Chapter 14

Mark watched intently as Ash tried to wake up his older sister. He knew exactly what he was doing - he was trying to contact her through the soulmate link. Looking closely at Ash, Mark watched his face go from worried, to confused, to concentrated, to scared. All within a few minutes. Something was wrong - very wrong. As soon as Ash went in for the kiss, Mark knew that Ash was having trouble waking Mary-Lynette up. He probably couldn't even get her to listen to him or something. Or else he couldn't find her. Maybe she was so far gone that there was hardly anything left to find! Mark felt himself start breathing heavily until he was nearly panting due to the anxiety. As Ash's lips touched Mary-Lynette's, Mark suddenly realized what he was doing. His initial thought had been that Ash had given up and was kissing her goodbye. Then he realized that Ash would be sobbing if that was the case. No. He was strengthening their connection. Thinking back to being with Jade, Mark knew that when you and your soulmate kissed, it was the closest you could get to being like one mind without exchanging blood.

So he had been right - at least in one way - Ash was desperate. Desperate to save his sister by any means possible.

Mary-Lynette wasn't aware of what was going on. All she could hear was a quiet voice. Where was it coming from? As the voice grew clearer, she began to recognize it. It was Ash! What was he saying though? Then it came to her. He was saying her name. As his voice grew louder, she could feel the silver cord stretched out between them. She started being able to make out words. Ash was telling her to wake up. But she didn't want to. She was happy in the blackness. It was comfortable. There was no pain, no suffering, and no heartbreak or loss. It was almost like being one with the night like she's always imagined. There was only one problem - no stars to light up this strange world.

Ash's voice slowly became closer and stronger. She could feel his presence now. Who was he to invade her place? What gave him the right to enter her mind - the one place where she could truly be alone. Ash was talking again. It looked and sounded like he was - crying? Her Ash never cried. Why would he be crying now? She was happy here so why wouldn't he be happy for her. It suddenly dawned on her that he didn't know she was okay to stay in this dark world. Well, at least for now she was. Maybe she'd leave later. But for now she was free of the worries of her life.

Purposely keeping her thoughts shielded, Mary-Lynette tried pushing Ash away. He refused to leave. His thoughts pressed against hers, verging on becoming violent. He was determined to bring her back into the cruel world known as reality. Before she knew what was happening, her world suddenly exploded with bright lights. A multitude of colours suddenly surrounded her, penetrating her to her very soul. She knew immediately what it was - Ash. He was surrounding her, the silver cord taunt between them.

Mary-Lynette, please come back?

His request was irresistible to Mary-Lynette. As much as she wanted to stay in her world of darkness, she now could see that Ash was right. Her family needed her. She needed to go back. She still wasn't sure that she wanted to though. She felt a tug on the silver cord, and was suddenly being dragged upwards towards a speck of light growing above her. Mary-Lynette shut her eyes tightly as the light became too bright to bear. When she opened her eyes again, she was in her rom, looking into Ash's ghostly white eyes.

As Mary-Lynette's' eyelids fluttered open, Mr. Carter let out a sigh of relief. Mary-Lynette was alright. His little girl was okay. The feeling of relief was short-lived however. The instant Mary-Lynette looked around and realized where she was, she burst into tears, throwing her arms around Ash's neck. Mr. Carter watched as Ash sat up so he held Mary-Lynette partially in his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her. The other people present in the room simply looked upon the pair in shock. None of them could understand why Mary-Lynette would burst into tears. They hadn't seen her cry for almost a year. Only Mark was aware that her tears then had been caused by Ash.

Ash held his soulmate tightly to his chest, not wanting to let her go. He had almost lost her today. She was ready to give up. He had to make sure she was okay.

Mary-Lynette? You okay? He asked, knowing how dorky and cheesy it sounded, and not caring.

Ya. I'm fine. Just - a lot of drama today is all. I don't tend to take drama well. Especially with my heart and all.

It's okay. I understand. Just promise me that you'll let me handle the stuff with my Mom.

Mary-Lynette nodded into his chest, burying her face deeper into the soft fabric of his shirt.

Just promise me that you'll never leave me again, she told him quietly.

I swear I won't.

They sat like that for a while, neither teenager wanting to let go. Mary-Lynette was too scared to leave the security of Ash's arms, and Ash preferred it that way. It allowed him to keep Mary-Lynette safe and protected in his arms. A throat being cleared finally caused Ash to pull away. Mary-Lynette tried clinging to him, not wanting to let go of her soulmate. Eventually she complied and loosened her death grip around Ash's neck. Looking at her parents, Mary-Lynette noticed that their faces were a mixture of worry and feeling awkward. She blushed lightly, realizing what they had just witnessed.

