"She's not going to get herself out, we are! Up, up and away Big Hammer!" That was the last line Tyki heard before he was knocked out cold by Lavi's hammer. He fell to the floor in a slump. "Mikki, are you okay?" Lavi rushed up to her and pulled out the candle.

"Where's Road?" She strained out through her tears.

"Allen's got her preoccupied," Komui said as he took her wrist in his hand. A look of worry crossed over his face when he saw Mikki's face grow pale. "Chaoji, go a get something to stop this blood flow. She hit a main vein and Mikki's lost a lot of blood."

Chaoji fumbled around the room before running out headed towards the nurse station. "Idiot," Lavi mumbled. He quickly went over to Lenalee and untied her. He brought the wrappings over to Komui and helped him bandage Mikki up.

"Thanks Lavi," she smiled just before everything went black. Lavi caught her and held her bridal style.

"Put her in her bedroom, I'm pretty sure it wasn't too damaged. Me and Lenalee will untie the rest, and tie up the left over Noah's. Oh and Lavi, next time we go through with a plan, please don't use anymore cheesy super hero lines." Komui said as he began to untie Miranda.

…

Mikki groggily opened her eyes. She was back in her room at the Order. The window was broken open and the drawers looked all disorganized, but it looked like normal.

"Good morning sleepy-head," Lavi's dreamy voice shifted her attention to her right. He was laying on the bed side against the wall, looking up at her with one half closed eye. "I was wondering when you would wake up. I was beginning to think you died on me." He sat up and stretched out his back. She noticed a bandage in the crook of his arm.

"What happened to you?" She asked hoarsely.

"Hm? This? Well I just had to save your life, that's all." Mikki stared at him with a confused look. He didn't reply, just stared back with a smile.

"Explain."

"You were a damsel in need of blood, so I offered mine and it turned out we were a match. Maybe that's a sign." He wiggled his eyebrows and laid back down on the bed.

"Why did I need blood?" Her eyes followed his finger to a wrapping around her wrist. Suddenly the scene with Tyki and Road came back along with everything else. "Oh."

"Yup, don't worry though, Komui stitched up your wound and the nurses took real good care of you while you were out for the past two days. I guess losing blood does a lot more damage than I thought."

"I've been asleep for two days?" Mikki nearly shouted.

"Yeah…" Lavi watched her curiously as she wiggled around in her seat, trying to find her way out of the blanket cocoon she had made for herself in her sleep.

"Ew! I need to shower, my hair must look like crap! Don't look at me Lavi! Turn away!"

"Calm yourself woman," a grunt came from the corner that paused Mikki in her chaotic panic. "Your hairs up in a ponytail, the nurses kept you clean, and since when did you care what you look like?" Kanda got up from a chair set in the corner of the room and sat on her bed. "Though you do smell a little sour."

"Shut up! How long have you been here?"

"Ever since they moved you back into your room. I put away a few things, but got too creeped out when I found a pair of your underwear. I'll leave the rest to you."

"T-thanks Kanda. Geez guys, I didn't know you cared so much…"

"All of the exorcists do," Lavi leaned up on his shoulder and smiled, "Allen and Lenalee were here just a minute ago. The rest of them have been stopping in on a regular basis."

"I don't deserve this," Mikki turned her head away and looked at the ground.

"Hey, everything got sorted out. Well, almost eve-"

"Shh," Kanda cut Lavi off. "She doesn't need to know right now," he whispered.

"What don't I need to know?"

"Nothing, get some more sleep; you still look like you're half dead." Kanda got up from the bed a place a light kiss on her forehead which made her blush like crazy.

"What was that for?" Mikki questioned.

"Yeah, what was that for?" Lavi demanded.

Kanda just chuckled and replied, "Just making you jealous." He walked out of the room, but stopped at the doorway. "I honestly thought we were going to lose you, Mikki. Never fall in love with a Noah again, or else I'll have to beat some sense into you."

"Bring it," Mikki grinned. When he left she looked back at Lavi. "How did I manage to get friends like you guys?"

"You must attract weirdos."

"No, I'm serious. I don't deserve any of this, yet all of you helped me. Even Komui, who I thought hated me."

