Loving Merritt Forever

Loving Merritt After 44

Merritt screamed as her knees went from being against rugs over hardwood floors to bare stone. The very air around her had changed. The latest contraction finally waning as Merritt opened her eyes. There was nothing. A plain grey sky, a world lit evenly and from nowhere. Only level cracked stone as far as she could see in any direction, before she needed to close her eyes again. "Fuck that hurts more than I thought." She ground out through gritted teeth.

She regretted everything she had ever said to an expectant mother in labor during her nursing education, she had been a stupid fool. Even knowing her vampire would easily heal her from injuries sustained during birth; the experience was excruciating. 

"Just let go Merritt, Master will take all the pain." Levi had appeared beside her, his voice soothing and gentle, his hand on her shoulders. "Breathe, love, just give in." Levi coaxed Merritt.

Asher materialized on her other side, "We can all be together again Merritt." Asher's voice sweet and pleading. "Listen to Master." Merritt shook her head.

Screaming once again, she knew, it was time for this baby or monster or whatever it was inside her to be born. "Give it to me." The demon whispered from in front of Merritt. Still looking like her evil twin sister, hair moving gentle on a breeze that Merritt didn't feel. "Give in to me. Your pain will end, you and your loves will be together forever just as you wanted." Sweet words, whispering in Merritt's ear. Sounding so much like her own thoughts inside her head. Another voice telling her that they could make her dreams become real.

"Give in." Asher asked her, kissing her cheek, wiping away her tears. Her mind, heart and body had taken too much. This was too much suffering.

"Destruction will let you have what you want Merritt, it will only cost you the baby." Levi said. The demon screamed, revealing a face that was scarred and ruined, flesh melted down to the bone in some places as Levi was evaporated.

Merritt had heard what Levi said. "Let it go Merritt and we can be together." Asher tried to rationalize with her. Merritt was horrified. Realized what she was being asked to sacrifice, and to who. "Never!" Merritt yelled, her words turning into a deep guttural scream as she bore down with everything she had in her body. A small, human, perfect infant was born onto the bare granite rocks of a demon bubble dimension. Merritt used one hand to tamp the umbilical cord. A black nail on Merritt's hand severing the connection to her daughter before she turned her hand towards the demon.

The demon had linked them together. Trying to control Merritt. Merritt made the connection the demon had forged into a one way river, flowing towards her. Merritt and her infant daughter screamed together. Life and death united. Merritt was stealing all of the demon's powers into herself. Her weak and broken demon happily absorbing all the dark magic. Desperate to be strong.

Merritt's demon was growing in strength and power it did not want. Not anymore. It had spent too long inside Merritt's heart. Merritt had infected the demon that was supposed to take over her soul instead of the other way around. Using the stolen power, as the very last of the demonic force of destruction was being was drawn into Merritt, Merritt's vampire teleported them to the new gateway to the afterlife. Taking control of the source of the demons power. Merritt was on one side of the divide, her new born daughter, alone on the other side of the great divide between life and death.

Bela was laid on the bullet proof jacket Merritt had been wearing. The satellite tracker, emergency alert activated beside her. Marisol was there a moment later. Looking into the small cave entrance. Seeing how all mortal lines of fate now lead here. The strong magical barrier separating Merritt from her child.

"Her name is Bela." Merritt called to Marisol, as the succubus took off her own shirt to swaddle the infant. Standing in her well tailored trousers, and a black lace bra, while the newborn slept in Marisol's arms. Bela was unaware of anything around her.

Marisol held the sleeping infant in her arms. Able to read that this was indeed Merritt's child, and Asher's, born after Merritt had turned Vampire. "What did you do?" Marisol was not prepared for what she found. She had thought Merritt had returned after three days missing. She had teleported here instantly. Refusing to let the witch tied to the charm on Merritt to be more than four feet away from her ever since Xi had said Merritt was taken.

"Destruction wanted form, to take over hell, and control death." Merritt looked at her ruined tactical outfit, changing into a floral, fifties style day dress, with a pretty pink floral pattern. A wide boat neck, and three quarter sleeves on the gown. Her new inky tresses, falling into the perfect waves she had loved as a vampire. Comfortable, pink flats on her feet. "I chose life, not death." At that moment, the first soul appeared behind Merritt. Merritt turned to face her first customer. "Follow the glittering stones, tell them your story, they will remember it. The stones will remember you." The figure was an old man. He looked down the glittering, well lit passage behind Merritt.

"My wife? I have left her behind?" The man sputtered, looking all around himself.

Merritt smiled, "Then you may wait, here with me. I will try and make it comfortable, the stones will wait until you are ready." Marisol could see other souls, materializing deeper in the caves, those who had already accepted their deaths. Had nothing left behind to wait on.

A flood of those who had been held in purgatory for months followed. Whispering their thanks to Merritt as they passed her by, eager to find an end to the confinement they had suffered.