"All right we are here," said Ash quietly. "Now what are we going to do?"

"You'll go in alone like he wants and we'll be there if you need us, but it is mainly your fight," said Thierry.

Ash nodded and strode boldly to the warehouse door and flung it open calling out at the same time, "All right, I'm here now where's Maria," yelled Ash, into the dark warehouse.

A figure approached from the other side of the warehouse and Ash could see his evil grin even from here. "So Ash you came alone how very stupid of you," said Seth, his long blond hair hanging loose down his back. Seth gestured and four more vampires appeared two on each side of him.

"No of course not, I'm not that stupid," said Ash, calmly also gesturing. Thierry, Leigh and Nilsson appeared on one side while Delos and his soulmate Maggie appeared on the other. Actually, her name was Veronica, but she hated it so she went by her name in her past life.

"Ah so you brought company. You're not as stupid as I thought," said Seth.

"They're not here to fight unless it is necessary. They're just here to make sure you don't cheat," said Ash, calmly.

"Me cheat? Ash you wound me to the very core," said Seth. As he said this he threw something towards Ash's head.

"Ash look; out," cried Maggie, for she saw the move before anyone else. Ash fell to the ground letting the stake, which was what it was, whiz past him and end up hitting the wall on the opposite side of the warehouse, near the door.

As quick as lightning Ash was on his feet again and moving towards Seth.

"You don't cheat huh?" asked Ash, "what a laugh. You know I've been meaning to ask you why you hate me so much. What did I ever do to you?"

"What did you ever do to me?" asked Seth, in a voice full of anger and regret. "Because it is your fault I am like I am," Seth practically shouted it. All this time they had been steadily approaching each other and now they stood not more then a foot apart. "Everybody said you were the perfect vampire that you would make the council one day. They asked me why I couldn't be more like you, and then you started to change. Nobody knew why at first, but rumors were flying all over the place. One was that you had found your soulmate and she had changed you to such an extent that you wanted nothing more to do with the Night World, period. Certain night people were ordered to hunt you down and either; make you change back to your old ways or to kill you," Seth paused for a minute then continued. "I was one of those people and I was the only one that came back alive. Everybody called me a coward after that thinking I had run away and left the others to die, but the truth was that I just didn't have the guts to kill you or your soulmate at the time. But that all changed the day they threw me off the council, saying I was a coward. Then I began to hate you and was determined to kill you once and for all," Seth paused again, "But after over a century and half I still haven't succeeded, I figured it was time for me to die, permanently and I want you to kill me Ash."

The others who had been listening in rapt attention to this story gasped at this last sentence. "I won't kill you just because you want me to," said Ash, feeling truly shaken for maybe the first time since he had found his soulmate.

"Then your soulmate will die and I will make it my job to kill her every time she comes back in another life," said Seth, grinning. Thierry flinched after hearing that for Maya the first vampire ever had done that to his soulmate life after life. That particular statement hit a little to close to home.

"First prove to me that Maria is alive then I might consider it," said Ash, calmly, while inside he was shaking.

"She put up quite a fight," said Seth as he led Ash towards the back of the warehouse. "The only reason we got her was because she came outside. I think she was sleepwalking."

So that's what happened, Ash thought. She was sleepwalking and went outside not realizing the danger and Seth who was waiting for the perfect moment grabbed her.

Seth led Ash to a room at the back of the warehouse. When Ash stepped into the room and saw his soulmate, tied up and gagged he rushed to her side, checking for a pulse. He found one, but it was weak. "I need to get her to a hospital," said Ash, in a voice filled with pain and sorrow.

"Not until you do as I have requested Ash, beat me in a fair fight and kill me. It is the only way," said Seth. "My men have been ordered to let you go after you kill me."

Ash sighed and said, "I really don't want to do that." When Seth looked at him, raising an eyebrow Ash explained, "We might be enemies and you might have kidnapped my soulmate and it is true I'm tempted by you offer. . ." Ash paused and let the rest of the sentence hang in the air unfinished.

"But you won't do it," Seth finished for him. Ash shook his head sadly looking at his old enemy, not with contempt, but with pity. "Then I will force you," said Seth moving faster then the eye could follow he picked up Maria and put arm around her throat ready to crush her windpipe if Ash did not comply with his demands. Maria was only half-conscious, unaware of what was really going on. They had given some kind of drug that had just knocked her out. Ash's shoulders slumped in defeat and he nodded, sadly. "Why don't you join Circle Daybreak?" suggested Ash, in a last minute ditch effect to change Seth's mind.

