Chapter 29

Through the sliver she made with her now-open eyes, light filtered in. It wasn't the harsh artificial light of a hospital, morgue, or even the yellow light of her room. Mary-Lynette found herself in her room with light filtering in through the half-open window. It was very soft, and she assumed it was still very early in the morning. However, she found herself unable to get back to sleep. As she stood up and looked out her window, the familiar pain in her chest returned. With a gasp, she slid to the floor, keeping her back against the wall for support. She know how long she sat against the wall, gasping for air, before she heard a knock at the door. When she tried to tell the person to come in, Mary-Lynette found herself barely able to speak.

"Come in!" she managed to choke out.

The door creaked open, and she watched as her blonde-headed angel peered through the door. Not seeing her in her bed, he looked around the room and saw her leaning against the wall.

Mary-Lynette!

Ash? What are you doing here?

I came to see you - I couldn't wait anymore. We have to change you soon!

I know. I'm scared though. You'll be here the whole time, right?

Of course! And your family too!

Ash wrapped Mary-Lynette in him arms, trying to show her precisely how much he cared for her and wanted to protect her.

"I'll go get your family." he said aloud after a few moments.

As Ash left the room, Mary-Lynette slowly tried to crawl over to her bed. After a few painful minutes, she was seated on the mess of blankets. Voices drifted in from the hall as the door opened wide, revealing a worried-looking Carter family. They instantly crowded around her bed, fearful of what was to come. Mary-Lynette could sense Ash's presence just beyond the door, understanding that he wanted to give her a few minutes with her family.

"I'm not dying yet" she joked feebly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Mare, that wasn't really funny," Mark began quietly. "But can you promise me something?"

"I can try."

"Kay, well can you just promise me that you won't let this change you too much? Just make sure you're still yourself after all of this. And that you'll still come visit us."

"Oh Mark! Of course!" Mary-Lynette saw that her brother was close to tears with the stress of her situation and reached out to hug him tightly.

Claudine was next:

"Sweetie," she said, holding Mary-Lynette's hand gently. "Please just promise me that you and Ash will look out for each other. And come visit us whenever you can."

Letting go of her hand, Claudine embraced her frail-looking daughter before going to stand beside Mark by the foot of the bed. Finally, Mr. Carter stepped forward and looked at his daughter. The sadness in his eyes brought Mary-Lynette to tears. She held out her arms and he complied, wrapping her in a hug.

"Dad," she began quietly, trying to choke back tears. "I love you so much! I always have and I always will! Please don't ever forget about me…"

"Mary-Lynette, do you think that I would ever be able to forget about you? You and your brother are the best things that have ever happened to me. I promise to keep in touch, so long as you swear to do the same."

"Anything!" Mary-Lynette exclaimed, pulling her Dad closer as Ash reappeared in the doorway.

"I hate to interrupt, but I'd rather do this sooner than later if that's okay with you…" Ash said.

Mr. Carter pulled back from hugging his daughter, saying "Of course!"

Moving back to allow the teen to move alongside the bed, he allowed his hand to brush his daughter's cheek one last time while she was still human. As Ash reached the bed, he sat down on the edge before giving Mr. Carter a look that clearly asked, "May I?" Mr. Carter nodded, and Ash slid onto the bed fully so he was seated beside Mary-Lynette with his back against the headboard. Turning around so he was facing his soulmate and so that he was not being supported by the headboard, Ash looked deeply into her brown eyes.

"Are you ready for this?" he questioned.

Mary-Lynette just nodded slowly. As confident as the action appeared, Ash knew that inside, she was just as scared as he was - perhaps even mores. Despite his qualms about changing her, he had no other choice. It was this or death. Tucking a stray tuft of hair behind her ear, he leaned in and slowly kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, and finally her neck. Then, in the spot where his lips had been only a second before, he sunk his teeth into the soft flesh, feeling the soft material give way to the points of his teeth and permitting him access to the sweet blood running below. As soon as he felt the blood running down his throat, Ash felt a spark of familiarity and peace - he was doing the right thing by saving Mary-Lynnette, no matter what anyone else thought.

