Minutes turned to hours. Hours bled into days. Days melted into weeks, and finally, weeks turned into months.

I'd wondered if all this time I would look back on this passage and wish I would've been more productive. Then came the realisation that, now being a Vampire, time is something I most likely have an over abundance of. Would I live forever? Do Vampires eventually die of old age? Do I even want to find that out?

There was usually an unspoken finality to being mortal. An ever present knowledge that death is a certain. It is historically a great motivator. Even if it was as normal as finding love, maybe having children, growing old together: without that full stop; was there a point to it all?

I sat in the quiet expanse of my old bedroom at Tithe Manor. Once a routine had been set of visitng the Vampire clan once a week for my daily dose of "life juice", it was fairly easy to fall back into normalcy. Almost normalcy anyway. My days of shuffling around the manor, and walking through the forest was filled to the brim with absence. It followed me everywhere like a grim phantom, the lack of company. Or rather: the lack of the wanted company.

With my father now incarcerated in a specialised prison, and awaiting execution by fire, leadership of the Witches had yet to fall on anyone. Royalty isn't defined by bloodlines or heirs here, which means the likely-hood of me being a successor to my father. Especially as I didn't want it, was next to nil.

Although I'd be lying if I said I hadn't half entertained the idea. King. Me. Can you imagine?

My ears twitched at the subtle disturbance of shifting stone, turning my attention to my bedroom window. While normally I would assume it was one of the usual house members pottering around the flowers for night-time watering: something bid me look, and so I leaned forward on my bed, and peered through the windows.

My eyebrows furrowed in a slight confusion at the figure that stood there. Dirty blonde hair that'd seen better care, and had not seen a cut in a long time. An expression of trepidation on gaunt features that didn't translate well on whether it was vengeance or just pure nerves. For there stood Jace, dressed in a dark blue hoodie and jeans, he stared at me staring at him. We held that look for what felt like ten minutes before the sudden awareness caused me to open the window, sliding it upwards.

"Can we talk?" Jace croaked, clearing his throat before repeating it and stuffing his hands into his pockets. I gave a quick nod, swinging my legs over the ledge and dropping to the ground. A convenience I had now long abused, considering any damage I would've normally sustained were either so minute that I healed almost instantly, or just didn't happen at all.

"You seem to have taken to being uh... this" He said gesturing vaguely in my direction "quite well." I tilted my head with a friendly smirk. Jace was trying to ease the obvious tension that hung thickly between us. Something that I suddenly was aware of how easily it didn't bother me. "You look... different."

"Thank you?" I responded giving a brief chuckle.

"Sorry." He responded sheepishly averting his gaze to the floor.

"It's okay." There was a silence again. One that previously would've had my palms slick with sweat, and my heart pounding with an errant need to escape and flee to the safety of my room. But despite how uncomfortably Jace was handling it, it didn't seem to matter to me. Gone was the sleepy passivity, quiet confidence, and built frame of the young wolf that so lovingly devoted himself to my best friend. He seemed small. Weak. Like the sudden breach of a night bird through the treeline would cause his heart to leap from his chest, and the difference of before flooded my emotions with a familiar pity. I knew this. What it was like to be afraid of everything. A spike of sadness poisoned that pity I felt. "Are you okay?" I finally asked, if anything to draw Jace's attention from the undoubtedly whirlpool of suffering he was spinning in.

"I've been better. I've been seeing a therapist, so I guess that's something."

"That's good."

"I don't suppose you Witches have anything that can help with that?"

"We do. It rarely ends well however, not even literal magic can fix such things I'm afraid."

"Oh."

"Yeah..." The silence threatened to take hold again. I understood why he was so hesitant to speak his true reason for being here. Especially if I was to believe that it wasn't solely to ask for a magic cure to what ails his mind. He was afraid. Which meant that I would have to take control, make him comfortable and lead him to the purpose of this exercise. "Jace, why are you here?"

"I... Don't know. To apologise maybe? Everything just got so fucked up. Aramis, Victoria, your dad..." I pulled him into a strong hug slipping my hands underneath his arms as I held close to his chest. His height, being a little taller than me, made it awkward with the lack of meat on his body. It felt like I was going to snap him in half, especially as he seemed frozen rigid in place. Eventually I felt him relax, his uneasiness melting away as he hooked his arms around me in return. Quiet sobs leaked from his heaving chest as we held each other.

We part ways after sometime as he wiped puffy cheeks with the sleeve of his hoodie, and sniffed somewhat.

"You should stay here for the night." I asked, to which he seemed taken aback as if the very question slapped him across the face. "Relax, I'm not going to try and sleep with you... Or bite you." I laughed, although immediately regretted that last part as he uneasily rubbed a hand on his neck. Perhaps dry humour would have to wait.

"I don't know..."

