Hey, so that's a short one. The title is self explanatory as well. I hope you enjoy this last interaction with Carlisle and Frances.

The waves rolled gently over the pebbles, echoing against the cliff side to create a never-ending music that called to Frances' heart. How she longed to walk into the sea and let the waves cradle her! Still … the heart of winter wasn't the best setting for a sea-bath. And if she'd pulled it off in April 476, she didn't feel so confident that she would handle it so well in December 1663.

By her side Carlisle watched the wide expense of swaying grey with an odd expression. For weeks now, they had followed the coast, keeping to the hours where people usually huddled inside their cottages. The point was to avoid anyone seeing Carlisle in broad sunlight at all costs, so whenever the weather was too fair, they camped on deserted beaches and hid in caves if people came about. Not that it happened very often. Today, clouds rolled about, making this sad day even duller.

During their free time, Carlisle and Frances conversed in French, for very soon, the vampire would be traversing her home country. Granted, her way of speech was too modern, and probably a world away from the langue d'oil from north of France. But hey, it was better than nothing. And Carlisle already knew Latin; he would master Occitan easily enough provided he reached the south with issues.

Despite the dull weather, Frances loved it, this little trip by the seaside. Nothing made her feel giddier than the Ocean, and roaming southern Britain with a friend, by the shore, was a welcome reprieve of her stupid job in south of France. Now that she and Carlisle had set foundation for friendship, both of them enjoyed their time together, aiming for the busy port of Dover. And despite the fact that the vampire still had doubts and fears about the future, despite his lack of control and the many times he nearly slipped, they both found solace in the other's presence. Many an evening was spent over a campfire, with both of them singing, or sharing whichever knowledge they possessed. Carlisle was a curious mind, and relentless in his questionings. Many a time, Frances had to refrain from telling him too much about the future. Yet, she compensated by telling him about the history of the earth millions of years ago, the universe, geology and physics, biology and medicine. Her cup of tea.

Carlisle taught her much about theology, and the difference between religions. She was glad for the lessons; until today, Frances has never cared much for those teachings, and found herself lacking whenever she travelled. More than the theory of how the church of England became a different church from Rome, he immersed her in the way of thinking of religious people in England. The way his father had brought him up sometimes showed, and Frances discovered a very different perspective from hers. Yet, despite their very disparate upbringing, they were both reasonable beings and managed to find common ground whenever disagreement brewed. It was altogether fascinating.

Today, though… Today was different. Today, she felt that the end of their little adventure was near, and she was loath to part with Carlisle. She could always feel it, whenever the magic of the blue rock started building up upon her chest. For days, she had dismissed the feeling, reluctant to leave Carlisle behind, but she couldn't ignore the call anymore. Sighing, the young woman was about to warn her friend of her impending departure – hours, or days away – when he surprised her first.

— 'I can't cross the Kanaal on a boat, Frances.'

The Keeper of Time breathed in, smelling the iodine in the air with delight. They'd been heading for the shortest route from England to France, but Carlisle was still too unstable to huddle in a boat for a safe passage across the Channel. Or the Kanaal, as the Dutch used to dub it.

— 'Definitely not.'

Then she sighed.

— 'Check, we are at a stalemate.'

And Frances worried, for it meant that Carlisle would need to settle somewhere and continue to hone his skills until the day he would safely share a boat with people for hours in a row. And she would feel it clear as day. Tomorrow, at the same time, she would be back in Montpellier in the 21st century. The young woman reached for the vampire's frozen hand and repressed the shiver that never failed to creep up her spine at his touch. For despite his status – a dear friend now – Carlisle still was a dangerous predator to her kind; her body never failed to react to the danger. The vampire squeezed her fingers gently, mindful not to break her knuckles.

— 'I don't need to breathe. I can probably cross to France on my own.'

Frances' eyes grew wide.

— 'You mean swimming?'

— 'Or walking at the bottom of the sea. You said yourself that ten thousand years ago, people would cross on foot from England to France. It cannot be too deep. Pressure won't affect me, neither will the cold,'

Frowning, Frances' mind ran a hundred miles a minute. The bathymetric map of the channel showed depth of 30 metres at worst between Calais and Dover. Never before had she been so glad to be a nerd … and a geologist. Hell, there even was a map of the Ocean's depth in her bedroom, how weird what that? Provided her friend walked in straight line and kept to this specific area, the currents shouldn't be too bad, especially at the bottom.

— 'You would have to cross the ancient channel bed, though. The currents will be worst in its crease.'

Frances' eye widened in fear then.

— 'Carlisle. This is a frightening idea.'

— 'You said that a woman swam all the way from France to here, didn't you? I can surely swim over it.'

Damn. He had eaten all the information she gave him, and stored it for later! What a brainiac! Still, a science-fiction movie couldn't have offered a weirder image. Frances bit her tongue then, imagining the little body of Carlisle swimming over the ancient bed of a river in the immensity of this cold, grey ocean. Ugh!

— 'You'd be twenty metres underwater then. Are you sure …?'

— 'I am strong. This is about embracing my abilities, I think. Push my limits again'

Stunned, Frances tried to find a reason why it shouldn't work. A part of her was too worried to let him sink down at the bottom of the Ocean. Yet … it only was the Channel, not the Altantic. Seven thousand years ago, people used to walk and live around the river, when the level of the Ocean was a hundred metres below. It seemed crazy … but the theory was solid. A smile bloomed on her lips as the vampire gave her a smug look.

— 'Checkmate. You are a genius, Carlisle.'

