Chapter 77 She's gone

ANDREW'S POV

"I love you." She whispers, before closing her eyes.

"Elle?" I whisper, the fear is clear in my voice, afraid of not getting an answer from here. I didn't....

My heart drops to my stomach as I look at her life less body. Cora, starts to cry again and I turn my attention back to her.

I stand there, looking at my daughter as she cries, not knowing what to do. What am I supposed to do?

She's gone.....

You'd think losing her was a common thing for me but this time it's different. She isn't coming back....

No, I refuse to believe that. She- We planned... and made promises. We did not go through all of this, just for her to leave like this.

"Andrew." I zone back in, to see, Lyra, looking at me with sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

"You promised you could help her!"

"I did everything I could."

I shake my head looking back at, Elle. "We have to do something."

"There is nothing else we can do."

"Yes, there is! She's stronger than this. She'll be fine." I blink rapidly trying to stop my tears from blurring my vision.

"May I?" She asks, referring to, Cora. I take one last look at her before giving her to, Lyra. "I'll get her cleaned up." She says before leaving the room.

I look back at the bed, hoping to see, Elle, looking at me with that smile of hers that always brightens my day, but I don't. Her eyes are closed, she isn't making any movement at all. I can't even pick up a pulse.

Damon hasn't said anything to me since we couldn't feel, Eva, anymore. He was silently mourning her, even though he had hope she would surface again but now knowing she's gone for good, he's broken. We both are.

I take small steps towards her and sit on the edge of the bed. With trembling hands I brush the hair out of her face. Her beautiful face. I won't be seeing her face everyday anymore, I won't hear her laugh again, I won't wake up to those brown eyes staring at me. She's the only thing I look forward to seeing everyday and now..... she's gone.

I place both my hands on each side of her and slowly lean down, placing my head in the crease of her neck and finally allow the tears to fall. "No. Please wake up, baby. I can't do this without you." I lift my head up and cup her face with one hand. "We were suppose to raise, Coraline, together. I can't do this without. I can't." I choke.

"Wake up!" I shout as I punch the headboard.

"Andrew." I turn around to see Daniel, Jeremiah and Junior at the door looking at me with sympathy.

"Get out."

"Let us help."

"I don't want-" I pause and look back at her. "No. I'm fine. I-I just need to get her cleaned up.... Yeah, I'll clean her up and we'll wait until she wakes up."

"She's not-" Jeremiah starts but I shoot him a glare and he immediately stops. "Ok." He whispers.

I nod my head and run in the bathroom to get a bucket filled with water and a wash cloth. I walk back into the room to see they are all gone and so is, Simon. I quickly walk back over to her and take her dress off and wipe her body down with the warm water. After getting her cleaned, I change the bloody sheets with clean ones and put her in her a knee length red dress, I know she loves.

Finishing, I gently lay her head on the pillow and give her one last kiss on the forehead. Realizing I didn't say it back, I whisper to her, "I love you too."

I look at the ring on her finger and I sniffle remembering the night I asked her to marry me. I remember being a wreck a that day, worrying if it was the right time or not considering our conversation earlier that day. I dared myself to take the risk and it paid off once she said yes.

I close my eyes and take in a breath, ready to do what I have been dreading.

"Momma?"

"Honey? I have been so worried. You have been answering our calls.... Is everything ok? Everyone feels as if something is wrong."

"Elle, gave birth tonight."

"Oh my god! Really?"

"Yeah, it's a girl like we thought."

"I'm so happy to hear that. Is she ok? How is the baby?"

"E-Elle is dead."

Silence passes through for a whole minute before I decided to close the mind link between us. I hated just dropping it on her like that. I just couldn't stand to hear her excitement while I am looking at Elle's body.

It hurts too much.

~~~~

It's the next day and Elle's state hasn't changed. Everyone thinks I'm in denial and say we should bring her back to the pack grounds to have a proper goodbye but I refuse.

I still think we can save Elle and I refuse to say my final goodbye to her. Not now.

Not yet.

I smile, looking at my daughter in my arms. My mood lightened a little when, Lyra, told me, Cora, is a healthy baby.

At least one good thing happened came from this.

"I want you to know, your mommy loved- loves you so much. She doesn't blame you for anything and neither does anyone else." I wipe the tears from my eyes and continue to rock on the rocking chair I made for, Elle. "I love you so much and I will protect you from the bad people that are trying to take you away. I know you're going to go grow up to be strong and powerful woman just like your mommy and I know you don't understand a word I'm saying." I laugh while playing with her tiny hand.

"Drew?" I look up to see, Simon at doorway. "Uh, Lyra is going through with the spell today. I think you should talk to her." Right, I almost forgot about the plan. It just doesn't feel right without her, we were supposed to fight along side each other.

"Ok." I get up from the chair contemplating if I should put, Cora in her crib or bring her with me.

"I can watch her for you." Simon volunteers.

"Uh.. thanks." With a small smile on his face he takes her from me.

"It's uncle Simon in the house. Goochie Goochie Goo." I stop wondering if it was the right idea but then I saw the huge smile on his face, I didn't bother.

I go outside to see everyone crowded in the garden. They all turn around and watch as I approach them.

"Is everything ready?" I ask.

"Yes, but before I do, you should know I am only bringing the queen back first."

"The queen?"

"Yes, the first succubus I ever created. She is needed to bring all her people back. Elle and I already discussed this." She looks at me taking caution, probably worried about my reaction hearing her name. I didn't give a reaction, just a straight face, because if I do think too much of her I might not be able to compose myself. "Elle's blood with a mixture of, Elizabeth's power is only strong enough to bring back one person and that is the queen." Lyra continues.

"Ok, when are we doing this?"

"Now." She steps aside to show her setup of all kind of her herbs and one specific thing. Elle's blood. "Now step back as I begin." We do as she says and she begins to chant in Latin.

As she chants, she puts all of her herbs together in a huge brown bowl. Her chants slowly begin to get louder as the wind begins to blow harder. The wind gets so strong that we all have to fight to stay in our spot.

Lyra kneels on the ground and takes up a small knife. She slits the middle of her palm and drains her blood into the bowl. The last thing she takes up is the small bottle filled with Elle's blood. She looks up to the sky while shouting at the top of her lungs and pours about half of Elle's blood in the bowl.

She closes the bottle before stepping away from the center.

"What now?" Daniel shouts over the all the noise.

Lyra puts her hand up, silencing him and continue to chant the same words. The wind begins to calm down and Lyra's chants begins to get lower until she stops. I look back in the bowl to see everything is gone and it's now empty.

"Now, we wait." Lyra continues to look up at the sky and we all follow her trail. After a minute of waiting, a large figure comes into view, coming from behind the clouds. The figure begins to get clearer and clearer by the second as it gets closer.

It's a woman, with black wings just like, Elle's but bigger. She spots us and slowly descends to the ground. She retracts her wings and stands up straight.

She first turns to, Lyra, "Thank you for your help, Lyra." She then looks at the rest of us. " I am Rhea, the queen of the succubus kind and the mother of Elizabeth. It's nice to meet you, gentlemen." She smiles.

"Where is my daughter?"