Epilogue: Live To Rise

What if the one thing that I missed
Was everything I need to pass the test?
And if I fail what happens then?
Can I still count on you as a friend?

We're insane but not alone,
You hold on and let go

Like the sun we will live to rise
Like the sun we will live and die and then ignite again
Like the sun we will live to rise again

- Live To Rise by Soundgarden

As the morning light pours in through the bedroom window, Mitchell stands staring blankly out into the street below. He rubs at his chest absently, though he hasn't felt any pain since the attack nearly two weeks ago. Still, his hand always seems to gravitate to that spot whenever his mind wanders to the events of those few days, though he never seems to realize it.

"Mitchell?"

He turns as the familiar voice breaks him out of his reverie.

"Are you alright?" Lucian asks, recognizing his behavior. He had observed the change ever since they had returned from the warehouse, like a nervous tick Mitchell had suddenly developed. Though no matter how many times Lucian had tried, he could never get him to talk about it.

As if sensing his thoughts, Mitchell drops his hand, giving him a weak smile. "Grand."

He sighs. "I need to talk to you."

Mitchell furrows his brow at the seriousness of his expression. "You've heard from the Old Ones?"

He gives a solemn nod.

Mitchell leans against the window sill as the realization dawns. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

Lucian takes a seat at the edge of the bed, but says nothing.

He runs a hand through his hair. "When?"

"Tonight."

Mitchell looks crestfallen.

Lucian sighs and gives a nod toward the seat next to him. "Come here."

Mitchell moves away from the window without meeting his gaze and plops down beside him.

"We knew this was going to happen," Lucian begins. "I have to appear before the Council, they need a firsthand account of what happened. Wyndam was my direct, it's my responsibility to report on his actions."

"I know," Mitchell responds, staring at his hands folded in his lap. "I just wish you didn't have to go so soon. It's just this stuff with the local clan," he sighs, "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can," Lucian says with confidence. "They will respect you because you can lead by example. You'll be a great leader," he affirms, "I have faith in you."

Mitchell smiles weakly in return. "I'd just feel better if you were with me."

"This isn't going to be like last time," he answers. "I will come back."

"Not if you're going after Wyndam."

Lucian sighs. "We don't know that yet. How we're going to deal with Wyndam is for the Council to decide."

"So, where will you go?" Mitchell asks.

He shakes his head. "I don't know yet. Probably one of the old meeting places. But that reminds me; there's something I wanted to show you." Lucian reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cell phone.

Mitchell looks at it curiously. "Is that a new one?"

"Yes," he nods, holding it out in front of him. "This number is for you. I'm not giving it to anyone else. I want you to know that no matter where I go or how long I'm gone, this is your direct line. You will always be able to reach me."

Mitchell stares at the device in his hand, at a loss for words. Lucian reaches over and drapes an arm around him, pulling him closer. Mitchell rests his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes.

"I will always be there when you need me."

Annie glances around the living room where George, Mitchell, and Lucian are gathered, drinking coffee. "I'm gonna miss this, you know," she says, smiling fondly, "the morning routine. I could never get this lot to actually sit down for breakfast before you came along," she says, grinning at Lucian.

He gives her a warm smile. "I think a little normalcy is an important thing to have during a crisis," he says, looking thoughtful. "It helps to feel that some things are still within your control."

"So what happens now?" George asks, not meeting anyone's eye. "One of the Old Ones wants to start a war with humanity, who's to say he doesn't have more followers elsewhere? He could already be off starting a revolution somewhere else."

Mitchell and Lucian exchange a glance at the bitterness in his tone. George had barely spoken to anyone since the warehouse incident. In fact, Mitchell couldn't even remember the last time he had looked him in the eye since that night. He knew that George felt incredibly guilty about what had happened, but he wouldn't talk about it. Now it seems his own self-resentment is being turned out on the rest of the world.

