Disclaimer: I don't own this

Enjoy the story and review!

"If you don't feed me your blood, I'm going to die," she whispered. I know, I thought. I'm watching you fade away, your brilliant vitality and love of life being extinguished forever. I refused to feel the emotions that realization caused, especially since it was hopeless with her. Any hope I had with her was dead, just like she soon would be.

"Then you'll die. And Tyler will have learned his lesson the hard way." Stop caring, I told myself harshly. "How could you do this to Tyler," she demanded. "To his mom...to me." Because I hate how I feel right now, and I'm taking it out on you. "I'm a thousand years old. Call it boredom." I was not bored right now; I actually thought I might be feeling a hint of fear. "I don't believe you," she murmured, sounding weaker than she had a few moments ago. Or perhaps it was my guilt.

"Fine. Then maybe it's because I'm pure evil and I can't help myself." I felt evil. Why else would someone do this? To her? "No," she said, so strongly that I was taken aback. "It's because you're hurt." I looked at her sharply. "Which means that there is a part of you that is human." I frowned and walked over to her. "How could you possibly think that," I demanded. Her eyes met mine, emotions I didn't dare hope were real swimming in their depths. "Because I've seen it...because I've caught myself wishing that I could forget all the horrible things that you've done." I wished I could, too. But I couldn't, and neither could she. "But you can't," I said softly. "Can you?" A foolish question, because I knew she couldn't. "I know that you're in love with me. And anybody capable of love... is capable of being saved." I looked away from her and drew in a shuddering breath. So she knew how I felt. When had it become so hard to breathe?

"You're hallucinating," I said gently. How very much I wanted her forgiveness. How very much I wanted to be a man worthy of it. It was ironic; she was the one inches from dying and she had all the power here, even though I had the only way to save her. "I guess I'll never know," she whispered, sounding so tired. She began to shudder and quake. "Caroline," I asked, afraid. She continued to moan. "Caroline," I said again, louder this time and alarmed by how weak she was. She was very close to dying, I realized. Her time had run out; I either gave her my blood now or she really would die. I couldn't do this. I wasn't ready to let her go. I loved her too much to let her slip away like this.

I gently pulled her forward so I could lie behind her and bit my wrist. She latched on after a few breathless seconds, seconds that caused my fear to spike deeper, thinking that she was already too far gone. But I still felt her breathing, and I relaxed slightly. Her hands held my wrist to her mouth. As if I'd take it away. Not when she held it so sweetly. I stroked her hair and stared off into the room. I loved her. For almost killing her, I didn't deserve her forgiveness...but if she thought I was worth saving...then maybe I could believe that forgiveness was not impossible.