New Starts 4

Erik held Meghan to him as she cried, even as he said, "We are here, baby girl. Maddox is here. He found a lifemate but she is unwell right now. Landon brought his lifemate. You have two new sisters. And Lucy..."

"Are you better now?" Lucy asked, tears falling. "Can you come back home with us now?"

"Lucy, enough," said Landon. "Annabelle, please, tell us what you want us to know. It must be difficult to talk to us like this."

"im sorry......i used a spell to give thomas the last bit of me i had...it wont last long...soon it will merge with the rest of me" She said looking at all of them "Im sorry i left you this way...i tried so hard but i know it was me or you guys and that was a easy choice" She said with a strained smile "Im not in pain anymore so dont feel bad...i help a lot of people escape my life was used well i dont regret it" She said "but i know you all to well......so please stop feeling guilty or sad, mourn me and live well...i died in that place but I died as a daratrananoff " She said with pride in her tone

"I am proud of you, Annabelle, my gentle angel," said Erik.

"You were the best of us," said Landon.

"I will miss you deeply," Maddox said aloud.

Lucy, however, was not accepting of it and said, "Why? Why must I lose you? We are twins. We are supposed to stay together. You were supposed to find a lifemate and have children." She looked at her sister, tears flowing in rivers. "I shouldn't have left you. I should have protected you. Anna, don't go. I need you."

She smiled at Lucy "As my twin I live on through you...so you better live a good life or ill kick your but when you join my with our ancestors " She said in a uneven tone "my bracelet is under the oak tree that we played on as kids" She said "its yours now" she said and then looked at the rest of them "landon....your not the dark one like you think....gregori wasnt the dark one because he was evil he was the dark one because he faced darkness that others were to scared of, he was the light no darkness could stand" She said with a smile "so stop trying to be something your not, your a good man Landon" she said and then turned to maddox "ive missed you so much....." she said unable to hide the pain in her eyes "your power is not a curse brother....you are the best of us, you got moms heart....you got this power for a reason because you are the only one who is kind hearted enough to use it" She said in a serious tone "stop doubting yourself and let me hear your voice one last time" she said as tears ran down her face

"Annabelle, you are the best of us," he said, wishing he could hug her. "You found light even in the darkest times. Everything you did brought joy to someone. You deserved a much better fate than this. I will miss you so much. When my ability was weighing me down, you always came to make me laugh and feel better. I will never forget that."

She smiled "you always were a ugly crier for such a handsome man" She said in a teasing tone. She took a deep breath and looked at her parents "Im sorry i am making you feel a lost of a child......ive failed you in that way, but please know there was nothing you could have done to change my fate, the moment my mind started to go i severed my connections so you could not find me" She said in a low tone "but because i had you two for parents i died on my own terms and i made them suffer way more then i did" She said through clenched teeth "i marked every single one of them so they will remember me even in afterlife" She said in a dark tone "its our family symbol so if you see it you will know...that they.....deserve to die" She said in a uncomfortable tone as she started to move like she was uncomfortable "i love you both and your what kept me strong i heard your voices in the darkness, guiding me..." She said and they all saw her skin start to pale and her presence grew weak "

"I will hunt for them," said Erik. "They will learn what it means to touch a Daratrazanoff woman."

"Maddox and I will look for them when we can as well," said Landon.

"May we meet in the next world," Maddox said.

"Annabelle," Lucy said. "Is there any way we can keep you with us? It feels like I'm losing the best part of myself."

"your not losing me.....i left to you all one last thing and she needs you more then i do" She said in a sad tone "I named her Serendipity....she should be a year old now" She said and they saw the heartbreaking look on her face "she has my necklace...i snuck her out and left her in a near by town on church steps...they cant step on holy ground...lucy i want you to raise her i know mom and dad wish to greet the dawn soon i want them to be able to rest and i know you will love her she is a fighter" She said looking sick

Meghan suddenly stood up and before anyone could stop her she hugged her and thomas both so she did not take her from his arms "its ok to rest now...your safe...you made it back to us" she said and the room filled with a comforting warmth though erik knew megahns heart was breaking

Erik went to Meghan and pried her arms off their daughter as he said, "Mon amour, I know this is hard. We got to say goodbye as no other parent could. It does not make it easier but it is comforting." He looked at Annabelle. "We will see you soon, gentle heart. Wait for us."

"I will find my niece," said Lucy. "She will know you. I swear it. I'll train her to defend herself so you can have peace of mind in the next world. She will have many sisters among the Slayers, but she will know gentleness too."

She nodded and looked at all of them "I love you all and you better not come see me anytime soon...i want lifetimes of stories when you finally come" She said and they saw sweat start to form on her body "I happy.........i can finally....rest" She said and they felt her presence vanish as her head dropped down. Thomas moved her so her head was resting on his chest. He looked pale and sick just like she did, he didn't say anything, he just held her and leaned his head back

Erik said, "Thank you, Thomas. I know that must have been hard on you. I offer freely. Feed from me and regain your strength."

And from me, Maddox offered.

"And I," said Landon.

"I will provide as well," said Lucy. "You are family now."

"I cant.....i am grateful for your offers but" He took a breath "i just cant i will be fine i am just not use to magic....i have been carrying her for so long i feel i am missing something" He said and even though his eyes were closed they could see a tear escape his eyes "you should have seen her...no matter how much they beat her she never bowed...she never stopped protecting others....I would have followed her anywhere...a useless man i am...i am unworthy of the blood that runs through my veins" He said in a low tone "I am sorry.....I am unfit to even hold her....i should have fought harder....Even as i was compelled to..... i can still see her face...... she talked to me...tried to sooth me" He said and a dark presence started to fill the area coming from him "why didnt she brand me like the others" He said looking at them finally, his eyes turning dark "you should kill me...i hurt her too...the child is half of me...the made me" he said looking devastated and angry "no.....i should have fought harder," he said and stood up with her in his arms, he set her down near victoria, Annabelle's head rested in her lap and he turned to Annabelle's family "I am close to turning anyways....i deserve to die for my wrong doings and weakness " he said dropping to his knees in front of them. Victoria started to protect but Jacob stopped her.

"Thomas, you were not in control of yourself," said Erik. "I do not sense that you are close to turning. That means your woman could be nearby. Go to her when you feel ready."

Lucy said, "It would dishonor Annabelle's memory if we destroyed you for what was out of your control. You are still young. You have room for growth. Just as Jacob and Victoria are young and will grow. Besides, the child will need you in her life. It is the least you can do, as a friend if nothing else."

"i will not claim my lifemate in this life and i will never go near anna's child...if you will not kill me then i will remain by annas side as retribution until her time comes and when it does i will go with her" he said "thank you for your time " he said and stood up. He picked anna up just as she woke up, her eyes empty once more "she is hungry i will go feed her, excuse me" He said still keeping his head down

Erik took his shoulder in his hand as he said, "I know. Your heart gets ripped from your chest each time she looks at you with that distant, vacant look. Your soul feels like it shatters over and over when she reaches for you, or when she looks at you in confusion. You want to help her rebuild, but how can you rebuild them when it feels as if pieces have gone missing from yourself. You question your own strength, if you could have fought harder or done more. The truth is, Annabelle comforted you during that time because she cared for you. They wanted to break her farther by using you against her, but it broke you instead. She would not want you to miss out on your happiness because you couldn't fight back against master vampires and a skilled witch. You are only 100, Thomas. You can not expect yourself to have the strength of an ancient. Look at the woman in your arms. Remember the woman that lived before. Would either of them want you to die with them? I do not believe so. They would want you to be with your woman, as you should be. Your woman will make you see the pain in a new light," he looked at Meghan, "just like my woman did for me." He looked back at Thomas. "It sounds hollow, or too good to be true now, but trust one who lived through his mate breaking and feels the guilt you carry. Your lifemate makes everything, even the blackest parts of your soul, beautiful."

He didn't look up "your lifemate is standing right there....she healed, i am caring a empty shell, I was her breaking, she vanished after that and became what she is now, we are not the same, no matter the age i am or even if I was compelled, it shouldn't have happened , she does not need me....i am still hurting her even now because.....she should have greeted the dawn the moment she became like this but i....." Erik felt him shake under his hand "I need her.....everyday i hope for something that will never happen and its not from guilt...i know she is not my lifemate but i loved her anyway....she was worth loving" He said "i owe it to her to love her until the end of my days even though i dont deserve too, whatever she needs of my i will provide even if it means death, if she is angry at someone ill be angry at them too , of she is scared ill comfort her, if she wishes to drain me dry i wont stop her" He said almost like it was a vow "my life is hers to make up for the one i took" he said finally lifting his head and looking at erik "my lifemate doesnt deserve men this lifetime and neither does that child.....my body and soul are not my own anymore, i made a vow to anna and i will not fail her again" he said with a serious tone

"It is fine to love her," said Erik. "And caring for her is admirable. But to not try to find your lifemate, that is a disservice to her. She trusted you to hold what was left of her until it was time to let us talk to her. She knew you had a future. She had been broken before you arrived in that hell. Besides, one thing I know about Annabelle, shell or not, she gives. If you need her, she will live because that is who she is, what her instincts tell her. It has always been that way. She was in the monastery, not because she wanted to be there, but because she was needed by the ancients ready to go to the next world. So ask yourself, would she want you to die or to find the woman that can heal you?"

He was silent for a moment until anna started to stir in his arms "I.....need to go" He said pushing past them all and leaving the room. Victoria sighed and stood up "we will leave you all to mourn...Im sorry for your loss, i will accompany her too for as long as she wants me too" She said in a sincere tone "if im not near she panics so please excuse me" she said and left quickly with Jacob following behind her.

"As your mother and your lifemate I am taking control here....." megahn said and they felt the air change around them, filling them with strength and warmth "tomorrow night we are going to go get are lost family member, and anyone who stand in out way will find out how deep the daratranzanoff blood runs through our veins as we drain theirs" She said in a strong tone " we will not lose anyone else , is that clear?"

Erik smiled and said, "Of course, my little warrior queen. Let's go get our granddaughter."

She looked at her children "go rest tonight and go be with your lifemates for tomorrow we go hunting" SHe said and grabbed erik hand. She saw the fire in her children's eyes as they left and it filled her with pride, when they were gone she flung herself in Erik's arms and cried out into his chest, all the pain and emptions she was holding in came flooding out

He held her to him, both sharing the pain and both wanting to wake from the nightmare. Just before dawn, he put them both in the ground.