The Good Old Black Lake...8 years later

"Is she alive?" Holly asked Arias, as opposed to Shadow.

Arias nodded.
"Yes, the spell is merely fusing the two bodies."

"Huh...." Holly said.
She peered at Shadow.
"Are you fused yet?" she asked her.

Arias gestured to the human side of SHadow, who was fading slightly.

Holly watched carefully.
"She would make a good human," she said thoughtfully.

"Yes, but she isn't and we have to learn to accept that." Arias said.

"I guess," Holly muttered, looking at Arias.

Shadow's human body vanished completely.

Holly blinked.
"Wha ... is that meant to happen?"

Arias nodded, and gestured to the demonic Shadow, who was breathing silently.

"Oh good...." Holly said sighing lightly.

Shadow, who had been lying with her back to Arias and Holly, opened her eyes, blinked and looked around.

Holly peered at her.
"S'me..." she said, "How do you feel?"

"That's a rather stupid question." Shadow said hoarsly before going into a coughing fit. The healer bustled forwards, putting an oxygene mask over her mouth and nose.

"At least you can still talk," Holly said reasonably, watching the healer.

"Hmm..." Shadow said, closing her eyes again.

Holly looked worriedly at Arias, and then back at Shadow.
"Y'just tired?" she whispered.

A tear crawled down Shadow's face, and she let herself cry.

Holly bit her lip.
"What?" she asked, putting her hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"To have a taste of what it was like to be human..." Shadow said softly between her quiet sobs.

Holly nodded sadly.
Her eyebrows almost met in an attempt to think.
"Its not ... that great to be a human....I mean theres.....puberty...." she finished lamely.

"And you think I didn't go through that?" Shadow asked.

"Huh," Holly said, "I didnt know .. um .... there are lots of bad things about bein human....but .... the pros outweigh the cons, Im not gonna lie to ya....."

Shadow nodded in agreement, and closed her eyes, turning her back on Holly again.

"I suck at pep talks," Holly said sighing lightly and sitting back.