A/N: Don't own. Never have, never will. Thanks for the reviews, even though I know you hate me for such a horrible cliffhanger. I'd hate me, too. As for Albus's fate… I can't say. It'll kill the plot. But you'll find out in this chapter. Please read and review. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"D-do you need one of us to come in with you?" James asked softly, tucking a lock of Ver's red hair behind her ear in a brotherly fashion.

She shook her head weakly, feeling numb. "No," she whispered hoarsely. "I need to do this… alone."

"Are you sure?" Annemarie asked, her brow knitting in concern. This time she nodded, slowly, deliberately. She slowly pushed open the glass door, using all her strength as she slowly made her way over to her husband's bedside. He had some sort of breathing apparatus shoved down his throat- his condition was so bad that they Healers had resorted to using a Muggle device to keep him breathing. She sucked in a shaky breath, feeling her resolve leave her. She grasped Albus's hand in her own, pressing a soft kiss to it. His green eyes flew open almost immediately and grew wide at the sight of her. He tried to talk.

"Shhh," she whispered softly, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. "Don't try to talk. They've got something down your throat to help you breathe; it's a Muggle thing." He blinked, as if to show her that he understood. "God, Al. They don't know what's wrong with you. And you can't breathe without this damn thing shoved down your throat. And… Al, they say… they say you're dying."

He squeezed her hand tightly, as if to assure her that he'd never leave her. "Al… I can't lose you. Y-you're my life. If you d-die," she was starting to cry now, tears falling from her blue eyes at an alarming rate, "I'd die, too." His green eyes widened at her meaningfully. "I haven't forgotten the promise that I… we made back at Godric's Hollow, but Albus- I don't think I can do it."

He then blinked at her several times in rapid succession, as if to tell her that she must. Suddenly, all sorts of alarms went off as his body began to seize uncontrollably and his green eyes rolled back into his head. A full team of Healers rushed into the room and pushed Verity back from the bed, tearing apart their interlocked fingers viciously. "What's going on?" she asked frantically.

"His body is crashing," replied a Healer, stepping back from the side of Albus's bed. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, Mrs. Potter. He's going to die."

"No!" she insisted shrilly, her voice rising several octaves in her hysteria. "No, no, no! There's always something you can do."

"He's going to die," the Healer said stubbornly. "I promise you."

A determined look came into Verity's blue eyes as she sniped, "Don't make promises that you can't keep." She forcefully elbowed her way through the thick crowd of Healers around his bed, shoving a few aside rather rudely- but she didn't care. "Move!" she roared. She grabbed his hand, clinging to it tightly. She made good use of her Legilimency skills and pushed through the barriers around his weakened mind.

DON'T DIE!

His response was weak- he was barely clinging to whatever little life he had left. I'm not strong enough, Ver. I love you.

I love you, too, she said desperately. But I need you, Albus. I'm nothing without you. I'll die.

You promised.

I did but… it's too damn hard.

You'll be able to handle it.

Maybe I won't have to.

What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean, Ver? You better not do anything stupid with your life!

She ignored his last reply and grasped both his hands tightly in hers. She focused all her energy and willed it into him. She was weakened, but it wasn't enough.

Bloody hell, Ver, STOP IT! You're going to kill yourself to save me and I won't have it! You'll die.

Better than living without you, she responded gruffly. She willed the remainder of her strength and energy into him, feeling her consciousness drifting, fading. The last thing she heard before the blackness claimed her was the ominous shattering of glass. Then… nothing.

Albus slowly felt himself opening his eyes, his consciousness returning (A/N: Yes, he's alive. I couldn't bear to kill him off. Love me, adore me). "Al? Oh my God, Albus. Thank Merlin you're alive," said a voice. James. "Welcome back, little bro."

He emitted some sort of choking noise from the back of his throat. The breathing apparatus was gone. "Ver-i-ty," he choked out, his voice hoarse from disuse and his throat parched.

"She's in the next room over, mate," Dennis said, grinning broadly down at his best mate. "She's been awake for days, driving the Healers bloody mad with her incessant questions about you. Though I guess they deserve it. What with them about to give up on you and all."

"What happened?" he croaked out.

"Verity saved your life and almost killed herself doing it," James told him. "She… well, I'll let her explain."

"She's been awake for days?" Al managed to say. "How long have I been out?"

"A week," Dennis grimaced. "I'll go get her; she'll be so bloody happy." He headed out of the room and turned left.

As soon as he was gone, James sighed, saying, "You gave us all a right good scare, little bro. Especially Verity. She would've… if you had died, she would've just given up, mate. They still don't know what was wrong with you."

"Why not?" he choked out.

"Damn lazy Healers," he spat. "Rose needs to hurry up and train so she can fix up the whole friggin' lot of them."

"Ver, slow down!" Dennis called from the hallway. But there was no use talking to her. Verity came bursting into the room, unceremoniously shoving James aside and toppling over the railing into Albus's bed.

She was careful not to hurt him though as she began to kiss every exposed inch of his skin that she reach with her lips. "God, Al. Don't ever scare me like that again."

"I love you," he breathed, catching her lips with his own for a moment.

"I love you, too," she replied. She looked around the room- Dennis and James had left, presumably to give them some alone time.

"So," he asked, sounding grave now. "What exactly happened?"

She sucked in a deep, shaky breath. "The Healers kept insisting that you were going to die and I wasn't having any of it. So I… it's ancient magic. Similar to what Dennis and I have. I poured my energy into you and you needed so much- I almost died giving you all the energy that you needed. I know you told me stop, Al, but I-I couldn't. You're my world and life just wouldn't be worth living without you. The last thing I heard before I passed out was glass shattering. Dennis, Rose, James, and Annemarie were watching the whole thing through the large glass windows. When they saw me starting to faint, they wanted to come in, but the Healers had put a protective charm over the door. So they just broke the windows."

He was quiet for several moments as she continued to pepper his face with kisses, her chapped lips brushing against his warm skin. "You shouldn't have risked it," he told her fiercely. She started to recoil, but he gently gathered her into his arms, pressing a soft kiss into her vibrant red hair. "But I'm sure as hell glad you did."