Chapter 28

Mark woke up to see Jade's sad green eyes peering into his as though they could see straight through to his soul.

"Oh. You're awake." she murmured innocently as though she was trying to hide the fact that she had been sitting and watching him sleep for some time now, just hoping that he would wake up.

"Morning beautiful." he said quietly. His voice was husky from just having woken up, and Jade blushed slightly. Though she had known Mark for just about a year, she still had a hard time believe he was her soulmate. She loved his laugh, and the way he made her smile, and everything about him. More importantly, he was always there when she needed him most.

Seeing the sadness in his soulmate's eyes, Mark sat up and pulled the blonde girl into a tight hug. She had been up late the night before crying over her mother, and though she was not crying now, he could see that she could start again at any moment.

"C'mon" he said, pulling away and getting up to change out of his pyjamas. "Let's go get some breakfast."

The two teens eventually made their way slowly down the grande staircase towards the kitchen. The aroma of fresh food drifted towards them, and they began walking faster towards the smell. When they reached the source of the smell, they were greeted by the smiling faces of Gillian, David, Keller, and Galen. They were frying up eggs, and Mark nearly started drooling at the sight of them. Seeing this, David cracked another egg into the pan for the young boy.

"So are you guys sticking around for a while?" David asked the two.

"Ummm" Mark faltered, looking at Jade. She simply shrugged her shoulders unenthusiastically.

"Not sure, then?" David looked sympathetically at the two teens.

"Well, I don't think we have much of a choice in the matter. Once my parents and sister decide that it's time to leave, then I suppose we'll leave."

David simply nodded, sliding the now-finished egg onto a plate and handed it to Mark.

"Well I figure I speak for everyone when I say that you guys are welcome here for however long you decide to stay."

At such an invitation, even Jade smiled in her grief. The occupants of the kitchen smiled at the sight of Jade smiling. They hadn't expected to see any of the Redferns smile for the remainder of their stay at the mansion.

Running down the halls, Claudine and her husband tried in vain to keep up to Lord Thierry - vampires could move fast when they needed to! When they finally burst through the door of Ash and Mary-Lynette's room, they found their daughter lying on the bed with Thierry leaning over her. Ash was perched on the bed beside her, gripping her hand tightly within his. The two adults rushed over to the end of the bed.

"What's happening?" they both demanded anxiously.

"Well I'm no doctor, but"

"But what?"

"If you'll just allow me to explain without interrupting, I'll tell you." Thierry managed to remain calm despite the agitation that was emanating from the Carters and Ash.

"As I was saying, I'm no doctor, but I believe that her condition is worse than it was before. Ash, you're going to have to change her soon or her body will not be able to handle the change and she won't survive it."

His mouth set in a grim line, Ash nodded gravely. He looked over at the Carters, who looked equally as grave. The thought of losing their only daughter - either due to death or becoming a vampire - did not sit well with them for obvious reasons.

"Well, I suppose that means we'll have to leave then…" Ash mumbled quietly.

"What do you mean?" demanded Mr. Carter. "Can't you just change her here? I don't want my Mare to die!"

"I can't do that…" Ash began quietly, his voice fading into silence. "I promised Mary-Lynette that I would wait until we got home before I changed her. I'm not about to go back on a promise I made her."

"Bu-" Mr. Carter started to protest, but the look Ash gave him made him stop mid-word.

"I'll be sorry to see you leave so soon Ash, but I know it's for the best." Thierry said. "but I know it's for the best. Please just know that you are always welcome here. I hope to see you again soon, and hopefully under better circumstances."

"Definitely." Ash said nodding, though it was clear that his mind was elsewhere.

"I'll go find Mark and Jade and inform the rest of the house that you are leaving."

"Please don't." Ash begged. "I really would rather not make a scene, especially after last night. Please allow us to just disappear silently?"

"Of course. I will ask Mark and Jade to do the same then."

"Thank you Thierry. For everything."

Looking into the teenager's eyes, Claudine knew that Ash truly meant what he said. She noticed that his eyes were a pale yellow. Within them, she could see his deep worry reflected. At that moment, she realized how deeply Ash truly felt for Mary-Lynette. It was also at that moment that she felt herself truly trusting the cat-like boy. She knew he only wanted what was best for her step-daughter, and for that, she respected him.

"C'mon honey. Let's get ready to go home." she told her husband quietly, tugging him gently from the foot of the bed, leaving Ash alone with his soulmate.

Ash couldn't bear to leave Mary-Lynette's side to repack the few things he had removed from his suitcase, but he knew it had to be done. The sooner he was ready to leave, the sooner they would be back to Briar Creek, and the sooner he could finish changing Mary-Lynette into a vampire. Placing his bag by the door, Ash returned to his soulmate's side. He wanted to wake her before leaving, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to do it. She was too far gone into the blackness within her mind. Not wanting to leave her alone, Ash slung his bag over his shoulder and lifted up Mary-Lynette into his arms. Praying that the Daybreakers were still sleeping or busy elsewhere, he descended the staircase and made his way towards the door. However, he did not succeed in making it out of the building unnoticed.

