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Description
Susannah took a deep breath and drew her sword, facing the closed door. Revenge was so close she could almost hear Andre’s heart in that deadly rhythm that she had longed to hear for so long. She kicked open the door and aimed her sword at the seated figure. But the figure was too small to be Andre.

A little girl turned around and smiled at Susannah. Tears formed in the warrior’s eyes as she saw the same green eyes staring back at her with a questioning that she knew all too well to be her own. A small pink nightgown hugged the little girl’s body and brown waves framed her face in her silky hair.
“Mummy?” the little girl asked and Andre materialised out of the shadows and picked up the little girl. His smirk was a little saddened as he studied Susannah while holding the tiny form.
“Yes Susie, this is your mummy. She went away for a while and left daddy, but now she’s come back to us…just like I promised.” Andre told the little girl and Susannah’s tears fell gently down her face.
“Mummy!” the little girl squealed and she ran at Susannah with open arms. The warrior knelt and dropped her sword as the little girl ran into her arms. Susannah touched her hair and wrapped her arms around the little girl.

Andre sat in the chair and lit himself a cigarette, studying Susannah and Susie closely. It was a sight that only Andre could appreciate. A killer, holding it’s offspring for the first time with a broken heart and revenge fuming in her eyes. A lioness, holding her cub. And all the while, Andre watched with amazement at how tenderly Susannah held her daughter and how softly she fondly caressed her face.
“S-S-Susie?” Susannah managed to say and the little girl nodded.
“I told our little daughter that you had gone away for a while, but that you would come back to us. She’s missed you.” Andre said and Susannah raised her eyes to look at the man that she had come here to kill. His face was full of something Susannah had never seen on him before. He was quiet, thoughtful and with a cigarette hanging precariously on his lip he watched her with a look of fascination and admiration, but all the while tinged with that sad undertone.
“Mummy? Why did you leave us?” Susie asked quietly and Susannah picked up her little daughter and sat her on her lap. But before Susannah could say anything, Andre cut in.
“Daddy did something to mummy that made her very angry. I killed somebody she loved very much.” Andre told her sadly and Susie shook her head and pointed an accusing finger at Andre.
“That’s a very bad daddy. Did you get a time out?” she asked innocently and Andre nodded.
“Yes I did Susie, and I felt very bad about it. But that’s all in the past now. And Susie baby, I think it’s your bedtime.” Andre smiled and Susannah stood up, holding her daughter in her arms. She kicked her sword and caught it in mid air, sheathing it in her back.

Susannah wanted to run then and take little Susie with her, but she had no idea what kind of childhood Andre had given this little girl already and Susannah didn’t want to make it any more traumatic for her.
“Would you like mummy to watch a movie with you before you go to sleep?” Andre asked and Susie nodded vigorously, her brown curls bouncing.
“Mummy would you like to watch a video with me?” Susie asked and Susannah grinned.
“Yeah!” she replied enthusiastically as she hastily wiped away her tears.

Andre nodded to Susannah and led her up the stairs and into a room full of teddy bears and books. A big double bed lay in the middle with a television on the left side.
“Which movie do you want to watch with mummy Susie?” Andre asked and Susie thought about it.
“Umm…Dracula!” Susie replied and Susannah shot a look at Andre. He smiled.
“It’s her favourite movie mummy, not surprisingly.” he explained and he took a video from a rack in the corner and put the video into the player. Susie jumped onto her bed and Susannah smiled and lay beside her. Andre bent to kiss Susie’s cheek and Susannah cringed slightly.
“Nightie night Susie. See you later alligator.” he smiled before giving Susie a high five.
“In a while crocodile!” Susie giggled and Andre nodded curtly to Susannah before exiting the room.

The movie started and Susannah held Susie’s tiny body close to hers. She held back her tears as she played with Susie’s hair and memorised the little girl’s face. As the movie wore on, Susie’s eyes began to close and Susannah waited until she was sure her little daughter was asleep before slowly getting out of the four year old’s grasp and putting the blanket over her. She slipped a fox teddy between the toddler’s arms and smiled down at her.
“No matter what happens Susie, mummy loves you.” she whispered before taking off her father’s necklace and placing it around the fox’s neck. Leaving a lingering kiss on Susie’s cheek, she got off the bed and headed for the door.

