I don't own anything related to the Nightworld...I only wish I did.

Mary-Lynnette sat in a coffee shop in Boston trying to focus on her Organic Chemistry notes. Her study group mates, Penelope and Aaron sat at the table with her, discussing the latest lecture. Mary-Lynnette, however, was distracted and thinking about Ash...again. She wondered if she'd ever stop thinking about him, it had been two years after all. She had waited in Briar Creek for a year for him with nothing to show. Mary-Lynnette still winced at how much it had hurt when he didn't show up. She'd cried in her room for a week. Then she picked herself up and with a heavy heart gone with plan B. She'd packed up and gone off to Harvard in hopes of leaving him and the Nightworld behind. At least as much as she could considering three of her closest friends were vampires, one of which was the soulmate of her brother. Now, another year later she still hadn't seen him or gotten any closer to forgetting him. She twisted the ring on her finger, the only piece of jewelry she wore. It had a small rose inlaid with black stones, which she assumed were diamonds knowing where and who it had come from. Ash had sent it to her just after she'd arrived at Harvard with a note saying, "For your protection...please. –Ash." This was the one and only time she'd heard anything from him in two years. Of course she'd heard through various friends in the Nightworld some of what he'd been up to, slaying his dragons or more recently slaying actual dragons. She's stopped asking what he was up to simply because the answers had begun to terrify her.

"Mare, earth to Mare! Where are you?" Pen asked laughing.

Mary-Lynnette shook her head, "Sorry, what were you guys discussing?" She smiled sheepishly.

"Where do you go when you do that?" Pen asked, tilting her head at Mary-Lynnette. Mary-Lynnette shrugged, trying not to blush. Pen saw her do this often enough since she was also her roommate.

"Just thinking about the stars, maybe driving out of the city tonight to go watch them," she replied with a small smile. The idea wasn't half bad. She hated being in the city with the lights washing out the stars and not able to see them at all. And she'd had to leave her telescope at home, not enough space in the small, cramped apartment she shared with Pen.

"Want any company?" Aaron asked, smiling playfully at her.

Yes, she thought, but not from him. Mary-Lynnette chuckled softly and shook her head. "I'm terrible company out there, I forget everything else exists."

Aaron nodded slightly, but Mary-Lynnette thought she saw a flash of disappointment in his eyes. Frowning, she wondered if she'd really seen that. Aaron was nice, but they were just friends. He couldn't be interested in her like that, right? Shaking her thoughts, she focused back on O-Chem.

Just when she'd gotten back into her study groove, Mary-Lynnette's phone rang. She checked the caller ID and smiled when she saw Mark calling. Flipping open the phone, "Hey Mark!"

"Hi Mare, how are you? What's new?" he said excitedly.

'I'm good, why do you sound so wound up?" she answered warily.

Mark laughed, "I guess I'm not good at hiding anything, huh?"

"Only from me."

"Well, I do have some news..."

Mary-Lynnette tapped her pencil impatiently. "Yes?"

"Jade and I are getting married!"

"What? That's great Mark! When did you propose?" Married? Her little brother was getting married! She was torn. Of course, she was ecstatic for Mark and Jade. They were soulmates and totally in love. But it made her ache for what he had. He and Jade had always been in sync and completely happy, whereas she and Ash... Well, things were never easy when it came to Ash.

"I just did it last night! So Mare, do you think you could take a few days off from school for the wedding?" he asked.

"Of course, when should I plan for?"

"Um, well, we were thinking we'd get married this Saturday."

"This Saturday!! What? How can you get married this Saturday?! It's Monday!" Mary-Lynnette yelped.

Mark laughed "Thierry offered to let us have the wedding at his place so we could have it sooner rather than waiting. Jade's really excited, she wanted to do it as soon as possible. And after two years of dating, I'm with her."

Mary-Lynnette sighed, "Of course, Thierry offered. He and Hannah love nothing more than to pair people off." It's not like the apocalypse isn't looming over our heads or anything, Mary-Lynnette thought, but didn't say aloud. "I guess I can work something out. I'll have to look into plane tickets. I don't know how soon I'll be able to get a flight."

"No worries about that, Mare. Thierry sent his jet out there. You leave tonight. And he also talked to your professors, you're off the hook for the week. So you better get out here, Jade is impatient to have your bridesmaid dress fitted." She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Wow, you do work fast. And since when did I agree to be a bridesmaid?" Mark laughed at her. "So, you going to tell me where and when this flight is so I don't miss it?"

"Don't worry, you'll be picked up. It's all taken care of," Mark replied in an amused voice.

Mary-Lynnette froze, "Mark, who exactly is coming to get me?"

"Hey, Mare, I gotta run. Jade needs me for some wedding thing. I'll see you soon, okay?" And with that he hung up. Mary-Lynnette stared at her phone. What had just happened? She felt blind-sided. She didn't even know when to expect this 'someone' who was picking her up.

Sighing, she relayed her news and decided she should head home to pack so she was ready whenever she was picked up. Mary-Lynnette was packing up her things when Pen gasped.

"The most gorgeous guy I've ever laid eyes on just walked in the door," she said and kicked Mary-Lynnette. Mary-Lynnette sat up so quickly she smacked her head on the table.