Slight spoiler for Lies. First six chapters were posted on Pensive Sarcasm's blog (Google it to find 'em.) and I got a bit of inspiration for this from there. I guess it's kind of AU. Both Caine and Diana go out of character–a little bit–but I couldn't help it; Michael Grant didn't exactly set these two characters up for romance stories.

"Caine?" Diana asked quietly.

She was instantly ashamed of her voice. It was scared, and it was weak. Her voice was everything she hated, everything she'd looked down upon. This hunger had driven her to the brink of death. It had stolen everything: her energy, her looks, her dignity, and her identity.

She hated herself now. She'd loved her looks, loved what they could do to people. She'd held onto her dignity, used her pride to reassure herself. Now she had nothing, and even living until tomorrow wasn't guaranteed anymore. What was the point of living if you'd given up on yourself?

"Diana? Are you alright?" he asked. There was worry in his voice, and maybe a little bit of fear. Diana couldn't really blame him, she felt afraid for herself.

How long have I been staring death in the face? she wondered to herself. It felt like forever. How long have I been staring death in the face... and losing? she amended to herself. She'd been gambling blindfolded, and now that she could truly see, she didn't want to see. Didn't want to see that she was in debt and was beginning to lose herself. All to this hunger.

She couldn't come out and say it right away. She had to make him see first. She didn't want to have to go alone–maybe she did have feelings for him. There was no other reason for her to suddenly feel like reaching out to him, holding him, letting him reassure her...

"Caine... when I almost died, before the Healer healed me," she began, and her voice broke midway. For an agonizingly long moment, Diana was worried she might cry, in front of Caine. "You said that you realized t-t-that you loved me then, and that you told me when I was unconscious. Did you mean it?" she was having a hard time controlling her emotion as she spoke. Diana flushed; that was unusual for her.

The teenage leader wore an odd expression on his face. Half pain, half joy. His love had rebuked him before, but now she was finally talking about him–about them. It was only bittersweet for Caine–he'd hoped their relationship would be normal if it ever got off the ground. It was more apparent than ever they'd never be normal.

"Do you mean did that actually happen or did I mean that I, umm, you know that I, umm..." he trailed off vaguely as blood rushed to his head. His head was spinning; how long had he wanted this?

"Do you really love me?"

Caine felt like he was running a fever. Talking to girls always had this effect on him. Sure, Diana might not have looked as hot as she used to before the FAYZ, but she was still in the top percentile of–oh, anybody? Not to mention, these feelings he had for her... they were beyond attraction, and he finally had a chance to build of them. It was an amazing feeling.

"Yes... I think so, more than anything," Caine answered sincerely.

Diana raised her eyes to him. Those perfect dark globes searched his face, were they looking for something?

"If you loved me more than anything, would you follow me–anywhere?"

"Of course! Anywhere."

"We're going to surrender to Perdido Beach."

Diana searched his face. What was there? Surprise, horror, betrayal, determination. All in all, not what she'd hoped for. She expected he'd be surprised, but she'd still entertained ideas–silly ideas–that he might have listened to her. Maybe that he'd realized the situation was desperate–maybe that he'd have thought it was good idea.

His expression could have been chiselled in stone. He looked like a statue painstakingly carved out of marble, a statue the artist would have spent great detail on–he would have had to, to make something so beautiful. The expression in his face, she imagined, would have taken more time than anything else. His face showed his confusion so perfectly, baring his every emotion to her.

She continued to search, and he continued to gape at her. It quickly became apparent he would never accept, and she knew in her heart that tonight was her last at Coates. She sighed inwardly, he may have had the looks of an angel, but it wasn't worth it if the inside didn't match.

The silence was becoming unbearably awkward, and she wanted to give him one last chance. "Caine...?" she ventured. "Did you hear me?"

His eyes said it all. He'd heard her the first time.