"Jeez!Get a room!" Mark said as him and Jade barged into the bedroom.

Ash smiled. "Well, you're kinda in it." Jade raced up and flung herself on her brother in a huge bear hug and Mark and Mary-Lynette glanced knowingly at each other. The two lamia siblings would be at each others throats by tomorrow.

"I heard that!" Jade said as she looked between her boyfriend and bloodsister's innocent faces. Ash laughed and Mary-Lynette almost swooned at the sound. Jade pulled away from her older brother and went to stand beside Mark as Ash wrapped his arms around Mary-Lynette.

"Well, we just wanted to say hi and welcome back" Mark smiled.

"Its good to be home" Ash said as he looked down at his soulmate grinning as he saw her blush.

"We'll leave you two alone now!" Jade giggled as they walked out of the bedroom "Use protection!"

Ash rolled his eyes. "Now where were we?" he asked quietly as he gathered her in his arms and kissed her.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

That night, after Ash had gone home to see his other sisters Rowan and Kestrel, Mary-Lynette slept soundly and without even an inkling of a dream. When she woke up the next morning, she felt happy and fresh, two things she hadn't really felt in the past year. She got up and put on a pair of light-washed denim shorts, a pale green tank-top and her beat up grey converses. She ran a brush through her dark curls and went downstairs to have breakfast.

She was sitting at the table with her bowl of cereal thinking about how school was starting in a few weeks when Mark came trudging through the kitchen. His hair was tousled and was sticking up in every direction and he yawned and squinted at the bright sunlight coming in through the kitchen windows. He was still in his pajamas, a pair of red and black plaid pajama pants Claudine had gotten him for Christmas. They were too long and dragged on the floor as he stretched before grabbing a bowl and spoon and sitting down to eat. He was pouring milk into his cereal as Mary-Lynette smiled at him,

"Good morning sunshine!"

He grunted in reply and muttered something to himself, Mary-Lynette only catching the end which was "Ungodly hour of the morning".Mark was definitely not a morning person. Mary-Lynette looked at the kitchen clock, it was 8:45am.

"You better get used to waking up early." she said. "School's starting in two weeks!"

Mark groaned and Mary-Lynette marvelled at the thought that she was going to be a senior. One more year and then she was finished with high school and off to college! She then wondered where Ash would be during this time. With her, hopefully. She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. They'd talk later.

"So what are you gonna be doing today?" She asked her brother, knowing his plans would involve his girlfriend. The two were inseperable.

"Well, Jade and I are gonna go get school supplies and stuff and she needs to get some more cat food for Tiggy so we're gonna drive into the city with Kestrel. You and Ash can come if you want."

Mary-Lynette's eyes widened in shock for two , Mark was going shopping and he wasn't whining or even so much as complaining about it! Although, Jade was going, so maybe it wasn't really that surprising. And two, Kestrel was going with them! That really was a mystery! She always got annoyed with Mark and Jade because they were always so caught up in each other that they didn't really pay much attention to anything or anyone else when they were together. She also wasn't too fond of the Soulmate Principle. The idea that everybody has a perfect mate. The person that completes them. The one who they'll never feel whole without. They could be complete opposites, different ages, they could hate each other, one could be good, one evil, hell they could even be different species!Like Mary-Lynette and Ash for example, but it didn't matter because they were perfect for each other. Mary-Lynette thought that Kestrel didn't like the theory because she didn't completely understand it. It's hard to go along with something when you don't understand it, she reasoned. Mary-Lynette laughed at the thought of Kestrel shopping with Mark and Jade.

"No thanks, I think we'll pass. I don't really need much for school anyways. I did most of my shopping with Rowan last week remember? I can get whatever else I need at the general store."

Mark nodded and went to put his bowl in the dishwasher. Mary-Lynette did the same and then turned to her brother,

"Well, I'm gonna go see Ash so just call if you need me."

"Ok, Jade and Kestrel should be here soon anyways. I think we'll be back kinda late so I'll probably get something to eat before I come home and Jade and Kestrel were going hunting this morning so don't worry about cooking or anything like that. Have a good time with Ash!"