She closed the door silently behind her and walked down the stairs to see Andre filling up two glasses of wine. Susannah wanted to slice his head off right then; but she had questions and she wanted answers before she killed him. Obviously he had the same thought in mind because he was not armed.
“Get rid of the sword Susannah, I’m not going to hurt you.” Andre said sincerely as he took a seat and gestured for Susannah to sit opposite him. She cautiously took off her sword and placed it beside the chair before sitting down. Her long black skirt and red shirt was a simple attire to mask the warrior within.

Andre leaned back in his chair and sipped on the red wine.
“Now Susannah, I have some questions that need to be answered. But the thing about you is that I truly believe you are incapable of telling me the truth. And when it comes to talking about me I think you are incapable of even telling yourself the truth. So you see my dilemma.” Andre said and Susannah nodded, smirking slightly.
“Seems like you’ve got me all summed up. So, how will you solve this dilemma?” she asked and Andre finished his sip of wine and stared into her eyes as he placed his glass on the table. Before Susannah could blink, Andre had drawn a gun and shot her silently in the leg. She screamed in pain and stared at the red dart poking out of her thigh.
“What the fuck did you just shoot me with?!” she demanded as she reached to pull it out. Andre cocked the gun and pointed it at her head.
“Touch it and I’ll put another one in your eye. It’s merely a truth serum; like sodium pentothal but without that druggy after effect.” Andre explained and Susannah bit her lip in pain.
“How long does this shit take to work?” she snapped angrily and Andre stood up, taking his glass of wine with him.
“About five minutes or so. Just long enough for you to relax. Oh, and for your own peace of mind; Susie’s room is soundproof. So you can yell at me all you want and she won’t hear even the hint of a whisper.” Andre replied and Susannah tried to slow her breathing as the truth serum coursed through her veins.

After five minutes of silence, Andre sat down and stared into Susannah’s eyes.
“Now first things first. Why the hell did you pretend you were dead? Oh and for the record, letting someone think that somebody they love is dead, is cruel.” Andre asked and tears formed in Susannah’s eyes.
“All I ever did to Gabriel and the others was cause them trouble. I knew you would follow me until the ends of the Earth and I didn’t want them involved any more than they already were. Hell, you killed Lucy you sick fuck. You destroyed a whole God damn town! What would have stopped you from killing them if they got in your way? And how can you dare say I was cruel after all you’ve done? I gave up everyone I loved to save them from you and you call me cruel” she replied and Andre shrugged.
“I suppose it hurt me more when I found out you were lying because I never thought you were capable of it. Whereas you know I am cruel; so you can expect me to do something cruel. But onto the next question. In the beginning, the very beginning of us…did you love me?” he asked and Susannah tried with all her might not to answer him and it was obvious by more tears and the tenseness of her jaw.
“Y-Yes.” she replied shakily and she tried with all her might to stop the rest from spilling out. “I was a loser at high school, I never got any attention from any guys the way you treated me. I felt safe with you and you betrayed me. Then, when finally I moved on and found someone who I truly love and want to be with for the rest of my life…you show up again and kill them. Yes I loved you in the beginning.” she finished and Andre nodded, taking it all in.
“Now for the million dollar question. Do you still love me?” he asked and Susannah stared at the floor as her mind turned the question over in her mind.
“No, I despise you with all my being. And yet, I can’t imagine life without you…and that whole concept makes me sick. I hate you, and yet I need to hate you.” she replied and Andre smiled.
“Finally the truth is coming out. Now this question, I’ve been dying to know. Why is it that you fear mirrors so much? It’s the only thing that has brought you trembling to your knees and begging to be with me.” he asked and Susannah began wringing her hands nervously as she rocked back and forth slightly.
“I was little when it happened, five maybe six, and I had a fight with Alana. Sh-She was a crazy little bitch even as a kid and she rammed my face into the mirror until I was all bloodied up. Then she tossed me out the second story window of our house and as I clung to the railings begging for her to save me she spoke coldly to me. ‘Every time you look in the mirror, see my face and know you are alive only because I want you to be. Tell dad about this, but he doesn’t care and he won’t believe you anyway.’ then she pulled me up, slapped me around a bit more and then she.” Susannah cleared her throat at this point before continuing her harrowing tale. “Then she hid me in her closet with a mirror attached to the inside of the door. When my step dad came home, Alana told him I had run away. Mum was away on business and didn’t even know I was gone.