— 'Well, your ramblings about the history of the earth and glaciation didn't fall on deaf ears, you know.'

The young woman rolled her eyes to hide her uneasiness.

— 'And here I thought you were just being polite.'

— 'No. Your view of the worlds, the things you learnt, the knowledge you shared gave me perspective. I want to learn all about it, see the discoveries unfold, I want to see the pieces being put together and humanity understand.'

His enthusiasm brought a wave of hope into her heart. Carlisle was embracing his new life with such a great perspective. She addressed him a warm smile.

— 'It's fortunate you are immortal then. You will have great fun, Carlisle.'

The vampire sent her a penetrating look, his golden eyes turning serious.

— 'Unfortunately, it means we probably must part here. Unless we can reconvene on the continent.'

The young woman squeezed the rock cold hand another time.

— 'I won't be there on the other side, Carlisle.'

— 'You are going back?" he asked casually.

But Frances knew he was far from settled by the revelation. Hell, she felt like it was too soon. But the vampire didn't need coddling; she must stop hoovering over him like a mother hen and let him spread his wings.

— 'Yes. I will probably be called before the end of the day. I can feel it. It is time for us to part … for a while.'

— 'Three hundred and fifty years, give or take,' he whispered.

Frances breathed deeply, trying to get rid of the ache in her chest. A dull sensation built her behind her eyes, and she bit her lip.

— 'Yeah… It is a bit ironic when I know live in France. I wonder what Montpellier looks like today. There's a great academy of medicine there, you know.'

— 'If we are to meet again, I'll tell you.'

— 'I'll hold you to that.'

Carlisle only nodded, his gaze wistful. Words, now, were useless. They descended to the beach, stepping on an impossible path that would be, for both of them, the last one in England before they set off on separate courses. Carlisle opened the way, as always, making sure that it was without danger for his companion. A vampire could survive a slip and the mighty fall on the cliff side, but Frances would not. So sweet, so caring… Tears escaped her eyes at the idea of saying goodbye. How could such a man consider himself damned?

And when at last, they set foot on the round pebbles that littered the immense beach – the tide was out – Frances realised that it was the first time she wasn't giddy to reach for the sea. No. Today, the sea would swallow another part of herself away. As usual, only the memories of their time together would remain. But for once, the best present awaited her upon her return. Instead of losing Carlisle forever, she would be able to see him again. An aged, wise version of himself.

Smiling through her tears, Frances washed them away, and approached the shore where Carlisle awaited. Tall, and sturdy, his bearing that of a man ready to embrace his destiny. She was so proud of him! Gentle waves rolled about, their white lining reflecting the light. Yet, the sun still had to show its face. Frances stopped beside the vampire, her gaze lost at sea.

— 'You are a vegetarian vampire, Carlisle. You don't have to be a danger to the world, you can protect it now.'

An amazing sound echoed then, its lilt so beautiful that her jaw slackened. Carlisle was laughing, his head thrown back, his blond hair swinging in the breeze. It was such an enthralling sound, so incredible in itself that she felt light headed. Her heart soared with pride; her mission was accomplished. Carlisle could laugh again. Without thinking, Frances threw her hands around him, squeezing him tight in a mighty hug. The vampire froze then; his cold rock body not moving an inch under the plushness of her human arms. It was like hugging a marble statue, or lying down on a frozen floor. Yet, his warm presence partially made it up.

Frances' eye flew open then as she realised the insanity of her move, kicking herself for giving in. As she started to pull off, Carlisle stopped her with his arm strongly set behind her shoulders. His face inched closer, angling aside, and his lips deposited a timid kiss upon her temple. Frances' heart thundered in her chest, the tingle from this single gesture of affection counteracted by her instincts to flee, and the coldness of his confusing touch around her neck. She could feel the strain of his muscles, the control ebbing away as he clenched his hands.

— 'Thank you,' he rasped. 'For everything'

Frances could only nod, tears running down her cheeks. At last, Carlisle released her and she gasped, trying to regain her breath and her bearings. His presence was so overwhelming! The vampire took a step back, very aware of the effect he had on her instincts. He even chuckled at her dazed expression.

— 'Vegetarian. I'll remember that'

Frances froze, recalling his words, eight years ago. 'It was a clever woman who introduced the concept to me.' Damn! The clever woman he had mentioned that day … it was her! Hence, they had come full circle. The prefect temporal scenario.

Her musings were interrupted when Carlisle stepped into the water, the gentle waves lapping at his boot-clad feet. Frances frowned, then detached the purse at her waist to launch it to the vampire. She wouldn't need money anyway, but the leather of his boots would certainly suffer from the salt.

— 'To buy new shoes'

The blond vampire nodded, lifting his eyes to the sky in expectation. What was he waiting for? Then she understood at the sun tore through the clouds, its rays landing on Carlisle. His skin alighted with sparkles, one last vision of the angel before he disappeared into the waves. Frances' brain shut down and she could only stare, puzzled by the incredible beauty of this creature.

— 'It never gets old,' she murmured.

Carlisle sent her a warm smile then, his white teeth engulfed in the light that danced upon his skin. Her throat constricted then, understanding eventually dawning. He was really going. Her voice wavered as she bid him adieu.

— 'Until then, Carlisle Cullen.'

— 'Until then, my lady Frances.'

— 'Goodbye, my friend. Be safe, be great.'

Carlisle addressed her one last, heavy look, and walked into the cold sea. And for once, Frances didn't follow.

Hey, the next chapter will be officially the last one. There there should be an epilogue. Thank you for reading this, and leave a review if you liked it ! Cheers.