Chapter 12

A massive crash from outside her door woke Liz from her slumber with a start. Scrambling to the door she rattled the lock again finding it still locked.

Muffled voices came from another room somewhere;

"WHERE IS SHE" Bellowed the voice. Liz recognised it as Stefano's and relief washed over her. Maybe he did love her? He was here after all...Or maybe he just wanted to kill her himself to keep his secret.

"IF I FIND OUT YOU'VE HURT HER I'LL KILL YOU"

Another voice joined the yelling and Liz heard Richard reply.

"YOU KILLED MY MEGAN AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO PAY STEFANO! I HAVEN'T KILLED HER YET SO THAT YOU CAN SEE HER DIE BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES!"

With that, Liz heard a few more crashes and grunts, and finally a loud yell of pain pierced the air. Liz held her breath, waiting for the injured to make a noise.

"LIZ RUUUUUN" Stefano screamed.

Panic took over as Liz, confirming her fears that Stefano had been the one hurt. Looked around the room for a suitable weapon, thoughts flooded her mind as she tried to remember any self defence she had ever been taught. What would hurt a vampire? Wood! Her jumbled mind exclaimed. Seeing a wooden candle holder on the side Liz grabbed it and crashed it over the mahogany set of draws. To her great surprise, instead of the candle holder breaking like she had expected, a large piece of splintered wood crashed to the floor off the lip of the draws. Picking up the now lethal looking piece of dark wood, Liz hid behind the door of the room, waiting for someone to open it.

Footsteps bounded up the stairs, one set strong and determined the other dragging behind. As the lock jingled and the door was thrown open, Liz caught a glimpse of a blonde head of hair, long enough to know it was the right vampire she was about to attack.

Without a second thought, Liz lunged towards the unsuspecting vampire, stake held high, ready to plunge it into his back, resolved to save Stefano.

As Liz brought the stake down with all her might, Richard flew around to grip her wrist with bone crushing strength, causing the wood to fall meekly to the ground.

"Don't you dare!" He hissed into her face, wrist still held painfully above her head.

"Elizabeth!" cried a weak voice from the stairs. Liz craned her neck around the door to see Stefano collapsed on the stairs, a wooden stake protruding from his leg and another from his neck, blood drenching his shirt.

Trying to wrench her arm from Richard, Liz scrabbled towards him, however Richards firm grip on her arm only tightened, her weak attempts barely affecting him.

"And now, Stefano you shall watch as I destroy the most important person in your life before your very eyes, in the same way that as I watched my Megan die."

With that final statement Richard heaved Liz to the bed and roughly shoved her down, bending towards her neck, uncovered by the string holding her hair whilst holding her wrists above her head.

Tears filled Liz's eyes as she fought the weight pressing her to the bed and twisted her head from side to side so he couldn't get a strike on her neck. She brought her leg up in between Richards and kicked upwards into his groin with all her strength.

Cringing, Richards grip on her wrists only tightened as he breathed though the pain, unwilling to let go of her wrists. His face contorted and his fangs were bared as she stared up into his face chocking on the scream in her throat. As he twisted his head to the side towards the open doorway, Liz followed Richards gaze as it landed on the now crumpled body of the one man she would lay down her life for. Stefano's face was a picture of sadness, tears falling freely from his face as he watched unable to move.

"I love you..." She whispered turning back to meet her fate.

"ELIZABETH NO!" was the last thing she heard before a spine snapping pain belted into her neck and she felt the life being sucked out of her, teeth gnawing at her neck and the feeling starting to recede from her fingers.

Struggling against the hold on her neck, Liz slowly lost strength and tiredness flooded her body, when suddenly the leaching on her neck stopped and a heavy weight assaulted her. Richard had collapsed on top of her seemingly unconscious, his body seemed to be shrinking and growing lighter by the second. Liz fought to hold onto consciousness as the weight on her was finally moved and looking down on her was Stefano, holding the stake that had been wedged in his neck.

Liz felt the world swim around her and she had the urge to hold onto the bed to make sure she didn't fall off as her eyes tried to focus. Stefano collapsed to his knees beside her on the bed, and cradled her neck.

"Elizabeth, oh Elizabeth I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." He mumbled. Liz could feel a few wet droplets fall on her cheeks as he leant over her, but reality started blurring again as she realised he was ok and safe. That's all that mattered now.

Slowly closing her eyes, Liz whispered "I love you, Stefano."

Stefano's P.O.V

He watched as the life drained out of her. He couldn't take this anymore. The weakness he had felt before from the wood thrust in his body was forgotten as the burn in his heart pushed him to act. Wrenching the stake from his neck, Stefano ran to the bed thrusting it into the feeding body. He felt the ribs crack and move as he drove the stake into the heart of the vampire destroying his beautiful Elizabeth.

He watched the body slump forward, and found the strength to pull it off her before she was squashed by the weight. There, underneath, lay his beautiful woman. Blood was all over her neck and large gashes adorned her throat, so deep he thought he could see the outline of her larynx. A sob wracked his body and he felt emotions surface that he hadn't felt since he was human. Grief shook him as tears fell down his face.

He could feel the life draining out of her. She was dying. And there was only one thing he could do about it. He knew she didn't want it, and it was all he had wanted just a few hours ago. But now, facing her beautiful innocent face, he couldn't quite bring himself to cause his love to die, subjecting her to a life of vampire misery.

However his own selfishness took the decision out of his hands and he pulled the stake out of his leg, and ran it across his wrist, a drop of blood forming at the cut, and raised it to Liz's head, lowering it to her lips as he gently held her cooling body.