For three days I was in that damn closet with nothing but my own bloodied reflection to stare at and then the hallucinations began. With no food and barely any water, my mind began to distort the reflection I was staring at until it became completely different. I saw my face no longer as my own, but as a creature. About two days later Alana found me and told me if I told anyone what she did to me that she would kill me, and as a child I didn’t doubt that so I kept my mouth shut and told everyone that I had gone walking and got lost. They had no reason to doubt my words and so every day after that I tried to avoid mirrors. Because every time I looked into one I saw the face of a creature, not my own. As I grew older, I tried not to look in the mirror because I would still see the creature. I never told anyone about it because I feared I was going insane. Then, when I was at the Nightwings I tried to look past my fear but it only showed me that the creature had personality and memories. I feared that when I became a vampire that the evil and darkness inside of me grew and manifested in this creature. So that’s the story. Are you fucking happy now?” Susannah snapped the last line and Andre leaned back in his chair, completely shocked. He downed the rest of his wine and shook his head slowly.
“That’s fucked up.” he replied and Susannah nodded.

The warrior straightened herself up and leant forward, staring into Andre’s eyes.
“Now it’s my turn to ask some questions. And seeming as I’ve been forced to answer truthfully, I think it would only be fair if you told me the absolute truth in return.” Susannah snapped and Andre nodded, pouring himself another glass of red wine.
“Fair enough Susannah, ask away.” Andre replied.
“Okay, now I don’t give a fuck wether or not you love me or any of the shit you asked me about. I want to know about my daughter. Why did you want her so badly?” she asked and Andre sipped his wine thoughtfully.
“I wanted a daughter…It’s as simple as that.” Andre answered sincerely and Susannah nodded and moved right onto the next question.
“Is she a vampire? Or does she have vampiric characteristics?” Andre shook his head quickly.
“I made sure of that when she was born. The only thing she has to do with vampires is a fascination for the darker side of things, as I am sure you had as a child also.” Andre replied and Susannah exhaled in relief.
“Now this last question is very fucking important. And I want you to think about it very carefully before you answer because if you fucking lie to me; I’ll cut off a limb of yours. This would permanently end your bloodline I assure you.” Susannah threatened and Andre nodded, not looking the least bit scared or defiant. “When you killed Gabriel, did he say anything to you?” Susannah asked and Andre sighed and settled into his chair.
“I knew this one was coming. To explain what he said I must first tell you the whole story of how it came to be that I ended his life. Unbeknownst to you, he had a feeling you were still alive and when Pyro began showing up in newspapers; he wished so badly that it was you that he became quite obsessed and deranged. Then when you faked your death for the second time, I was there and Gabriel saw me in one of the photographs and he immediately thought I had something to do with it. He upset a few of my plans before I tracked him down in Los Angelos, weeping over an unmarked grave that was undoubtedly Pyro’s. We fought briefly before I had him pinned to the gravestone and his eyes were full of anguish. He.” Andre sighed and took a deep breath, looking at Susannah sadly. “He said to me, that if he could change one thing in his life. He would have changed the point where he ever met you. Gabriel blamed himself for your death his whole life. He then thanked me for ending his pain and presented his bare chest. It was an awesome sight in the night and when I rammed the stake through his flesh, I immediately regretted it. A warrior such as he deserved a warrior’s death, but I selfishly took it from him. Then barely five minutes later, you found us…” Andre explained and Susannah’s eyes refilled with tears.

The pain, anguish and anger returned and Susannah snapped quickly.
“You deprived my daughter of a mother for all these years. Now we settle it.” Susannah said determinedly and Andre nodded.
“How will we do this then? A sword fight?” Andre asked and Susannah nodded. “All right then.” he said as he drew his sword from a hidden pouch in his seat. “There is a veranda that overlooks the sea…It would be a wonderful place to die.” Andre added with the hint of longing in his eyes. Susannah saw it and was slightly taken off guard, but she grabbed her sword and stood up before nodding.

