out, beginning to assemble the poles.
Ash was thoughtful for a few seconds before he revealed to her, "I started to go camping last winter. Sometimes, when lessons got to be really intense or when I had really tough nights at the Iris, I liked to come out here and ... watch the stars." His voice was only just audible as he added, "It reminded me of you."
Feeling her cheeks flush with pleasure, Mary-Lynnette reminded him, "I guess it just reinforced it, then."
"Reinforced what?"
She smiled, nudging him teasingly. "That we were looking at the same sky."
"Okay, I see it," Ash said, his eyes finding the line of stars that Mary-Lynnette was pointing at.
Wiping off some of the melted chocolate-marshmallow mixture on her pants, Mary-Lynnette cleared her throat. "Keep following it south," she instructed. "I think you should eventually be able to see a pretty bright star – it's called Sirius." She watched Ash in fascination as his pupils grew larger and larger while his eyes traced the sky. "Do you see it?"
After a few seconds, Ash nodded. "I see it, but I still don't see how this all makes a dog-shape."
Leaning over to the campfire, Mary-Lynnette quickly built another smore before turning back to Ash. "Think of that star as being a jewel on his collar. Then pull back a little with that star as your starting point."
Ash grumbled, "This is worse than those 'Magic Eye' pictures. I can never see those."
She grinned, handing him the freshly made dessert. "Careful, it's hot," she cautioned. Scooting next to him, she pulled out a plain graham cracker to munch on. Looking up at the sky and easily picking out the pattern, she said "It gets easier the more that you do it."
"Uh-huh," he answered, still trying to untangle images from the hundreds of lights in the nighttime sky. After a few more minutes, his face broke into a satisfied smile. "I found it," he declared, leaning back and moving his attention to the smore. Shaking his head to adjust his eyesight, he turned to Mary-Lynnette with a wry expression. "That's almost more trouble than it's worth."
She sniffed and turned away from him slightly. "I'm glad you think so highly of my future profession."
Ash reached over and poked her in the side. "Don't be like that. I think astronomy is really interesting. I actually know a little about the stories behind the constellations ... I just can't actually see them."
"Oh, yeah?" She turned back to face him, regarding his face seriously. "Well, then don't let me stop you. Do tell me all you know of Mirzam, Adhara, and Aludra."
Ash blinked. "Who, who, and what?"
Now it was Mary-Lynnette's turn to look smug. "The stars that make up Canis Major." Pausing for effect, she gently elaborated, "The big dog you were looking for."
"The big dog I found," he corrected.
"That's not the issue," she pointed out.
"But it's an important detail," he stressed.
She threw the marshmallow bag at him. "Ash ..."
"Canis Major," he began, his voice sounding deep and authoritative, "is often thought of as one of Orion's faithful companions, the other one being, of course, Canis Minor." He gave her a shrewd look, "No, I don't know where it is or what stars make it up."
"Procyon A and B," she helpfully supplied.
"Uh, yeah. A and B. Anyway, some people think that Canis Major is supposed to be chasing Lepus, the Rabbit constellation, or sometimes he's supposed to be helping Orion with the great bull."
Mary-Lynnette gave a low whistle. "I'm impressed. Any stories about the faithful pup?"
Ash shook his head, "Not a whole lot, really. But they had some beliefs about the major star, uh, Sirius, I guess you called it."
"How can you possibly know mythology about a star that you can't even name?"
"I'm talented."
"That's one word for it," she huffed.
Ash gave her an exasperated look, "Can I just get on with it?"
Mary-Lynnette held her hands up in a truce, "Okay, fine, go ahead."
"I guess Sirius begins the Athenian New Year, because a lot of people thought of the star as having two heads – like the Roman God, Janus. Sometimes he was confused with Orthus."
"That sounds familiar," Mary-Lynnette commented. "Wasn't he killed by Hercules?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah, Orthus was a two-headed monster that guarded Geryon's castle, and Hercules had to capture Geryon's cattle as part of his tenth labor. The monster sort of got in his way, so Hercules killed him to get to the cows."
