Disclaimer: I don't own 'Underworld'; you know the drill

Feedback: Always appreciated

The Vampire Leader

Standing at the side of the small church that they had selected for this ceremony, Sonja felt profoundly touched at the memory of her own small 'ceremony' with Lucian.

It had been a completely unofficial union, of course- the two just exchanging vows over a hastily-acquired flask of wine in an old chapel that had been virtually abandoned once everyone in the castle became vampires- but it had been more than enough for them, after all that they had gone through to acknowledge their feelings for each other. This current ceremony was larger, but the central premise was still the same as the two species came together, even if this was the first time that such a union was acknowledged.

Once the rest of the covens had returned to their respective bases, the small group had shared the true origins of the war with the rest of the vampire coven and the assorted surviving werewolves, including Viktor's own role in triggering the conflict. While some vampires had naturally agreed with the deceased Elder's decision and been angered at his death, Amelia's support and Sonja's own ties to Lucian had been enough to convince the majority of the population that Viktor had been motivated by nothing more than blind prejudice rather than having a genuine reason for his hatred.

After the initial crisis was over, Michael had briefly thought about making contact with his family, but had swiftly concluded that it made more sense for him to just drop off the map now rather than draw it out and raise questions when they noticed that he was no longer aging. He'd paid a brief visit to his apartment to collect a few photographs and clothes that he wanted to keep with him for sentimental reasons, but with the police having taken his passport and wallet where he'd left them before his first real meeting with Raze and Selene, he'd decided to just leave a message with a friend of his from the hospital to ask him to donate his old textbooks to some other student before leaving the apartment for good.

As much as Selene and Sonja regretted that Michael had to abandon his family because of them, they'd each been grateful that he'd come to the decision to do so himself. In the long run, Michael had decided that it would be easier for his family to believe he'd just decided to withdraw from everything on his own after the pressure of his assorted losses became too much for him, rather than draw out the process until people started to wonder why he wasn't aging any more.

On a broader scale, things were going through even further changes among the immortal society. While there would always be some tension between the two sides, the lycans had always been kept fairly informed about the way the vampires had treated their ancestors,

The Elder had even made contact with Andreas Tanis once she had learned about his contact with Sonja, offering him his old position back in exchange for him presenting a less biased view of the vampires' history with the lycans that was willing to explore what both sides did wrong. While Sonja's contact with him had been limited even when she'd turned to him for weapons, Tanis revealed that he'd often suspected that she'd survived the early stages of the war even if Raze had never told him anything explicit when they met, and had agreed to her offer in return for his previously-promised position on the re-established council.

The decision to arrange for the current wedding between Selene and Michael had been somewhat impulsive, but the Death Dealer and the medical intern had spent time talking beforehand and were each intrigued at the possibilities of taking their relationship further beyond their initially-acknowledged attraction. With their relationship proving that the vampires and lycans could work together in peace, each had recognised the symbolic value of their union at this point.

As Amelia spoke the final words of the ceremony, Selene and Michael shared their first kiss as a married couple, being met with initially-tentative but gradually-growing applause as the two sides of the ceremony watched them come together. Most of the lycans were relatively neutral in their applause, congratulating Michael out of necessity more than anything else, but a few of the vampires were actively smiling at the idea of Selene having finally found someone; Khan in particular seemed to be very amused at this twist.

Standing off to the side, Sonja smiled at the sight before her; even if a part of her wished that it could have been her marriage to Lucian that brought them all together, she could accept that someone else was playing the key role in this final resolution, particularly if she still achieved the peace that she was really after.

Once all the legalities had been dealt with- and any serious dissenters to the new status quo had been dealt with- Sonja had been elevated to the position of joint leader of the new unified coven with Amelia. Although officially their seconds-in-command for both species, Raze and Selene had agreed to act in an officially secondary role as their enforcers to reaffirm the joint nature of this new coven and the importance of preserving their fragile peace. Despite his youth, Michael was also a member of the new council, as his main purpose would be a diplomatic one, both sides reasoning that he could provide a relatively neutral perspective in future conflicts as he had never really fought alongside the lycans even before his marriage to Selene.

It wasn't the conclusion to the war that Sonja had spent years expecting and preparing for- if she was totally honest with herself, she'd been expecting that she'd have to destroy all three Elders and then spend her life tearing the remaining vampires apart- but she was actually far more satisfied with this resolution than she had expected. Viktor's crimes had been exposed, peace had been established between her adopted and her birth species, and she had finally witnessed the 'birth' of the thing that her father had tried so hard to destroy.

And who knew? With Michael and Selene's marriage, combined with their particularly potent bloodlines, there may be a more natural hybrid birth in the not-too-distant future…