"Sorry…" she mumbled after a few moments of awkward silence.

"What happened?" her Dad asked cautiously.

"Um…" Mary-Lynette wasn't totally sure herself. How was she going to explain it to her father?

"I was over at Ash's house and I was walking down the stairs when my chest hurt really bad. The next thing I remember is Ash talking to me while I was unconscious." she explained; leaving out the parts about Ash's mother.

When she mentioned the pain in her chest, Ash tightened his arms around her. She was still seated on his lap, but somewhat sideways so she was facing her family.

"So I take it that exchanging blood didn't help then…" Mark trailed off into silence.

"No. It worked." Mary-Lynette protested, not wanting her family to give up hope. She looked up at Ash for help.

"Vampire blood takes a while to take effect. Like Rowan explained earlier, it will take a few exchanges. We just have to pray that Mary-Lynette's body will be strong enough…" he buried his face in her hair at the implication of her death.

Claudine and Mr. Carter allowed them to sit for a minute before standing up.

"Well Ash, thank you so much for your help," Mr. Carter began. "You should probably get going though. It's late and Mary-Lynette needs her rest. I'm sure you do too."

Mary-Lynette threw her arms around Ash's neck again at the mention of him leaving. Ash's arms tightened for a moment before he pulled away, revealing his light blue eyes.

"Mary-Ly-"

She shook her head, telling him to stop speaking.

"Bu-"

"Shhhh!" She put a hand over his mouth so he couldn't protest anymore.

Turning to her parents, Mary-Lynette began to plead her case.

"Dad? Claudine? Can Ash stay here tonight? Please? I swear nothing will happen. It's just that, if something happens in the night with my heart and all, I don't want to have to wake you."

"Honey," her father began in a serious tone. "Ash should really go home. You can wake one of us if you need to. You don't want to be waking up Ash anyways. He needs his sleep too."

Mary-Lynette was devastated. She needed Ash to stay here. If he wasn't here, she was scared that his mother would come and actually kill her this time.

Remembering Dahlia Redfern, Mary-Lynette felt a shot of fear go through her. She didn't know what had happened to her. Had she gone home? Had she been killed? Did she reach some sort of an agreement with her children? Did they run from her? Or worst of all, did she run? That would mean that she was looking for revenge and that no one would really know where she was.

I picked you up and stormed out, actually. Ash explained to her, sensing her panic.

That news didn't calm Mary-Lynette. Ash could pick up on her fear and tried calming her down.

Mary-Lynette, it's okay. I'll be outside your house all night keeping guard, I swear.

No! I don't want you out there. I want you in here with me!

Ash sighed. His soulmate could be so damn stubborn sometimes!

"So, Dad, if we swear on out lives that nothing will happen, can Ash please stay here?" Mary-Lynette tried asking again.

Her father looked skeptical.

"Okay. You're hiding something. Tell me the real reason you want Ash to stay here, and then I'll consider it."

Great. How was she going to explain this to him?

Ash looked from his soulmate to Mr. Carter and back again. He was trying to figure out what they were going to tell him. Obviously he couldn't know the truth. It would just endanger his life, not to mention his family's.

"Do we mind if we speak to you alone, Mr. Carter?" Ash asked after considering the situation.

Mr. Cater nodded, and Claudine quietly shepherded Mark out of the room.

"So, I'd like this situation explained please." he asked; his voice harsh with annoyance at such a request as to allow his daughter's boyfriend to sleep there.

Mary-Lynette untangled herself from Ash's arms, wanting to look somewhat professional in order to convince her father to let him stay.

"Well, Ash's mother is sort of in town…" Mary-Lynette began. She hesitated though, no fully sure of what had happened. Thankfully Ash took over.

"My mother doesn't appreciate the fact that my soulmate is a human. She doesn't know about Mark or about you all, but if she did, she would surely kill you. She's already attempted killing Mary-Lynette once today, I'd prefer not to repeat that experience. The reason Mary-Lynette had passed out was actually her heart, but it was brought on by the anxiety. We were trying not to use the soulmate link, and the girls had escorted her upstairs so I could talk with my mother. Not knowing what was happening, Mary-Lynette snuck out and started coming down the stairs when she passed out. I then told my mother the truth about the two of us, picked up Mary-Lynette and stormed out of the house." He took in a deep breath to calm himself before he got too much angrier at his mother.

