By My Hand

Untitled Part 12

His body went limp. Fred pulled backthe power that held him.

Vince crumpled to the ground anddidn't move. Fred raked in a deep breath clutching that ring in herhand so hard it hurt. She edged forward, knife still in her otherhand; Vince remained lying on the ground, not moving. Fred kneltdown next to him, did taking the ring off actually kill it? Itcouldn't be that simple could it? No, its' chest was rising, it wasbreathing, unconscious but alive. Fred knelt next to it ready toplunge that knife into its heart, it was mortal, completely andabsolutely mortal. She could smell it, and one blow is all it wouldtake, she should end this monster while it was weak. Vince groaned,a pained expression on his face as he rolled away from her.

Fred knew she should act, strike whenhe couldn't see it coming, couldn't stop her, but she wanted it toface her, see it coming, know she'd rendered it just as powerless asit had made her. Vince got to his knees and hunched over clutchinghis head.

"What happened?" He groaned. Fred's breath caught at the tone in his voice. He looked up at herwith honey brown eyes.

"Winifred? Love? What are youdoing?" Vincent asked as he braced himself with one hand the otherstill clutching his skull. He kept blinking as if his eyes felt raw,didn't believe what he was seeing. The knife she'd been holding,ready to strike, fell from her hand and clattered to the ground asshe held her hand to her mouth.

"What's the last thing youremember?" Fred wasn't sure she'd actually asked the question ithad been so breathless, hardly daring to hope.

Vincent shook his head and rubbed hisforehead. "I... I don't know. It's all so fragmented, so blurry." He paused still struggling to breathe normally, to see. "Theparty. We, we got married? No..." He shook his head againgroaning. "That was earlier. We got married earlier than that. New Year's Eve? You wore red." He sighed happily, smiled,actually smiled. "We fell asleep in the study."

Fred couldn't breathe. "That was along time ago." She managed.

"It was just the other night...?" He looked so confused finally taking in his surroundings and Fredfully. "Where are we?" Worry. He was worried, scared. Helooked himself over, his clothes, hers, realizing just how differentit all was.

Fred swallowed hard, took a deepbreath. "That night was ninety eight years ago." She choked onthe sob that was building. Vincent scrambled forward, kneeling infront of her and took her face in his hands. Absolute devastation onhis face. "Oh my love. What did it do to you?" It was barely awhisper over the tears he too was fighting back. Fred couldn'tbelieve it, but his eyes, they were lighter in color than she'd everseen. It had worked, all that power, all that malice... it was gone. It was just Vincent.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me wewere the same?" Fred asked placing her hands on his face.

Vincent leaned into her hands. "Atfirst it was because I didn't want to scare you. I knew you didn'tknow what it was, what it was capable of. You had such amazingcontrol over it, so much more than I ever did. I think mine saw youas a threat if you ever learned. When I decided to tell you, explaineverything... it... wouldn't let me. Who did tell you?"

"Tamsin. She told me everything."

"Thank god." Vincent tucked acurl behind her ear as he let out a relieved sigh. "Ninety eightyears." Vincent shook his head disbelievingly. "Please tell meit was good to you, loved you as much as I did."

Fred felt the tears start running downher face. "Show me." Vincent kept running his hands over hercheeks, through her hair, as if he really was seeing her for thefirst time in a century. "Please love, I have to know." Hebegged.