Return of the Legion

The Deviant's POV Back at the compound, we quickly get everyone situated; healing those who need healing, finding homes for everyone and finally setting up five pyres. Andy and I look over the dead, wrapping them in white sheets, securing them with ropes.

I almost lose it though when I spot a young girl with blonde hair. She didn't suffer at least. She probably didn't even know what hit her, seeing as the bullet went right through the back of her head, but still...

This is what war does...I should be used to this shit by now, but I don't think it ever gets any easier. Especially when something like this happens. It's senseless.

Andy says a prayer for the fallen, before we load them onto the pyres.

After that's done, I head out to find Ivy. As I search, I begin to worry she ran off again. She's got a bad habit of doing that when things get to be too much for her. Not saying I blame her, but it's dangerous. It's a thousand times more dangerous now that we know the Shadows have returned. I finally check the Church of the Wild Ones, hoping beyond hope she's here.

As I enter, I find her sitting alone in one of the pews near the front. Upon closer inspection, I find her absentmindedly playing with a handful of lead bullets that she had removed from the injured Wild Ones. She spins them in the air, then morphs them into random shapes. A large bullet, a cross, a heart, then breaking the heart in half, down the middle. She morphs them back to their original form and spins them again, repeating this over and over.

As she makes another heart, I cautiously alert her to my presence, but she still jumps and sends the heart flying at me like a throwing star. I dodge it carefully, then look back to her.

"Oh! Oh, my God! I'm so sorry, Ashley!" She gasps, covering her mouth with her hands, then they travel up her face to hide her.

I sigh deeply, knowing exactly what she's going through, before I move closer and pull her into my arms. She sobs, latching onto me, buring her face in my chest and I can feel every bit of her pain. She's suffering, knowing that we couldn't save everyone.

"Why?" She chokes out, "Why them? Why any of us? Why did they have to die?"

I fight back my own tears as I struggle to answer her question.

"After all my time on this planet, that's one thing I could never figure out. I don't know why they or anyone has to die. I'm sorry," I whisper into her hair, gently stroking her back, in an attempt to comfort her.

"That could have been Ava today," She says shakily, "I...I..."

"Hey, Hey," I breathe, pulling her away, to look at her, "It wasn't Ava. You made sure of that. This is what war looks like. It's not pretty and it's not fun, but you can never forget your reasons to fight. If you do, it'll be you on pyre, and I couldn't live without you. Not now, not ever."

"Ashley, eventually I'm going to die. Remember, I'm only half fallen angel. I'm not immortal like you. Not by a long shot," She whispers and each word sends a shock of pain through my chest.

"I know," I reply, my voice barely audible, then a thought occurs to me. A binding. It would mean linking my soul to hers, but...

"Ashley?" She softly asks, looking up at me, "Ashley, what is it?"

"Oh fuck," I growl under my breath, pulling away from her and running my hands through my hair. I can't ask her to do that. Not for me, not for anyone. That's something she would have to decide on her own.

"Ashley," She demands, grabbing hold of my vest, "What's wrong?"

I take a deep breath, looking up at the cross at the front of the church and whisper, "Tell me what to do, Lord."

"Huh?" Ivy murmurs, frowning slightly in confusion at my sudden shift.

I really don't want her to...I mean, I know even with the soul binding, it's possible she could get killed, but...

"Talk to her, my son," The familiar voice softly commands, "You just may be surprised by her answer."

I look back to the large wooden cross and sigh, before I look down at Ivy. Pulling her closer to me again, I hold her, breathing in her sweet scent as I try to find the words.

"Ivy, what if there was a way you...you wouldn't die? At least not like a human," I softly ask, watching as she pulls away, just far enough to look up at me with curious eyes.

"What do you mean?" She slowly inquires after what feels like an eternity.

"What if there was a way to pull your fallen angel to the surface and leave your human side dormant? Would that interest you?" I press, timidly watching her reaction, attempting to gauge her thoughts.

"You mean...Become like you?" She asks, holding my gaze.

"Yes. With you being half...Well..." I struggle to find the words, but it appears I don't need to.

"If it were possible and it meant we could stay together and that I could keep fighting until this war was over, I'd do it in a heartbeat," She replies, cutting me off, and I can see nothing but truth in her soft blue eyes.

That seems to be the only real difference between her and Eve, now that I think about it. She got Andy and Alex's eyes.

"What if I told you it was possible?" I ask.

Her eyes light up and she demands, "Is it?"

I sigh before saying, "Yes. But I have to warn you, it's very painful from my understanding of it. To get your human side to become dormant, we...we have to basically kill it. Then your soul will have a void so we'll need to put a piece of mine in its place."