"Me a damn Daybreaker?" asked Seth astonished. "I don't think so. Now let's get on with it shall we."

They both walked back into the main part of the warehouse and Ash walked over to Thierry and the others. "Maria's alive—although barely we need to get her to a hospital and soon. I also tried to talk Seth out of fighting, but he insists he wants an honorable death."

"Did you ask if he wanted to join Daybreak we could use someone like him," said Delos and Thierry nodded agreeing with him.

"Yes, I did and his exact words were me a damn Daybreaker I don't think so," said Ash repeating what Seth had said. "So I guess it's a fight. He said his men have been ordered to let Maria go after I kill him I don't know if they will follow it or not so you'd better watch out."

Ash turned and walked towards Seth slowly. Seth was waiting for him and they began to circle each other wearily. "Come on Seth there is more to live for then you may think," said Ash while still circling, waiting for Seth to make the first move.

"Like what?" Seth snarled.

"What about all the good times? The laughter, the fun?" asked Ash.

"What laughter? What fun?" Seth asked. "I've led a miserable few centuries."

"That's because you don't know how to have fun. You just have to learn how to take the good with the bad," said Ash. Finally, Seth made the first move and feinted towards Ash's left side, but then punched towards his right so fast you could barely see the fist as it moved. It was barely more then a blur.

Would Ash win? Delos wondered. He and Ash had never been that close, but they respected each other and Delos would hate to see him killed. Ash avoided the blow Seth threw his way although barely and threw a punch of his own at Seth's stomach. Seth avoided the blow and threw one of his own. And so it went for more then half an hour. Ash; throwing a punch then Seth throwing one while everybody just watched hoping for the best. One side hoping Seth would win the other hoping Ash would.

"Come on finish it," panted Seth, half an hour later.

Ash did not reply and threw a particularly mean uppercut towards Seth's jaw. It knocked Seth backwards, into a pile of boxes. "Finish it," ordered Seth weakly.

Ash looked down at his old enemy and shook his head, "No I will not kill you instead you will go on living wondering why I just didn't finish you off; when I had the chance."

"I will track you and your soulmate down and kill you and her both," threatened Seth, although still a bit weakly.

"You can try, but Maria and I are going to disappear to where no one can find us ever," said Ash.

"Damn you Ash Redfern, damn you," said Seth, angrily.

"No damn you, Seth. For you don't have the guts to go on living and put up with life. Instead you want me to kill you and get your suffering over with. Well, I won't do that I will make you go on living make you face the world and yourself. How you go from there is a choice I leave to you," said Ash as he calmly strode to the other room picked up Maria and walked back to the others. "Let's get out of here and get Maria to a hospital."

"That was a very brave thing you did leaving Seth alive," said Delos. "He could come after you, you know."

"I know, but when I gave up my old ways I gave up killing for no reason and killing Seth would be for no reason at all," said Ash, holding Maria in his arms as Nilsson drove towards the hospital.

