Part Nineteen:
 

Rating: PG
 

Mary-Lynnette had forgotten what it was like to be in someone else’s mind.

She looked around, dazzled and amazed. She remembered what Ash’s mind had looked like a year ago…and it wasn’t this.

There had been colors – brilliant colors, like being inside of a prism. The colors were still there, changing – like Ash’s eyes – as they swirled around her, making her feel warm and giddy.

Mary-Lynnette searched for the dark parts that represented the darker side of him, and the things he’d done in his past – the things she had sent him away to remedy – and found they were almost non-existent, save for the shadows at the furthest recesses of his mind.

I’ve been a veritable angel this past year, Ash said, coming up behind her. He had been standing back, allowing her unrestricted access to his mind. She could feel the truth in his words – and see the result of it.

It’s so much brighter in here, Mary-Lynnette told him. She turned to Ash. Do you really need to make me a vampire?

Ash stiffened, and his real body paused for a moment in drinking her blood.

Yes, he said sadly. In his mind he held open his arms to her. Please understand, he begged. There can be no other way.

Do you love me? Mary-Lynnette suddenly needed to be reassured. The only thing she’d ever done was cause him trouble and pain.

More than life itself.

She walked into his embrace.

And you are no trouble at all, he whispered into her hair. The words seemed to float around her, holding her and comforting her as he was doing. She’d forgotten that when they were in each other’s minds even the most private thoughts could be heard.

What about the pain? she asked, already knowing the answer.

Well, you know I can’t lie to you here, Mary-Lynnette… Ash replied, and suddenly she could feel all the pain she’d caused him in the past year. He’d been absolutely miserable – because of her. But now it was like all that had never happened, because she could feel his joy at being here with her.

You’ve changed, Ash, she said wonderingly.

You’ve killed me, and through you I have been reborn, he told her.

Mary-Lynnette smiled at him, then noticed that there was something underlying all the grief, something bright and shining – a single source of happiness.

What is that, Ash? she inquired.

I’ll show you, he replied, and a picture unfolded before her – a memory. It was like watching a home movie.

There was a girl. Mary-Lynnette recognized her as the girl who’d saved her. Suddenly she knew that the girl’s name was Arianna, and that she was an old friend of Ash’s. She could see the girl sitting on a couch watching TV. Ash sat beside her. In the scene before her Ash picked up the remote control and changed the channel. The girl shrieked.

“Damn you, Ash!” Mary-Lynnette heard the girl yell. “Give that back!”

“What if I don’t want to?” the Ash in the memory taunted. He held the control out of Arianna’s reach. Arianna glared at him, then threw herself across his lap in an attempt to regain possession of the remote. Ash laughed and stood up. Arianna tumbled to the floor of the room the memory was taking place in. She sat up and  growled, then tackled Ash, knocking him to the floor. Ash flipped her off of him, and pinned her to the rug. He grinned, baring his teeth. The girl growled again and freed herself. She went for Ash’s neck. He caught her wrists and held her, laughing as she struggled.

Someone new entered the room. Another boy stood in the doorway. Mary-Lynnette knew this was  Gabriel, Arianna’s soulmate. The boy gave them both a disgusted look.

“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded. Then he shook his head. “No, never mind. I don’t care.” He turned and left.

In the scene Ash and Arianna looked at each other. Ash released her wrists and they both returned to the sofa to continue watching television as if nothing had happened.

The picture became distorted and the memory faded into the swirling colors around it. Mary-Lynnette turned to Ash. Who is she? she asked. To you, I mean.

That’s what you’re going to find out once we get back, he told her. She’s going to tell you everything she knows about me. And let me tell you, that’s more than anybody else knows. Ash took her hand. I’m going to stop drinking now, he said. Then you’ll drink from me. In case you don’t remember, you’ll be very weak after this. We’ll do the second exchange back at the house. Okay?

Mary-Lynnette nodded. Does it matter that Kestrel fed from me this afternoon? she asked.

Ash’s eyes became huge. What? Why didn’t you say anything? Oh, man— He stopped drinking abruptly and they were pulled out of each other’s minds. Mary-Lynnette’s vision was blurred for a second, but then Ash’s horrified face came into focus. His fangs were still extended and there was blood smeared on his lips. The healthy glow emanating from him didn’t fit in with his expression.

“Ari,” he called. “I think we have a slight problem here.”

“What do you mean we have a problem?” Arianna demanded as she approached Ash. He was still holding Mary-Lynnette in his arms.

Kestrel fed from her today, he sent. And I just took a lot more than I probably should have. She’s going to need a lot of blood to balance this out. It should work, though…right?

Yes, it’s going to work, Ash, Arianna assured him, hoping against hope that she wasn’t lying. Just hurry up and give her your blood. Here – I’ll cut you. She pulled a wooden knife from her boot.

“Tilt your head back,” she told him. Arianna crouched beside him and placed a hand behind his head to keep it steady. She could feel the tense muscles in his neck. “Relax, Ash. I’ve slit people’s throats before.”

“But that’s not what you’re doing now,” he said. “You’re just making a cut so she can drink.”

“Oh, that’s right. Good thing you reminded me. It could’ve been messy.” Arianna grinned and positioned the knife.

“You know how hard it is for vampires to put themselves in the weaker position,” he told her.

“Ash, that’s not only a vampire trait.” She carefully made a cut at the base of his neck.

“How would I know?” he asked, wincing. “I’ve never been anything else.”

“No, you haven’t,” Arianna agreed. “And it’s obvious. Only someone as closed-minded as a lamia would ever say some of things you say. But we’ll discuss this later. For now save your girlfriend.” Arianna stood up and returned to Gabriel.

“What do we do about him?” Gabriel asked, gesturing with his foot to the unconscious drunk who lay face down in the grass.

“That guy’s been lying there since part sixteen of this story,” Arianna commented. “But I know what we’ll do with him. I think you’ll like it.”

Gabriel gave her one of his trademark smiles – the ones that disturbed people who couldn’t handle them. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours? Something devious and brilliant, no doubt.”

Arianna grinned back at him. “When was the last time we set fire to something major? And watching someone else do it doesn’t count. We’ve done that lots of times.”

“The last time we ourselves burnt something?” Gabriel thought a moment. “I guess about a year ago, when we sent that huge purple house to the blazing fires of Hell.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought…” Arianna chewed her lip. “Let me work out the details…”

Gabriel took her hand and pulled her closer to him. “What’s the plan, babe?”

A huge smile broke out over her features and her face lit up. “I’ve got it!” she exclaimed. She mentally explained her idea, so that Gabriel would also be able to visualize it. He grinned when she was done, and pulled out his cigarette lighter. He didn’t smoke – Arianna wouldn’t go near him if he did, and that would be horrible – but he carried one anyway. He flicked the safety latch and struck it with his thumb. The blue flame shot upward. Gabriel’s eyes caught the light, turning them silver, and the yellow flecks in Arianna’s own brown ones sparkled as she smiled. “This is where the fun starts,” she said.

“Let the party begin.”

They both grinned devilishly at the unconscious man before them.