Ascended (31 page)

Vie jumped into his arms and hugged her friend as tight as she could.
Vie, you’ve really got to let people finish their sentences.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she cheered.

Carter walked over to Fallon and said, “See that? Best of friends.”

Fallon smiled at Carter and
tried not to show her shock when he hugged her and said, “Thank you Fallon, for everything.” Fallon wasn’t comfortable with affection, but she didn’t break away. She hated to admit it, but Carter Stone had grown on her, too.

After she finished with Gabe, Vie came over to properly thank Fallon.

“Fallon, I can’t thank you enough for what you did. Carter told me how you were the one who, well, made this all happen. I am just so grateful to you, and I—”

“Stop already. I only did it so you can be forever in my debt. I like having you owe me
.”

Carter shot her a dirty look
, and she recanted, replying with a huff, “You’re welcome. Better?” she asked Carter, and walked away.

“Who knew?” Vie said with a curious grin.

“Who knew what?”

“Who knew Fallon could be kind
? Well, sort of,” she laughed.

The meeting adjourned and Carter and Vie
said their goodbyes. It was hard to leave the place that had become home to her, but she was excited to return to a place where she felt she really belonged. Vie missed Henry terribly and knew he was probably sick with worry at her absence. The only thing she couldn’t bring herself to do was to say goodbye to him—her very best friend—to Gabriel.

“So, this is it
, huh?” Gabe said.

“I guess so. Ga
be…I don’t know how to say goodbye to you,” her eyes filled up with tears.

“No goodbyes
, remember? Just ‘until we meet again.’ And don’t go looking for trouble, Vie, do you hear me?” he warned her.

It was obvious they were both putting off the moment that neither of them wanted to
arrive; the moment where they would look at each other for the very last time. Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach.
How do I say goodbye to him? How do I leave a piece of myself behind? Does he know how I feel? Does he know how much I love him?

“Vie, are you ready?” Carter asked.

“Yes, I’ll be right there,” she said.

Fallon waited with Carter at the entrance to the
Gates for Vie to join them.

Vie
looked up at Gabriel with her violet eyes, and he flashed back to the very first time he’d looked into her amazing eyes. Like a movie playing, Gabe had a snapshot of every single moment that he’d ever shared with the beautiful Guardian.

Vie was viewing the very same movie right along with him as she gazed
back into his tender blue eyes. Just looking at each other brought those visions to them, as if they were giving each other a gift…a farewell gift. Their memories were being copied and stored forever in a special place within their souls. It was time to go.

They stood
, holding each other tight in a loving embrace, at the place where the rainbow connected both worlds. “I love you, Gabe,” Vie whispered in his ear.

Gabe put his hands on her
head, stroking her hair, then pulled her in tight and kissed the top of her head. He held back the tear that tried to push its way out, and then took her hand and walked her to Carter. “You better take good care of her, Romeo,” Gabe warned him.

“Always,” Carter replied with his notable grin.

Gabriel stood beside Fallon and watched as the young lovers departed for the last time from the Gates. “You know he’ll come for them,” he said to her.

“
Perhaps. But if he does they’ll be ready,” Fallon replied.

“And if they’re not?”

“Well, that’s what we’re here for,” she said, looking at them heading out past the rainbow.

Vie waved back to them one last time and then they vanished like vapor before the sun.

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Descended

Vie and Carter descended
together, back to the world in which they were destined to exist. They both had everything they needed and wanted now. All their secrets were revealed; they had reached maturation, so their powers were secured; Vivian was freed; and Vie was finally home where she belonged. All was right with the world again.

They made their way back toward the reservation
, but suddenly Carter stopped and turned to face Vie.

“Wait here,” he said
, and disappeared around the bend. Vie couldn’t see where he had gone and although curious, she waited for him to return. A few minutes later he reappeared, took her by the hand, and told her to close her eyes.

“What’s going on
, Carter? You know I hate being in the dark,” she added, trying not to peek.

“Patience
, Princess,” he replied.

Carter continued
to act mysterious, leading her to an unknown destination. Finally, he stopped and told her to open her eyes.

There they stood, on the edge of the plateau with what seemed like a million
tea lights, glowing luminously in the night. Spread out on the ground in front of them was the same buffalo hide blanket they’d lain on the first time Carter had told her he loved her. In the center of the hide was a beautiful birthday cake, covered with white whipped frosting and big, red, juicy strawberries sitting on top.

“Happy Birthday
, Princess!” Carter said with a huge smile.

“How did you…? When did you…?”
She wondered how he’d managed to do all of it.

Vie wasn’t used to celebrating birthdays
; at least, not the way humans did. Though Gabriel did always have something special planned for her on the anniversary of her arrival at the Gates, it didn’t compare to what she was looking at right now. It was February 7th, and while Vie had known it was Vivian’s birthday, it hadn’t dawned on her that it was her own birthday, too, until now.