And so the two warriors headed out side by side onto the large veranda. Susannah took a deep breath and took a glance at the moonlit sea, as did Andre.
“Beautiful isn’t it? Like the mortality we were both robbed of…” Andre commented and Susannah looked at his face and saw the sea reflected in his eyes. For a second, Susannah saw the old Andre she had fallen in love with…but like the moon’s reflection on the sea, it vanished as soon as it appeared. Andre smiled and straightened up his hair slightly, facing Susannah and smiling a true warm smile.
“How do I look?” he asked and she smiled slightly, studying his attractive features and his firm eyes.
“You look ready.” she replied and Andre smiled before taking a few steps away from her.

Both warriors crossed swords and the fight began. Under the moonlight Susannah fought and dodged gracefully, while Andre attacked firmly and stubbornly like a soldier. There were no small cuts in this fight, its aim was to kill immediately and the fight was soon over. Under the full moon, one warrior fell at the hand of another. Susannah watched him as he fell and she felt a part of her die with him. He smiled at her as he coughed up a bit of blood and she knelt beside him as he whispered his last words.
“Tell Susie I love her…” Susannah wiped his brow tenderly and nodded with tears in her eyes.
“I will Andre…” she whispered and as he lay dying, under the full moon staring at the sea he whispered as he stared out over the ocean.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it? Everything is beautiful now that it is…alive and I can finally die.” he whispered before his heart finally stopped.

THE NEXT MORNING

Susie giggled as she watched the Looney Tunes dash across the television screen and the little girl heard nothing from her mother.

Susannah lay on the bathroom floor, laughing insanely and crying at the same time. She clutched close to her chest the very fox stuffed animal that Susie was sleeping with the night before. The seasoned warrior thanked the gods a hundred times over for her gift in the form of Susie. The fighting was over and Susannah had finally retired. Susie was her life now and as Susannah stood up and wiped away her tears, she smiled and walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to Susie’s room. Susannah opened the door and jumped on the bed beside her little daughter and Susie squealed as her mother began to playfully tickle her. Mother and daughter’s laugh merged as one and it was almost impossible to believe that Susannah had killed Andre barely a few hours ago.

Mother and cub are now reunited and all is quiet in the jungle.

Description
Susannah took a deep breath and drew her sword, facing the closed door. Revenge was so close she could almost hear Andre’s heart in that deadly rhythm that she had longed to hear for so long. She kicked open the door and aimed her sword at the seated figure. But the figure was too small to be Andre.

A little girl turned around and smiled at Susannah. Tears formed in the warrior’s eyes as she saw the same green eyes staring back at her with a questioning that she knew all too well to be her own. A small pink nightgown hugged the little girl’s body and brown waves framed her face in her silky hair.
“Mummy?” the little girl asked and Andre materialised out of the shadows and picked up the little girl. His smirk was a little saddened as he studied Susannah while holding the tiny form.
“Yes Susie, this is your mummy. She went away for a while and left daddy, but now she’s come back to us…just like I promised.” Andre told the little girl and Susannah’s tears fell gently down her face.
“Mummy!” the little girl squealed and she ran at Susannah with open arms. The warrior knelt and dropped her sword as the little girl ran into her arms. Susannah touched her hair and wrapped her arms around the little girl.

Andre sat in the chair and lit himself a cigarette, studying Susannah and Susie closely. It was a sight that only Andre could appreciate. A killer, holding it’s offspring for the first time with a broken heart and revenge fuming in her eyes. A lioness, holding her cub. And all the while, Andre watched with amazement at how tenderly Susannah held her daughter and how softly she fondly caressed her face.
“S-S-Susie?” Susannah managed to say and the little girl nodded.
“I told our little daughter that you had gone away for a while, but that you would come back to us. She’s missed you.” Andre said and Susannah raised her eyes to look at the man that she had come here to kill. His face was full of something Susannah had never seen on him before. He was quiet, thoughtful and with a cigarette hanging precariously on his lip he watched her with a look of fascination and admiration, but all the while tinged with that sad undertone.
“Mummy? Why did you leave us?” Susie asked quietly and Susannah picked up her little daughter and sat her on her lap. But before Susannah could say anything, Andre cut in.
“Daddy did something to mummy that made her very angry. I killed somebody she loved very much.” Andre told her sadly and Susie shook her head and pointed an accusing finger at Andre.
“That’s a very bad daddy. Did you get a time out?” she asked innocently and Andre nodded.
“Yes I did Susie, and I felt very bad about it. But that’s all in the past now. And Susie baby, I think it’s your bedtime.” Andre smiled and Susannah stood up, holding her daughter in her arms. She kicked her sword and caught it in mid air, sheathing it in her back.

