First fanfic, let me know what you all think.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot.

This day was never supposed to happen.

Those same words kept running through the Summer Queen's head as she sat beside her beloved Seth on his deathbed. He opened his eyes and squinted, still bleary from sleep.

She smiled tenderly down at him and took his withered hand, his skin wrinkled and covered in liver spots, placing a gentle kiss to his knuckles. He smiled weakly before collapsing into a fit of violent coughs. With every wheezing breath he winced and Aislinn's heart broke a little more.

This day was never supposed to happen; Seth was never supposed to die.

He whispered her name and clasped her hand a little tighter and she was reminded of when they were young, before things got complicated. Before Keenan robbed her of her mortality that would have allowed her to share in Seth's all too mortal life in ways that were impossible for her now.

She would never know what it was like to hear the pitter patter of the little feet of their children and grandchildren. Never be able to savor the simple joy of lounging hot summer afternoon in matching rocking chairs on a simple wooden porch, arthritic hand in arthritic hand. The phrase 'grow old together' never seemed so precious as when she realized she couldn't give him the kind of love he deserved. And it was that very day, fifty short years ago, that she decided to let Seth go.

"Seth, what are we doing?" she asked him solemnly, leveling him with a stare over her mug of tea across the couch.

"Enjoying a mid-afternoon snack," he replied easily, grabbing a few more pretzels from the bag on the coffee table and munching on them quietly. She saw how his eyes met her stare head on and realized that he was intentionally misinterpreting her question.

"Seth—" she started.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Ash," he interrupted. He fiddled with his lip piercing as he looked away from her and stared at the ceiling. "I love you. You know that. I thought that was enough for you."

She felt as though she had been punched in the gut. He thought this was about her? "Seth, I am not saying that you don't love me, or that I don't love you. You know that I love you more than anything," she took a deep breath. "But I know that there are things that I just can't give you; things that you deserve." She bowed her head so that her hair obscured most of her face. All but her telltale trembling lips.

Seth scooted close enough to tuck her hair behind her ears, tilting her chin to face him. "What do you mean, Ash? What more do I need than what is right in front of me? If it means being without you, I can find a way around it." His eyes searched her expression.

She turned her watery gaze to him. "What about when you get older and want a family? I'm the Summer Queen, what would happen to a half-faerie child? People would try to kill them or turn them into a monster! What happens when you're fifty years old and I'm still stuck like this, frozen in time? What happens when you realize the life you missed out on because of me?" Each sentence got quieter as she expressed her deepest fears. Finally she whispered, "What happens when you die?"

Seth sat still for a moment, seeming to mull over what she had said. The silence became too much for the Summer Queen and she stood, clearing her throat.

"Seth, I will always love you from the bottom of my heart until my dying day, but you deserve more than I can give you. I'm so sorry, Seth, but I can't let you miss out on life because of me. Just please find happiness." Her voice broke on the last word as she turned heel and scurried out of the trailer, leaving golden teardrops in her wake.

"Ash, wait!" Seth called, but it was too late. If she turned back she wouldn't be able to do the right thing. She would wrap her arms around him and never let go, selfishly keep him all to herself. He deserved more than that, he meant the world to her.

The same golden tears were streaming down the Summer Queen's face as she gazed down at her beloved Seth, now elderly and breathing his last. He was only seventy-eight. How long would she be condemned to a life without him?

Her life after leaving him had been difficult, adjusting to her new position as Queen of the Summer Court while keeping a watchful eye on Seth. She watched him mourn over their lost love, watched him try to move on and eventually marry.

His wedding day was one of the blackest days she had ever endured, but she put on a brave face and grew him the most beautiful and magnificent flower garden her powers could cultivate. She hid like a coward in the boughs of the great oak tree in his yard when he discovered it.

She saw with an aching heart as he looked around hopefully, only to be disappointed, eventually giving a wistful smile to no one in particular before he murmured just loud enough for her to hear, "I'm trying to be happy, Ash. I love you." He straightened his bowtie one last time before returning inside to his awaiting bride. The woman he had chosen to take her place at his side.

