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Calcifer sighed, “If it were only that simple,” he said, turning to look at Aidan.

“I know what you are thinking, but would he really be a wise choice?”  Nikola had known Aidan for almost as long as Beck and he could remember Aidan’s days as Loki the trickster.

“He is the oldest of our kind.  His age should have warranted him a place at the head of the Council before I was even born.”  Calcifer let out a deep breath and laughed as he watched Aidan setting the tip of Meredith’s hair on fire.  “But, I do see your point,” he said, shaking his head while Meredith patted the fire out with her hand and started yelling at Aidan.  “Beck sure does have his hands full with all of those witches around him all the time.”

“He certainly is unique among my kind.  He understood a long time ago the necessity for symbiosis between our races.”  Nikola in some ways envied Beck’s happiness and his ability to live and love.

~~~***~~~

Now that the trial was over, Beck had only one thing still on his mind and that was Mae.  His airplane sat on the tarmac at Heathrow waiting for its passengers to board.  Aidan and Meredith stood at the boarding ladder arguing about Aidan’s sense of duty or lack thereof, while Beck finalized the flight plans so they could leave immediately.

Aidan threw his hands up in air and conceded, “There is no pleasing you woman, is there?” walking up the ladder behind Meredith.

Meredith stopped and turned around to look at him.  “Aidan, you can’t keep avoiding your place on the Council.  There are few witches with the life experience you possess.”

Aidan placed his hand on the small of her back, nudging Meredith to continue up the ladder and into the plane.  Once inside, he turned her around and kissed her.  Meredith stood there stunned by this kiss, it was completely unexpected.  “Aidan, why did you just do that?” she whispered, with her body still against his.

Aidan gently moved the stray hairs away from Meredith’s face and smiled, “It was the only way I could think of to getting you to shut up.”

Meredith forcefully pushed herself away from his embrace.  “Aidan, you’re such an ass!”

He quickly seized her hand before she could walk away.  “I’m just kidding, Mere…please; I need to talk to you about something,” he begged.

She sighed and turned around.  Her eyes were shooting daggers at him for playing with her heart.  “What is it, Aidan?” she asked letting out a deep breath once more and rolling her eyes.

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.  “Mere, when I found out you’d been shot; a panic went through me the likes of which I have never experienced.  It has taken me this long to realize why I felt that way.”

“Aidan, what the hell are you trying to say?”

“I love you, Mere!” he blurted out.  “For as many times as I’ve tried, I can’t live without you.”

Meredith let go of his hand and sat down on a couch near the back of the plane.  Aidan followed and sat beside her.  “Aidan, we have been down this road so many times.  What makes you think this would end any differently?”  She put her hand on his leg and looked at him with bated breath, awaiting his answer.

Aidan placed his hand on Meredith’s.  “Every time I start seeing someone new, it never works out because I spend the whole relationship comparing them to you.  Is it no wonder that in all these years, you have been the only woman I ever missed being with?”

“And only you, Aidan would try to sway me back by comparing me to the other women in your life.”

Aidan clasped her hand as it inched closer to the top of his thigh. “Is it working?”

“First, answer one simple question.  What do you hope to get out of this relationship?”

Aidan lifted Meredith's hand to his lips and kissed it.  "I want what Beck has."

"You want Mae and a castle in the country?" she laughed, teasing him about his choice of words.

Aidan smiled and laughed too.  "I want happiness, Meredith.  Not just some temporary infatuation.  I want real love and someone to look forward to coming home to every day."

Meredith stopped laughing and raised her brow.  "You are being serious, aren't you?" she said somberly.

"Yes, I am.  So, are you willing to give me another chance?"

