The Road w/ Anna Part 16: Ending
After nearly eighty years of living with her mother and Damon overseas she came back to St. Augustine to the cemetery where her brother as well as Trent were buried. The cemetery had grown a great deal since she last stood there amongst the ageless headstones yet Trent was the one that stood out the most. Her tombstone lay next to his as she touched his gently as she read the inscription on the stone with a smile on her face. So much time had passed that she had almost forgotten the beauty of a simple carving in stone that held so much meaning.
Trent Lunas
1989-2010
Loving son who loved his Ana most of all
She nodded as she set a sunflower down on top of his stone with a single tear falling on it. She looked up at the darkened sky as she whispered, “I haven’t forgotten you, Trent. Even after all these years you are still the one who holds my heart and no one has ever replaced you.”
An elderly man stood near her brothers’ stone as he glanced over at her, “Excuse me young lady but you look awfully familiar. Did you by chance come from the family of Carter?”
She looked up at him closely to realize that she was staring into her nephews’ eyes, “It’s nice to see someone recognize the resemblance.” She said before catching herself, “Why do you ask?”
“I once had an aunt who looked just liked you from the family portraits that I’ve seen. My mother told me that she helped name me at my fathers’ funeral. She was a beautiful woman. None of us ever knew how she died or if she’s really gone at all for that matter. One night her lover was murdered then the next she was pronounced dead as if she couldn’t live without him. My family history still is a mess of mystery even for an old man like myself.” He stated sadly, “I sometimes wonder what my own fate would be if my father had lived long enough to tell me of such things.”
“I think your father would have told you to keep on living your life without any question of the past.” She said as she stood next to him gazing down at her brothers’ headstone, “It was the most important thing he ever wanted was for life to not be wasted on looking at the past.”
“Did you live as he asked of you?” James asked her as he held a simple flower to her with kindness in his eyes.
“I lived and I had love for only one man even your father had much to say on the subject since we grew up with it all around us. We never gave up no matter what happened. That’s what made our bond so strong even when death took us from it unexpectedly.” She said softly.
“They still tell stories about you, you know. Old grandpa Steve made sure we knew that you were still out there somewhere. He told me that one-day I would finally get to meet you when you were ready to come back to this old place. Will you promise me that it won’t be another eighty years for unlike you I don’t have that much time to wait on an immortal to come to my doorstep.” He said with a smile, “I’ve got a great grandchild coming soon. I’ve already got six already but one more isn’t so bad for at least they’re healthy and happy.”
Ana squeezed his shoulder gently, “I’m happy that you’ve lived up to your name at last. Your father would have been most proud just as much as I am to know that our blood continued on.”
“Thank you, Aunt Annie.” He said softly, “It’s nice to know that at least someone can tell me that. For now I must say those words that were never spoken of to you or my father and that is the simplest words of goodbye.” He then left her at the cemetery amongst her family headstones.
She had seen enough in her years in England to know how much she missed this place where she had grown up. She started to hum the words to the Road with Ana softly as she looked up at the old willow trees weighed down by Spanish moss. She had traveled the world a dozen times yet this place was always called home to her. It was where her heart would lead her back to as it once led her mother. Looking back now she realized that Damon had become the father she needed so she granted him that title after the first ten years of living with them. It was long enough for her to accept him in the shoes of Steven Carter, a man for whom she had greatly admired and loved so very much to never let go of until that moment that Damon proved himself.
She hoped to have many lives that would somehow bring her back to this place for she kept her promise to Steven. She hadn’t forgotten who she was and she doubted she ever would. No matter how many songs she had written or how many places she had been to she was still the same with her mind just a bit older. A hundred more years could never change that even with the vampire who murdered Trent now burned to ashes it made her life easier to bear. Her road would go on forever yet she would always have him to keep her company for the rest of eternity.
Love was the one thing that saved her from herself and the person who saved her would never once be forgotten by time or loss of memory. It conquered everything including her for it was every part of her as was the person she had become. So Anastasia Carter moved on from her past but never forgetting that before she had become what she was there was a long road that she walked alone until a man vowed to walk the road alongside her for the rest of eternity.
THE END