After that came the babies: two of them. She smiled fondly at the memory of Seth's face as he held his newborn son for the first time, cradling him as if he was made of the most breakable glass. Ecstatic couldn't begin to cover his expression. It was a memory she would cherish for eternity, and she would try to forget the hours she cried that night as she came to grips with the fact that she could never have given him that indescribable joy. They named him Joshua, and later had a little girl that he named Aislinn.

She remember the night she snuck into the baby girl's nursery and simply stared at the sleeping cherubic face of Seth's little princess. She hadn't been careful enough that time.

The night was warm and Seth had left the window open, the perfect opportunity for her to sneak in. She draped her forearms gently over the side of the crib and tilted her head, gazing at the baby's sleeping face. She hadn't even heard him approach before she felt his arms wrap around her carefully and his chin rest upon her shoulder.

"I hoped you would come," he murmured.

Her breath hitched and she turned to face him. Before he could open his mouth to speak she kissed him, her eyes closing in abandon. When she pulled away, he licked his lips and gave her a wicked grin; the creases that had begun to line his face over the years making him look more mature and refined. Her heart stuttered.

"You still taste like sunshine. I could never dream that taste up." She blushed and swatted his arm lightly before sobering, realizing what she had just done; what she had promised herself she wouldn't do.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You have a wife and two beautiful children. You're happy now." Her voice grew bolder, as though she were trying to convince herself more than him.

He nodded silently, stroking her hair. "Yes, I am happy now, happier than I ever expected to be," he chuckled, "even if I am starting to go gray up top." He shook his head for emphasis. "But I have never stopped loving you even for an instant. You, Aislinn, are still the reigning Queen of my heart."

She embraced him tightly, traitorous tears running down her face once more as she whispered, "I'll love you as long as I live. I am so glad you have found the happiness you deserve, Seth. Forgive me." She gave him one last kiss in the cheek and left, trying to ignore the regret that gnawed at her as she heard his heavy sigh.

Now his wife was dead, having died of a heart attack five years ago. His children were all grown and moved away, the oldest with a child of his own. Once they caught word that their father was on his death bed they came running. They were currently on a redeye to Huntsville but they would not arrive for a few hours yet. Just enough time for Aislinn to say goodbye to the one she loved above all else.

His wrinkled face creased into a smile just for her and her heart melted. She leaned down to kiss his withered cheek and he whispered in her ear. "Ash, I need you to hear something." His hoarse voice sounded on the verge of tears.

Aislinn squeezed his hand tightly, "I'm right here, Seth. I'm listening."

"Thank you. Because of you my life has been more than I could have ever imagined."Aislinn hiccupped and let the tears fall freely, liquid gold splashing on his chest.

He wasn't finished. "It hurt like hell when you left, but we managed, didn't we? Now Ash, I need to make one last request." His eyes glistened with tears.

"Yes, baby? What is it?" she asked gently, knowing she would do absolutely anything should he ask.

"Find your own happiness. You deserve it."

"I will, Seth, I promise. If it takes me all of eternity, I will try to find a way to be happy. For you," she sniffled.

He sighed and brought his hand up to caress her cheek. "You're still as beautiful as the day I fell in love with you." He coughed and let his head start to droop back on the pillows. "I'm so tired. Will you sleep next to me Ash, for old time's sake?"

With a muffled sob she nodded and slid into bed next to him, reveling in the feel of his arms around her one last time. She listened to him as he hummed a soft lullaby, one she recognized as the one he sang to his children as he rocked them to sleep. A sad smile came to her face. How would she ever keep her promise to be happy in a world without this wonderful man in it? It seemed impossible.

He drifted to sleep and she turned to face him, pressing kisses to his face and hands. Finally she felt his last breath leave his body before he stilled. Her beloved Seth, the mortal whom she had given her heart to, was dead.

And her world shattered.

Alright, that's chapter one. Please don't hate me for killing Seth.

Tell me what you think, please review.

~Chaotic-Masterpiece