Leaning back on the blanket and tucking her hands behind her head, Mary-Lynnette smiled. "Hercules's labors. Stories of repentance and acceptance. The Greeks had a lot of those."
Ash stretched out next to her, casually draping his hand over her stomach. "I guess they didn't think anybody was too far gone to be saved."
"I'm inclined to agree with them," she confessed. Turning her head so that she could look at Ash, Mary-Lynnette admired the way the light from the fire tossed different shadows on his face. She reached up and brushed back some of his hair with her fingers, looking into his eyes and feeling the soulmate connection hum pleasantly as he started to lean in towards her.
Since Ash was with her, Mary-Lynnette hadn't even considered being nervous that they were out in the middle of the desert by themselves. So solid was her feeling of comfort that her panic was almost overwhelming when she heard an enormous crash, followed by the sound of snarling, yipping, and what she instinctively knew were death howls.
Ash was on his feet in less than a second, his senses stretched out as far as he could cast them, and his body tensed and alert. Mary-Lynnette stood up, staying quiet so that she wouldn't distract him. After a few heart-pounding moments, he cocked his head and softly informed her, "I smell werewolves. Almost a whole pack of them – probably about two or three miles away."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Two or three miles away and we still heard all that?"
Almost absently, Ash reminded her, "There isn't much around here to absorb the sound."
"Oh, right," she said. Feeling that he was still distracted, she projected to him, Now what?
He was silent for another few seconds before making his decision. Gently pushing her back towards the fire, he said, "Stay here – I'm going to go check it out. Something's going on out there, and I want to make sure that we're safe."
Everything inside of Mary-Lynnette rejected the idea of Ash going off on his own. "Ash, wait. You might need my help."
Tugging on his sneakers, he shook his head, "I'll be fine. It's just scouting the area – I can move faster without you."
Feeling an urgent need that he not go out alone, she grabbed her shoes as well. "I'm coming with you," she stubbornly maintained. "You don't what's out there, and it'd be better to have two eyes."
Ash shook his head again. "No way. This isn't like the club – you'll be safer by the fire."
Opening her mouth to protest again, Mary-Lynnette was stunned when Ash turned to face her, his eyes almost completely silver in the firelight and the tips of his fangs exposed.
His voice was firm and quiet when he told her: "This isn't negotiable, Mary-Lynnette. Stay by the fire."
Pushing aside her anger, she reached for him through their connection, and she felt the one thing she'd overlooked in her haste: his fear. Deep down, Ash was terrified that there was something around the camp that would hurt her, and he was torn between leaving her next to the fire and keeping her with him.
But in the end, he knew the fire would protect her from the werewolves almost better than he could.
Taking a deep breath, she felt her annoyance recede and the world turned a little less pink. Nodding her agreement, she reached up to kiss him gently, feeling the tips of his fangs on her lips. "Be careful," she warned.
Nodding, he walked into the night.
Checking her watch, Mary-Lynnette saw that it was nearing moonrise and she knew that the nighttime observation would be over once the extra light blocked out the stars. Figuring she might as well be helpful while Ash was gone, she began to gather up the empty containers from dinner.
She was in the middle of arranging the silverware when she sensed that Ash had returned. Tilting her head up to look at him, she was relieved to see that he looked slightly rumpled but was otherwise unhurt.
"Did you find anything?" she asked, zipping up some leftover bags and walking over to the jeep to toss them in the back.
Sitting down on top of the blanket spread outside of their tent, Ash gave a little yawn before answering, "No, it looks clear. I can't exactly tell what happened, but I think a pack must've been on a run when some of the members got into a fight."
"Just like actual wolf packs?"
Ash nodded, grabbing her hand as she walked past him and tugging her down to the ground next to him. "Yeah, a lot like wolf packs. I smelled blood and torn flesh, but the wind carried the scents everywhere, so it was hard to get a feel for what went wrong. Nothing seems to be around us anymore, though, so I don't think we have to worry."
"So we're safe and alone for the time being," she articulated, beginning to note with interest how mussed Ash's hair had become during his run and how his t-shirt was clinging to his back and stomach.