"Ash! There you are! C'mon! Lord Thierry called a meeting in the dining room!" Poppy's loud voice echoed throughout the empty space as Ash's hopes of leaving quietly were erased.

"Okay Poppy. You go ahead and I'll meet you there, okay?" he prayed that she wouldn't look too closely at him and that she would do as he asked.

"Um, sure?" she said, not sure why her soulmate's cousin wouldn't be going straight to a meeting called by the head of the organization.

At that moment, Hannah walked into the room as well. Ash sighed. He would never be able to leave in peace!

"Poppy! Everyone is waiting on you! Hurry up!"

As Ash heard Poppy's footsteps leave the room, he slowly turned to face Hannah, worried about what she would say.

"Ash?" he cringed as she said his name.

"Yes?"

"Get Mary-Lynette back home and change her as fast as you can."

Hannah moved closer to him, gazing into his eyes. Her eyes were filled with compassion and worry.

"Please keep me informed of her progress if it isn't too much to ask." she pleaded, moving a piece of hair off Mary-Lynette's face.

"Of course." Ash managed to choke out. He was touched by Hannah's kindness. He knew he didn't deserve it - he had only come there to keep Mary-Lynette safe, and put the entire household in danger. She had no obligation to feel sorry for him, and yet, she did. Ash almost couldn't bear it. He had to get out of her sight - the pity in her eyes nearly choked him.

Excusing himself, Ash dashed out the door and to the waiting SUV. Mr. Carter was in the driver's seat and the engine was running. Ash didn't notice that he was being followed until he had set Mary-Lynette down within the vehicle. He turned around at the sound of a voice wishing him all the luck in the world and found that Hannah had followed him outside. She insisted on giving him a quick hug goodbye, saying that it was for luck. Once released, Ash climbed into the SUV and shut the door. Mr. Carter instantly began driving away from the mansion , leaving only Hannah standing out front waving goodbye.

The hug had surprised Ash immensely. He knew he had never been Hannah's favourite - he was certain that she had despised him in the past for leaving Mary-Lynette alone in Briar Creek for so long. The only possible solution he could think of was that her opinion of him had somehow changed. Assuming it had something to do with having brought Mary-Lynette to the mansion, he dismissed his other ideas of her pitying him for having to kill his own mother. Pleased that his little dreamer had made such an impression upon the Daybreakers, he refocussed his attention on her in an attempt to wake up his soulmate.

Ash was in agony for the entirety of the ride back to Briar Creek. Mary-Lynette woke up after a few hours, but she was obviously in pain. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, Ash could still feel it. He was certain that her parents could tell too, judging by their whispers in the front of the car. Only once Mary-Lynette fell asleep did he allow himself to sleep. After what felt like only a few short seconds, Ash felt a hand on his arm, gently shaking him awake. Opening his eyes just enough to see, he saw Claudine standing within the open car door looking at him.

"We back already?" he mumbled.

"Yes. Your sisters are in a car behind us waiting to drive you home so you can get some sleep."

"What about Mary-Lynette?"

"We'll get her inside; don't worry. Just go home and rest."

Ash mumbled a confirmation and slowly crawled out of the SUV. As he stepped out, he felt a rush of cool, nighttime air that woke him up enough that he walked to his sisters' car without incident and climbed into the back seat. Resting his head on the window, he closed his eyes briefly. He had stayed up for most of the first night of travelling, watching over Mary-Lynette. After that, he had slept fitfully until Mr. Carter requested that he drive. Complying with his requests, Ash drove until they reached a small gas station. Stopping to fill the tank with gas, Ash darted into the surrounding woods to hunt quickly before returning to the driver's seat. Mr. Carter eventually took over driving once again, and Ash returned to his soulmate. She was dead asleep, but seemed to sense his presence nonetheless and moved so that she was curled up against him. Kissing her forehead softly, Ash laid his head gently on top of hers and fell into a deep slumber.

Now that he was back at his own home, however, Ash was finding it difficult to sleep. Having walked sluggishly up the stairs to his room, he collapsed on the bed thinking that he would be asleep quickly. Closing his eyes, he could only think about Mary-Lynette and worry about her. He knew she would still be there in the morning, but whether or not she would survive the change into a vampire remained a mystery. After what felt like years, Ash finally drifted off to a sleep plagued by nightmares of his beloved soulmate dying from various causes - her heart, his sisters, his mother, Circle Daybreak, and not being strong enough to survive the change.

However, the worst nightmares were the ones where he was the one to kill his little dreamer

A/N: Hello my most wonderful readers! I apologize once again for taking so long to update! My school's musical consumed my life for these past few months and I have been trying to think of how I want to continue this story/finish it up within the next few chapters.
Incidentally, I've also decided that from this point forwards, I will respond to reviews via PM and leave authors notes at the bottom of the last few chapters since it makes it easier for people who don't read them to skip over them.
Anyhow, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to review and let me know what you think! It motivates me to write faster when I get an email telling me that someone has reviewed my story!

Happy Writing!