When I woke up, I was in a small hospital room with dim lights. I sat up in the bed I was in and stared at the machines that were monitoring my vitals. I sighed. I guess they were still trying to make sure I was stable. Using magic, I opened the curtains in the room to allow light to stream in. I squinted at the sudden light and then lay back down, staring at the ceiling.

After I had woken up a few days ago, I was under constant surveillance. Apparently, after my decision to give up on life, I had fallen unconscious and had stopped responding to the medications they were giving me. I was damn near close to death. But then Trey had volunteered to test out my theory for breaking the Blood Oath curse and something went wrong. Both of us, my father had told me, were dead for a good 10 minutes before we both woke up suddenly. To the team of doctors treating us and to everyone else, it had been a medical miracle. But I knew better. I hadn't told anyone that we were alive because I had broken the elemental curse. I didn't think anyone would believe me if I told them that I talked to the Original Witch and she told me that I was successful in breaking the curse. But I guess none of that mattered now. All that mattered now was that both Trey and I were alive and healthy. We just had to put up with the doctors for a few days before we were released from the hospital, hopefully for good.

I hadn't had the chance to speak to Trey after we both woke up because he was also being monitored, but in a separate room. I only knew that he was alive and well because of what everyone else had told me. My stomach would flip every time I thought of him. Was he still angry with me? Had he forgiven me? Did he hate me? Did he still love me?

I wanted to speak to him so badly, but I knew I had to be patient. I only hoped that when we did finally speak, that it would be like old times.

I heard a knock at my door and looked over as it opened. 

"Caley? You awake?" Gerrard asked, peaking his head inside. I smiled at him and he let out a breath of relief as he entered the room completely, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey," I said, grinning up at him as he came over and kissed the top of my head.

"Hey," he replied with a smile, sitting down on the chair next to my bed.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of hospitals," I said. He chuckled.

"I think they're almost done running tests. You should be released by tomorrow," he told me. 

"Thank Merlin," I replied with a dramatic sigh. He looked at me, a small smile on his lips. "What?" I asked.

"I just can't get over the fact that you're alive," he said. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Not this again," I mumbled.

"Seriously, Caley. You don't understand how incredibly stressful the past few months were," he said.

"I do understand, Gerr. But I don't want to think about that anymore. Because I'm better now," I said.

"I still can't believe your idea worked. It makes no sense. We hadn't even finished the transfusion when you both woke up again," he said. I shrugged.

"Don't doubt it. Just accept it," I responded. He shook his head. "So where is everyone else?" I asked.

"Out and about. Isobel went shopping with Abbey," he told me. I let out a laugh.

"No way!" I exclaimed. He chuckled and nodded. "How is Isobel handling that?" I asked.

"She's had to deal with worse," he replied. I laughed again.

"Is Kia still here?" I asked. He shook his head.

"She went back to Aerya this morning. She told me to tell you she said goodbye and that she'd see you soon," he said.

"I still can't believe she came all the way here to help me," I said.

"We were desperate," he replied. 

"I feel bad. She left and I didn't even get to thank her," I said.

"She'll be back," he said. 

"Where's my dad?" I asked. 

"He had some work to do at the university. But he said he'd stop by later tonight," he told me. "Speaking of which, I have some good news for you," he said.

"Ah, perfect. I'm desperate for some good news," I said. "What is it?" 

"So I've been talking to your dad a lot. I'm enrolling in classes at Trinity University," he said. I sat up in bed and clapped my hands together.

"Really?! Gerr, that's so great!" I exclaimed.

"I never got to attend university. Elijah never let me. I figured if I got a degree and an education, that I'd be able to get a job. I just want to put my past behind me and move on in the real world," he said.

"Gerr, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you," I said. He smiled. "And what about Isobel?" I asked.

"She's going to work with her mother at the diner. Their relationship is still strained, but I think this is her way of trying to mend things. I think it'll be good for her," Gerrard said. I nodded, sitting back in the bed.

"I'm glad things are starting to look up for everyone," I said with a small smile. 

"For you, too," Gerrard said.

"What?" I asked.

"Caley, I know you broke the elemental curse," he said.

"How?" 

