"Nothing is with me now but a sound,
A heart's rhythm, a sense of stars"
- W. H. Auden, Compline
In which Charlotte Salvatore wakes after a 145 year slumber and is thrust into a supernatural world before she can cope with the modern one.
(THE VAM...
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Klaus wasn't always right, but he was about one thing, that where Charlotte went to was better than what she'd feared in her last moments.
It was difficult to say exactly how long she'd been here, time was different in a place like this, but it had been a long time, a long but wonderful time. It was odd, but eternity wasn't bad here, not troublesome, every day she was happy and every day she felt at peace. It was nothing like the Other Side that she'd feared she'd reach, it was never cold and she never felt alone.
Eventually she was joined by others too, first Stefan, that had been nice, she'd been able to hear about the world since she'd left, about the things they'd done and the people they'd left. He was happy too, he'd been happy in his life in the end and he was happy when they were reunited. There were others too that she hoped to see, but it wasn't hard to wait, everyone ended up here eventually and without them here, she knew they were still alive, still living and exploring the world.
Things were different here, though she missed the people that she loved who hadn't arrived yet, it wasn't a painful absence that she felt, more a fond memory of their time together.
Today had begun like any other, walking through to her favourite place to paint, a beautiful little field with wild flowers in every colour and a chair strung up on a tree. She never felt more content than when she was here, watching the world breeze by slowly, the leaves twinkle in the wind. A reminder of her final memory in the real world enveloping her like all the love she'd ever felt.
She'd taken up painting when she arrived too, first it was so she could remember the people she'd left behind, worried if she didn't she might lose her memories of them, then it was simply because it brought her peace. She never ended up losing the memories, that was the beauty of this place she was in, everything she wanted to remember she did and everything that had ever bothered her, ceased to cause her worry.
It was the field that she was in when he found her, she'd taken a break from her work and was laying back, laying among the flowers in the field as she felt the sun on her face. The world was so peaceful around her and that's what she loved, the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees, the feeling of the grass tickling her ankles, the warmth of the sun on her face.
He never expected to see her again, he'd told her he would, that he'd do anything he could to see her, but he didn't know if it was true, if he'd be able to find her but finally the day came when he did.
The vision in front of him was one he'd dreamed of every night for years, it was as though he could reach out and grasp it always and now having her in front of him again, he froze for a moment, unable to believe he truly could.
Charlotte was in a dress, a dress so white and light that she looked angelic, such a picture of purity and peace, if he didn't know her he would swear she was divinity. Her feet were bare and her hair ran loose down her back, finally and truly free of all her worries and fears.
She was half asleep when the scene changed, when the light that was enveloping her was blocked and she squinted her eyes open to see him, her Nik, standing there in the billowing button down he'd worn in the last memory he'd given her.
"It's you?" she asked, her heart racing as she took his outstretched hand so he could pull her to her feet.
He looked the same as he always did, his eyes watching her with their soft affection and his lips pulled into a contented smile. There was a softness to him entirely now, the softness she sometimes only caught in the mornings seemed to envelop him now, a peace about him as he entered this new realm, as he reunited with her.
"It's me," he said, pulling her closer still as his arms wrapped around her waist, his lips touching hers the moment he could, "I told you I'd find you."
They were together longer than they were apart, he'd kept his final promise to her, that she'd find Eden and that he'd find her. She learnt about his life in the time she left, about the family he'd built and about the child he loved. They built a life here together, a life filled with happiness and love, greeting each new occupant of this world with unfettered joy.
