How Soon Is Now

Part Two - Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Curse of Fernando Torres

William pulled the athame from Nicola's stomach allowing her to step away from him, the blonde swallowed as she pressed her hands to her stomach as she stared at the blood on the athame in shock. 

"Why?" Nicola asked stepping away from more, she could feel her legs getting weak as she started to lose more blood; her white polo T-shirt was beginning to turn red from the blood that she was losing. 

William sighed staring at Nicola, he couldn't believe that he had done that but he knew that he had done the right thing; his mistress would be pleased when he told her what he had done. 

"Because Neena was right, you need to be punished... you need to suffer," William explained proud of what he had done making Nicola stare at him horrified as she realised that he was working for Neena; she cursed herself for not realising it sooner. 

Slowly Nicola dropped to her knees when she heard the familiar sound of someone orbing into the living room; she gritted her teeth knowing that this couldn't be good. 

"Nicola?" said a voice making Nicola stiffen while William smirked; he knew what would happen now that the two of them were in the same room, the curse would finally be complete. 

"I'm okay," Nicola lied, she knew that he could see the athame covered in her blood in William's hand; however he had to leave, she couldn't survive if he was here and they both knew it. 

Nicola was surprised that Fernando had even sensed what had happened, she swallowed as the world started to spin; she didn't have time for this and she knew that they needed Ryan right now. 

"What the hell did you do?" Fernando snarled as stepping towards the man that had harmed Nicola; he couldn't believe he was seeing this, he had never thought that this would happen.

William snorted amused watching Fernando, it was clear that the whitelighter wanted nothing more than to comfort Nicola but he couldn't look at her; he wondered how long that was going to last.

"Neena was right... I harmed her and you came running," William mused making Fernando pale as he realised that William was working with their enemy; Fernando closed his eyes making William smirked before he disappeared into thin air leaving the couple alone. 

Closing his eyes, Fernando tried to calm himself since he needed to focus and he doubted that they had time to head to the hospital; it would raise too many questions and they needed help. 

"Ryan!" Fernando shouted hoping the other whitelighter could hear him, he didn't want to lose Nicola like this but he couldn't heal her; there was silence as he waited for a moment before he tried again, his voice breaking as he spoke. 

"Nando... he's not coming," Nicola whispered moving a little and flinching as pain erupted where she had been stabbed, she knew that this was it for her and that she would rather have him look at her than stand there useless. 

Fernando ignored her as he called out for Ryan again; he couldn't let her die, not like this and he would do anything to stop that from happening. 

"Nando please... I need you," Nicola pleaded making Fernando finally look at her, his eyes focusing on her stomach as he moved to her side; he felt sick seeing how much blood she was losing. 

Dropping to her side, Fernando place a hand over her stomach in an attempt to heal her himself but it didn't work, he brought her close to him and whispered softly to her. 

Nicola buried her head into his neck as she felt weaker, she wondered why the world seemed to hate them so much and why they could never be happy. 

"You know I love you," Nicola mumbled making tears fill Fernando's eyes as he realised what she was doing, he didn't want this to happen; he was sure that they could fix this and he wanted nothing more than to take her place.

"Ryan!" Fernando called desperately as he realised that he couldn't save her, Neena's curse prevented him from healing her; Nicola was struggling to breath now and the blood was starting to pool around the couple. 

"Stay with me... por favor," Fernando begged her, he would give anything to make sure that Nicola was with him; however he knew that unless Ryan arrived soon, then there was no saving Nicola from death. 

Nicola smiled at him weakly, she didn't want their last moments together to be filled with pain; she swallowed thickly knowing that this was how it ended for them a second time. 

"Promise me... that you'll look after the children," Nicola murmured feeling her ex-husband stiffen, Fernando looked down for her as he realised what this meant; he didn't want to believe that she was given in. 

Fernando knew why she was asking this, the last time that they had both been like this in their first set of lives he had ended his own so quickly after she had been killed; their children needed a father and he would have to cope without her. 

"No... Nicola please," Fernando whispered brokenly as he started to cry, he couldn't lose her like this; he had only just gotten her back and now she was dying in his arms. 

Nicola was his soul-mate and Fernando didn't think he would recover if he lost her, she was everything to him and it had been hard enough to divorce her. 

"I can't lose you Nicola... please I love you," Fernando whispered pleading with her, he looked around wondering what was taking Ryan so long; they needed help and no one seemed to have noticed what the hell was going on at that moment. 

Nicola smiled at him softly before she kissed him, she wanted their last few moments to be peaceful; she would watch over him and their children from the afterlife, she wanted him to be happy even after she was gone.

Fernando desperately forced all his emotions into the kiss as he cried, he didn't want this to happen and he wished that something would stop it; Nicola carefully pulled away from him and offered him a small smile. 

"I love you too," Nicola said softly as her eyes closed and drifted away, Fernando stared at her as she went limp in her arms as Ryan orbed into the living room. 

Ryan looked around confused, he had sensed Fernando calling him from the house and he hadn't been sure if he had gotten it right; he stopped at the sight of Fernando cradling Nicola's body surround by blood. 

"Nando?" Ryan breathed shocked at the sight before him, Fernando shook his head as he started to cry, he couldn't believe that this was happening that he had lost Nicola. 

Ryan watched the other whitelighter, he didn't know what had happened but they were going to need some help covering this up; the last thing anyone wanted was for Fernando to get arrested for Nicola's murder. 

Ryan slowly stepped towards the other man, he knew that there were things that needed doing and he wasn't sure what to do; he had never thought in a million years that this would happen. 

Fernando slowly started to rock, Nicola's body back and forth as he sobbed; Ryan stared at his friend wondering what had happened as Fernando begged Nicola to wake up. 

Everything had been going so well and Ryan wasn't even sure why Fernando was in Liverpool, he had thought Nicola was meant to be having lunch with William; none of this made sense to him and it worried him. 

"Please," Fernando whispered holding onto Nicola, he didn't want to believe that she was gone.