He knew he had finally found "The One". Alek Petrov had finally found the love of his life at the young age of twenty-two. Chloe King made him feel like the luckiest man in the world, and he couldn't wait until he could truly call her his. Of course, he would have to ask first, which was what he was planning on doing that very night. He had it all planned; He would take her to their favorite restaurant in San Francisco, take her to the pier, and get down on one knee as the sun was setting.

They had managed to get to the restaurant, but as they were walking towards the pier, the night he thought would become a story they could tell their children someday, his world turned into a nightmare. They were both dragged into an alley, where a man pointed a gun at them and asked them for all their money and jewelry. Chloe, of course, had to be stubborn and refused. The man showed he was drunk, impatient, and showed he was serious when he promptly shot Chloe in the stomach and upper chest. Chloe crumpled to the ground with a scream of pain. Alek, not caring if the man shot him now, dropped to his knees on the ground next to her. The man dropped the gun and ran away out of sight.

Chloe started crying from the pain, "Kiss it better, Alek. I don't want to die. It's not… your fault, Love. You didn't know." Her eyes closed, and her head fell to the side. The tears started falling from his eyes. He keeps repeating, "Everything will be alright," even though he knows it's a moot point; she's dead. He knows he has lost the other half of his heart permanently.

He grabbed her hands, and starts crying harder as he realizes her glow and her natural warmth that made her Chloe are already starting to fade. He starts kissing her face; everywhere from her forehead to her cheeks, and leaving her lips for last. He slipped the ring out of his pocket, and wondered how such a great starting night ended like a nightmare you can't awaken from. He slipped the ring on her finger, and wondered if she would have liked the one she had gotten, or for that matter, if she would have even accepted.

He noticed the gun on the ground, and can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad one that the man ran away so Alek couldn't get revenge. Alek wished he could get the guts to pick the gun up and join Chloe forever, but he knew if it had been him and not Chloe, he would've wanted Chloe to live.

A few weeks after the funeral, no one has seen Alek in public. Alek has been locked up in his house, the house they would have shared together. He was in his own little prison, both being locked up in his house, and in his mind. If he hadn't made her go with him that fatal night, he would still have her by his side. Her last words are etched permanently in his mind, and they are on a constant loop.

His house was littered with several beer bottles, their contents already serving the purpose to keep Alek from feeling the pain. He realized they weren't making the impact they first had when he started, and he realized he would have to get something stronger. He would be in this pain for his entire life, and he wished, oh how he wished, she was back in his arms. He would do anything and everything to have her back. He missed her smile, the glow her eyes when he leaned in to kiss her, and her caring nature.

He remembered meeting her for the first time. They both were studying engineering at San Francisco State University, and had literally run into each other in the hall. There had been an immediate connection as they helped the other gather their books. They both hadn't believed in love at first sight before this encounter, but their minds switched sides as they both stood up, never breaking eye contact. Chloe had been the brave one, and had asked Alek for his number before they parted ways. The rest that followed was history.

After drinking several beers, he couldn't tell what were hallucinations or reality. He could finally distinguish one hallucination when he saw Chloe walk toward him.

"You're not here! Why are you putting me through this?" She continued walking towards him, with a small, rueful smile on her mouth.

"You need to stop all of this, Alek." She gestured toward the beer bottles scattered around the room.

"You know why I can't do that, Chloe. The pain is unbearable. Why did you have to leave me?" He could smell her perfume. She was right next to him now.

"Alek, stop for me. I don't want to see you destroy yourself. And I know you wondered if I would've said yes. Of course I would have. You were the best thing that has ever happened to me. But I'm gone, and you need to stop dealing with your grief with alcohol."

"I will. Just stay with me until fall asleep. Please stay with me," he cried.

He barely made it to his bed before he crumpled on his bed from the pain of seeing Chloe. Chloe appeared on the bed next to him, and started working her fingers through his hair and massaging his head. He slowly closed his eyes, and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

He finally had slept peacefully, and for the first time since the funeral, he hadn't dreamt of that night. When he awoke, he wondered if seeing a Chloe had been an alcohol-induced dream. He had come to that conclusion, until he smelled her perfume on her pillow and on his body. He realized she really had been here when he saw all the beer bottles had been thrown away, and red tulip petals were scattered where the beer bottles had previously laid. Red tulips, her favorite.

"Thanks, Chloe," He smiled against his tears and looked up towards the ceiling.

And from where she was watching, she had a smile on her face too.

FIN

So, this was my depressing story. I found the song "Kiss it Better" by He is We one night, and even though I'm usually into HEA stories, I had to write a TNLOCK story to it. Hope you all liked it! If you have time, leave me a little message and tell me what you thought :)