Consciousness came to me like a slow curling pain. My head hurt and all my muscles ached. I tried to move my limbs but they didn't respond to my commands. I snapped my eyes open and looked down. My eyes widened in shock when I realised I was tied down-tied down-to a bed in the Health Care Centre. I struggled, trying to dislodge the knots holding me down. I snapped my head when a human nurse walked out of one of the doors. She stilled when she saw me and I noticed apprehension fill her features, but right now I wasn't in the mood to consider it.

"Get these off me!" I growled out, anger unlike anything I've ever known before taking root in my bones and spreading out into my skin and boiling my blood.

Instead of coming closer, she whipped around and ran. Right back into the room she'd exited from.

What the hell?

I looked to my left and stilled, all my struggles coming to an abrupt halt. Kylee was lying on the bed beside mine. Her skin was pale, sick looking, sweat beaded her skin and she was ... very much pregnant.

When Dr. Stevens rushed out of the door that the nurse had run into, I spoke quickly, "Get me out of these, please."

My voice came out a little calmer, but no steadier. My eyes flit back to my friend.

As Dr. Steves loosened my fastens, I asked him, "What's wrong with her?"

When he had undone the knots around my torso and arms, I sat up, aiding him in removing the rest that kept me tied down to the bed. I watched as the Doctor's eyes flit almost unwillingly to Kylee's still form, before coming back to his work at hand.

"She isn't equipped to handle a C'Riel foetus," he muttered under his breath.

My brows furrowed, "The baby is half-human." I said, my brows furrowing.

He shook his head sadly and stood up. He met my eyes when I stood too, his own weary and sad.

"Her baby is all C'Riel, Amour." he said.

My hands pressed to my mouth in shock as I sank back into the bed.

"How is that possible? She's human! The baby has to be-"

"The baby was part human. But over the last three hours, he's becoming more C'Riel and less human."

"How's that possible?!" I screamed, I didn't realise I was standing until I was. I didn't realise I was screaming until I was. I didn't know my hands were fisted until they were.

The doctor looked down, his hands fisted by his side, but he kept quiet.

"How can a child change its genetic composition!? How is she dying? You're a doctor, dammit! You have to do something! How is this possible?"

I expected fear, because recently that's all I had been receiving, but what I saw was frustration.

"I don't know!" He shouted and it was so unexpected, I reared back. He ran his hands through his hair and I noticed that they were trembling.

Helplessness shifted so quickly to anger that I was left reeling after he said, "For all that you're saying, you should ask your mate! He's the only one who doesn't seem at all surprised with everything that has transpired all this time!" and turned on his heel and stalked away, anger rendering his steps jerky and rigid as he left the Centre, heading to wherever he was going.

My breath came out in harsh gasps, anger and frustration stripping me of any thoughts. It took me sometime to realise that every time I blinked, my vision was different. Superior vision-blink-human vision-blink-superior vision...I pressed my eyes closed, feeling the part of me that I didn't know anything about starting to show itself to me a little.

I took a deep breath, relaxing my shoulders, allowing the small change that was happening to take place. Opening myself to the truth that I wasn't as human as I had been a few months ago. A small awareness entered my mind and I was only partly shocked that I now knew exactly where Rafe was.

This time when I opened my eyes, my vision stayed superior. A part of me mourned my human eye-sight, while a larger part embraced this newness with vigour. It gave me some edge. Some power over my weakness. I followed my instincts, letting them guide my feet to him. I didn't know where I was going, even when I left the building, walking swiftly in the direction south of the Resting Station. I turned left sharply after a five minute walk and stopped in front of a large boulder, pressing my hand against the Identity Screen that popped out of the moss that was scattered across the boulder. I wasn't surprised that I was not allowed entrance, because this didn't seem like the other buildings here. This one was tactfully camouflaged against the backdrop of nature. This was a hideout.

When the door slid open, I met Rafe's dark eyes. His smile was surprising and I didn't understand the reason behind it, until he said, "Look who is back." He crossed his arms over his black suit.

I tilted my head, before realising what was going on. He thought I wasn't me anymore. He thought I had been taken over by the other side of me. But how had he figured it out?

My brain gave me my answer. I saw an image of myself, my green eyes had a ring of amber around it.