"Just... Stay, Jace. I could use the company" I reaffirmed. He looked torn, biting on his lip as he decided what to do, before relenting. The truth was, I did need the company; but Jace looked like he needed it more, and being the last living vestige of a happier time that I had, I felt an inherent compulsion to do what I could to make him better.

We spent the night reliving older memories, laughing, and crying. His face creased with each smile, as if it hadn't done so in quite sometime, and I couldn't help a small sliver of jealousy creep its way in as he ate his fill of the assorted treats that Auntie Janet had provided. Treats I wouldn't be able to taste again without them being followed by the rotten mulch of ash.

For a time, he started to look like the old Jace again. His hand scratching at the back of his head while the other brought cookies to his lips.

I couldn't help but feel somewhat proudly protective over him, as he curled up on the floor beneath a smattering of covers and bed sheets. No less than five pillows held in vice like grips, either close to his chest, at his back, or under his head. A gentle smile was painted on his face, mimicking my own as I watched over him. The gentle pale light of the night sky, flitting through the window cast dancing shadows over my room.

I sat reading, having learned that sleep was no longer a necessity but rather a choice, I'd finally gotten round to reading almost all the books I'd had in my bedroom. No wonder Elizabeth was so intelligent, and no wonder Vampires had a liking to all those large castles with expansive, spider infested, libraries. With all that extra time, what else are you supposed to do but get lost in the world of someone else.

When dawn broke and Jace awoke, I already had breakfast prepared for him. To which he scrunched his nose at as he did his best to pat down his bed hair. It was cute, especially the pout that followed.

"I can look after myself" He grumbled

"I know. But sometimes people just want to be nice, ya know? It's just breakfast, lover boy." I responded shrugging my shoulders as I flicked on the tv. Smiling to myself somewhat as I heard him begin digging in.

There was a normalcy to this, it wasn't pleasant and kind. A calming sense of happy peace caught my attention far more than whatever was playing on the television. Perhaps this was it, what people strive for each day. If it was all like this, I could see how forever could be bearable.

There came a knock at the front door, to which neither Jace nor I reacted to, knowing Auntie Janet would answer it, however that blessed ignorance came to a halt when Auntie Janet called my name. I groaned as I stood up with Jace watching my movements.

"Relax, kid. I'll be back in a minute." I said scruffing his hair with my hand, which he swatted at protesting with a mouth full of food, as I walked out the bedroom door and along the hall.

My hand clutched to my chest then, the false breath catching in my throat as my free hand braced against the wall to my left. The dark braided hair, piled and coiled atop her head. The distinct aroma of wild flowers with a drop of lavender, wafted from the distinct curves of her frame. Blown in by the gentle morning breeze that flooded inwards from the door who's pale, morning, light all but silhouetted her visage entirely.

I dared take a step forward. The once numbness and lack of anything, flaked away in this one moment as uncertainty prickled at every single of my nerve endings. The dark brown of her eyes, ringed with golden honey, caught mine in their glimmer.

Another step down as we held each others gaze. Auntie Janet fiddling with her thumbs nervously as she stepped off slightly to the side. I could feel the fearful pulse of her heart pound heavily in her chest. She was as nervous as I was.

The rest of the steps need not have existed at all as I now stood a few feet across from Limbani. Her frame seemed to tower above mine. Like the graceful looming of an elder tree. One could only awe in it's implied wisdom. It's strength to endure. Yet instead of awe all I could do was focus on my body not shaking itself to pieces so small, no amount of supernatural healing could pull me back together.

Time seemed to stand still. The hush of the wind through the background of trees, reminiscent of primeval waves lapping at a shore served as a white noise to this impossible trance we now found ourselves in. To move would crack the world asunder and consign us to oblivion.

So fearful was I of any form of movement that when she gave a slight nod of her head and stepped to the side, my chest lurched in panic. As if preparing for the onset of pain.

Stepping from behind her, I was again beset with a pause of disbelief. My tongue growing thick in my mouth, as I moved my hands infront of me defensively.

A cheeky, yet reserved, smile peeking from beneath sheepish eyes the colour of the most fertile soil. Black hair matching the colour of the sporadic prickles sprouting across his chin that graced the soft tan of his face.

The tears that began to blur my vision were defiantly wiped away before he could be stolen from me once more, and so striking was my shock that gripped my chest so, that all I could muster as my throat croaked in its dryness was:

"Aramis?"

                                 The End.

A/N: Holy shit I actually finished it. I want to thank everyone who's been on this journey with me. I hope it was up to your standards, and if its not, then feel free to let me know what I could do better!

I chose to end it there, partly because I quite like the idea of it not needing further explanation, and also because its happy. Any longer and I'd be tempted to throw more tragedy at my poor Avery.

Worry not though! I have plans for an epilogue, which hopefully won't take me too long.

You've no idea how grateful I am for everyone who's read this so far, I love you all, and see ya next time