Fireflies.

I waited for the burn of the hot poker breaking through my skin, the undiluted pain that would rip through my chest before I felt nothing at all. But it didn't come. The poker hadn't broken through my skin.

I open my eyes and I feel my mouth open in shock.

Jeremy with the poker, is missing his arm amongst a few other body parts. The poker and his arm lay a few metres away from me, I quickly forget about that though as I become focused on what must be a hallucination. My imagination and deepest desires have mixed with my fears to create what I never expected to be a reality.

Eric makes his way towards me, his familiar grace, his strong frame and sure eyes focus on me. They are filled with such relief I feel the last remainders of energy drift from me. I sag back against the wall, before he moves in a blur of movement snapping away the chains and hauling me into his arms.

His iron grip encloses around me, and I rest my head on his shoulder as he murmurs soothing words. I don't realise I'm sobbing until I see the tears sliding down his leather jacket. Seeing them only makes me cry harder.

He just held me tighter and took me away from the nightmare around me. The room that stunk like death, crawled with torture and rang of desperate screams.

"Shh my dear, your safe. " He murmured against my forehead. I let myself believe the words, let my body finally give into the darkness that was snapping at my heels. I let myself sleep.

* * *

The horrors of my time in the Cellar surge up and down like a roller coaster. Sometimes they burn so brightly I whimper out loud only to have Eric murmuring soothing words for however long it takes to chase them away. I don't sleep, only drift in and out of a kind of in-between state.

After a while Eric kisses my cheek, and I slowly became aware of where I am. I'm on a plane, still in Eric's arms. He picks me up effortlessly as I struggle to keep out of that limbo land. He carries me off the plane, and I realise we are on a private air strip. As to where we were I have no idea. I give up trying to figure it out and close my eyes. Resting my head in the crock of his neck I let the rocking sooth me.

Voices are silenced by unseen gestures as people become aware of Eric returning. I remain silent with my eyes closed, blocking them all out as I hold onto Eric. I don't feel anything anymore, the pain is replaced by a numbness that scares me more than the pain ever did.

I must have drifted back into that weird state because its Eric's voice stirring me out of it once more. "Estelle?" He murmurs softly. I give a shift slightly as an answer but I keep my eyes closed. "I need to clean your wounds my dear." He asks.

"Okay." I manage after a moment. He turns slightly to the right towards a bathroom I presume.
He gently sets me down on a plush seat and I bite back a whimper as he lets me go. I hear the water going, the gentle tumble of water sooths me slightly. And I finally open my eyes.

They immediately find Eric. He's hunched slightly over the massive claw footed tub adjusting the water temperature. The sight of him chips away the anxiety, because with him I'll be safe. Nothing will hurt me.

I make the mistake of looking to the right. A massive mirror covers a part of the wall. It manages to capture most of my profile and I am shocked at what I see. My hair is stuck in tangled clumps that cling to my neck, shoulders and back. My skin is grimy and covered in dried blood. Oozing scratches and wounds cover my arms, large gaping wounds spring from my chest, oozing blood and other fluids.
My skin is stretched to tightly over my bones. I'm thin, too thin. I look disgusting. I draw my legs up and cover my face with my bony hands a whimper escaping my lips.

"Estelle what is it?" He's kneeling in front of me as soon as the sound crosses my lips.

I just shake my head, tears burning in my eyes. I'm hideous. Disgusting.

"Estelle, talk to me." His warm, sure hands remove my hands from my face. His eyes search mine.
I don't say anything. How can I even explain it? I don't want him to see me like this, I want to be strong like him. Unbreakable, unshakeable. I'm broken now, shattered. A blubbering mess who keeps crying. I was never beautiful, or I never saw myself as beautiful, but the image of my reflection is seared into my brain. This broken creature with nightmares in her eyes, and with a body that could feature in one.

"Leave Eric, you shouldn't have to see me like this." I whisper after a moment. I see realisation flash in his eyes.

"Your beautiful." He pulls me into his arms and I try and shove him away but he just holds be tighter. Determined to make me see. "You are strong, you survived Estelle. You fought when you had nothing left, and you won. You beat Melrose." His words a so fierce I give up fighting and just sink into him.
"I didn't fight, I gave up." My voice is so hollow it would shock me if I could feel anything.

He remains silent, letting me continue.

"I was going to let that poker pierce my heart. Was going to let it kill me." I whisper, ashamed. I'm not strong I was going to give up.

It is a moment before he speaks. "I would have done the same thing. Your in transition, you would have turned into the damned like Melrose wanted you too." He pauses again and when he speaks he lifts his chin up so my eyes are on his.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner."

I just shake my head and feel fresh tears stain my cheeks. "You where just in time."

He brushes his lips against mine and lifts me up effortlessly again. Sitting me on the edge of the tub he begins the horrible task of undressing me.

