Reese's eyes stung as she struggled to let her lids open. They felt weighed down by lead and as if she had been sleeping for a very long time. Her hands grasped at something soft beneath her, quilting and satin but a musty smell filled her nostrils and she coughed as the horribly stale air entered her throat, its taste damp and old. Reese's eyes finally focused but only blackness filled her vision and she wondered for a moment whether she were blind. She felt out with her hands, hearing the distinct thud as they hit wood on either side of her and when she pressed upward she felt the same smooth lumber against her finger tips and her heart began to race. Reese tried desperately to move, to sit up but the space was small and cramped and the little air in the box was becoming staler by the second. She attempted to push against the roof of her prison, felt it budge slightly as the sound of lose dirt filled her ears and the smell of clammy soil occupied her nose. And then Reese realised, an icy sensation instantly coming over her as thoughts and memories rushed back to her. She had died, she had been dead and buried til Kalais had brought her back. Buried.

Reese's instincts told her to scream and she instantly felt the terrified wail filling her throat, making her ears ring with its deafening sound. She pushed her hands against the lid again, trying desperately to lift it high enough so she could slip out but the soil above was blocking her way. She was trapped. Reese screamed again and again, fear overwhelming her til she felt her knuckles covered in blood as she pounded with everything she had, trying desperately to get free. Finally a crack resonated from the wooden lid and she felt her powers consume her, its sweet thrill felt so old and unfamiliar yet almost as if it were only yesterday that she had used them. She threw her hands out, focused her mind entirely on shifting the lid of the coffin. Again and again Reese threw her hands out until a loud crack filled the small space. She screamed again as moist, heavy soil consumed her.

Someone calling her name made Reese open her eyes, her head felt foggy and stuffed with cotton wool and her ears were ringing phenomenally as her head spun. Wet grass seeped through her clothes, a dainty cream suit jacket and skirt now stained with dirt and blood. She looked up then, feeling the large, heavy yet comforting hand resting against her shoulder and saw a face she did not expect.

"Sam?" Reese enquired. Her voice was low and raspy and it quaked as she tried to speak, her world upsurging around her with every breath she took. Breath. It all seemed to surreal, so far away that Reese had trouble remembering what her life had been like before. She remembered bits and pieces, certain memories and words but nothing definite. Reese sat up slowly and tried to pick grass and dirt out of her hair with little success before focusing her attention back on Sam, his eyes concerned and perplexed all at once.

"Reese, what happened?" Sam asked, his voice fatherly and laced with worry and Reese felt it hard not to jump into his arms and cry like a lost child, to feel safe and warm again. Instead she merely shook her head and Sam didn't pry further, knowing she either didn't know or didn't want to talk about it just yet. Reese felt a sudden pang in her heart, one that, for a moment she could not understand until a memory clearer than anything else rose to the front of her mind and she closed her eyes...

"Marry me." It was a simple request and Reese smiled as Chris took the ring from her palm and placed it on the marriage finger on her left hand. She didn't say anything, only grabbed his shirt forcefully and planted a passionate kiss on his lips, feeling his strong arms wrapping around her before she whispered in his ear, "I'm yours always."

She instantly felt tears falling from her eyes and she looked down at her hand almost expecting to see the beautiful silver ring but knowing it would not be there. She felt Sam's clutch across her hand and she looked up, seeing the concern in his eyes at the state of her knuckles. Reese flinched away and quickly got to her feet, wanting more than anything to be somewhere where at least something made sense in her life. The fact that Sam had saved her from her own grave was nothing less than a miracle but she couldn't understand why.

"How did you know I was here?" Reese asked simply, her back to Sam and her head down and studying her hands again. She felt Sam walk the few paces toward her until he was standing beside her, hands shoved deep inside his pockets and head turned to study her closely.

"I may have not been around much but you're still my charge, Reese. When you-" Sam choked on the next word, its feeling bitter in his mouth but he cleared his throat and continued nonetheless.

"When you died, I felt it. I knew the instant that you were gone. Just like I knew the instant you came back. You were all of a sudden there again. I don't know how to explain it." Sam said, ending his sentence with a shake of his head before reaching out his hands gently to Reese and saying, "Here, let me heal that."

Reese ripped her hands out of Sam's grasp and quickly shook her head "no" before turning and looking into Sam's vehement blue eyes and there he saw tears, a mixture of emotions flashing across her face.

"I need to see Chris." Was all she said and though Sam wanted to protest, the look in her eyes stopped him. Her gaze was haunted and her eyes glittered with fear and loss and a deeper sadness he didn't quite understand. Sam nodded simply and wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders before blue and white light surrounded them, taking Reese home.

Told you things would be getting interesting!! And this is only the beginning, what will happen next!? Stay tuned to find out :) Please review, I love to hear all your thoughts and comments on my work, I really do appreciate it!

alae-megallen