I realised belatedly that my brain had sent me an image of how I looked from his perspective. It had stolen the image from his brain. I smirked at the ingenuity of it.

Movement behind him caught my eyes. His soldiers. A whole battalion of them.

"We need to talk." I told him.

Rafe's eyes scrutinised me, "The transition is happening." He said, picking up quickly on the fact that I was slowly accepting the part of me that was ... alien. And that I was still me despite it.

"We. Need. To. Talk." I stressed. This time nothing was getting in my way.

"Shut the door and step out." I said, my eyes narrowed, anger a painful beat against my skin.

Rafe's lips lifted and he stepped forward, deliberately closer to me-so close that his heat permeated my skin, sending my synapses into an overload. The door shut behind him. I didn't move back responding to the challenge in his eyes.

"Kylee is dying."

His jaw locked.

"Tell me what's happening, Rafe. I've had enough of your lies." I said.

He stayed silent for a few seconds, "Now is not the time." he said, then turned around and opened the door, sharply barking out an order that had them all shuffling past one another, rushing to get out of the room. Rafe caught me with his fingers around my elbow and pulled me aside out of the way. I kept quiet while all of the soldiers walked past us, most of them having averted their eyes from me. As soon as they were all gone, Rafe stepped into the room and I followed him, continuing the conversation.

"Bullshit to that. There is never a time! Something is happening, and I know you know what it is. Damn you, tell me." I said, my heart hurting from how much more beautiful he looked to me when he whipped around to look at me.

"Why won't you tell me?" I asked, my voice lowering to an almost plead. I lifted my hand, placing it on his arm. His eyes met mine and they churned amber and black. My eyes dropped to his other hand and widened, when I realised why he had come into the room. He had a gun in his hand.

"Why do you have a gun, Rafe?" I asked, fear chilling my blood.

"We are going after Ace. Clearly he was not working alone-"

My jaw dropped, "You're going after your best friend with an army by your side?" I said, keeping a harsh control on my voice because I didn't want to scream at him right now.

Rafe spread his arms wide, "What will you have me do?" he asked me and I realised for the first time, how hard this was for him with the tightness around his eyes and brackets at the sides of his mouth.

I used this opportunity to get through to him once more, catching hold of his arm, "I know, okay? I know what he did. But he didn't mean to hurt us-"

Rafe shrugged out of my hold and started to walk away.

I was literally four seconds away from screaming, when the door opened and I saw one of the soldiers looking at us sheepishly.

Rafe stilled and shifted a little to the side, blocking me from the view of the entrance.

"I forgot something." the C'Riel said and I almost thanked him for speaking in English. When he walked around Rafe and towards me, I quickly stepped out of the way, shuffling towards Rafe, glaring at him. But Rafe's eyes were narrowed at the C'Riel behind me. I turned around the same time that the C'Riel turned around, except this time he had what looked like air filters fitted to his nostrils.

Oh, shit.

I tried to move, but I ... couldn't. I could't feel anything. I couldn't even move my eyes. The only thing I could see was what I had been seeing. The C'Riel before me. He stepped towards us, going to his hunches for God knows what, he wasn't in my restricted frame of vision anymore. Dammit.

I couldn't see Rafe either. Was he, like me, paralysed? What had this C'Riel released into the air? What about the other soldiers? In my periphery, I could see the C'Riel crouch to our left, then get up and disappear from my view completely. Was he behind us?

I felt something that I had never felt before and I had been able to move, I would have jumped a foot into the air. It was a ... caress. Except, it wasn't a physical. It was psychic. I felt a brush of something against my mind, and I couldn't even describe how intimate that felt. It was like the most sacred and untouched part of me was being touched gently. It felt as real as a finger pressed to skin and I had never felt anything like it.

The only reason I probably didn't freak out was because for the life of me, there was only one person who could reach such a protected part of me. And he stood behind me. I realised that while my physical self was locked in place, my psychic self wasn't. I gratefully leaned into the affectionate gesture, and almost immediately I felt a press against my mind and I realised something was attempting to come through, but because my transition wasn't complete, I couldn't control the part that would allow Rafe to do whatever he was trying to. Frustration beat against me but there was nothing I could do about it.