The pain was diluted before because of my shock over seeing my reflection. But now with my back to the mirror and Eric prying off my clothes, the pain seers through me once more.

I do all I can to hold back the whimpers as Eric's being as gentle as he can. And every time I let one escape I see him wince.

Finally free of the disgusting blood coated clothes he begins to lower me into the tub. Each time the water washes over a wound I have to hold back sounds of agony. The water has some disinfectant stuff in it, that is scent free but hurts like a bitch.

Once submerged he begins the task of cleaning each wound. Its agony, and I bite my clenched fist to keep from screaming. The burn marks on my chest hurt the most and silent tears flow in a never ending stream down my cheeks. He picks out the broken spikes of the thorns that had been bushed into my skin as another form of torture.

I'm not sure how long he works, but he treats every wound as gentle as possible. But everyone hurts.
Finally each wound has been taken care of and my hair has been scrubbed clean. As has the blood that had dried on my skin. The water is a disgusting rusty brown when he finally pulls me out of the tub.
He dries me off and smears some kind of ointment on the less serious wounds and bandages the worst. Even a few stitches are done to close up the deep ones. While he does this he feeds me some kind of soup that tastes amazing, and is full of healthy things.

I can't bare the thought of clothes and thankfully Eric understands. Just before he takes me to bed he pulls a silver box from his pocket. I already know what it is so I focus on the box to keep from giving into the anxiety that threatens to take me under. The box is beautiful, intricate with timeless vines and leaves that have been painstakingly etched to make it look as if the box has been made out of the vines. A large rose sits on top and when you twist and turn the tiny buds and leaves on the side of the box it unlocks.

In the box is my stone. And as he lifts it from the box I'm taken back by the beauty of it. The chain is simple, but it’s the detail around the silver pendent that holds the stone that is beautiful. The vines hold the stone in place, but do so in a way that makes it look like the stone is emerging from the vines rather than being trapped.

"Your father designed the setting." Eric says softly.

I look up at him in confusion.

"Your father knew, he believed in the prophecy just as Melrose did. He saw it as a blessing where she saw it as a curse. The stone was always meant for you." He held the stone out towards me but I couldn't bring myself to take it.

This is what I want I tried to tell myself but that stone represented too much. With the stone I will be immortal yes but I'll also have to face my mother and a hell of a lot of other things. I flicked my eyes to Eric, his eyes where already on me. He held the stone in one hand and picked me up with the other, he sat on the edge of the bath and cradled me in his lap being mindful of my many wounds.

I rested my head on his shoulder and after a long moment I asked the one question I hadn't asked.

"How does it work?"

He didn't hesitate in answering, "The stone will pull you into a sleep, that could last from a week too months. You'll feel nothing of the transition you'll just sleep. When you wake you'll be Immortal."

"What happens if I don't wake?" I ask in a mumbled voice.

"You'll wake."

"How do you know?" I hate being so weak, but I need to know the answers. I've risked too much already, lost too much.

"Because I'll be right here, making sure you wake." His words so strong, in that voice I know so well. I rest my lips against his neck, feel the steady thrum of his pulse. Eric saved me when I didn't think I would be saved. I had begged for him to come, knowing he was the only person I trusted to save me.

The others I had trusted had all turned their backs. My parents, had unintentionally left me unprotected and I still held a slither of resentment for leaving me which wasn't even remotely logical as they had been murdered. Alex had turned his back on me, he was suppose to be my rock. The Occidere Vincere had lied and had effectively lost my trust.

But Eric he had not only rescued me this time, but he had time and time again. Rescued me from that vampire, shielded me from Alex's verbal assault. Had become my rock without even realising it. And he was right he would be right by my side from now on in. He had seen me at my worst, at my most broken and he hadn't walked away. I don't think anyone had seen me as so weak. But he hadn't seen it as that, he'd seen my strength even when I hadn't. He had bathed me and attended to my wounds without judgement.

He had done more than save me from the Cellar, he was giving me a life I could only dream about, not because of what I would become. But because I would have him and his love.
I pulled back so I could look at him, ignored the pain it caused as I reached up to trace my finger a long his jaw. The beautiful planes of his face, the tumble of ebony hair that gleamed without any light. The intensity in his odd captivating eyes. I would have this remarkable creature by my side for the rest of my existence. I needed him by my side, just as he needed me.

He caught the resolution in my eyes. And he reached up to clasp the stone around my neck, his hands pausing before he did up the clasp that would secure the stone on my neck for the rest of my life.
His lips found mine and I kissed him back with everything I had left, which wasn't much. But it was enough.

"Are you sure?" He whispered against my lips, his intoxicating breath washing over me in a dizzying caress.

"I love you." I said before I pressed my lips against his once more.

"As I love you my dear." He murmured against my lips just before he did up the clasp and I was dragged away into the darkness that was free of nightmares and horrors. The last thing I felt was his arms catch me as I sagged, like he said he would always be there to catch me when I fall.