"Well, when you woke up, the first thing you said was, 'it worked'. And there's no way you could have come back from the dead without magic being involved. You're getting your happily ever after, too," he said. 

"Wow, nothing gets past you," I said. He rolled his eyes. "As for my happily ever after, we'll see about that. I still haven't spoken to Trey yet," I added.

"You two will work things out. You have your whole lives ahead of you now," he said. 

"I just hope he doesn't still hate me," I said.

"Well, he risked his life to save yours. That counts for a lot. It might be a while before things get back to normal completely, but that's what relationships are supposed to be like. They're supposed to be tested so that they can get stronger. Perfection isn't as perfect as we make it out to be," Gerrard said.

"You need the bad to appreciate the good," I replied, remembering what Master Yoki had told me in Aerya. He nodded. 

"Exactly," he said. I smiled. 

"Ok. So tell me what else has been going on," I said.

                                                                                      ~*~*~*~*~

I had forgotten how good the sunshine felt on my skin. 

The doctors had finally released me from the hospital. My vitals were perfect. My blood was pure. I was finally healthy again.

"How does it feel?" my father asked from beside me. I glanced at him and smiled.

"I feel like I've been born again," I said. He smiled back and put his hand on my shoulder.

"In a way, you have," he replied. I put my arm around his waist, hugging him from the side. 

It felt good to walk in the sunlight outside of the Trinity hospital. My legs were aching from inactivity and my muscles were weak. I had lost a lot of strength in the past few months and I knew I was going to have to train again to get it back. But the good thing was, was that I had all the time in the world to do that. There was no more war, no more fighting, no more wretched curse that I had to break. Everything was back to normal and I was so excited for that ordinary life again.

"So Natalia insisted that we come over for dinner tonight to celebrate both you and Trey being out of the hospital. I told her I would ask you first. I'm not sure if you wanted to see Trey just yet or not," my father told me. 

I felt my stomach twist in anxiousness. On the one hand, I wanted nothing more than to see Trey and talk things out with him. But on the other, I was afraid. If he was still angry with me, I wasn't sure if I was ready to face him. When he was angry before, I had been so blinded by the pain from Elijah's curse. The loss of Trey had hurt immensely then, too, but I had been able to focus my pain on the burning in my veins. But now, I had nothing to focus on except what lay ahead. And once again, it seemed like my future was cloudy. 

But I knew that I had to face my problems some time. And if I wanted a happily ever after with Trey, then I needed to face them sooner rather than later. And so I swallowed my fears and told my father to tell Natalia that we'd be over for dinner. It was time to make things right.

~*~*~*~*~

I brushed my hands over the skirt of my dress as we waited at the door to Natalia's home. I felt my stomach twisting in knots and flipping over and over. I was nervous and my palms were sweating. I felt as if I were meeting Trey for the very first time. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think that it could be the exact opposite. I could have been meeting him for the last time.

Natalia opened the door and the aroma of savory food filled the summer evening air. She smiled at us and ushered us inside her home. I couldn't help but feel an emptiness in the home without Christopher's booming and cheerful voice. 

"I'm so glad you both could make it. Dinner is still being prepared, but we can sit and have a cocktail in the meantime," Natalia said, leading us to the drawing room. We sat down on one of the couches and Natalia and my father busied themselves with making the drinks. I sat quietly and fiddled with my dress, too anxious to speak. 

"So Caley, how are you feeling now?" Natalia asked, handing me a cocktail. I took a sip before answering.

"I'm feeling a lot better. I'm just glad to be out of the hospital finally," I said. She smiled.

"That's what Trey said, too," she said. "Speaking of which, I'll go get him. He's outside enjoying the weather. After being cooped up in a hospital room for so long, he just wants to be outside now," she told us. 

"Same here," I said. "I'll just go to him. Is he in the back?" I asked. She nodded. I stood and left the room to find Trey. I knew that when I saw him, it would be incredibly awkward and tense. The last thing I wanted was for my father and Natalia to be there to witness it. 

I found Trey in the garden in the back. He was standing on the little bridge that stretched over the small pond at the far end of the garden. He was leaning on the wooden railing, staring at the water below. I felt my breath get caught in my throat and I froze. 