When the C'Riel came to stand in front of us again, his gaze trained to something that he was holding, that I couldn't see. He looked up suddenly, expectant. Suddenly, a spectrum of lights appeared before me in a straight sheet, separating me from the C'Riel before me. He pulled something out from the back of his black suit and pulled out a small sleek device. A soft click later, I saw a small dart like structure fly out of the device in slow motion-thanks to my now superior vision-but what I couldn't see was where it had landed because neither could I move my eyes, nor could I feel anything. But I could guess what had been its target when darkness crept into my vision.

--

--

I woke up practically in a panic and lungs automatically heaved in large quantities of air. Immediately, I started coughing. I tried to move my hands, but they didn't move all the way the mocking laugh of shackles filling my ears; my feet were in a similar state. I blinked, trying to see something in front of me, but it was pitch dark. Even my superior eye sight needed at least a silver of light to make out the surroundings, there wasn't a single speck of light here.

"Rafe?" I called out, my voice coming out hoarse. I coughed again. The sounds I made echoed in the room and flit back to me. I tried looking around again, but in vain. Suddenly lights blared in the room and I squeezed my eyes closed, pain streaking into my sensitive corneas. I slowly let my eyes open when the pain dulled. What I saw, sent relief chorusing into my veins.

"Rafe!" I said and smiled, but it dimmed when I realised that he was struggling in his bonds, his movements jerky and frantic, his eyes coating every inch of my skin as if looking for injuries.

"I'm okay," I said and it was only when Rafe stilled and said "What?" that I realised something was wrong.

Because I couldn't hear what he was saying. I had only understood what he said because I'd read his lips.

"Why can't I hear you?" I asked, because I could hear myself and so was sure I wasn't deaf.

Then suddenly red numbers popped up in the air between us and I stilled, when I realised that there was a glass barrier between us-upon which these numbers were being displayed. I let out a breath before I understood what the numbers signified.

It was a countdown.

And there was only one thing that needs a countdown.

My eyes met Rafe's. His eyes went black and he started to struggle in earnest. The threat sent him into a flurry of activity, but the opposite happened with me-I went still as death. I would've laughed at my choice of words, but my voice was stuck in my throat. I watched as the countdown warned us that we had two and a half minutes left. I counted every heart beat of mine, my eyes glued to Rafe. He was shouting something at me, but I didn't even try to understand what he was saying. I was too busy tracing his features with my eyes.

He kept calling my name, his eyes flicking to the countdown but I just smiled at him and murmured, "I love you."

I didn't bother looking at the countdown, I didn't care for it. Suddenly, I saw Rafe roar, his head tilted back and I watched in awe as he his harness came apart and I realised that while I'd been shackled with chains, he had been bound by some synthetic material. Why? Because he was stronger? And chains would be easier to break out of?

He didn't bother with his legs, he just lurched forward, his bloody hands banging against the glass pane between us.

"You're such an idiot, Rafe." I said, my concern leaking into my voice as I took in all the blood trailing down his arms.

He lifted his fists and banged again and this time, even the pane shook with his fury. My eyes widened.

Thirty seconds.

He was saying something, speaking fast, but I couldn't hear him. His expression was that of anguish and pain. He stuffed his hands through his hair, uncaring of the blood. I struggled to get closer.

"Rafe..." I murmured. He looked up at me, his eyes all black, his lips moving continuously with words I wasn't privy to.

He banged the pane again.

I looked at the countdown.

Fifteen seconds.

I looked back down and realised that he was looking at it too, his expression murderous.

"Hey...look at me." I said, even though he couldn't hear me.

But somehow, he looked back at me, his love for me etched on his face in a torturous expression.

"It's okay.." I said, "We'll be alright."

Ten.

I kept my eyes steady on Rafe's.

Nine.

He banged a palm against the glass, leaving a bloody handprint behind.

Eight.

"You're the best guy I've ever met. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I would do things the same way all over again if I had the chance-except the part where I got shot and attacked-because these few months with you have meant more to me than a long healthy life without you could ever mean."

Six.

His lips raced as he spoke words lost to my ears.

Five.

He was calling my name.

Four.

I called his back.

Three.

"I love you so much." I said again, it was only when my vision of him blurred that I realised that I was crying.

Two.

