A Choice to be Made.

Although Jessica wanted nothing more than to just snuggle into Chris and melt into him until they were just one mass of humanity together, permanently merged, she knew that time was again both of them. She had to finish the task, and felt certain that once she had he wouldn't refuse.

Chris, although now more relaxed with his current surroundings, whatever they were, new felt even more relaxed. There was something about Jess that always made him feel so comfortable, and he was only just beginning to understand what that was.

He looked over at her, her shoulder length chestnut brown hair, her crystal clear sparkling blue eyes, her slim frame, her only-just c-cup chest, but her eyes had always been her biggest weapon which had slain him upon first seeing her. Her smile was always warm and it seemed as though when she flashed it at him the birds sang, the sun shone and all was right with the world, even when it was all going to hell.

She had fished him from many an emotional abyss. Her soft voice and melodic tone, her cheery disposition, her knack of acting silly when he was being far too serious and over-thinking things which would snap him out of whatever rut his mind had gotten into.

His gaze roamed up and down her. She truly was a beautiful specimen. Athletic in nature, she had trained as a gymnast for a few years before taking up dancing. The lines of her body were graceful, elegant and even though she was only small, measuring in at only 5 foot 4, she was perfectly formed. He was biased of course, as he loved this girl with every ounce of himself. It was the email she had sent him that had said that she would no longer be able to spend time with him that had driven him into the depression that had caused him to take the pills that were to put an end to his life.

She had sent him only a short mail that had literally broken him. His heart had shattered and his will to continue on evaporated.

Yet here he was with her now. He was happier than he had ever known but he sensed the urgency in her. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and began to speak.

“There's no easy way to say what I have to say now Chris. You were always ear-marked for the soul of a dragon.”

Although it really should have been no surprise to him he was still somewhat taken aback when he heard it.

“It was a test for me to be shown all of those pictures of people. They knew that only 2 of them were to be dragons and while I did feel a bit of what I can only describe as a tingle from the other one, as soon as I saw your picture I just knew! I didn’t look at any other pictures afterwards. I just knew. I knew from within my dragon heart it was you, but I also knew from my human one that there was something about you. You looked so.. so...” She struggled a moment to find just the right word but it wouldn't come to her. In exasperation she just picked one that was close “Perfect for me.”

He melted at that word. “Perfect” Exactly the same word he always thought of whenever he thought of her.

“Syreena was correct though. We really don't have much time left. Your body only has an hour or two at most before it becomes unrecoverable. I wish I could give you more of an idea of just what you would be letting yourself in for. There is a lot of stuff you need to know, but right now you just have to trust me.”

She snuggled back in to him for a moment and then tilted her head upwards so that her gaze met his. In her eyes he could see nothing but sincerity.

“You have to make a choice. You can be joined with your Dragon and live, or you can go back to your body and your life would end.”

Her eyes welled up with tears as she spoke the last line.

“And I don’t want to lose you, but this is WAY bigger than just you and me and you can't let that influence your choice in any way”

Chris's mind was spinning, this was a lot to take in. but only one real question was in his mind.

“Will it mean we can be together Jess?”

“Yes, yes it will babe. Together for ever, as it was always meant to be” she beamed as she said the words. They were true and she wanted this more than anything, she would give it all up just to have him always. But she had been forced to write that letter, to leave him without hope. The dragons had decreed that it had to be that way, and she remembered the pain in her heart and the tears in her eyes as she had typed it, always with the knowledge that he might choose death.

But he had chosen his true path, and also her and if she could have, she would have exploded with happiness.

“Then I choose to be with you, my Princess. There IS no other choice. I have the opportunity to have you forever and there is no way I am going to turn that down!”

She hugged him tightly with every ounce of strength she had in her. If they had been on Earth she surely would have cracked a rib inside of him or something, but here, it was not an issue, pain simply didn’t exist.

“This will not be easy on you. You are seconds away from death, and you have to go back into your body. Don't worry though. I will be there with you. I will be there to stabilize you and the queen of the Dragons, the one you saw sitting in the big chair, will be there to reverse the damage you did to yourself. Once that is done and you aren’t gonna kick the bucket any more, we will transport you to a place where you can recover properly, and we can be together for real while you recuperate.”

He nodded his head “I understand” he said. While he really wasn't looking forward to what was to come while his body was repaired he knew that as long as Jessica was there, he was strong enough through her to withstand whatever was to come..

With a tear in her eye she said to him. “Then that is decided. And we have to go NOW. Brace yourself my baby, this is gonna be rough.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly as the scene of the pond with it's impossible greenness dissolved around them both and the dark depressing surroundings of his home re-appeared around him. And an excruciating pain overtook his entire body.

He screamed in agony and wondered to himself if it may have already been too late, but true to her word, Jess was there with him. She squeezed his hand as he saw a large black dragon appear before him.

“Jessica! Do your job! This is no time for emotions!” the black dragon roared snapping her out of her concern for his pain. She places a hand on each of his cheeks and closed her eyes in concentration while the black dragon extended a claw and placed it on Chris's chest and began the process of drawing the toxins out of him.

He began to stiffen and then convulse. Jessica was worried and even the great black dragon seemed concerned.

“There is something wrong!” the black drake bellowed.