Susannah wanted to run then and take little Susie with her, but she had no idea what kind of childhood Andre had given this little girl already and Susannah didn’t want to make it any more traumatic for her.
“Would you like mummy to watch a movie with you before you go to sleep?” Andre asked and Susie nodded vigorously, her brown curls bouncing.
“Mummy would you like to watch a video with me?” Susie asked and Susannah grinned.
“Yeah!” she replied enthusiastically as she hastily wiped away her tears.

Andre nodded to Susannah and led her up the stairs and into a room full of teddy bears and books. A big double bed lay in the middle with a television on the left side.
“Which movie do you want to watch with mummy Susie?” Andre asked and Susie thought about it.
“Umm…Dracula!” Susie replied and Susannah shot a look at Andre. He smiled.
“It’s her favourite movie mummy, not surprisingly.” he explained and he took a video from a rack in the corner and put the video into the player. Susie jumped onto her bed and Susannah smiled and lay beside her. Andre bent to kiss Susie’s cheek and Susannah cringed slightly.
“Nightie night Susie. See you later alligator.” he smiled before giving Susie a high five.
“In a while crocodile!” Susie giggled and Andre nodded curtly to Susannah before exiting the room.

The movie started and Susannah held Susie’s tiny body close to hers. She held back her tears as she played with Susie’s hair and memorised the little girl’s face. As the movie wore on, Susie’s eyes began to close and Susannah waited until she was sure her little daughter was asleep before slowly getting out of the four year old’s grasp and putting the blanket over her. She slipped a fox teddy between the toddler’s arms and smiled down at her.
“No matter what happens Susie, mummy loves you.” she whispered before taking off her father’s necklace and placing it around the fox’s neck. Leaving a lingering kiss on Susie’s cheek, she got off the bed and headed for the door.

She closed the door silently behind her and walked down the stairs to see Andre filling up two glasses of wine. Susannah wanted to slice his head off right then; but she had questions and she wanted answers before she killed him. Obviously he had the same thought in mind because he was not armed.
“Get rid of the sword Susannah, I’m not going to hurt you.” Andre said sincerely as he took a seat and gestured for Susannah to sit opposite him. She cautiously took off her sword and placed it beside the chair before sitting down. Her long black skirt and red shirt was a simple attire to mask the warrior within.

Andre leaned back in his chair and sipped on the red wine.
“Now Susannah, I have some questions that need to be answered. But the thing about you is that I truly believe you are incapable of telling me the truth. And when it comes to talking about me I think you are incapable of even telling yourself the truth. So you see my dilemma.” Andre said and Susannah nodded, smirking slightly.
“Seems like you’ve got me all summed up. So, how will you solve this dilemma?” she asked and Andre finished his sip of wine and stared into her eyes as he placed his glass on the table. Before Susannah could blink, Andre had drawn a gun and shot her silently in the leg. She screamed in pain and stared at the red dart poking out of her thigh.
“What the fuck did you just shoot me with?!” she demanded as she reached to pull it out. Andre cocked the gun and pointed it at her head.
“Touch it and I’ll put another one in your eye. It’s merely a truth serum; like sodium pentothal but without that druggy after effect.” Andre explained and Susannah bit her lip in pain.
“How long does this shit take to work?” she snapped angrily and Andre stood up, taking his glass of wine with him.
“About five minutes or so. Just long enough for you to relax. Oh, and for your own peace of mind; Susie’s room is soundproof. So you can yell at me all you want and she won’t hear even the hint of a whisper.” Andre replied and Susannah tried to slow her breathing as the truth serum coursed through her veins.

