Chapter 8.

Warning Character Death.

Ash looked up at the gentle girl, tending to his wounds even though both of them knew there was no hope. He hated to have his cousin watch him die, in the middle of nowhere. He was almost glad that his sister's were already in the warehouse and didn't know he'd been staked. Quinn was sitting beside him, trying to put on a stoic face while he protected Thea.

Protected Thea, not Ash, they all knew he had no hope. Now, all Ash wished was that he could see Mary-Lynette's beautiful face one more time before he died. She didn't think she was beautiful, but oh goddess, she was. She had told him not to come, but he wanted to help, ahd wanted to banish 'Bad Ash' forever, but he wasn't sorry even now.

If he hadn't gotten staked, Quinn would be dead. And that might have been even worse, Quinn had Rashel and they were two of the best fighters Circle Daybreak had ever seen. They were more important to the war than Ash was. He groaned and pushed Thea's gently prodding hands out of the way.

"Don't, I know it's no good, Thea. You should get out of here before they come back."

"Quit the martyr act, Ash, it isn't like you," she kidded, but he could see the tears in her eyes, and he could feel the poison grab his heart and squeeze. It hurt, almost to the point of the unbearable. But he remembered a talk he had had with Gillian once.

"Ash, there is an afterlife, I don't care what anyone says, it's bullshit. I died once, was brought back, and the light – it was beautiful, I was in a meadow, and I felt almost at peace, and that was even before I was completely there, it's what keeps me fighting, Ash… I know that if I die, me and David will still be together there later."

He had laughed, "are you sure that wasn't an illusion? With your frozen brain and all."

"and next, you'll be telling me I imagined Ang…Gary. Think of the old souls, for them to come back, there had to be somewhere where their souls were in between. And Gary was still alive in this in between Earth, even though he wasn't on Earth – and that spirit that Thea sent back and…"

he had held his hands up in defeat, "okay, okay, there's an afterlife," frowned, "I hope us vampires can get in. after all, we don't come back."

She had shrugged, "only one way to find out, and I wouldn't advise it."

"I'm finding out now, Gillian," he whispered, and Thea and Quinn exchanged looks.

"I think he's delirious from the poison," he heard Thea say from some far off place as his brain floated through meadows and light, "I should have something to slow it…"

Quinn stopped her with a hand on her arm, "if he's right, and there's nothing anyone can do to save him, what's the point in delaying his death?"

He knew him, Ash realised, wishing he could laugh, but his throat was sore as though he had been hitting it with a wooden log, Quinn wasn't being cruel, he was telling Thea what he knew Ash wanted to tell her himself.

Something wet dropped onto his forehead, and then a kiss on his forehead, he understood what Thea was doing; it was witch ritual, blessing the person for the next life, but he didn't understand why she was crying, "I'm sorry Ash…I wish…but no one could help even if we got you to a Daybreak hospital, I am so, so sorry."

He nodded, although the effort hurt him, and felt himself being pulled towards the grassy meadows – his time was running out – "Tell Mare I love her, tell her we'll meet again sometime, but not to do anything stupid," then he shuddered, hearing Quinn saying, "we will, Ash, I promise you."

"Thanks," he muttered, and felt himself drift away, just waiting to die.

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Poppy twisted her finger around the hair of the vampire she was kissing, it was strange – making out with anyone but Jamie – but she did what she had to do. The guy had breath like stale blood, but she tried to forget that, she breathed against his neck and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt suggestively, seeing Morgead nod, "why don't we go somewhere and have our own party?" she whispered seductively, flicking her now-blonde hair over one shoulder and smiling appreciatively.

She could almost see him panting – like a dog, she though disgustedly – and wondered how she was going to handle this if he took her somewhere Morgead and Winnie couldn't get into. She didn't like playing the seductress act, she felt like she was being unfaithful to Jamie, even though he would have condoned it to get Keller back, and she was much to frivolous and childlike to act sultry and sexy for long.

Don't worry, Poppy, she told herself, there's no place they can't get into. Morgead can pick locks, and Winnie doesn't even need tools to do that. You're worrying over nothing.

The vampire smiled, his fangs showing. His black-haired head traced Poppy's body down and then back again, and she had never been more aware that she was practically naked in a black miniskirt and midriff top "lets go."

He lead her outside, and – to her surprise – into a gully. No need to worry about picking locks. Momentarily, she wondered whether it was a trap, whether he was leading her to an ambush, but when he pulled her into the shadows of the alleyway where they couldn't be seen, Poppy knew that he just wanted what she had offered him.

He kissed her, starting solely on her mouth, then moving down her throat to kiss the base, while she arched her back and pretended to be enjoying herself. In the shadows, she could hear two shapes approaching – just as he would have been able to had he not been…occupied…

As they came closer, Poppy let her arm fall to her side, feeling a toothpick fall neatly into her hand, she ran her fingers along the guys stomach gently, teasingly, then pushed the toothpick in.

"Aaaggghhh! Jesus Christ, you little bitch!" the vampire was howling now, he grabbed Poppy by the shoulders and pushed her back, sending her flying into the brick wall behind her, one of the figures broke into a run, and he pinned the vampire to the opposite wall with all his strength while Poppy picked herself up and snarled.

"you're gonna be sorry you did that," she hissed, pulling another toothpick from up her sleeve, feeling very un-poppy-like. But that had hurt, bad. Winnie stopped her, sticking out her arm and grabbing the small wooden stick from her. She shook her head sharply.

"You're damned Daybreakers," the vampire hissed, "god, I should have known by the way that little tart came onto me," at that, Poppy pushed Morgead away and held the guy to the wall herself.

Tart? Me? A tart?

"you're going to tell us everything we need to know," she told him, pulling him off the wall and back against it again. Poppy was a whole head shorter than him, but at least equal in strength, his head banged satisfyingly against the wall.

"A...a…about what?" he stuttered out, writhing, trying to get away.

"The name Rashka Keller mean anything to you?" Poppy asked.

"Yeah, she's a Daybreaker…Ohh…Prince Galen of the shape shifter's fiancée, right?"

Poppy nodded, and took another toothpick from her sleeve, "and what else."

"She was kidnapped," he gasped as the toothpick went through his side.

"And what do you know about that?" Poppy continued.

"You've gotta let me go!" when no one responded, he went on, "I…I don't know much, but her and the Draches have been taken to some secret warehouse just outside Vegas. Or at least that's what I heard…I don't know anything…just rumours, y'know?"

Poppy nodded, "you've been very helpful," and reached towards her skirt for her stake, a hand on her arm stopped her, when she saw Winnie glaring at her, "he gave us our information, let me brainwash him, let him think you came out here and he had a good time…"

There seemed to be a staring competition going on between the witch and Made vampire before Morgead intervened, "I've gotta agree with Winnie, Poppy. That's why I brought her out here."

Poppy gave in, passed the vampire over. He cooperated, knowing to run would be to die. Morgead ran back to the club to get Gillian so they could get out of there.

"I Didn't like doing that," Poppy whispered as Winnie worked on the vampire, Winnie wasn't so sure.

When she'd finished, Winnie set the vampire onto the floor, gesturing to Poppy that they had to leave before he woke up. Morgead was waiting for him, his expression clouded with anxiety.

"what is it?" Poppy asked.

"It's Gillian. She wasn't in the club…" he frowned, as though he couldn't quite believe it, "she's disappeared."