Dark Connections: The Other Half

Disclaimer: This is an original story, all characters have been made up by me and in no way represent any people that are alive or dead. This is my story, I created it and have not ripped it off of anyone.

Warnings: Angst, Death, Language, MC,N/C, OC, Tort, UST, WIP

Chapter 31

Edward had had to be confined to a coffin before day break. Shortly after Ashton's "body" had been removed from the living room, Edward had went into hysterics. He could no longer feel Randi. He just hadn't noticed as soon as he should have since his emotions were high. He had attacked everyone trying to get out of the house. It had taken Maurice, Daniel, and Corey to hold him down and get him into a coffin. Not easily done.
When dawn had come, he had not drifted away to sleep. Maurice kept himself awake to watch over him so the rest of them could sleep. It was wh en Edward could feel her again that he had to have crosses placed on the coffins lid.
He kept screaming about someone hurting Randi, touching her. Edward was enraged enough that his power was spilling over Maurice. It was all he could do to stay in the room.
Then things had gone quiet. Deathly quiet, but he knew that Edward wasn't sleeping. It was then that Kairi had made her way down to the coffin room, one of the many.
"Hello, Kairi." Maurice said as she walked in. She walked in wearing a pair of blue jeans and a dark green tank top. It was the least provocative thing that they had. Which was surprising since it was a human woman who had given her clothes.
"How is he?" she asked, staying in the doorway.
"He is still for now. But not sleeping." he turned to look at her. Now that he knew what she was, he could see her power, just below the surface. It made her skin glow, like there was a candle inside her body but hadn't broken through the darkness, not yet at least. "Come, sit with me awhile." he moved over to let her sit with him. Kairi hesitated at first but eventually went and sat next to him on one of the coffins. It should have bothered her. It didn't.
Kairi sat next to Maurice for a few minutes before she finally had enough nerve to ask him the questions she needed to ask. She bit her lip and took a deep breath.
"I knew you wouldn't last that long." Maurice said, turning to look at her.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You forget what I am. I can almost tell you what you're going to do before you even think about it."
"Oh," she looked down at her hands. "Then you know what I'm here for?"
"You want to know what you are and if you're a monster." Kairi nodded slowly, almost weakly.
"I don't want to be a monster." Maurice reached out and held her face gently in his hands.
"No, you are far from a monster. You are...a precious gift given to us to do wonderous things. Things we couldn't normally do alone." he dropped his hands and held one of her hands in his.
"So, I'm just a tool? Something to be used and put away when finished with? Is that it?" Kairi was close to anger.
"Quite the opposite. A conduit is something to be respted. If that respect is lost or put into the wrong hands, a conduit can cause an immense amount of damage. What you are is an enhancer to power. For instance, I can control the minds of others, make them do what I will as long as they are within this city. If I channeled my power through you, there is no telling who, or how many people I could control."
"And that's the danger."
"Exactly. If an evil man used you in such a way, terrible things could happen."
"But don't I have a choice about this power?" Kairi asked him.
"Yes and no. You have free will of course. Your power is yours to use as you wish once you learn control. I forced almost all of my power into you and used you to free the others. Since you are not trained to defend yourself from attacks, it was easy and very painful for you. Fighting makes it hurt more in the beginning." Kairi was silent, thinking.
"You looked surprised when you first saw me. Why?" Maurice half smiled and chuckled to himself.
"In all honesty, you're not supposed to exist. All the conduits still living were executed over a hundred years ago." Maurice could see the next question in her eyes. "What makes a conduit, you, so dangerous is that you have the ability to reverse a powerflow. To push it back onto the person giving it. It can kill that person, an overload of power. That is why to use a conduit, you must trust that person completely."
"Could you teach me to use it?" Maurice raised a brow. "Not to hurt you. To control it. I don't want to be vulnerable with this." A muffled scream filled the room causing Kairi to jump.
"Get the crosses, toss thema cross the room." Maurice instructed her. She stood and moved towards the coffin. Edward thrashed and beat against the inside of the coffin.
"Maurice..." she said hesitantly.
"Consider this lesson one. If he touches you, don't fight him in any way." Kairi looked at him for a few seconds and started removing the crosses. In one movement the lid flew into the air and a pale arm shot out and grabbed Kairi's upper arm. It happened so fast that she left out a scream.
"Edward, no!" she cried. He came to his knees and grabbed her other arm. His eyes were wide and wild.
"Relax, both of you." Maurice told them. Kairi stayed perfectly still but Edward's grip tightened.
Three things happened at once. Edward lunged forward at Kair, Maurice grabbed her shoulder's and Kairi screamed, "No!"
Everything stopped.