It was almost like I was seeing him for the first time. Despite being a little pale, Trey looked devilishly handsome. He was wearing a charcoal suit with a grey shirt underneath that was unbuttoned at the top. His dark hair was slightly disheveled from the cool breeze. He had a pensive look on his face, his brow furrowed as if he was thinking about something in extreme concentration. 

He hadn't heard me come outside, so I moved quietly towards the bridge. As I neared, the sound of my heels on the rock pavement stirred his attention. He blinked and looked away from his staring competition with the water to look at me. His eyebrows rose slightly, as if he was surprised that I was there. I stopped at the end of the bridge and stared back at Trey. My hands clenched my dress into fists at my side. I could feel my palms sweating as I held my breath, my heart pounding in my chest, a faint ringing in my ears.

I could still feel the electricity when I was around him.

He blinked after a few moments and then turned back toward the water. I took this as a cue for me to join him on the bridge. Slowly, I moved forward and stood next to him, but not close to him. I felt goosebumps rise on my arms as I felt the buzz of the electricity between us grow stronger. I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest. I wished that I could swallow the lump in my throat to say something to him. But I couldn't do or say anything. It was like I was paralyzed. 

"How are you?" Trey asked, breaking the silence between us. His words were like a trigger to release me from my frozen state. 

"Glad to be out of the hospital," I replied. He chuckled lightly.

"Me, too," he said, his expression somber.

Silence fell between us once more. 

I hated this. I hated how awkward it was. I hated how we couldn't have a proper conversation. I hated that we were acting like complete strangers. I hated that we were pretending that nothing had happened. I hated all of it. So I opened my mouth to say something.

"Later," Trey said, not looking at me, but somehow knowing that I was about to say something.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"We'll talk later. After dinner," he clarified. "Mom's going to come out here any minute now and tell us that the food is ready. There's no point in starting a conversation right now," he said. I inhaled deeply and then let my breath out.

"Okay," I said, nodding. 

And sure enough, Natalia did come out a few minutes later telling us that dinner was ready. We went inside quietly. We didn't sit next to each other at the table. I sat by my father. Trey sat by Cole. Just like the first part of the night had been, dinner was incredibly awkward. Natalia and my father dominated the conversation. Natalia was talking about how she had taken up Christopher's position at the Trinity Government. My father was talking about how he was giving up his headmaster's position at Trinity High so that he could be a full time dean at the university. Cole even chimed in, telling us about his back to school preparations. Trey and I were the only silent ones.

After dinner, Trey and I walked back outside. There was a slight summer night chill in the air that made goosebumps rise on my skin. I crossed my arms over my chest to retain some warmth as we walked over to the wrought iron bench in the garden. We sat with considerable space between ourselves. I dug my nails into my skin. How was this going to go?

He didn't say anything. For a long while, we just sat in silence watching the fireflies dance around in the garden. As the minutes ticked by, I grew more and more anxious. I wanted to know where we stood. I wanted to know if he was still my fiancee. I wanted to know if he still loved me.

"Trey," I said, my voice quiet. 

"You want to know if I'm still mad at you or not," he said. I opened my mouth to say something, but instead, I just nodded. He let out a sigh. "I think a part of me is still angry with you for lying to me. But I understand now why you did what you did. I guess I just wish you had trusted me enough to tell me what you were doing," he said, looking at me. "We're supposed to be getting married soon, Caley. And relationships are supposed to be built on trust and understanding. But I feel like for the past two years, I've forgotten who the real you is. The girl that I fell in love with is different from the woman sitting next to me right now."

I felt the warm sting of tears in my eyes at his words. I should have known that it was going to be difficult. I should have known that he wouldn't just accept me back into his life so easily. I had hurt him and I needed to undo that pain before we went back to the way we used to be.

"I don't know what to say," I whispered. "I've apologized already and shown you how incredibly sorry I am for hurting you. But I couldn't tell you what I was doing because I knew you'd stop me. You would have never let me do the things I needed to do to figure out the countercurse. You would have never let me go dark. And if I hadn't lied and kept everything from you, you wouldn't have found it within yourself to save me like you had," I said. "Because even though you were so angry with me, you still chose to give up your life to save me. And that was an act of true love. It was a sacrifice that I needed you to make. It was a sacrifice that you wouldn't have been able to make if you had known all along," I said.

