Epilogue

"John!" Emily yelled at him. "Will you watch where you're going? I'll be damned if you get us lost again."

"Will you quiet it down, woman!" John shot back. "What is it with you? You didn't want to drive, so just back off." Emily glared at her husband.

"I just want to get home. I'm tired." John smiled. The middle-aged couple had just left Rome that morning. They had visited their son and daughter-in-law that lived there. "Do you think they like living in a big city?"

"It seems so." John spoke. "Matthew makes good money working in the Vatican."

"But it's the city. They can't even see the stars, or hear the peepers at night. What's the use?"

"Oh, Emily..." John grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly. "Each person has different priorities. Ours just tend to differ from city folk."

"It's better. I don't think I could get used to the stale air of the city. It's not right, you know."

"If I remember myself, you lived in an average size city when we met."

"But I fell in love with the countryside and you." She grabbed his hand and smiled. It was a peaceful afternoon. The city of Rome was far behind them. The two, Jonathon and Emily Hagridden, were normal and peaceful farmers. They had lived most of their life in a small house 30 miles south of Carthage. The two had fallen in love and had been married for over thirty years.

"Em? Do you ever think about retiring and moving into a nice apartment in town?"

"Never." She spoke. She looked out the window at the scenery. "I like it out here." She leaned over and laid her head to rest on his shoulder. "And I like you, too." John smirked and kissed her forehead.

"Look." Emily raised her head and saw a familiar sight. It was an old wooden bridge that had stood the test of times. The couple passed it every time they went on long trips to visit their son. "It's still standing. Must be a good sign." Emily looked at the structure, trying to etch it into her mind. When something caught her eye.

"JOHN! Stop the car!!' Her husband looked at her. "Stop it!" she yelled. John brought the car to a halt and parked it. Emily un-did her seatbelt, opened the door and started running for the bridge.

"Em! What the hell are you doing?" He called after her. Emily ran back towards the bridge. She caught a glimpse of red.

"John! Bring the car back. There's a woman." Emily rushed to the unconscious redhead. She quickly checked for a pulse. "She's still alive. We have to get her to a hospital." Emily looked the woman over. She must have pulled herself out of the water and passed out. Emily turned her over on her side, and noticed a large wound on the back of her head. "HURRY, JOHN!"

"A...el.." The woman mumbled.

"Ma'am..." Emily gently shook her. " Are you all right?"

"...b...l" Emily shook her head.

"Is she alright?" John came rushing up.

"I don't know, she has a head injury. I thinks she's delusional."

"What's this?" John brushed a clump of wet hair away from her neck, revealing two puncture wounds.

"She must have been attacked by a vampire. It's a miracle that she survived. Open the car door, Em. I'll put her in the back." His wife nodded and ran back to the car. John picked the woman up and quickly made his back to their car.

Once the couple was back on the road, Emily finally turned and got a good look at the woman. She must have been in her early twenties, but looked like she had been in a few battles. She noticed a gold cross hung from a black ribbon around her neck.

"So who is she?" John asked.

"I don't know." Emily shook her head. "She didn't say. She kept mumbling, I couldn't make out any of it."

"Well whoever this lady is, she must have a guardian angel looking out for her."

Thanks to everyone for keeping this story alive. There is a one-shot and a sequel coming soon. I have to have a friend proof read the one-shot and I stuck on the sequel. I'm having writer's block. I've been trying to keep updates of my new story on my homepage. (If you want to keep an update.)

Until next time!

Lil-Rahl