Passion and Despair

Chapter 19- Rescued

Thomas sat on the floor next to the cot that held a sleeping Darcy. He just watched her sleep, and was thankful that she wasn't having another seizure. However, it wasn't enough. She wasn't awake and smiling at him. He took her hand in his and squeezed it a bit as he heard someone approach the tent.

He heard the zipper open and then shut once someone entered. He sighed and looked at them, surprised to see Lila standing there. "What in the goddess' name do you want?" He gave her a curious look as he asked. "To help," She said, "What made me want to help the other day, wasn't just Penny. For years I have hurt that girl for a reason that wasn't her fault."

"So now you admit it?" Thomas asked. "Yes. Penny made me realize that she is in fact only a monster because I made her that way. I needed to quit looking at her as my enemy, and see that she was just a girl who didn't chose to be born to Anne and William.  I suppose Penny will benefit from Anne's presence. I wouldn't be surprised if she prefers Anne to myself," Lila answered.

"It's never too late to try and be a real mother," Thomas assured, "But you can't keep hurting Darcy or Anne. The girls are sisters, and they're close as well. Therefore, if you hurt Darcy, then you hurt Penny. Hurting Penny means pushing her further away." "I know, and... I know that none of them may ever forgive me," Lila sighed, "But will you please let me try and help her. I can help her wake, but- the venom is in her, and it has done it's damage. Since it's around her throat she may not be able to speak."

"What?" Thomas frowned. "The one that bit her must have known the damage he was doing. He knew you'd be able to save her from the venom. I'll bet that he intended to do some permanent damage by biting her in the neck." "How do you render a banshee defensless: Take away her wail," Thomas frowned. "Thing is... Venom could be bad for other vampires as well, which is probably why Roman hasn't sucked it out like snake venom yet," Lila explained as she cautiously walked over.

"I told him not to. I'll not risk anyone's life on a 'maybe'," Thomas sighed. Lila carefully placed her hand over the puncture wounds in Darcy's neck. A small light began to glow in between them, and then Darcy's form began to relax. Her breathing turned to normal. Lila hissed in the pain the strength of the spell required. Eventually there was a black orb in her hand as she pulled it away from Darcy's neck.

"Is that it?" Thomas asked. "Yes. It's actually possible to use this to track the vampire that bit her," Lila said as she took an empty potion bottle and let the orb float inside it. Once it was all in, it turned liquid and she corked the top. "There," She handed it to him, "Anne or Alyssa would know what to do with it." Thomas gently took it and set it down near the other bottles.

"Just give her some time. She'll wake soon," Lila said and began to unzip the tent. "Lila, this doesn't make up for burrying her for 200 years," Thomas frowned. She sighed and lowered her head. He continued, "But it's a good place to start." She nodded and left the tent, zipping it back up to keep most of the cold out.

Thomas gently place a few fingers on Darcy's cheek and gasped at how cold she was. He'd been too afraid to feel it before, but he hoped she would gain some warmth back after Lila's help. He pulled the blanket so it would cover her up to her shoulders and tucked it in a bit to keep her warm. "Don't worry, love, I won't leave your side," Thomas assured her as he rested his head on the edge of the low cot and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

The next morning, Thomas woke to Anne's voice lowly talking. Any lower and she'd be whispering. The hand he'd fallen asleep holding was no longer there, but someone's hand was resting in his hair and playing with it. He could almost fall back asleep to the touch, but his curiosity got the best of him.

He blinked open his eyes and slowly lifted his head due to an ache from the way he slept. The hand moved from his hair back to his hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Well, would you look who's awake," Anne chuckled a bit, "Good morning." "Morning," Thomas replied as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand.