Garen

Serenity had been thrashing against us for hours, her heart racing as our venom worked through her system, then suddenly she just stopped. She stopped breathing, her heart stopped, and even the blood moving through her veins stopped. We froze, panic filling our souls. "What happened? Why isn't she breathing?"

"I...I don't know," Daniel sputtered, then, laying her on her back, he began chest compressions, "Come on, Ren, you can't leave us now. Please, baby, not now." Without hesitation, I joined him, giving her rescue breaths. This wasn't how her change should have gone. While on one hand, she did have to technically die to become a vampire, that death only lasts for a few seconds when the venom reaches the heart and essentially devours the human blood, replacing it with the venom-laced vampire blood. But she wasn't human...

"Oh gods, what if her elven blood rejected the venom?" I cried. Daniel gave me a murderous look, then resumed compressions. Nothing worked. We fell back on our heels, tears streaming, a sucking void filling our chests as she lay there. Without a word, I lay down, pulling her against my chest, my hands stroking her hair. "We're not leaving you, Serenity. If this is where it ends, so be it, but I won't leave you." A choked sob came from Daniel as he lay down behind her, his arm snaking around her waist. He cried into her neck, whispering words of love and apology.

Nothing mattered now. We hadn't saved Serenity, we had killed her.

Serenity

I couldn't tell if I was awake, dreaming, or dead - maybe all three. All around me was utter blackness. Not even the sound of my breathing - wait, I'm not breathing. My hand clutched my chest - no heartbeat either. No, I can't be dead...I can't leave them, not now, not when I just found them again!

Then a faint pulse of light broke the darkness. Then another. A soft thumping sound reached my ears. It seemed to keep pace with the pulses of light. What is going on? "Hello?" I called out, then slapped a hand over my mouth, suddenly remembering how Danu had come to me when Ash cast his spell. What if this was her way of trapping me? Were we too late? Had I already become their power source?

"Not yet, Serenity." I knew that voice.

"M...Mama?" I cried, my throat suddenly dry. "Am I dead?"

She stepped from the darkness, looking healthy and beautiful like she'd been in my younger years. Her eyes were different, though. Now I could see the iridescent glow of her eleven eyes, a fiery green like mine. "I've missed you," she whispered, stepping forward to embrace me. I fell into her arms as if I were still a child, tears freely flowing. "Shh, baby, it's okay. You're where you need to be."

Her comment had me pulling away and yelling, "Where I need to be? And just where the hell is that? I need to be with my mates, and I need to stop my power-hungry Father and a psychotic goddess!" Her eyes went wide, then she began laughing. "Great, so now you're going to ridicule me as well?" I yanked away from her in anger.

"Serenity! I am not ridiculing you, it's just been a long time since I've seen that fiery spark in you. This whole mess has stripped so much from you," her expression now stoic. "Yes, for now, you are dead. While your transition only required a few seconds, the other matter at hand requires a more delicate measure."

"What other matter?"

"This one," she replied, motioning to the grey pulses of light. "Do you remember the prophecy?"

Rolling my eyes, I huffed, "Of course I remember it, that stupid prophecy is the reason my life has been hijacked!" She raised her eyebrows, and I sighed in frustration. "Fine, Two paths, One path suspends the light, One path crashes light against the dark. Two grey pillars, Power eternal, Life and Death. There I said it, but what does it have to do with me being more dead than intended and the grey light, and what is that sound?"

She stepped closer. "Two paths. One suspends the light. This is the path Danu and your Father wanted for you. They would have suspended your light for eternity, never letting you live or die. However, you and your mates have chosen the second path - One path crashes light against the dark. You are the light, they are the dark. Can you figure out the rest, my sweet girl?" She placed her hand on my stomach and smiled. "Two grey pillars, Power eternal, Life and Death."

"I...I'm pregnant," I gaped, my hand covering hers. "Wait...two, oh my..."

"Twins," she nodded, "And powerful ones at that. You see, the Fates knew all along. It wasn't to warn you away from Daniel and Garen, it was meant to guide you to them. Your children will unite the kingdoms - light and dark."

"That's their heartbeats." I closed my eyes, listening in awe. "Wait, what does Power eternal, Life and Death mean? They're okay, aren't they?"

Mama smiled, "Yes, they are more than okay. Just like you, the babies will be immortal, one with the powers of darkness, the other with the powers of light. Life and Death." My shoulders dropped as I ran my fingers over my stomach. The lights pulsed brighter, and the noise began to speed up.

"What's going on?"

"This is why you had to be here. They needed time to connect to their powers, and you needed time to rediscover yours," she answered. "That means our time is almost up."

"What, no! I don't want to lose you again," I cried.

She hugged me tightly, "You have never lost me, child. I've been watching over you and will continue to do so for you and my grandchildren. But now you have to be brave. There are still many struggles before you all. Trust your men and your brother to stand strong, but most of all, Serenity, trust yourself. You are more powerful than either Danu or your father realizes. Protect and guide your children, for they hold the fate of the world in their hands." Letting me go, she stepped back into the shadows, her voice calling out one last time. "Wake up now, my daughter. Wake up and begin the life you were meant to have."

I felt a pressure on my chest and gasped, then heard, "Serenity?"