Meredith turned her body, her arm reaching across his chest as she placed her hand on his neck and pulled him closer.  She closed her eyes, bringing her lips to touch his in a simple gesture of her agreement.  He put his arm around her waist and pulled her across his lap to where she was straddling his thighs.  Her simple kiss had now turned into the passion of two long lost lovers, rekindling their feelings for one another.  Aidan pulled her against his chest as they kissed, he could feel her heart pounding wildly against him.  He moved his hands to the edge of her skirt, pushing it up until he could feel her lace panties brush against his fingertips, neither of them aware that Beck was standing in the doorway at the top of the boarding ladder.  “Hmmm…” Beck cleared his throat and looked at the ceiling of the plane.  Meredith jumped off Aidan’s lap and quickly adjusted her skirt.  When Beck looked back at them, Meredith’s cheeks had gone completely red with embarrassment and Aidan was grinning from ear to ear.

“Is there something you two want to tell me?”  Beck moved out of the doorway, so the pilot and stewardess could board.  He crossed his arms and eyed them as he waited for an answer to his question.

Aidan clasped Meredith’s hand. “It looks like Meredith and I are going to have a go at it again.”

Beck smiled at his friend, he knew the peace and quiet he enjoyed so much would be forever interrupted as long as these two were together, but that was okay with him.  Deep down he always knew they belonged together and had much to learn from one another.  For as long as Beck had known Meredith, she had been completely grounded, taking life far too seriously even for Beck’s logical taste and Aidan did not have a serious bone in his body, even in the most arduous of circumstances.

Meredith smiled back at Beck and replied sarcastically, “Yay…eleventh time’s a charmer,” she teased, poking fun at their previous track record.

Beck walked over to Aidan and shook his hand, then leaned over and kissed Meredith’s cheek.  “I wish you both happiness, but we need to get going.  I cannot abide being away from Mae.”

“That reminds me,” Aidan said, pulling out a note from his pocket.  “Alexis called while you were in the Council meeting.  She wanted to let you know, Mae is still healing slowly, but is healing none-the-less.  They plan to wake her from her drug-induced coma either tonight or tomorrow depending on when we get back to Dublin.  She wanted you to be there when they do.  If all goes well and she is breathing on her own and responsive, they will allow you to take her home, provided you have the facilities and medical staff to care for her.”

Before Aidan could even finish what he was saying, Beck took his phone out of his pocket and immediately started making arrangements to bring Mae home.

Meredith and Aidan gave a small chuckle.  Beck had always been a man of action; it was one of his more endearing qualities, especially when it concerned Mae.  Even though Beck had not even so much as cracked a smile, they knew he was happy at the news.

After several phone calls, Beck took his seat and prepared for takeoff.  His bond with Mae left him feeling heartbroken and empty, despite his good mood but he knew it was a feeling that would resolve itself as soon as he were by her side again.  He placed his hand on his chest where her ring still hung around his neck.  Its hum comforted him as he allowed its energy to flow through him.

He closed his eyes and embracing its energy, a vision started to form…once again he saw Mae sitting under the oak tree with a toddler on her lap, only this time he could see the child clearly.  He had a head of blond hair and ice blue eyes, leaving no doubt that this was his child.  As he took the babe from her lap and spun him around in his arms, the baby’s laughter permeated the air.  The vision ended as quickly as it began and Beck opened his eyes to find, Meredith and Aidan standing in front of him, dumbfounded by what just happened.

“Why are you two staring at me?”  Beck asked, looking up and furrowed his brow.

“What the hell just happened?   Aidan and I were sitting in our seats getting ready for takeoff and all of a sudden everything went white then this vision of you, Mae, and a baby just infiltrated my mind.”  Meredith was alarmed at the fact that the vision had permeated her barriers.

Beck looked down at Mae’s ring, “There is something about this ring that has caused me to have visions when I touch it.  I had the same vision at my apartment right before I left to come to London, except it was not as vivid last time.”

Meredith put out her hand; Beck took off the ring and handed it to her.  “I have heard of some witches being able to use crystals to see the future, but this was projected with such strength that I could not even barricade myself against it,” she said, eyeing the ring in amazement.

Aidan looked at Meredith, “Are you saying that this is Mae and Beck’s future?”