"Pretty much," he assured her. Glancing at the now moon-filled sky, he suggested, "Well, since stargazing is out, do you want to go inside the tent and read for awhile?"
Remembering his previous use of the term, she couldn't help but ask, "Is that our code word, now?"
He blinked. "Uh, code word?"
Mary-Lynnette couldn't help but grin. "You know, the word that means you don't actually want to read but you don't want to be ... demanding."
Ash kept blinking for a few seconds before finally having the grace to blush. "Oh," he said. "I gotcha. Um, reading, yeah." Glancing at the sky and then the tent, he innocently offered, "Well, there really isn't much to see out here. It only makes sense that we go inside."
Feeling comfortable with the teasing, and just a little more confident in general, Mary-Lynnette unzipped the tent and crawled inside. Before Ash could follow her, though, she remarked, "First, bank the fire. After that, I have a personal book or two you might be interested in."
Ash opened his eyes in the early dawn hours and immediately made a number of observations.
The first was that Mary-Lynnette had once again stolen the covers, although she was curled up next to him so it was definitely an improvement over the previous morning.
The second was that they had only been asleep for four hours or so. This was a reason to be cranky – which he certainly was.
The third was that there was a pawing, shuffling sound coming from outside of their tent and the entire area reeked of werewolf.
Remembering the commotion from the night before, Ash was thankful that Mary-Lynnette had taken control of the sleeping bags as it gave him the freedom to move and protect her. Quickly grabbing a shirt and tugging it on along with his jeans, he positioned his body between the doorway and Mary-Lynnette, reaching into his bag to pull out a long, wicked looking silver dagger. He carefully unzipped the tent and peered outside.
And nearly had a heart attack when a small pair of blue eyes peered right back at him.
"What the hell?"
The muffled thump and string of expletives was enough to awaken Mary-Lynnette, who was more than a little disoriented.
"Ash?" she asked, sitting up and glancing around uncertainly. "What's wrong?"
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe, karma?"
Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she squinted in his general direction, trying to make out what was going on. "What are you talking about?"
"Karmic justice is the only explanation for this," Ash told her, sitting up with some difficulty.
Finally getting complete control over her eyesight, Mary-Lynnette finally saw what was sitting on top of Ash, and she felt her throat catch with surprise. "Oh, wow."
Perched on top of Ash's chest was a small ball of brown and black fuzz, the top of which was currently investigating his shirt collar and giving his chin and throat small licks.
"Is that ..." Mary-Lynnette started to ask, almost not daring to believe what it appeared to be.
Ash covered his face with his hands, trying to protect himself from the pup. "Werewolves," he lamented. "Why is it always werewolves?"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce you to our "unexpected guest."
Gotta love werewolf puppies – the are so many things I could do with this. . Rest assured, you'll see some of the consequences in about two weeks or so.
Now, regarding reviews, here are my responses to the ones from the last chapter. Thank-you all so much for letting me know your thoughts – I feel so loved!
Pyrope:blushes: Those are such nice compliments. And, yes, I know how you feel. The more that I write this story, the more I wish I were Mary-Lynnette. She's probably one of the characters I identify with the most, though that's probably me being on the hopeful side!
crystleflys: I felt pretty good about the chapters, but I was still unsure of how you guys would react to some of the liberties I took. I'm so glad you liked it! I do agree that part of getting their relationship up and running is establishing solid trust between the two of them.
tanya: I love using symbols and images with Ash. You'll definitely see more of them as the story progresses.
laura:chuckles: Just a brief break from the Ashness – er, at least, that was the plan. :grin: I'm really happy that you're enjoying the different dynamics of the story. I'm trying really hard to make it realistic, so I like to toss in random funny moments (the shirt) as well as their bigger problems, which they certainly have! It's wonderful to know that you approve.
Hananiah: Perfectly balanced? That's so nice of you to say. Soulmate bonds most certainly have the potential to be fanciful and hokey – I'm glad that you feel my story is a realistic representation. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
incarnated-soul: I have no idea what L.J. Smith would think of my story . Yes! You gave me validation on my interpretation of Thierry! He's a little difficult for me to write. This may be because he's more private than Ash is, and I think he's currently enjoying his time with Hannah and doesn't want inquisitive authors hanging around ;)
Thanks for the review!
