How Soon Is Now

Part One - Chapter Eighteen: Rewinding Time

Amber watched as the doctors’ fought to keep Nicola alive, she had sent Marissa into hiding after they had arrived at the hospital since she had no idea what was going to happen now.

Nicola slowly turned to look at Amber, she knew that she wasn’t going to make it and she doubted that the Source would agree to turn back time; this was it and nothing would chance that.

“Amber…” Nicola whispered her voice breaking, she didn’t want to waste her energy crying about something that she couldn’t change; she felt herself growing weaker.

Amber quickly approached her quickly, taking her hand she waited for Nicola to continue; she was sure that everything was going to be okay, it had to be cause she didn’t know how she’d tell Fernando if it wasn’t.

“Tell Fernando, tell him I love him… that he needs to go on with his life, fall in love, get married, have kids and grow old; I’ll see him again one day,” Nicola whispered as she struggled to breath, she felt cold and she doubted that there was much that could be done for her.

Amber brushed back tears as she watched Nicola’s body struggling to survive, she wished that there was something that she could do to help.

The doctors continued to fight to save Nicola’s life, the blonde had lost so much blood and they couldn’t seem to find the bullet that had caused all this damage.

Amber sniffled, she couldn’t believe that this was happening and she prayed that it would all be fixed; she would have to tell Fernando that his girlfriend had bleed to death and she didn’t want to do that.

“Tell him…” Nicola urged just before her heart stopped beating, her vacant eyes staring at Amber as the life drained from them.

Amber covered her mouth as she started to cry, this shouldn’t have happened and she knew who was to blame; she would never forgive Lydia for causing all of this and the mess that had come with it.

***

The Source smirked as he looked at Fernando, he had heard about him and the gift he had been given; the Tribunal had gifted him by returned his soul mate to him and now she had been taken from him again.

“I wonder if you know what I know about her,” the Source mused staring right at Fernando, who looked at him confused making the Source chuckle as he watched him.

Fernando had no idea what the Source was telling him, his mind could barely focus because something didn’t feel right; he just wanted to get out of there and back to Nicola.

“Your soul mate is dead,” the Source informed them, he watched as the colour drained from Fernando’s face and he knew that whatever the Elders had planned wasn’t going to happen now that the blonde was dead.

Fernando suddenly felt empty, tears fill his eyes at the Source’s announcement; he knew that he shouldn’t be letting him get to him when it could all be lies.

But the thought of Nicola being dead hurt him, he didn’t like to think of her laying lifeless somewhere while he was here trying to fix time so that she could be safe.

Ryan frowned wondering if this was what he had been warned about that this would lead to Fernando’s final choice; he could only do so much and he hoped that this wasn’t going to end badly.

“I’ll go and check,” Ryan offered making Fernando nod, there was little chance of it hurting when they were still waiting for the Source’s decision; the whitelighter quickly disappeared leaving Fernando and Adrian alone with the Source.

“I wonder if they told you…” the Source chuckled making Fernando look at him, he had no idea what the demon would say now but he wanted it all to be a lie; he couldn’t bear the thought of being without Nicola.

Adrian shook his head as he looked at the man that Nicola loved more than anything in the world; he was sure that it was just the Source trying to mess with his head.

“Ignore him,” Adrian said glaring at the Source who chuckled darkly, he didn’t know what the demon was playing at but he doubted that it was going to help them in anyway.

Fernando nodded though he was curious about the demon was talking about, the Source chuckled as he watched the Spaniard; he wasn’t about to let this go.

“They never planned for you both to stay together… whether it is in this time line or the next, Nicola will die,” the Source told him, he couldn’t resist hurting the man before him who had no idea what had been planned for him or his soul-mate; it would only end in tears for the couple.

Fernando looked at him as Ryan orbed back into the cavern, he looked devastated as he looked at the other two; the Source had been telling the truth and now he had to break the news.

“Nicola’s dead…” Ryan said with tears in his eyes, he couldn’t believe it and he didn’t understand how it had happened; he just hoped that they would be able to fix all of this.

Fernando felt sick as the Source’s words ringing in his ears as he stumbled back away from Adrian and Ryan; he didn’t want to believe that Nicola was gone.

They were meant to have a happy ending this time and the Tribunal had promised them that, this was meant to be their reward and Nicola hadn’t even made it past a couple of months.

Adrian stared at Fernando, he had no idea what to say to his friend after what had happened; it seemed unreal and he feared what Fernando might be willing to do to get her back.

“Do you still want him to reverse time?” the Source said amused watching the three men while Fernando tried to stay on his feet, he couldn’t hear what was being said and he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Nicola was dead, his soul-mate had been killed and he wasn’t there to protect her, it was his fault; Fernando cursed himself for leaving her alone again and he wanted this to end.

The pain in his chest started to grow stronger, he slowly started to realise that this was it and there was only one way that he would ever get Nicola back; the time-line needed fixing and Fernando wasn’t going to let anyone stop that from happening.

Adrian wrapped his arms around Fernando as the Spaniard’s legs gave way from under him; Fernando looked at him surprised as Adrian smiled at him, they would fix this no matter what happened.

Ryan talked with the Source, they didn’t care the cost only that they needed to reverse time and fix the damage that Lydia had caused once that was done everything would be okay.

Nicola would be alive again and Lydia would lose her magic for good, she would be punished for the dark path that she had lead everyone down and for her part in exposing magic to the world.

“She’ll be okay… we’re reversing time, Nicola will be okay,” Adrian murmured to Fernando as tears started to fall, they would get the blonde back and then everything would be okay; they would make sure of that.

Fernando shook his head, he took deep breath trying to calm himself as the Source signalled for Tempus; he didn’t look at the other demon instead stared at the demon who had seemed a little too happy about all of this.

Fernando gritted his teeth as time slowly started to reverse itself, he couldn’t forget what the Source had said and he prayed that he would remember the words when time fixed itself.

It was a warning that Fernando wasn’t going to forget anytime soon and he wasn’t going to lose Nicola again.

“Whether it is in this time line or the next, Nicola will die.”

###

Author's Note:

Inspired by Charmed 03x22: All Hell Breaks Loose.