"I would have given up my life for yours regardless, Caley," he pointed out.

"But it wouldn't have been the same. You were able to see past your anger with me to save me. Even in your hatred, you loved me. If you had known, the sacrifice wouldn't have been the same," I said.

"How do you know it even worked?" he asked me.

"The sacrifice?" I asked. 

"Yeah. How do you know you broke the curse?" he asked. I chewed on my lip for a moment. I decided to tell him about my vision of the Original Witch, even though it was at the risk of sounding like a lunatic. 

"I had...a vision," I said. He raised an eyebrow. "I used to get them before, too. But they were like...memories that my mother had. I think I got them because they were supposed to warn me about things that were going to happen. Like when I took the Blood Oath, I had a vision before it happened of my mother taking it. I think it was like a warning to not take the oath. But I didn't understand the memory until I actually was living it. The Original Witch said that it happens when your life is intricately linked with another person's," I said.

"So how were you able to see the Original Witch, then?" he asked.

"Because I broke her curse," I said simply. 

"So she told you that it worked?" he asked. I nodded. 

"She told me that it was time for my happily ever after," I told him. "I don't have to be afraid to fall in love now. I don't have to be afraid that I'm going to die at any moment or that something horrible might happen to the people that I love because of who I am. I can be happy now," I said. I reached forward to touch his hands, but then pulled back hesitantly. "My life is good now, Trey. I'm on good terms with my father, I have friends that know everything about me now, and I'm finally healthy again. The only thing I need to complete my happiness is having you."

He furrowed his brows as he struggled with his thoughts. 

"Trey, I know things aren't going to be the same as they were before, but you were right. A relationship is supposed to be built on trust. And now that you know everything, you can trust me. Everything is out in the open now. And I'm willing to start over if you are," I said. I reached out and took his hands, not hesitating this time. He looked me in the eyes and I stared back, making out each of the different colors in his eyes. "I love you, Trey. I always will," I said softly.

He stared back at me for a long moment. I couldn't read his expression; I had no idea what he was thinking. It had been so long since we had spoken face to face like this. He was a stranger and he seemed so far away. But I was hoping and praying that he still loved me like I loved him.

After a long moment of silence, Trey broke his gaze and shook his head. I felt my stomach drop and my grip on his hands slackened. But then he looked up quickly and his hands were cupping my face on either side and before I knew it, his lips were on mine. 

I felt the long forgotten feeling of butterflies erupt in my stomach as his lips touched my own. The electricity around us heightened tenfold until I felt a dull aching in my stomach, longing for more. And even though it was a short and swift kiss, it was full of a longing that I had missed so dearly over the past year. And when he finally pulled away, his eyes were warm and he had a small smile on his face.

"I love you, too. And I always will," he told me. I felt a tear escape my eye and I threw my arms around him. He pulled me closer to him and I buried my face in his neck as I relaxed into his embrace. 

It seemed like the Original Witch was right. I was truly getting my happily ever after.

____________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Oh dear. It's been much too long since I last updated. I apologize. I got a full time job last month and I've been swamped with work and back-to-school preparations and shopping for my new apartment. This summer went by way too fast. I can't believe it's already August!

Anyway, the next chapter will be the epilogue and then this story and series will [finally] be over! It's bittersweet, but maybe after this, I can move on to other things. I might go on a writing hiatus for a while because school is starting back up again. But maybe if I ever have time to kill and inspiration strikes, I might pick up writing again. But for now, this series will be my last piece of writing for a while. As Caley's adventures end, so will my writing ones. At least for a little while.

I'd like to thank all of the people that have supported me since the very beginning and have stuck with me this whole way. I really wouldn't have had the courage to write this story if it hadn't been for your eagerness and support and kind words. I don't thank my fans enough, but I truly do appreciate you all. It hurts me that I don't have a lot of time to write anymore because life is just so busy. But it makes me happy that I have such a loyal bunch of fans. I hope that you all will stick with me even if I do disappear for a while. Writing is my passion and I can't leave it forever. I just hope you have the patience to understand that I need to deal with life first.

In the mean time...

XOXO