"So you see, even if you do not approve of me staying the night, I will still be patrolling the area around your home, as will my sisters."

Mr. Carter just nodded. He had always viewed life a simple - one-dimensional, so to speak. Never in his life could he have imagined things like vampires existed. And he never would have believed that one would be bent on killing his little girl! That thought caused him to make up his mind on the spot. Ash was staying. Anything to keep his little girl safe.

"Okay. You've convinced me." he announced once he had sorted through everything in his mind. "Just make sure there's no funny business, okay? I don't want to find myself as a grandfather."

Mary-Lynette and Ash both nodded fanatically, neither of them had even thought of doing such unspeakable deeds.

Trusting that they could be capable of coming up with their own sleeping arrangements, Mr. Carter left his daughter and her soulmate alone, bidding them a good night.

As soon as Mr. Carter closed the door, Ash pulled Mary-Lynette in close for a hug. It felt good to hold her in his arms, and the pink haze surrounded them.

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened then?" he asked quietly

Mary-Lynette nodded slightly into his chest.

"Well I was trying to get back to you, and the girls were trying to get me up the stairs, and I think they dropped me or something, because the next thing I knew, I was in your room."

Ash nodded, trying to get his soulmate to continue.

"Then- Then I heard this voice in my head."

"What kind of voice? What was it saying?"

"It said that -"

That you don't actually love me, and that you didn't want to change me. It said you were going to leave me.

Ash couldn't believe what Mary-Lynette was telling him. He knew exactly who the voice was - his mother. He was going to kill her. He made a note to yell at his sisters for dropping Mary-Lynette as well.

"Don't ever doubt my love for you," he murmured in her ear. "Of course I want to change you as long as it's what you want, and I'm not about to leave you. I've already been there and done that, and it's not a place I want to go again." His lips tickled her ears as they brushed against them.

"I know…." She was silenced with a soft kiss.

Then what happened? Ash asked after he finished kissing her.

Well, after a while I heard a thump, so after Rowan came down to check on you, I snuck out of the room and started going down the stairs when my chest started hurting. The next thing I knew, you were talking to me when I was unconscious.

Ash hugged Mary-Lynette closer, shielding his thoughts as he worried about her and her disease. He had to be sure to change her before her body got too weak.

"I heard that, you know." Mary-Lynette answered aloud.

"Sorry. I didn't mean for you to be able to."

"It's okay. Maybe we should get some sleep though. It's been a long day."

Ash nodded, and Mary-Lynette proceeded to lie down. She was too tired to change into pyjamas, and Ash didn't have any with him. Moving over, Mary-Lynette patted the bed, inviting Ash to lie down. When he did, she curled up to his side, resting her head on his shoulder. She snuggled up close, and Ash rested his head on hers.

It was nice, laying there. Their thoughts were flowing freely between them, and both enjoyed being surrounded by the colours of the other's mind. Mary-Lynette soon drifted off to sleep, comfortable against her soulmate. As long as he was there, she knew she would always be safe.

Ash didn't drift off as easily. He was restless. His mother was still so close, and she was bent on killing Mary-Lynette. He couldn't let that happen. She probably would take her story straight to the Night World authorities. Currently, Circle Daybreak was the only group of Night Worlders who accepted humans as equals. If he and Mary-Lynette could make it there before his mother caught them, they could be safe!

Ash gently shook Mary-Lynette's shoulder, trying to wake her.

"Mm…" Mary-Lynette shook her head, not wanting to be woken.

Ash shook her again, this time calling to her mentally. Mary-Lynette. C'mon love; wake up.

"What?" She said, irritated at her soulmate for waking her up.

"Come on. We're leaving."

A/N: So what did you think? Kind of full of this so called "fluff" and lots of descriptions. I figured it was necessary in order to build up the plot more. :) So I'm sorry it's so long as well... I kind of got carried away...

As always, thank you to my wonderful reviewers! I meant to put the little shout-outs at the beginning, but it didn't seem to want to work... Nevertheless, here they are:

Night-Alice: Haha Thank you very much! And your surprise comes next chapter. :)

musicbaby2013: Why thank you! And yes, I missed her greatly. Hopefully they keep accepting Ash after this... And cliches are fun to write. :D

House of Night is Ballar: Hooray! I'm glad you're back to reading Night World fanfics, and it makes me happy to know I helped influence you to do so

Well, I'll stop now before this chapter becomes any longer.

Don't forget to review, please!

Happy Writing!