Kairi was staring at their bodies on the other side of the coffin. Or at least she thought she was. She could still see the three of them in front of her, frozen. But how was that possible?
"All things are possible with you." Maurice said. Kairi looked to her left and could see Maurice by the door.
"What's going on?" she asked scared.
"You told Edward ,'no', and quite demandingly. But instead you caused us all to stop. Your mind and mine are the only things able to still function."
"You mean, I did...this?" she looked from their frozen images to Maurice at the door. She was so confused.
"Yes, you did. And only you can undo it."
"What happens to me if I do? What is Edward going to do?" Maurice gave her a simple shrug. Utterly graceful.
"Relax and pray I'm fast enough. Come." he held his arm out and Kairi walked to him and he put his arm around her shoulders.
"I'm scared." she looked up at him helplessly.
"I know." he gently hugged her against him and led her out of the room.
It was like Kairi had beens hoved back into her body. She had a moment to feel disoriented before she felt Edward's hands on her arms. Kairi relaxed her body as best as she could in those few seconds. Edward was inches from her neck when his head snapped back.
Kairi could feel Maurice's power pulse through her body. Much more easily this time, but still forceful. It was like a cold wave of water was coursing through her veins. And for all she knew, that's exactly what was happening. His power pushed through her, filling up every empty space in her body. Once she was full it broke through her skin and into Edward's hands. Kairi stared straight ahead with her eyes locked on Edward. His hold on her remained an iron clamp but his eyes began to change from the monsterous, savage glare to normal, confused eyes. Slowly, Kairi felt Maurice's hands leave her shoulders. For a moment she tensed, afraid Edward was going to spring for her again. But he didn't. He remained frozen. Edward was afraid to move.
"Randi..." His voice trailed off. His eyes clenched shut. He could feel claws being shoved into Randi's throat. The pain she was in, it was too much for her.
Kairi screamed and his grip was the only thing that kept her from falling. They were connected too closely, she could feel everything. It washed over her harder than she thought anything ever could.
"Use me." Kairi said through gritted teeth.
"What?" Edward said confused.
"Give her your power. Send it through me." Edward raised his brows. Maurice just nodded.
"There isn't much time, do it, now." Maurice said. Edward didn't wait. what he didn't know was that he shouldn't have forced so much power into her. Maurice was alot more powerful than Maurice but he could control his power, send it through evenly. All Edward did was push his power into Kairi at one moment and only one moemnt. The pain and power hit her so hard that it actually jerked her from Edward's hands and threw her backwards. Maurice caught her in his arms. Kairi's body had turned ice cold. Her body lay motionless as he held her. Her skin had paled about three shades and her lips and eyelids had turned a bluish purple color. Edward as at his side a fraction of a second. Maurice looked up at, paniced.
"Get a human."
"For what?" Edward asked.
"We can't restart her heart. We don't breathe." The realization hit Edward and he vanished from the room. Maurice carried Kairi over to one of the coffins and laid her down on top of it. He held her face in his hands. "Don't leave us, Kairi. Not now." He said, almost pleading to her still form. Edward was suddenly back in the room with a half awake Stephan. He was in nothing but a pair of black pajama pants, hair tousled from sleep. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Kairi's body he was instantly awake.
"What happened?" He asked, a little too fast.
"Doesn't matter. Giver her mouth to mouth. I'll get her chest without crushing her, I promise." Maurice told him. Stephan moved to one side of the coffin and tilted her head back. Seeing her like this made his entire chest ache. He wanted her to live, almost needed her to live. That was a new feeling.
Maurice climbed on top of her, straddling her waist and placed one hand on her chest. "Everytime I push down, breathe." Stephan pinched her nose together and waited. Maurice shoved down hard. Kairi's entire body jerked from the force of it. Stephan pressed his mouth over hers and breathed into her. Maurice pushed down again, and Stephan breathed.
"Come on, Kairi. Breathe. Please, please breathe." Stephan whispered against her lips. He couldn't remember the last time, outside of Randi, that he had ever wanted anyone to live so badly. What was going on with him lately? Again Maurice pushed down on Kairi's chest and she jerked against his hand. Stephan blew into her mouth again. Maurice was about to do it again when Edward grabbed his hand.
"Listen," all of them remained quiet. Her heart. It was beating, barely. But she wasn't breathing. "Keep breathing, Stephan. Nice and slow." Stephan did as he was told. He breathed deep and even into her. As the breath seeped back out of her, Kairi's body convulsed and she started coughing hard. Everyone gave sighs of relief and huge smiles covered their faces. Maurice moved back to stand on the floor to give Kairi room to move.
"Welcome back, girl." Stephan said to her. He gently kissed her forehead.
"It's good to be back." She said hoarsely. "I didn't know you vampires could be so rough. Be easy on the poor human next time." All of them burst into laughter.