Mary-Lynette grinned and hugged her brother then grabbed her cell phone and car keys and stepped outside into the relentless sunlight and the sweltering heat.

Her father and Claudine had been saving some money on the side for Mary-Lynette, knowing that her car's life was slowly coming to an end. So, they had gotten her a new one when her birthday had rolled around which, luckily, was in September, so she hadn't had to wait that long. This one was an old but lightly used, dusty grey 4WD Station Wagon. It was roughly the same size as her old car and much more reliable.

Mary-Lynette drove over to old Mrs. Burdock's farm wondering what was going to happen this year now that Ash was back. She laughed as she thought of Ash Redfern at Briar Creek High School. Yeah right! Half of her friends didn't believe she had a boyfriend. The other half didn't even believe he existed! Bunny was the only one who had met' and shamelessly flirted with, Ash last summer when the three vampire sisters had run away from home and their brother had come after them. They then, along with Mark and Mary-Lynette, had had to solve the murder of their great aunt, also a vampire, which had ended with the death of Mary-Lynette's friend Jeremy Lovett and Ash leaving for a year.

Mary-Lynette shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. It was too depressing. She still had nightmares about the night that she had killed Jeremy. She regretted it, but she had done what she'd had to do. He had been about to kill her and Ash both. She couldn't let the happen. So she killed him. She regretted that she had been the one to kill him but she couldn't bring herself to regret his death. She had killed him to protect her soulmate. She sighed. She was dissapointed in herself for thinking about him, about last summer. She pushed it all out of her mind. She was going to see Ash! Her heart beat faster as she thought of her lamie boyfriend. She cut the engine and jumped out of the car.

She walked inside and, not seeing any of the girls, Mark had said that they were going hunting this morning, made her way up to Ash's bedroom. She went as quietly as she could, guessing that he was still asleep. She was right. She smiled when she saw him sprawled out on the double bed, fast asleep. He looked so innocent and vulnerable when he was sleeping. She walked over and sat on the floor and watched him as he slept.

"Mary-Lynette?"

She looked up to see Rowan standing in the doorway.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She nodded and stood up kissing Ash softly on the forehead before leaving the room. She followed Rowan down the stairs and into the living room. Rowan sat on the couch and Mary-Lynette sat across from her in the big recliner, pulling her legs underneath her.

"So what do you wanna talk about?" She asked, curious.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you could help me register Ash at school." Rowan said, smiling slightly.

"He's staying? He's gonna come to school xith us?" Mary-Lyette screeched, overjoyed.

"Well where else would I go?" Ash asked from behind her, picking her up and sliding himself underneath her so that she was sitting in his lap. She buried her face in his neck and he pulled her closer, kissing her on the forehead. Rowan cleared her throat politely and Mary-Lynette turned to her blood sister, blushing furiously. Ash laughed at his sister.

"You know Rowan, you really should go out more. There's a couple of guys from Circle Daybreak that you might be interested in. I can give you their numbers if you want!"

Rowan rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Cuz I need a boyfriend. You're just trying to get rid of me. And I'll go as soon as Mare answers my question!"

Mary-Lynette smliled. "Of course I'll help you!"

"Good, because we both know how useful Ash will be." She said glancing pointedly at her brother. Ash smiled innocently back at her.

"Oh, and you should try your offer on Kestrel, she might be willing to take a few numbers." She said, winking at Mary-Lynette before going back upstairs. Mary-Lynette laughed. Almost every guy at their high school, other than Mark of course, was in love with Kestrel. The only ones who weren't were gey and even they admired her beauty. On the first day of school, seven guys asked her out. Homecoming was even worse! She had gotten twenty-seven invitations! Unfortunately though, their invitations had been replied with threats. They knew better now.

When Ash started school everything would be so much better! She could be with him all the time. All ofher friends would be insanely jealous. She didn't really talk or hang out with them anymore though. She mostly hung out with Rowan and Kestrel and occasionally Mark and Jade, on a good day.