Delos nodded in understanding and even agreeing with Ash, but it was still a very dangerous thing to do and it could come back to haunt him if he wasn't careful.

~~~A New Life~~~

A few minutes later Ash was pacing as the doctors looked over Maria. He didn't know if she would be okay or not, but he was praying she would be. "Quit pacing Ash you're gonna wear out the floor," said Leigh jokingly.

Before Ash could respond the doctor approached their group. "Ah Mr. Redfern my name is Ben Grievers. I am your friend's doctor," said Grievers shaking Ash's hand. Grievers was pretty young for a doctor not more then 30 or so, Ash noted. He had light brown hair, green eyes, was well-muscled and about 5 feet 11' inches tall. "If I may have a word with you in private, please," requested Grievers.

"Anything you have to say you can say in front of my friends," said Ash quietly, gesturing to where everybody was seated.

"As you wish," said the doctor. "Maria Cutler, is stabilized, but in a comma. If she comes out of it within the next 24 hours or so she will be okay if she doesn't well . . . Grievers left the rest of the sentence unfinished. He didn't have to say it if she didn't come out of it soon she would either die; or be in a coma forever.

"Can I see her doctor?" asked Ash quietly almost pleadingly.

"Well you really aren't family," said Grievers

"I'm the only one she has doctor her father was killed just recently by someone trying to rob her house," said Ash smoothly.

"All right, but you can only stay for a few minutes and your friends have got to stay out here," said Grievers, sternly. Somehow he felt as if the wool was being pulled over his eyes. Oh he believed that Ash Redfern was a close friend and therefore considered family, what he didn't believe was the fact that her father had been killed in a simple robbery. He didn't know why he was suspicious, maybe it was Redfern's smooth way of talking or maybe it was the fact that a large number of his friends were inhumanly handsome or maybe. . . No all these thoughts were just his imagination they had to be for they were leading him down a long dark corridor and he didn't want to go there. "This way," said Grievers to Ash.

Ash nodded and said to his friends, "I'll be right back." The others just nodded knowing this was Ash's moment. The doctor led Ash to a room and then left him alone. Ash entered and sat in the only chair the one by Maria's bed. "Oh Maria how could this happen," murmured Ash into her hair. "I have just found you again and this happens." He was almost crying by this point. "You've got to be okay, because I don't think I could survive another 60 or 70 years without you by my side," Ash's voice broke on the last word. Suddenly before he knew what was happening he was in her mind a place of darkness as well as light, of angles, curves and straight lines. At the moment it was more darkness then light. "Maria," he called telepathically. "Are you in here?"

No one answered him at first then he heard a weak voice crying. He traced the sound as best he could in the dark landscape. "Maria?" he called again. Suddenly the crying grew louder, seeming to come from all directions at once. Ash walked towards the sound trying to filter out the echoes her crying was causing. Finally, he saw her she was sitting in a circle of light while outside that circle was nothing but darkness and the circle of light was shrinking little by little. The circle of light was life and hope while the darkness was despair and death. If the light disappeared completely then Maria would be dead to him for another 60 or so years. He couldn't let that happen he had to save her, somehow.

"Maria, sweetheart it's time to go back," said Ash.

Maria looked up and saw Ash and stopped crying for a minute. "Where are we Ash?" asked Maria, looking around in confusion at her surroundings.

"We're inside your mind. Right now you are laying in a hospital bed in a coma," said Ash. "We have got to go back the doctor says if you don't come out of it soon you could die," said Ash, his voice heavy with sadness and despair.

"Then leave me to die I have nothing left to live for," said Maria. "My father is dead and with him gone I might as well die to." As she said this her circle of light shrunk about a foot. Maria was letting despair take over. Every time she said something negative the circle of light shrank. Once it was all gone she was doomed.

"Maria, you have me, Lynn and Circle Daybreak. All of us will help you get through this, but you have to come back in order for us to help you. I love you, I adore you and I don't think I could live another 60 years without you by my side."

At his words the circle of light began to spread again and Ash took that as a positive sign. "Please, Maria, just take my hand and I will help you out of here," said Ash. Maria rose slowly and reached for his hand tentatively at first then with greater strength. Just as they were about to touch the darkness began to close in on them. It was like the darkness was alive and determined not to let Maria escape. Ash grabbed her hand just before the darkness swallowed up the rest of the light and before they even realized it they were back in there own bodies.

Ash looked up with a start and looked at Maria's slack face. Was it his imagination or had Maria's eyes blinked? He looked again and gave a whoop of joy as Maria opened her eyes and yawned as if she had just awoken from a long nap.

Grievers came in just then and was about to tell Ash he had overstayed when he saw Maria was awake. He came forward and Ash stepped out of the way to let the doctor do his work. "It's a miracle," said Grievers, just shaking his head in astonishment. "I really didn't expect her to come out of it at all and certainly not this soon in any case," he muttered to himself. Ash looked at his watch and was astonished to see it had only been a couple of hours at most.

"Will she be okay doctor?" asked Ash.

Grievers turned his way in astonishment not even having realized that Ash was still there. "Yes, I do believe she will be okay, but I want her to stay here for the next 24 hours at least, for observation," said Grievers and Ash nodded, "And I want you to go home and get some rest," said Grievers "I don't want to see you again till regular visiting hours got it?"

"Yes sir," said Ash humbly and left with Grievers watching him go.

"So how is she Ash?" asked Nilsson quietly before anybody else could speak up.

"She's going to be okay," said Ash. "She woke up while I was in there." There was a hidden meaning behind his words, but his expression warned then not to ask till they had a bit more privacy. "She's supposed to be released tomorrow. The doctor wants to keep her here for observation overnight."

"Thank goodness for small favors," said Thierry.

"Yeah," said Ash suddenly looking tired.

"One of us at least needs to stay here and watch over Maria just in case Seth tries something again," said Thierry suddenly all business. "And no not you Ash," said Thierry, when Ash was about to speak up. "You need to go to the safe house and get some sleep."

Ash didn't protest and just nodded. For suddenly he was so tired, so emotionally drained that he could barely keep his eyes open. He would have to trust someone else to protect Maria at least for a few hours. "I'll stay," said Thierry.

"And I will to," said Leigh. Thierry looked like he was about to protest, but Leigh just gave him that look and he shut up. He knew better then to argue when he got the look that said I'm-staying-so-don't-even-think-about-protesting.

"The rest of you need to head back to the safe house and get some sleep and come and relieve us in six hours," said Thierry. The others turned to leave and left Leigh and Thierry alone together sitting on a hospital couch.

