"What do you think you're doing?" Layla heard someone with a deep voice say angrily behind her. They released their hand from her mouth and let her go. She turned around fast, and took a step back when she saw Sebastian looking at her with anger.

"I really want to bring my mom back." she said sadly.

"I've already told you, it's dangerous, and it's not a good idea." He walked over to the table, blew out the candles, and closed the book. "Had you completed the spell, it would have cost you your life."

"What, why?!?

He picked the book up, and placed it under his arm, and gave her a serious look. "In order to bring back a life, you sacrifice a life. Being you were doing the spell alone, it would have been your life..."

Layla felt her whole world come crashing down on her, her heart sank, and fell to the ground in tears. "All I wanted was to bring her back and to talk to her. All my memories of her, are from when I was a toddler. And the only parents I really knew, are now dead because of Trevor."

"You have me." he said, walking over to her "Not only do you have me, you have Alaric... I know you want to bring your mother back, I understand that... but there is just no way, unless someone sacrifices their life."

"There has to be a different way... there just has to be." she said in disbelief.

"I'm sorry hun, there is no other way."

Sebastian could feel the presence of Phoebe in the room, and asked her to make Layla understand the consequences. He looked at Layla and smiled "You can still talk to her, she will always be around you, and you'll be able to hear what she says in other ways... you have to look at what she did for you, all those years ago. She could have saved herself, she had the powers to save her own life, but she sacrificed her life to save yours."

Alaric walked into the home, and heard voices coming from the other room. He walked in and was surprised to see Sebastian in the room with Layla "What's going on in here?" he looked at Layla, who was still on the ground and saw that she was in tears. He kneeled and placed his hands on her shoulders "Tell me you didn't go through with it." he asked sounding worried.

She shook her head, and mumbled "No... I was stopped before completing the spell."

"I came into the room, just as she was about to finish, and was able to stop her." Sebastian said in relief "I should have been more clearer with her about the consequences on bringing back a life."

Layla looked at Alaric with a frown, and wrapped her arms around him "There has to be way to bring her back Alaric, there just has to be." He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Let's get you home, we can discuss this later."

Layla sighed and released her arms from Alaric's and scooted herself back "We can go, but will you two please give me a moment here by myself?" she looked over at Sebastian, she could see the look on his face that he didn't trust her and crossed her arms. "I promise I won't do anything. I just need some time alone, and see if I can at least talk to her... you said yourself I can still talk to her, and she'll respond in other ways."

Sebastian started walking towards the door, having Alaric walk with him. "I'll give you five minutes, and if I suspect any funny business, I'm coming back in here."

"Sebastian, I promise I won't be doing anything... I just have some mother, daughter personal questions I'd like to talk with her about. I may need more than five minutes."

Sebastian and Alaric talked while they waited outside. "I was just with you and father earlier, how did you know she was here?"

"After you left, I saw the storm that was coming in. I knew that wasn't a regular storm, that was a storm of someone performing witchcraft. With as much as Layla has been on me about helping her bring Phoebe back, I instantly knew what she was up to and quickly came here. I knew I needed to stop her, good thing I got here just in the knick of time, we would have come here and found her lifeless."

Alaric placed his hands on his hips and looked behind him to make sure Layla wasn't nearby. "Are you sure there is no other way to bring Phoebe back?"

"If there was, I would have done it a long time ago." he smiled.

After Layla was finished, she came out with somewhat of a smile, stood next to Alaric, and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Let's go."

On the way home Layla saw a bag on the floor next to her feet, and leaned down to pick it up. Alaric smiled as he saw her pick it up and pull out the box inside "I figured it was about time, you said I need to get with the times." he chuckled "Now, I just need for you to show me how to use it."

She giggled when she opened the box and saw the phone he chose. "Well, you could have waited for me to help you pick out a better phone, but this will be good for someone who has never owned a phone before."

"The guy who sold me the phone looked at me like I was some alien when I told him I had never owned one before."

She giggled, and smiled as she looked at him "It is almost unheard of nowadays."

"Oh well, there are a lot of things that I have never done before, and am now doing."

"Like?"

Without telling her what he had on his mind, he smiled. "Well... I've never been in love before, never was interested in it, and now I'm madly in love."

The way he spoke, had her stomach dancing, her inner core throbbing, and had her blushing. She lowered her head with a smile, and began wondering if he would ever pop the question. As they pulled into the driveway, he reached his hand out, caressed her cheek with his finger and smiled "What are you blushing for?"

"Because... I feel the same way, and to be honest, throughout the years I had a feeling we would be together."

He thought about his talks earlier with everyone, and seeing how she looks at him, he knew he was ready to take that extra step. He smiled, leaned closer to her, curled his finger under her chin and looked her in the eyes. "Now that we're home, I need you to go put on something nice... I'm taking you for a night out on the town." He placed a kiss on her lips that turned passionate, and her wanting to rip all her clothes off right there.

He pulled away, grinned when he looked at her, and leaned in for another kiss. When he felt himself swelling up, he pulled away from her "We better hurry up and get ready, you're giving me a chubby." he chuckled, while adjusting himself.

Layla felt excited to finally go out, and not having to worry about anyone wrecking their night. She ran into the house, up the stairs and into the bedroom to find herself a nice dress to wear. If the readings she was getting off him were correct, she had a feeling he was going to ask her what she had been longing to hear.