After five minutes of silence, Andre sat down and stared into Susannah’s eyes.
“Now first things first. Why the hell did you pretend you were dead? Oh and for the record, letting someone think that somebody they love is dead, is cruel.” Andre asked and tears formed in Susannah’s eyes.
“All I ever did to Gabriel and the others was cause them trouble. I knew you would follow me until the ends of the Earth and I didn’t want them involved any more than they already were. Hell, you killed Lucy you sick fuck. You destroyed a whole God damn town! What would have stopped you from killing them if they got in your way? And how can you dare say I was cruel after all you’ve done? I gave up everyone I loved to save them from you and you call me cruel” she replied and Andre shrugged.
“I suppose it hurt me more when I found out you were lying because I never thought you were capable of it. Whereas you know I am cruel; so you can expect me to do something cruel. But onto the next question. In the beginning, the very beginning of us…did you love me?” he asked and Susannah tried with all her might not to answer him and it was obvious by more tears and the tenseness of her jaw.
“Y-Yes.” she replied shakily and she tried with all her might to stop the rest from spilling out. “I was a loser at high school, I never got any attention from any guys the way you treated me. I felt safe with you and you betrayed me. Then, when finally I moved on and found someone who I truly love and want to be with for the rest of my life…you show up again and kill them. Yes I loved you in the beginning.” she finished and Andre nodded, taking it all in.
“Now for the million dollar question. Do you still love me?” he asked and Susannah stared at the floor as her mind turned the question over in her mind.
“No, I despise you with all my being. And yet, I can’t imagine life without you…and that whole concept makes me sick. I hate you, and yet I need to hate you.” she replied and Andre smiled.
“Finally the truth is coming out. Now this question, I’ve been dying to know. Why is it that you fear mirrors so much? It’s the only thing that has brought you trembling to your knees and begging to be with me.” he asked and Susannah began wringing her hands nervously as she rocked back and forth slightly.
“I was little when it happened, five maybe six, and I had a fight with Alana. Sh-She was a crazy little bitch even as a kid and she rammed my face into the mirror until I was all bloodied up. Then she tossed me out the second story window of our house and as I clung to the railings begging for her to save me she spoke coldly to me. ‘Every time you look in the mirror, see my face and know you are alive only because I want you to be. Tell dad about this, but he doesn’t care and he won’t believe you anyway.’ then she pulled me up, slapped me around a bit more and then she.” Susannah cleared her throat at this point before continuing her harrowing tale. “Then she hid me in her closet with a mirror attached to the inside of the door. When my step dad came home, Alana told him I had run away. Mum was away on business and didn’t even know I was gone.

For three days I was in that damn closet with nothing but my own bloodied reflection to stare at and then the hallucinations began. With no food and barely any water, my mind began to distort the reflection I was staring at until it became completely different. I saw my face no longer as my own, but as a creature. About two days later Alana found me and told me if I told anyone what she did to me that she would kill me, and as a child I didn’t doubt that so I kept my mouth shut and told everyone that I had gone walking and got lost. They had no reason to doubt my words and so every day after that I tried to avoid mirrors. Because every time I looked into one I saw the face of a creature, not my own. As I grew older, I tried not to look in the mirror because I would still see the creature. I never told anyone about it because I feared I was going insane. Then, when I was at the Nightwings I tried to look past my fear but it only showed me that the creature had personality and memories. I feared that when I became a vampire that the evil and darkness inside of me grew and manifested in this creature. So that’s the story. Are you fucking happy now?” Susannah snapped the last line and Andre leaned back in his chair, completely shocked. He downed the rest of his wine and shook his head slowly.
“That’s fucked up.” he replied and Susannah nodded.