"It's likely Wyndam is lying low for a while," Lucian responds. "When I meet with the Council, we will decide our best course of action against him. He won't be able to make a move without us knowing about it."

"Unless they're in on it too," George answers bitterly.

"Do you have to assume the worst about everything?" Mitchell cuts in, looking agitated. "We're doing the best we can with this. Honestly, George, you're not helping."

George pierces him with his gaze. "Well, excuse me for only being useful to you one night out of the month, but even that, it seems, is debatable. I'm just trying to prepare for the worst because the worst is what always seems to happen. I don't know what else to do!"

Mitchell sits in stunned silence, taken aback by the outburst. George elects to stare at the opposite wall, his eyes shining.

"We'll give you a moment," Lucian says quietly, patting Mitchell on the shoulder as he rises from his seat. "Annie, why don't I help you clean up?"

"Oh," Annie says, catching on, "yes, of course." She rises and takes Lucian's arm as he leads them from the room.

"I'm gonna move out," George begins, still staring at the wall. "I've been thinking about it for a few days now, and I'm gonna move out."

"George, don't be ridiculous. Where would you go?"

"I could go live in the woods somewhere. Far away from people. Where the monster can't hurt anyone."

"George stop this." Mitchell grabs a foot stool and pulls it over, sitting down in front of him. "You're not a monster. What happened that night," he sighs, "that wasn't you."

"That's not the point," George responds, holding back the tears. "I almost killed my best friend."

"But you didn't-"

"But I would have!" George looks at him now, tears flowing in earnest. "I would have torn you apart without a moment's hesitation. I had absolutely no control. If Lucian hadn't got to you in time," he takes a shaky breath, "I never would have forgiven myself."

Mitchell gets up, taking a seat beside him on the couch. He reaches out, pulling him into his arms, and George collapses against him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mitchell," he cries, clenching his fists in the fabric of his shirt. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't," Mitchell says, rubbing his back. "You can't focus on the past. The only thing you can do is move forward. We'll figure this out together, I promise." He sighs. "There's got to be a way."

Suddenly, Annie pops into the room in front of them. "But what if there is," she says, startling them both.

"For God's sake, Annie," Mitchell says as he and George disentangle themselves. "You were supposed to be in the other room!"

She ignores him. "What if there is a way?"

George sits up straighter, surveying Annie with interest. "What are you talking about?"

"Lucian," she calls, waving frantically toward the kitchen, "come out here!"

Lucian emerges from the kitchen, shaking his head at her. "I told you to wait," he says, giving her a pointed look.

She tugs on his arm. "Tell them what you just told me!"

He takes the seat across from the pair, leaning forward in his chair. "There is a way for a werewolf to control a Change. With enough practice, a werewolf can learn to Change at will and maintain a level of control during a full moon. You just need someone who can train you."

"See!" Annie can barely contain her excitement. She hits Lucian on the arm. "Tell them what else you said."

He quirks an eyebrow at her before continuing. "About a year ago I met a man in Scotland, a werewolf. He was the most skilled of his kind that I have ever met. Not only had he completely mastered the ability to Change at will, but he was also able to maintain absolute control during a full moon. At least, when the conditions were ideal," he amends.

Mitchell leans forward in his seat. "So, you think he would help George?"

"I think he'd be open to it," Lucian answers. "He is a friend of mine, I could put in a call. Besides," he grins, "I think he might like the idea of settling in one place for a bit. He's a bit of a nomad, but he gets tired of it. I'll see if I can track him down."

"So let me get this straight," says George. "You're going to call in a Scottish nomadic werewolf to come and be my personal trainer? And he's just going to do it because you asked him to?"

"Kiwi, actually," Lucian corrects. "I helped him out of a tight spot once; he may be willing to do me a favor. And he's a good man. I think he'd be happy to help if I asked him."

"Well," says Mitchell, "I guess we'll find out."

As the sun begins to set over Bristol, Mitchell, George, and Annie gather by the front door as Lucian prepares to depart. He checks over his things one last time and pulls on his jacket.