Alaric walked inside and was stopped by Adrian looking concerned "Is everything all right?"

"Yea, why wouldn't they be?"

"The way Layla ran in here and up the stairs, I thought something was wrong... I tried saying hello to her, and she wouldn't even look at me as she passed right by me going up the stairs."

He laughed "I told her I was taking her for a night around town, and asked her to wear something nice."

Adrian grinned, and gave him a playful shove "So she knows what you're up to, you should know by now that she can read your mind."

"I'm sure she does, that's why I planned things the way I have."

Adrian shook his head, and chuckled "You're evil, you know that?"

"I'm not evil, just very much in love and ready to spend the rest of my life with her. She's a beautiful soul that I never in my life ever thought would make me feel the way I do now." He stopped talking when Adrian's expression changed, urging him to turn around.

He turned around, and the moment he looked at her he felt his heart skip a beat, his knees weakened, and stuttered when he spoke "Wow, you look beautiful." He walked closer to her and held out his elbow for her.

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself." she smiled, as she wrapped her arm around his.

"You kids have fun tonight, I'll make sure to wait up for you." Adrian chuckled.

"There'll be no need for that." Alaric responded as they were walking out the door."

First he drove her to a nightclub that had just opened, there they were able to enjoy a few drinks, dance with nobody pestering them, or having to worry if a treacher was nearby, and had some fun that they hadn't been able to do since they became a couple.

Throughout the night, he could see the wheels turning in her head, feel what she was thinking, and towards the end of the night he could see the disappointment in her eyes that he hadn't proposed to her. Just like he thought he knew she was waiting for it, and began chuckling on the inside.

He then took her to a place he thought would be special, different, and romantic. He never knew how to be romantic, and hoped this would put a smile on her face.

As they pulled up she looked at him questionably and scrunched her eyebrows "What are we doing here?"

He shut the car off, and could feel himself begin to clam up. He reached for her hand and looked at her with a nervous smile. "Earlier, I was able to work a deal out with the lighthouse keeper and talked him into letting me bring you up to the top." He brought her hand up to his lips, kissing the top of her hand, before pulling her to his lips.

"We should hurry and get up there, before he changes his mind." he said as he pulled away.

Before going into the lighthouse, Layla walked over to the edge to looked down the cliffs, and to watch the waves come in. Alaric stood back to give her a moment to herself, and to calm his nerves.

He walked up behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and leaned over her shoulder to kiss her on the cheek. "Beautiful night, isn't it."

"It is." she spoke, leaning her head back onto his chest, and placing her hands on top of his. She breathed in deep and exhaled slowly "I just had another vision of my parents going over the cliffs, I just wish there was a way to bring them all back... between them, and my real mother, they lost their lives because of me."

Alaric closed his eyes, he knew there was nothing he or she could do about it, and didn't know what to say that wouldn't upset her. He wanted the rest of the night to be a good night and decided to change the subject.

He got her to walk away and walked her to the top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper had been waiting for them and greeted them with a smile. He gave her a small tour, explaining what he does up there every night. Since there were no ships in the area, he let them be for a bit and took a break outside.

He took her out onto the ledge, and both stood there looking at the brightness of the moon shining down onto the water. He finally got the nerve to ask what had been on his mind all night, turned her towards him, and got down on his knee.

Her hands began to shake, knowing what he was finally about to do, and smiled widely.

He looked at her hand, then up to her with a smile "Layla, never in a million years did I ever think I would be doing anything what I'm about to do... I never thought I would feel intense love for someone as I do with you. Being around you brings me joy, happiness, and someone who I could see myself spending the rest of my life with. You make me feel things I never thought were possible, and I want nothing more than for you to be the one who I can share my life with." he smiled, lowered his head and chuckled quietly "I'm not much of a romantic, so I hope I'm doing this right..."

She giggled, and whispered "You're doing OK..."

"Good... because what I'm about to ask has me feeling like I'm about to faint." he grinned, causing her to get more giggly. He muttered quietly to himself, then pulled a box out of his pocket, opening it and showing her the ring. OK, here it goes... he whispered under his breath.

"Layla Kinglsey, will you do me the honor of being my bride for the rest of our lives?"

Her heart melted, and thought it was cute on how nervous he was, how he kept stuttering, and how he broke out in a sweat just before popping the question. She smiled, and pulled him up to her level "Yes, of course I'll marry you, silly!"

He let out a sigh of relief and placed the ring on her finger "Sorry it's nothing more fancier, it was my grandmother's ring from my mother's side... if you would like a different one, we can go find one that you'll like better."

She giggled, and pulled him in for a kiss, wanting him to stop talking foolishness. "I love the ring, and will wear it forever." she said as she pulled away from his lips. "I seriously love it, it's beautifully made, and I love all the diamonds going down the sides of the band, and with all the diamonds wrapped around the princess cut diamond, it's perfect."

He pulled her in for another kiss, kissing her long and passionately until they were interrupted by the lighthouse keeper clearing his throat. "Ahem."

Alaric pulled away with a grin on his face and looked at him "Sorry, we'll get out of your hair."

"I take it things worked in your favor?"

"That it did, thank you..." he smiled, shaking his hand. He reached for Layla's hand, and walked her out of the lighthouse, pulling her in for one more kiss before opening the car door for her. "I love you."

"Love you too... now take me home and make love to me."

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!😍😍😍😍