Meredith smiled, “Yes…If I’m right, I suppose I am.  It looks like Beck is going to be a father, but how is that even possible?” she handed the ring back to him.  “I need to look into this further, before I can say for certain.  I don’t know if it’s the future as it will be or just a wishful future of Mae’s fabrication.”

Beck put the ring back on the leather cord around his neck.  “I do not know what it is, but I hope you are right Meredith, about it being our future.  This is a future I would gladly accept.”

They all buckled themselves back in their seats as the plane taxied down the runway preparing for takeoff.

It was not long before the plane touched down in Dublin.  Donald was already waiting at the airport for them to arrive and take them straight to the hospital.  Mae still remained in the ICU. Large, armed bodyguards monitored who entered the room, including which doctors were allowed to treat her.

  Beck walked in to find Gemma and Alexis at Mae’s bedside.  Gemma looked up at Beck, her eyes red from crying.  Getting up from her chair she rushed to where he was and threw her arms around him.

Beck returned her embrace and apologized, “Gemma, I am sorry I did not call you as soon as everything happened.  I was not thinking straight…I hope you will forgive me?”

She released her hold and grinned, “Everything you did was in Mae’s best interests, how can I possibly fault you for that?  Alexis told me what happened after I left.  I should be angry at you for not telling Mae about Helen sooner, but I know she loves you, so for your sake you better not break her heart.  My only concern now is when she wakes will it be Helen or Mae?”

Beck let out a deep breath before telling the story of his ghostly encounter with Helen.  Sadness and relief etched his face while he explained Helen’s departure.  “So you see, everything I have done the past couple of days is all for Mae…I love her,” Beck said in conclusion.

Gemma hugged Beck again, she could see how painful all of this was for him.  Alexis wiped her eyes, acting like she had something in them, too tough to own up to her tears.  Aidan put his arm around Meredith after Beck’s story left her in tears.  She grieved over the loss of Helen, who had once been her good friend.  A tap at the door snapped everybody out of their melancholy and Dr. Thomas entered the room.

“We’ve decided that it would be best to let her rest one more night before we try to wake her.  I suggest everyone go home and get some rest, we plan to wake her at seven a.m.”  He walked over to the monitors and started writing on her chart.

Everyone started to leave the room.  Beck stayed behind to have a word with the doctor. “How is she doing?”

“As far as I can tell, she should be ready to breathe on her own and she showed lots of brain activity today, which is a good sign,” he said, continuing to write on Mae’s chart.

“Do you think we will be able to move her tomorrow?” 

“If all goes well tomorrow morning, I will release her into your care by evening.  I have also decided to take you up on your offer of employment.  I will accompany her on tomorrows ride,” he replied placing Mae’s chart on the table.

Beck reached out and shook the doctor’s hand, “That is fantastic news, welcome to the team.”

“Do you know if Alexis is seeing anyone?” the doctor asked.

“My good man,” Beck grinned.  “It takes a special kind of person to be a part of that one’s life.  She is not one to give much thought to other people’s feelings and has a tendency to bring her partners to tears,” Beck warned.

The doctor laughed, “I have seen the way she handles those guards out there and there is much to be admired about a woman who can carry herself with such confidence.”

“Well, you cannot say that I did not warn you,” Beck chuckled, thinking about how long it would take before she had the good doctor crying like a baby.  He leaned over and kissed Mae on the cheek, then left the room.

Everyone had figured out their sleeping arrangements before Beck made it to the lobby.  Gemma and Alexis would go with Beck to his townhouse and Meredith would go with Aidan to his apartment.  The plan was to grab an early breakfast at the townhouse, then head to the hospital.  Alexis would take one of Beck’s cars and head out early.  She wanted to be there when the security team switched shifts.  Plus, she didn’t trust the non-witch staffers and planned to use her powers of persuasion to ensure, when Dr. Thomas okayed the move, the non-witch staff would also agree.