Dying was a funny thing. No one really talked about it much, since no one actually came back to tell their final tales. Who cared anyway? Your life was finally over – let the other poor bastards figure things out on their own time.

It didn't take Beth long to pass out from Coraline's attack. She had tried to stay awake in some desperate attempt to save her strength and fight back. Instead, Coraline had sucked more and more blood out of her body until all movement had ceased to be possible. Beth had begun to float, her body nothing but bricks of clay. As the blood pooled around her, Beth's mind began to float as well. It wasn't as frightening or disturbing as it should have been. Instead, it was a peaceful feeling. She felt as if she were floating on a veil of mist, a waterfall pooling white capped water at her feet. A rather trippy idea, but it was better than thinking about the pain…or Mick.

As Beth floated in and out of consciousness, her mind seemed to float in and out of sanity. Dreams came to her twisted and blurred. They morphed into nightmares and back again without giving her time to respond. Friends and family floated before her – some close enough to touch, others only background shadows. Before she could try and lift her arm to touch them, they faded again into the mist. Scenes from her life passed her by as if gliding on different currents. She could only continue to float lightly in one direction over the falls. Meanwhile, her memories of life seemed to taunt and tease her as they crossed and re-crossed the path in front of her. She tried to reach out and grasp hold of one memory – one snippet of happiness that she could cherish forever when she finally went over the waterfalls – but they all remained elusive.

Mick flickered in and out of her memories like a phantom firefly. He kept popping in and out of her memories like a stubborn extra that refused to leave the set. He was in the outline of every memory and every dream as if he had been following her all of her life. She knew he had, but not in every single shadow. As she watched the memories fade and twist into the next, she felt that if she had only moved her head a fraction of an inch, she would have seen him watching her. She would have seen her guardian angel and she could have spoken to him sooner. She could have been with him longer. Maybe if she had physically met him years earlier they would have finally been able to talk. He would have trusted her enough to believe her when she thought Morgan was a fraud.

"Oh, Mick," she heard herself gasp as her lips remained frozen. A new kind of pain gutted her heart. She thought Coraline had wrenched it out of her chest. Instead, Beth realized her heart was merely breaking – shattering for the one man she had loved all of her life.

It was all her fault! She shouldn't have gone after Coraline without at least an army legion to back her up. If she hadn't been so goddamn stubborn, she wouldn't have gotten caught by Coraline. She wouldn't be lying in a pool of her own blood as bait for the man she loved. She thought she could almost hear him speaking to her even now. It was hard to tell what was real and what was illusion as the mists carried her further towards the waterfall.

"Beth, honey, can you hear me? Do not give up on me. I'm here, Beth. I'm not leaving you. I just need to get you out of here."

"Mick?" Beth blurted out. This time her lips moved with her as she spoke his name. The waterfall rushed towards her with alarming clarity. The sound of gallons of rushing water was now blinding her ears. Suddenly, Beth could feel a pressure on her neck. She could sense a presence next to her, caressing her cheek. She was still alive. And Mick – was he here?

"Shhh. Don't talk Beth. Save your strength. I'm going to get you to a hospital and –"

Mick was here. The fact that she could feel his arm against her neck, his knee by her waist, his arm on her other side, jerked Beth back to her senses. Spine shattering pain racked her body, starting from the bite Coraline had taken from her neck. Along with the pain came a sudden rush of love and horror. Her heart leapt to find Mick had come to rescue her at last – then lurched when she remembered Coraline was waiting to spring her trap. She had to warn him.

Ignoring the shooting bolts of pain that rocked her body, Beth tried to sit up. Her arms and legs struggled to remember what to do as she felt one of Mick's arms surround her back. She tried to open her eyes, but the lids felt weighted down with lead. He had to get away from her. Coraline would kill him and she couldn't bear that. She had to warn him to run away.

Finally, Beth felt she had summoned enough strength to wrench open her eyelids. The most incredible picture was in front of her. Mick's sweet face filled her vision. If only she had the strength to reach up and touch him. He looked so worried and frightened. Enough of that. She had to warn him about Coraline so he could get out of the house.

"Mick. She's still here," Beth gasped, her voice thick and harsh in her ears. "She wants to kill you"

Mick's lips parted in response when Coraline's caramel voice invaded Beth's senses.

"And I will to"

Beth felt her body shudder and she collapsed back onto Mick's arm. All of her sudden strength vanished from her body. There was no use. She was too late. Coraline had found Mick. She would kill him quickly and she would enjoy every moment. Beth could only hope now that she would meet him again one day. Someone so pure and good as Mick couldn't be snatched away from her forever.

The pain of her body built pressure into her brain until she felt she had swallowed a bomb full of metal spikes. Sounds seemed to pierce her ear drums and any pressure on her body felt like a cut of a knife. This time Beth didn't fight the darkness as she passed out. She let herself float comfortably back towards the waterfall. She didn't watch the memories as they faded and pulsed in front of her. Instead, she closed her eyes and let herself finally fall towards the giant unknown abyss below the roaring waterfall.