"I have enjoyed being here," he says, surveying the three faces, "though my stay hasn't been under the best circumstances."

"Well then," Annie responds, trying to keep from tearing up, "I guess that means you'll just have to come back and see us when things are settled."

He smiles. "George, I'll get in touch with my friend as soon as I can. Expect news soon."

George steps forward and shakes his hand. "Thank you," he says, "for everything."

Lucian gives him a nod. "Annie, you look after these two. God knows it's up to you hold the house together."

She laughs and flings her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "You look after you," she says in his ear before pulling away, wiping at her eyes. "We'll see you soon though, yeah?"

"I hope so," he answers, turning to Mitchell now.

Annie takes George by the arm, steering him toward the kitchen. "Let's give them some space," she says in his ear. "Goodbye, Lucian!"

"Take care, you two," he answers.

As George and Annie exit the room, Mitchell stands there, staring at his shoes.

"You know how to reach me," Lucian begins, "and if I'm not near enough to get here in a hurry, you've got Carl and Dan in London, they'll come."

He nods, still looking at the floor.

Lucian cups his chin, lifting his face so that he'll meet his eye, and has to fight back his own emotions as he sees the tears beginning to form behind brown eyes. He sighs. "Come here." He pulls the younger man into his arms and Mitchell buries his face in his shoulder, clenching his fists in the back of his jacket.

"This isn't going to be like last time," Lucian says, stroking his hair. "I promise I'll come back as soon as I can."

Mitchell nods into his shoulder, taking a steadying breath.

Lucian pulls back, holding him at arm's length. "Besides," he says, holding his face between his hands, "you've got George and Annie to look after. They need you here, and you need them. They're your family."

"You're my family too," Mitchell says, holding onto his arms.

He offers a small smile. "I know," he says, hugging him one last time, "I'll see you soon."

He lets him go and takes a step back, reaching for his bag. He lifts it onto his shoulder and pulls open the front door, stepping over the threshold. Before he heads out, he turns back to face Mitchell. "Call as often as you need to," he says, "anytime, day or night."

Mitchell offers a weak smile. "I will."

Lucian nods, and before he loses his resolve, turns and makes his way down the street.

Mitchell watches him from the doorway until he gets to the end of the road. Then, with a grin, he pulls his cell phone from his pocket and starts dialing.

Lucian stops at the end of the street as his phone starts ringing, and turns back to see Mitchell outlined in the doorway. He laughs as he answers the phone, "I haven't even made it two blocks yet."

"I was just checking," Mitchell says with a grin. "See you, Lucian."

He smiles. "See you."

Lucian clicks off the phone and deposits it back in his pocket, and with a final wave, he disappears down the street.

Mitchell remains in the doorway until Lucian is no longer in sight, then he slips back inside. He closes the door and leans against it with a sigh. Yeah, he thinks, things are going to be a lot different.

The End

I can hardly believe that we've closed the final chapter of this installment. I never would have imagined that one little idea I had would grow into the beginning of a three part series! It's been quite a ride bringing this to life, and I would like to thank you all for making this venture worthwhile.

I hope you all have enjoyed reading Lucian as much as I have enjoyed writing him. I will say that he won't be quite as present in the next installment, but we certainly haven't seen the last of him!

I am pleased to finally announce that I will be introducing a new character in the next story; one that I have been developing since I first started writing this. Did any of you guess? The next installment is going to be a little bit more George-centric and to help that story progress, I will be introducing you to Rory Monahan; my Kiwi werewolf as portrayed by none other than Dean O'Gorman! I can't tell you how much I've been DYING to write a character for Dean. I've got a lot of back story and characterization worked out for him already, and I hope you'll love him as much as I do!

Thank you all SO MUCH for reading!

Lucian and friends will return in COLD WAR: Part Two of The War Chronicles series. COMING SOON, so stay tuned!

As always, please share your thoughts!