Ria: Oh, I like the bluntness! It made me laugh out loud and it was great incentive to get back to the computer. I took some liberties with Ash's work for Circle Daybreak and some of his clothing, but I think it turned out well – you seem to have enjoyed it, so that makes me happy!
Aglaia di Willow: LoL! Your review had me rolling. It wasn't just your computer that was having some issues with Chapter I.10 – I also had some problems seeing the story for a couple of days. I'm sorry it was such a pain to get to, but I'm extremely pleased that you liked it once you were able to read it! I'm also happy that you approve of me making these two work through their issues. It's definitely a delicate balance between having just enough angst so that the characters grow and having too much that drags the story down. I'm also coming to realize how beautiful the relationship is between Ash and Mary-Lynnette – it's sort of haunting, and ethereal. We'll see what else is revealed with more time! Thank-you so much for your comments!
SpiritofEowyn: Ermph :blushes: Yes, that would've been helpful to point out during the scene. I went ahead and tried to clear that up in this chapter so you could put your fears to rest – he did stop drinking right after he made contact with her mind. Sorry about the confusion!
fate22:grins: The "Do you like bread" line is actually something I snatched from comedian Eddie Izzard. He has this whole arc about when you're young and hormonal, you're also at the most awkward point in your life – the best kinds of pickup lines you can come up with are things like "Do you like ... bread?" or "I have legs!" I couldn't resist slipping it into the story. Awesome work on your own story, by the way. I'm not sure if there are echoes of it in here or not, but if you notice something, let me know and I'll give you full credit on my next update.
sarah: Your favorite Mary-Lynnette and Ash fic:bighappygrin: Really? That's so wonderful of you to say! I'm honestly flattered, and I really hope I can keep the chapters and story up to your expectations! Thank-you so much for your compliments!
castra: You guys are so cool. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you like this story so much. This pairing is also my favorite from the series (I'm still not sure what it is about these two that inspires such devotion) and I'm trying to be as careful as possible with their personalities. Your review was so inspiring – thank-you for submitting it.
shatteredimmortality: Ah, you've noticed our young friend from the club. Very perceptive of you . Keep your eyes open, and I think your questions shall be answered. And this last chapter should've cleared up your concerns about our third wheel. Sort of unexpected, no? Although I will say, that there is a distinct possibility that a fourth wheel will be added, but that remains to be seen. As always, your comments are validating and inspiring
laura (lauradoone19): The posting-regularly thing is the most difficult part of my life, but I'm trying very hard to keep it up. It's also wonderful to know that you like all of the sides of the story – the angst, the humor, and the fluff. I'm not sure if it's how L.J. Smith would've written it :blushes: But I'm extremely flattered that you think so!
Lunatic: Your review totally made my day – your compliments are always so thoughtful and rewarding. It's also really nice to know that you liked the more emotionally-driven pieces; I confess that I was the most uncertain about those parts. Still, it seems to have worked out and I hope you enjoyed this last chapter!
amber-rules: LoL! No, I'm not. .
Yav aka Shibs: Oh, Mary-Lynnette and Ash will always have something to argue about. Right now, I'm trying to give them some down time so that they can work out the real issues between them. Once things are somewhat stable, they'll be able to argue once again, only this time without the insecurity behind it. Your review was extremely gratifying, and I'm so happy you went to read my other one, as well! I hope you continue to enjoy my stories.
happy accident:chuckles: Don't be jealous of the talent! It's finicky, tyrannical, and very inconsistent. It leaves me for days at a time, and I'm forced to contemplate a career as a stunt double without hope of ever writing again. . Seriously, though, your comments were wonderful (and extremely amusing!) to receive. They also gave me a much-needed push to get myself in gear for this last chapter. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the characters and I'm really pleased that you feel as you understand them more – that's very much the point of this entire project. Thank-you so much for your kind words.