Dominic - Three years later

I locked the suitcase and looked around the bedroom. It had been three years since Anthony sacrificed himself to save us. A sacrifice that hadn't given us much. My heart was empty from longing, my eyes dried out from all the tears that had fallen, and my body was weaker without him.

The few vampires that remained had fled the country or hidden from the Magistrate's watchful eyes. I shuddered at the thought of what had happened, how Anton had managed to enchant the whole damn basement so that when the vampires got down there, one by one, they all became human again. All except Magnus. For three years, I had helped him and Clock build a new trust between the races. It had gone so-so, and now I was giving up. I wasn't meant to be a politician. 

 "Are you ready?" The voice behind me was soft, so different from how he had sounded lately. 

 "I don't know," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair before turning to meet Magnus's warm eyes. 

 "I thought you were longing to go back," he teased, taking a step forward. 

 I laughed lightly and rolled my eyes. Of course, I was. I had never really wanted to leave New Orleans once I found my way there; it was Anthony's dreams that had taken me away. So now, when he was gone, there was nothing stopping me from going back. And it felt good to leave Paris in Magnus and Clocksworth's hands. 

Magnus was a guardian again. He shared Anthony's visions of a Paris for everyone, and I knew he would do everything he could to make society fair again. 

 "You have family waiting for you," he reminded me, fiddling with the wedding ring I wore on a chain around my neck. "They're happier without me," I sighed. 

 "It's still your Belmont. His body may be different, Dominic, but it's still him." 

 "I offered him my blood." 

 "I know," he said with a smile, putting his hands in his pockets, "but I also know why he said no."  

"Because I have weak blood?" 

 He rolled his eyes and pulled me into his embrace. "He got a life without blood dependency, without obligations to anyone else. A life without musts," he kissed my forehead, "now he can live happily with his wolf." 

 I let him hold me for a while before stepping back. "But one day they will die." 

 "One day we will all die, Dominic, and they still have many years ahead of them." 

 I looked around the room and swore to myself that I would never have to set foot inside a castle again. "Can you promise me one thing?" 

 "Anything, Dominic," he replied softly. 

 "Make sure I never have to come back," I smiled, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.  

"That's the plan," he laughed, pulling me in for another hug. 

 I hesitated before taking the suitcase to head toward the door. "Are you happy?" 

 He nodded, and a broad smile broke across his face. "I'm going to be a dad." 

 My heart flipped in my chest. "You're going to be an amazing dad, Magnus," I replied, smiling just as wide as he was. 

 "Thanks," he laughed, stopping me before I left the room. "But hey, can you promise me something?" 

 "I can try," I teased. 

 "Don't think about the past, Dominic. Look ahead and find something new to live for. You deserve to be happy too." 

 We looked at each other for a while before I gave him a small nod and walked toward the door. "Take care of Clocksworth for me, please," I called over my shoulder before leaving the room. "And make sure he doesn't create more drama, okay?" 

I only received a chuckle in response. My feet felt light as they left the castle. This was the last time. I would never have to return, and that thought made my heart beat stronger. It was time for something new, new acquaintances, new places to discover. Fuck, I would live for hundreds of years; why cling to old memories when I could create new ones? 

 Finally, I could leave my old life behind, and I looked forward to something new. The world lay at my feet, and I would enjoy every second of it.

THE END

...or is it?