“Wait a minute,” Vie had a thought. “If it
’s my birthday today, then that means it’s your birthday, too. Right?”

“It is. Something else we share. Pretty cool
, huh?” Carter replied.

“Where did you find the time to put all of this together?” she questioned while sliding her finger through the whipped frosting and putting it in her mouth. “
Mmm, like a slice of heaven.” She closed her eyes, indulging in the creamy, delectable frosting.

Carter loved watching her
delight in her new addiction to pastries.

“Actually, I had a little help. Which leads me to my next surprise,” he said.
He asked Vie to turn around, and there stood Henry and Jeremy, both beaming with the excitement of being part of Carter’s surprise party.

Vie smiled the instant she saw two
of her favorite people standing just a few feet away from her. Even though her DNA suggested she wasn’t Henry’s biological daughter, he was her father in her heart where it counted.

“Daddy!”
She shouted excitedly and ran into his arms. “Daddy, I missed you so much!”

“I’ve missed you too
, sweetheart,” he said, hugging his not-so-little girl. “Is everything all right now?” Henry asked.

Vie knew immediately what Henry was referring to. She could see the worry all over his face
, and understood he was inquiring about Vivian. “Everything is fine, Daddy. Vivian is at peace now,” she reassured him.

Then Vie took Jeremy’s hands in hers
. “And you…how can I begin to thank you for what you did for me…for Vivian?” she said sincerely.

“I’d do anything for you
, Vie. Don’t you know that?” he replied.

Vie hugged him and whispered in his ear, “That was really, really stupid of you to come after me. I don’t know what I would have done if anything
had happened to you, Jer.”

“It didn’t
, Vie, and ditto,” he said, squeezing her tighter.

“
Ahem,” Carter cleared his throat to remind them he was standing there, too. “I hate to break this up, but I believe there are two more people who’d like to share in this reunion.” He grinned mischievously at them.

Now what is that boy up to?
Vie wondered. But then she turned to where he pointed, and everything was crystal clear. Standing under the light of the crescent moon was her mother, Lily, and her sister, Vivian.

She looked back at Carter
, stunned by what she was seeing, and once again he said, “Happy Birthday, Princess.”

The three of them stood
beside Carter, completely still, in awe of the two angelic beings before them.

Vivian approached them first
. “Hello, Daddy.”

Henry’s eyes lit up
immediately. All his worries were gone. His beautiful daughter was safe and in the arms of her mother where she belonged.

“I wanted to se
e you one last time to say thank you,” Vivian said.

“Thank me?
For what, Vivi?” Henry asked.

“For loving me always, no matter what,” she replied. “I also wanted to tell you that it’s
wonderful there, just like you’ve always said it would be. I’m not sick or in pain any longer, and the best part is…I’m with Mom. So please, Daddy, don’t be sad. I’m right where I’m supposed to be now, thanks to Violet.” She kissed her father on the cheek. “Goodbye, Daddy,” she said. “For now, anyway.”

S
he moved on to Vie. “You know, I always wanted a sister and now I have one. Someday maybe we’ll have the chance to trade stories about the good reverend over here,” she laughed the most beautiful laugh. “You’ll take care of him for me now, won’t you?” she asked.

“I would be honored,” Vie replied with a warm smile.

“Oh, and Violet, thank you for everything…and Carter, too,” Vivian said, and she hugged her sister for the very first and last time.

She moved on to Jeremy
, and they both just stared at each other for a long minute. “Jeremy, don’t be sad,” Vivian said, seeing his eyes well up with tears. “I’m not. This is exactly the way things are supposed to be; I know that now. There is a bigger plan, Jer, just like you said.”

“I don’t know how to exist without you
, Viv. I can’t,” he replied, his voice cracking.

“You do
, Jeremy, and you can. This is only one chapter in your life. You need to live the life we planned…finish your story,” she said.

“How can I do that without you here? You’re what I planned
, Viv. You’re the happy ending to my story,” he said.

“Plans change sometimes
, Jeremy, but that doesn’t mean you throw your dreams away. Live your life well. I want you to go to all the places we said we would go, and do all the things we said we’d do. Live it, Jer, for both of us. You have so much love inside you; share that love, Jeremy, for me. I was blessed to have been loved by you; now you need to find a way to love again.”

“I can’t
. I won’t forget about you,” Jeremy said, tears streaming from his eyes.

“You don’t have to forget about me. Keep me here,” Vivian rested her hand on his chest. “Always,” she finished
, kissing his lips softy.