Their minds connected, making them one - fire and ice together again at last.

I hate to break it to you, but this will probably be the last time we'll be together like this…

Ash's voice resonated in her mind, causing Mary-Lynette to panic at his words.

Before you freak out, let me explain: Vampires don't share blood so I only mean that we won't be as close to being one as we are now. Vampire telepathy is an improvement upon yours though, so we'll be able to come close.

Mary-Lynette smiled at how well her golden-haired soulmate knew her. Despite the fact that her death was a very real possibility and her family's watching eyes, she couldn't keep the smile off her face as her hand absentmindedly fiddled with Ash's hair. All too soon, she felt Ash pulling away. Barely resisting the urge to moan and hold him closer to her, encouraging him to keep drinking, Mary-Lynette relinquished her hold on him.

"Your turn now" he said, his voice rough.

Not knowing what to say and feeling indescribably frightened, Mary-Lynette simply nodded. Ash drew his nail along the base of his neck, a red line following his finger. Making sure she didn't look up at her watching family for fear that she would be overwhelmed her fear, she leaned forward so her lips rested on Ash's neck and started drinking that blood that still seemed to taste as old as the stars.

As Mary-Lynette drank from her soulmate, she found herself becoming more and more tired. Ash eventually pulled her head away from his neck, laying her down on the bed.

Sleep now. Do not wake up until I tell you to, okay? I love you.

Ash's voice resonated throughout her mind and in her ears, reassuring her and keeping her calm. Feeling a slight pressure on her forehead, Mary-Lynette drifted off to sleep.

The Carters watched as Mary-Lynette was lowered to the pillows by Ash, who placed a kiss on her forehead after speaking to her in a low yet clear voice. After a moment, he turned towards them with a grave look on his face.

"Mary-Lynette will sleep for a few days while she changes, but she might look like she's dead."

Mr. Carter simply nodded while the remainder of the family looked too shocked to speak. They simply watched in horror as Mary-Lynette's skin turned pale and the movement of her chest ceased. Wanting to break the silence that was falling upon the group, Ash finally spoke.

"I'm going to take her to my sisters' house until she completes the change. We will hopefully come by once she has adjusted to being a vampire…"

He trailed off into silence as the gazes of his soulmate's family fell to the floor. He had just killed their daughter. Even though they gave him permission to do so, they must have thought him a monster. Thinking about it, he was a monster. He had just condemned his soulmate, the one girl who he had sworn to protect with his life, to an eternity of being a monster too. Unable to stand the gazes of the Carter family any longer, Ash gathered Mary-Lynette into his arms and carried the relatively short distance to the farmhouse, placing her on his bed, praying that she would forgive him for essentially stealing her life from her. Regardless of the fact that she agreed to be a vampy, Ash was still worried that she had felt obligated to become one, and that she wouldn't have made the decision if it weren't for her heart.

Shaking himself suddenly, Ash realized that he was overreacting - his Mare had chosen to become a vampire because she wanted to live. She didn't see it as a death, but rather as a new chance at living. Reminding himself that she would have been dead - but for real - had she chosen differently, he pulled a chair up to the side of the bed, taking Mary-Lynette's hand.

Goddess, let her make it through this, he thought as he watched the pale form of his beloved, prepared to stay by her side until the change was complete.

A/N: I don't like this chapter. I really don't like this chapter. However, due to high school and my first year of university I haven't exactly been amazing at updating... I'm pretty sure I started this chapter waaaaay back in grade 11 after I last updated. Oops... Regardless, I decided that I should update now and at least get something up online and then hopefully I'll feel more motivated to write the final chapter? I mean, I've got a couple ideas floating around, so hopefully I'll be able to pull them all together before the end of summer? If you're still reading this, I am flattered and rather impressed.
Thank you for sticking with me and not giving up on this story!
It feels good to be back to writing and not just lurking!