"But wouldn't that leave you with a void?" She asks, worry clear in her voice.

"Not exactly. It'd be more like...sharing part of my soul," I explain, not sure how to continue.

"Why do I sense a 'but' at the end of that sentence?" She warily asks, watching me carefully.

I take a deep breath before I answer with, "Because there is a but at the end of that sentence. That means if either of us is injured, the other will automatically know, because they'll feel the pain too and if one of us got killed...well..."

"The other would die too, right?" She guesses.

"Not die, but that part of them would die," I explain, holding my breath as I wait for her to comprehend this.

After an eternity, the look on her face saying it all, I resign myself to the fact that she's not on board with the idea. That's why it shocks me when she whispers, "Okay. I can accept those terms, but...are you sure you can?"

"Ivy," I breathe her name, reaching up to stroke her cheek with my thumb, "I've been waiting for you for nearly 300 years. I never thought I'd ever meet my one true love, but now, here you are. I'd do anything to keep you."

I hear her sharply inhale as tears well up in her eyes again and she tackles me with a hug. Smiling I wrap my arms around her, gently kissing her head and thanking God for the wonderful gift he's given me.

When we pull out of our embrace, she looks up and asks, "When are we going to do this?"

"After the feast would be best. The celebration will start at sunset, followed by the feast and then we'll talk to everyone. Once we have their blessing, we'll take you to my place for the night. A ritual will be preformed and then I'll hold you through the pain," I explain, brushing back a few stray hairs with one hand, my other resting on her hip, "In the morning, you'll wake up in my arms, a new person."

She nods, tightening her hold around me, resting her head on my chest, before saying, "Okay."

She gently kisses my chest before looking up and claiming my lips. When we finally pull away, she smiles up at me and we walk from the Church.

I'm honestly surprised she agreed to this, but I couldn't be happier. She truly is something else entirely. She definitely got that defiance and drive to be different from her mother, Beth.

Before we realize it, the sun begins to set and I lead her through town, to the outskirts, where the celebration will be held. We make a pit stop at my place, so I can grab my bass, then finish the short trek.

"Stay right here," I tell her, as CC approaches with Ava and Jake, who help him carry his drums.

"Hey Deviant, Ivy," Jake says, smiling at us.

"Hello, Mourner," Ivy replies, returning his smile.

"Ready for the festivities?" CC asks, setting down his drum kit.

"Kind of, though I'm still not sure what there is to celebrate," Ivy answers honestly, while Ava stands there, nodding in agreement.

"Their life," Andy says, walking over to us, "We celebrate their life and the legacy they leave behind."

"Oh. Well that makes sense," Ava replies, looking at her sister.

"Yeah. It really does," Ivy adds, "But, how?"

"If you know the words, sing with us, if not, just follow along," Andy states, smirking at the girls. How they could possibly know the lyrics to New Years Day and In The End were beyond me, but they did know Devil's Choir, so who knows?

Andy passes me a knowing look before turning around to begin the celebration, while we set up. He starts by telling the Story of the Wild Ones and how we came to be. Then he moves on to naming those who had passed and explaining how they died. Finally it's time for the lighting of the pyres and music.

Jinxx lights each one with a snake of flames that weaves in between each of the five pyres, then we begin playing. The Wild Ones sing with us at the top off their lungs, and when I turn I'm surprised to find Ivy and Ava singing along.

Their parents taught them so much, but told them so little.

The Prophet's POV
After we send off the fallen Wild Ones, Ashley and Ivy approach us at the feast. They seem happy, but nervous for some reason.

"Prophet, Mystic, Mourner and Destroyer," Ivy greets us, "Ash-Er, The Deviant and I would like to ask you for your blessing and help."

"In what?" I ask, sending a pointed look towards Ashley.

"A binding," he replies, "Ivy and I have discussed it in length and have come to the decision that we would like to request one."

"So you know everything?" I demand, picking her brain for the memory, seeing to my surprise, he actually did tell her everything.

"Yes, Prophet," She says, no fear anywhere to be found. She genuinely wants this.

I look over at CC, Jinxx and Jake who and seem surprised, but nod. I sigh deeply, unable to believe what I'm about to agree to. Well, here goes nothing.

"Alright, you have my blessing," I state, "Anyone wish to oppose this binding, speak now or forever hold your peace."

I watch each of them carefully, reading their thoughts, gauging their reactions, as they all remain silent.

Heh, and here I thought it would be Ava and CC coming to us about this first. Never dreamed it would be Ash and Ivy. My granddaughter is certainly a Wild One...perhaps even the wildest of them all.

Notes