Then Lily glided over to them as if she were walking on water. She was the most beautiful woman Vie had ever seen. Her eyes were as blue as the sea and she smiled like the Mona Lisa.
“Violet, my sweet little angel, thank you for returning my daughter to me. I am eternally grateful,” Lily said with a hand over her heart. “Oh, sweetheart, you really are beautiful.” She placed her dove-white hands on either side Vie’s face, cradling it. She swept her daughter’s hair back off her shoulder and noticed Vie was still wearing the amethyst earrings she’d left for her. “Oh, no. You seemed to have lost one of your earrings,” Lily said, seeing one of them was missing.

Vie immediately reached for her ear to check. Lily was right
; one of them was gone.

“I’m sure it will turn up
,” Lily smiled at her and continued. “I’m sorry, honey, about everything; I know you probably don’t understand it all right now, but maybe someday you will. I was just a mother who wanted to keep her daughter safe, but I never stopped loving you, not even for a second. I need for you to know that—to really, truly understand that you were loved, every single day of your life, by your mother.”

“I know that now,” Vie replied
, trying hard to hold back her tears. Lily kissed her forehead, just as Henry always did, tenderly and with love.

Then
Lily moved on to where Henry was waiting. It was easy to see how much Lily and Henry loved each other by the look in their eyes. Lily looked at him the same way Vie looked at Carter. Henry was awestruck by the woman standing before him. His eyes glowed like blue fire as he gazed at her.

“Henry, my love.
How I’ve missed you,” she said, touching his face lovingly. “We’ve done good work here,” she looked at the girls, “and I wish we had more time now, Henry, but we don’t. I want you to know I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Violet. Causing you pain of any type was the last thing I wanted to do. But here she is, and here you are, and everything is finally as it should be. No regrets, remember, Henry.” Lily reminded him of the words he used to say to her all the time: live your life with no regrets.

“No regrets
, Lily, not ever,” Henry replied, tears spilling down his cheeks. “Do you have to leave now, so soon?” he asked, seeing her beginning to fade away.

“I’m sorry
, Henry, we do,” she said, reaching her hand out to his. Henry extended his hand and their fingertips touched ever so lightly.

“Wait, I haven’t said goodbye
. I need to say goodbye,” Henry said, begging, as they faded away. He was devastated. Lily had died unexpectedly in a car accident, and his one regret was that he’d never gotten the chance to say goodbye to her. It had haunted him for years, and now, even though he’d been able have one last moment with her, he still hadn’t gotten to say goodbye.

“Just say goodbye
, Daddy. She’ll hear you,” Vie said, feeling his pain.

“Goodbye
, Lily. I’ll love you forever,” Henry said.

Then like a star, his love’s pure face looked down upon them, only for a second
, and they heard the voice of an angel say, “No goodbyes, my love, just ‘until we meet again.’”

Lily
had answered Henry’s plea. Their love transcended time and space; Vie felt the pureness and beauty of the moment.

Carter hung back to let the three of them have a much
-needed private moment. When he saw they were a little more composed, he moved toward them. Henry and Vie were wiping the tears from their eyes. “Is everything okay here?” he asked.

“Yep, sure is. Everything okay with you
, Vie?” Henry asked.

“Yep, fine here. We’re all good,” Vie confirmed Henry’s sentiments.

Carter laughed. It was funny to him to see just how very much Vie and Henry were alike. They were both always trying to be brave and strong, and had hearts of gold. Their passion for life and their genuine empathy for others made them perfectly matched.

Vie walked over to Jeremy and asked
, “Are you all right, Jer?”

“I am now,” he said
, smiling up at the sky.

“I’m going to join the other
s; care to walk with me, Jeremy?” Henry asked.

Jeremy agreed and
they walked away, two very happy men, leaving Carter and Vie to continue their private birthday celebration.

The two
young warriors walked over to the buffalo hide blanket and lay down, side by side.

“So, any more surprises up your sleeve?” Vie asked.

“Nope,” Carter replied, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to show her.

“So now that you’ve given me my birthday present, what can I give you
?” Vie asked.

Carter, of course, flashed his
award-winning grin her way, squinting his eyes ever so slightly, which drove Vie crazy.

She leaned in and kissed him
, knowing that was what he wanted from her. She had become quite accustomed to his advances. “Anything else?” she asked.

“Well, there is one more thing,” Carter said.

“Do tell.”

“I need a date to the Valentine’s Day Dance!” he said
, smiling at her.

As much as she wanted to refuse his request, Vie knew it wouldn’t be right. After all
, he had saved her life; twice now, in fact. She thought about it for a minute, and then she looked into his piercing green eyes and replied with a smile, “Wish granted!”

Carter pulled her to him
for a long, loving kiss, holding her tight under the stars of the wide-open western sky. Neither Carter nor Vie had any idea what their futures held, but they believed together they could face anything. The unknowns were not so frightening now that they had each other, so they put their worries about the future aside, basking in the joyous moment that was in the here and now.