FLAME

The children gingerly entered the room to find their mother, pallid and frail, cocooned in their father's arms. Jack and Rebecca had been there since the beginning of Diana's decline, but Philip hadn't seen her in months, and was startled by the drastic change in her appearance.

Her eyes brightened ever so slightly when they arrived. "Hi kids!" she exclaimed with what little energy she could. Matthew gave them a look and a small, grateful smile that said, See how much joy you bring her. I am proud of how much joy you bring her. "Come here and give me a kiss."

One by one they approached her bed, bent down and kissed her cheek, Jack first, then Philip, and finally Rebecca. She saw the telltale smear of blood over her mother's heart vein and the red tint in the creases of her father's lips, and, not one for discretion, pointed at them and jokingly said, "Ew," as she had when she was a teenager whenever she spied any evidence of physical intimacy between her parents. Diana smiled and rolled her eyes while Matthew chuckled and kissed Diana's head affectionately, then used his teeth and tongue to try to remove whatever traces of blood were still in, on, and around his mouth.

"Philip, I'm so glad you're here. Where are you coming from?"

"We were in Geneva so we just flew in."

"Good," she said, slightly breathlessly.

"Oh, mum, before I forget," Jack interjected. "Alain asked me to give you this." He pulled an ancient silver coin out of his pocket. Philippe's coin. Jack held it for her to see and pressed it into her palm. Matthew's eyes followed the coin, and his throat constricted when she closed her fingers around it. The coin is for the ferryman, Philippe's letter had said. Tell Matthew I will see you safe on the other side. Matthew's time with Diana was almost at an end. He brushed her hair off her face and kissed her forehead. He cupped her cheek and ran his hand down her throat, then nestled her closer to him, holding on to her possessively. Diana burrowed into him as she always had, fitting herself perfectly to his body. Where she belonged. He wanted to keep her there forever, to beg her to stay with him. You bear the tenth knot! he pleaded silently. You possess the power of creation as well as destruction. You created our children. Please, please, don't go! But he knew he couldn't ask that of her. For whatever reason, she couldn't or wouldn't grant herself immortality. Her power came with grave responsibility, and he had to trust that, whatever the reason, she had to let herself go. He stole a look at the ouroboros on her wrist. Her eyes lowered in sadness as she felt the snowflakes of his gaze on the physical manifestation of her power over life and death. Matthew averted his eyes. If she had to go, he wanted her to go in peace, not in guilt.

"Kids, I love you so very, very much. Jack, you brought such light into our life. Your father and I fell head over heels in love with you as a child, and you will never know what it meant to us to have you back as an adult."

He approached her side and squeezed her arm. "Thank you…" his voice broke and he cleared his throat. "Thank you…. for taking me in." He couldn't get through the last words without breaking out in sobs, and he buried his face in her neck and cried. She didn't have the strength to raise a comforting hand to his face like she used to, so Matthew reached across her body and placed his hand soundly on Jack's head in her place. "I love you, mum," he whispered, and rose, using the sleeves of his shirt to wipe the tears of blood from his cheeks.

Philip and Rebecca were crying softly, affected by Jack's outburst of sorrow.

"Philip, Rebecca," Diana continued. "You are my miracles. The chemical wedding incarnate…" she trailed off. Instead of hugging their mother, they turned to each other for comfort, embracing with all their might and weeping into each other's shoulders.

"All right," Matthew murmured soothingly into Diana's ear. "That's enough now. You're tired."

"Matthew, where are you?" she asked, dazed.

"I'm right here, mon coeur." He nuzzled his cheek against her head.

"You'll be okay."

"Yes," he whispered hoarsely.

"I wish I could give you a spell to take away your pain."

"My darling, you have given me three beloved children and a lifetime's worth of beautiful memories. No one could ask for more than that."

A beatific smile softened her features. "Yes. It has been a wonderful life, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has," Matthew whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Filled with love."

"And you will make sure Jack is well taken care of?"

"Yes, my darling." Matthew's reply was velvety soft. "I will keep him safe."

"You know I will never leave you."

"I know, mon coeur."

"Where are the children?"

"We're here, maman," said Rebecca.

"Tell them I love them," Diana continued as though Rebecca hadn't spoken.

"Yes. I will. I promise. Bien dormir, mon amour. Je porterai ton coeur avec moi."

"A ma vie de coer entire. C'est à toi. I love you, Matthew." Her eyes closed and she drifted into unconsciousness. A handful of tiny gasping breaths later her heart stilled, and with a final long exhalation came a brilliant burst of light as her life force left her, and Matthew was left with a mere shell of his wife in his arms. Nevertheless, he tightened his arms around her, unwilling to let her go. "Mon coeur, mon coeur," he repeated, rocking her in his arms. This time his words were not spoken as an endearment, but rather a moan of agony. His heart was broken.

"Uh, Dad?" Jack spoke softly, but there was a quiet urgency to his voice.

"Yes," Matthew replied in what barely qualified as a whisper, his head still bent over Diana's.

"It's Philip," Jack continued uneasily. Only now did Matthew register the eerie silence that surrounded him. No whispers, no sobs, no movement at all. With great effort, he raised his head and looked toward the children and his eyes widened. Philip was glowing, illuminating the room, emanating light and life. Letters and cyphers were racing under his skin, his eyes were milky and they too had words floating across them, just as Diana's did when she first became the Book of Life. The tips of branches and leaves peeked out from underneath his hairline and Matthew didn't have to see it to know that a tree trunk was running along his spine and up his neck. Jack and Rebecca were staring in wonder.

"Merde."