The warrior straightened herself up and leant forward, staring into Andre’s eyes.
“Now it’s my turn to ask some questions. And seeming as I’ve been forced to answer truthfully, I think it would only be fair if you told me the absolute truth in return.” Susannah snapped and Andre nodded, pouring himself another glass of red wine.
“Fair enough Susannah, ask away.” Andre replied.
“Okay, now I don’t give a fuck wether or not you love me or any of the shit you asked me about. I want to know about my daughter. Why did you want her so badly?” she asked and Andre sipped his wine thoughtfully.
“I wanted a daughter…It’s as simple as that.” Andre answered sincerely and Susannah nodded and moved right onto the next question.
“Is she a vampire? Or does she have vampiric characteristics?” Andre shook his head quickly.
“I made sure of that when she was born. The only thing she has to do with vampires is a fascination for the darker side of things, as I am sure you had as a child also.” Andre replied and Susannah exhaled in relief.
“Now this last question is very fucking important. And I want you to think about it very carefully before you answer because if you fucking lie to me; I’ll cut off a limb of yours. This would permanently end your bloodline I assure you.” Susannah threatened and Andre nodded, not looking the least bit scared or defiant. “When you killed Gabriel, did he say anything to you?” Susannah asked and Andre sighed and settled into his chair.
“I knew this one was coming. To explain what he said I must first tell you the whole story of how it came to be that I ended his life. Unbeknownst to you, he had a feeling you were still alive and when Pyro began showing up in newspapers; he wished so badly that it was you that he became quite obsessed and deranged. Then when you faked your death for the second time, I was there and Gabriel saw me in one of the photographs and he immediately thought I had something to do with it. He upset a few of my plans before I tracked him down in Los Angelos, weeping over an unmarked grave that was undoubtedly Pyro’s. We fought briefly before I had him pinned to the gravestone and his eyes were full of anguish. He.” Andre sighed and took a deep breath, looking at Susannah sadly. “He said to me, that if he could change one thing in his life. He would have changed the point where he ever met you. Gabriel blamed himself for your death his whole life. He then thanked me for ending his pain and presented his bare chest. It was an awesome sight in the night and when I rammed the stake through his flesh, I immediately regretted it. A warrior such as he deserved a warrior’s death, but I selfishly took it from him. Then barely five minutes later, you found us…” Andre explained and Susannah’s eyes refilled with tears.

The pain, anguish and anger returned and Susannah snapped quickly.
“You deprived my daughter of a mother for all these years. Now we settle it.” Susannah said determinedly and Andre nodded.
“How will we do this then? A sword fight?” Andre asked and Susannah nodded. “All right then.” he said as he drew his sword from a hidden pouch in his seat. “There is a veranda that overlooks the sea…It would be a wonderful place to die.” Andre added with the hint of longing in his eyes. Susannah saw it and was slightly taken off guard, but she grabbed her sword and stood up before nodding.

And so the two warriors headed out side by side onto the large veranda. Susannah took a deep breath and took a glance at the moonlit sea, as did Andre.
“Beautiful isn’t it? Like the mortality we were both robbed of…” Andre commented and Susannah looked at his face and saw the sea reflected in his eyes. For a second, Susannah saw the old Andre she had fallen in love with…but like the moon’s reflection on the sea, it vanished as soon as it appeared. Andre smiled and straightened up his hair slightly, facing Susannah and smiling a true warm smile.
“How do I look?” he asked and she smiled slightly, studying his attractive features and his firm eyes.
“You look ready.” she replied and Andre smiled before taking a few steps away from her.

Both warriors crossed swords and the fight began. Under the moonlight Susannah fought and dodged gracefully, while Andre attacked firmly and stubbornly like a soldier. There were no small cuts in this fight, its aim was to kill immediately and the fight was soon over. Under the full moon, one warrior fell at the hand of another. Susannah watched him as he fell and she felt a part of her die with him. He smiled at her as he coughed up a bit of blood and she knelt beside him as he whispered his last words.
“Tell Susie I love her…” Susannah wiped his brow tenderly and nodded with tears in her eyes.
“I will Andre…” she whispered and as he lay dying, under the full moon staring at the sea he whispered as he stared out over the ocean.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it? Everything is beautiful now that it is…alive and I can finally die.” he whispered before his heart finally stopped.

THE NEXT MORNING

Susie giggled as she watched the Looney Tunes dash across the television screen and the little girl heard nothing from her mother.

Susannah lay on the bathroom floor, laughing insanely and crying at the same time. She clutched close to her chest the very fox stuffed animal that Susie was sleeping with the night before. The seasoned warrior thanked the gods a hundred times over for her gift in the form of Susie. The fighting was over and Susannah had finally retired. Susie was her life now and as Susannah stood up and wiped away her tears, she smiled and walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to Susie’s room. Susannah opened the door and jumped on the bed beside her little daughter and Susie squealed as her mother began to playfully tickle her. Mother and daughter’s laugh merged as one and it was almost impossible to believe that Susannah had killed Andre barely a few hours ago.

Mother and cub are now reunited and all is quiet in the jungle.