~~~A New Life~~~

The next day Maria was released as promised and Ash was there to pick her up. Luckily, nothing had happened the night before at the hospital and all had been peace and quiet. Maria was feeling a lot better, but was glad to get out of the hospital. Maria had been extra quiet on the way back to the safe house and Ash glanced at her every few minutes worriedly.

"Ash," said Maria, so Quietly Ash had to strain to hear her.

"Yeah?" asked Ash keeping his eyes on the road.

"I think I want to join Circle Daybreak," said Maria.

"You're sure?" asked Ash.

"Yes, I want to stop the kind of injustices that have happened to me from happening to other people," explained Maria, quietly.

Ash looked at her, a silent tear sliding down his cheek. He was so proud of her. Maria seeing the tear wiped it away and kissed him on the cheek.

~~~A New Life~~~

One month later

Ash and Maria were staying with Thierry until they could find a place of their own. They didn't want to overstay their welcome, but Thierry insisted they were welcome to stay as long as they liked.

"Maria," Ash said when he saw her in the hallway, "you have someone waiting to see you in the den."

Maria raised and eyebrow wondering whom in the world it could be for she didn't know very many people in Las Vegas. She entered the den and saw a long blond haired girl facing away from her. Suddenly the girl turned and Maria gasped. Before she knew it she was running forward and she and Lynn were hugging each other. For that was who it was Lynn her dear friend of many years. Ash smiled and then closed the door to give the two some privacy. "What are you doing here Lynn?" asked Maria, as they both sat down on the couch.

"Why to see you of course," said Lynn, smiling.

"But how did you find out where I was?" asked Maria still puzzled.

"Ash invited me down here he said you were moping around and he thought a visit from me might cheer you up."

"I'll have to thank Ash later," said Maria. "So how long are you staying for?"

"Forever," said Lynn. "I joined Circle Daybreak and the witches in the circle are trying to help me learn how to control my powers."

"That's great," said Maria, hugging her friend again.

"You knew I was a lost witch didn't you?" asked Lynn quietly.

Maria sighed then said, "Not at first no, it wasn't until I got my memory back that it kind of all clicked into place."

"I also found my soulmate," said Lynn. Tim and her; had absolved their differences and now they were inseparable as two people can possibly be.

"That's great," Maria exclaimed. "So when do I get to meet him?" asked Maria.

"Right now he wouldn't let me come unless he came with me," said Lynn. "He's so overprotective of me," said Lynn.

"Well so is Ash," said Maria. "I think all soulmate couples are like that, because the pain of losing your soulmate is nearly unbearable. I've even heard of some cases where people who lose their soulmate especially violently go insane and have to be put in a home, where people can keep an eye on them twenty-four hours a day so they don't kill themselves."

Lynn shuddered and said, "What a horrible thought. I hope that never happens to me or Tim."

"Me to," said Maria.

They were both silent for a moment then Lynn called, Tim's name, "Tim come in here for a moment please." At first nothing happened then the door to the den slowly opened to admit a man with long, shaggy brown hair and brown eyes with hints of silver. He was well muscled, but also lean. He was a werewolf Maria realized. She could tell because of the ring he wore on his right had. It was all gold with a black foxglove on top. It was used as a kind of family crest or seal.

"Nice to meet you Tim," said Maria, shaking his hand.

"You to Maria, Lynn; has told me a lot about you," said Tim.

"All good I hope," said Maria, jokingly.

"Of course all good," Lynn said, before Tim could answer. Tim looked at Lynn lovingly then sat down beside her, holding her hand. They talked for a long time and Maria was glad to see Lynn so happy. It wasn't that she hadn't been happy before, but she was much happier now. She and Lynn had both found their soulmates in the same month. How lucky was that? Now Lynn and her would both have years to be happy. To have their soulmates by their sides always until the day they died. Hopefully though there would be many more lives for both of them, but even a witch could not tell that far into the future. So they all would just have to take their chances and hope for the best, but isn't that what life was all about? This was not the end, but only the beginning for all of them.

The End