I watched his lips take the shape of the three words I had always wanted to hear from his lips. My eyes widened, the tears falling unbidden. But before he could complete his sentence, the lights went out.

Zero.

I blinked. Last time I checked, zero meant boom not lights out. My brows furrowed and I couldn't see Rafe either. Suddenly, the pane before me lit up with a picture and I realised it was a video ... of me. But it was facing away from me...it was being played for Rafe to see, but my voice filtered through to me as well.

My brows puckered and I realised that it was a playback of the last few minutes.

What the hell was happening?

I heard my voice as I told him that I was okay, I could see myself and through the glass, I could see Rafe's face lit with the colours on the pane, his eyes glued to the screen. His expression was blank except for the small furrow in between his brows.

I heard my voice clear, though not steady, through whatever hidden speakers there were in the room.

"You're the best guy I've ever met. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I would do things the same way all over again if I had the chance-except the part where I got shot and attacked-because these few months with you have meant more to me than a long healthy life without you could ever mean."

Rafe's eyes flit to mine before they flutter back to the screen before him.

"I love you so much." I said again, it was only when my vision of him blurred that I realised that I was crying.

I watched as Rafe watched my reaction to him saying those precious words that I would never hear.

The video ended and the glass was normal again. I watched as his eyes slowly travelled to me, taking me in, almost like he had never seen me before ... or like he would never see me again. Before we could do anything else, red digitalised words appeared on the screen, and this time they appeared in such a way that I could see it. The words appeared letter by letter and by the time they all appeared, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

THEY SAY THE DYING MAN SPEAKS ONLY THE TRUTH BECAUSE HE HAS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE. YOU SPOKE OF YOUR LOVE FOR HIM. HE SPOKE OF HIS GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT.

My eyes met Rafe's in confusion, but Rafe was on his knees again, his fists knocking into the pane before him. The skin on his knuckles broke, but he didn't stop.

"Rafe! Sto-!"

But my voice was drained out by the sound of the video. It showed me Rafe roaring, his face twisted in agony, ripping against his bindings. I watched the bindings cut into the skin of his hands, his arms being protected by his suit.

"AMOUR!" he roared and I jerked in shock. I had never heard him yell so loudly before.

The pane shook so badly that this time that I was sure that Rafe had broken something. I looked at Rafe's panic and fear and realised something. There wasn't anything in this world that meant more to me then him. And I would wait all my life if I had to, until he thought I was deserving of his secrets.

I wouldn't do this to him. Wouldn't put him in a situation where he was in so much pain. I wouldn't choose to learn his secrets without his consent. There was just no point to it then.

I looked at the screen and realised that Rafe was speaking in his language and the english translation was running below.

I tugged on my hands and pulling them as much as I could, trying to call his attention. When Rafe looked at me, I smiled at him, then very deliberately closed my eyes, letting him know what I was doing.

I even pulled my hands closer to my ears and plugged them for good measure.

I choose you, I thought even though he couldn't hear me; I choose you. I will always choose you.

I peeked at him with one eye and saw him stare at me. I tossed him another smile and shut my eyes again. Suddenly I felt the shackles around my hand fall away. I looked at them in shock. My feet were released too. I practically jumped out of their reach, staring at them distrustfully. When I heard a silent swish, I whipped around and realised that the pane was receding into the ceiling. As soon as it was halfway, I ducked under it and crashed to my knees before Rafe, curling my arms around his neck and whispering.

"I choose you and I will always choose you." I said, "It maybe the darkest secret of your life, but I want to hear from you. No one comes in between us."

I heard the sound of someone clapping and felt Rafe go rigid against me. I whipped around and my eyes widened.

Oh my God.

It was my attacker.

How had he gotten out?

"How touching." he said, his voice sending a chill down my spine.

"Guess I will have to do things myself." then he held his hands up, "In my defence, I tried the non-violent way."

"Kidnapping us, chaining us to the floor and having us think we're going to blow up is the non-violent way?" I asked, sarcasm leaking into every single word I released at him.

He just smiled at me, pulling out something from his back and holding it up to our heads.

How was he in position of a gun?

"Your bedside manners are just terrible." I said, unable to shut up from the fear that was spreading through my veins.

He just raised his gun higher.

Oh, shit.

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Dun dun dun! Song is by Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up). Hope you liked that! *grins*