"He didn't hate you Mikki, he was just a little upset and frantic. The only reason he rushed you into danger's path was because Tyki threatened him and plus, Komui had a little plan going."

"Speaking of Tyki, where is he?"

"Why do you care?" A serious glint was in his unwavering eye.

"I…I guess I don't. Can you answer one question for me, though?"

"Shoot for it," he reclined back down on the bed.

"Where was Panda at?"

"When we first got there he must have been inside, then when you went to find Tyki he waddled his way out to us."

Mikki crinkled her face, "Why wasn't he tied up too?"

Lavi shot up, "I can only answer that this way." He hunched over, procured a pipe from his back pocket, and took on the facial and hair features of Panda. He began in a wise old voice: "Because Bookmen are as important to Noahs as we are to the Black Order. We hold records of everything, and we have to be unbiased while recording battles and what not." He lit his pipe and blew the smoke into Mikki's face. "Here that? Un-bi-as." He pronounced each syllable carefully. "That means we don't take sides. Though we prefer the Order." He drew in another breath from the pipe and choked on it, breaking the scene.

"Oh, I never knew that. Uh, Lavi, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm…I'm fine," he choked out. He put out the pipe and went back to his normal looks. "Now it's my turn to ask a question."

"Oui?"

"Will you marry me?"

Mikki's face froze and she stared in silence at him.

"I'm kidding, Bookmen can't get married. Anyway, I want to know why you had a knife in your boot. How did you expect to get it?"

"Oh, I have my ways," she slyly smiled.

"You're just hell in high heels, aren't you?"

"Something like that," Mikki's sly smiled turned into a gleeful one.

"So…you want to run away and take a break for a while?" Lavi's hands grew a little shaky and he felt a surge of fear that he hadn't felt in… well ever.

"Wait, what? With just you?"

"If you want we can bring Kanda and his little girlfriend along."

"How do you know about her?" Mikki squinted her eyes.

"I maaay have read your diary," the end of his sentence came out fast and in a rush of air. "But that's not the point, the point is you need to take a break and the only important stuff going on around here is rebuilding the Order."

"You-you what!"

"I just needed to find out where you were. That's all."

Mikki tsked (something she picked up from Kanda) and moved on, "Shouldn't we stay and help rebuild?"

"You're in no condition to help, and I'm by far too lazy. So what so you say?"

"I say we can't take Kanda with us, it's already bad enough that we're ditching the repairs. And we should probably make sure Komui knows where we're going, he isn't too pleased when I randomly take off."

"Like father, like daughter," Lavi mused.

"But hell, it's not like I have anything better to do! When do we leave?"

"Tonight!"

Mikki smiled at Lavi's enthusiasm. "Tonight it is then!" They laid back down next to each other on the bed. Suddenly Mikki's smile vanished and she turned on her side to face Lavi. He did the same and saw the hesitation in her eyes. "Are you sure you want to go with a traitor like me?"

"Oh Mikki," he cooed, "stop feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm serious Lavi, I don't think I can forgive myself for what I did. I almost single-handedly destroyed the Order." A tear slid down her face.

"You need to get away from this place for a while and empty out your head." He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He let out a small chuckle.

"What's that for?" Mikki asked.

"You're my broken princess." Lavi whispered as he cupped her face in his hands and wiped the tears away.

"You better have lots of super glue to glue me back together with."

"It's even fire proof," he smiled. They looked into each other's eyes for a second before Lavi scooted over and gently put his lips on hers. Mikki could feel her face burn red and grew slightly light headed. She had never before been kissed like that. When their lips parted, Lavi drew her close and rested his chin on her head. She snuggled into his chest, wrapping her arms around him and closed her eyes relishing in his scent. She thought she would have felt awkward letting herself be so vulnerable in a man's presence. But then again, Lavi wasn't just some man. He was her man. Maybe the man to make her life not seem like some dark path she couldn't see down like Tyki had, maybe he was going to be her light.

…

A grayish tanned hand held onto a picture of a red haired girl. In his grasp he crumbled it and set it on fire with a cigarette that was dangling from his mouth. Out of his pocket he pulled a silver necklace shaped in a heart and arrow. He dangled it from his finger before clasping it around his neck. He mumbled something about love ruining plans and jumped onto a saddled horse. He took off running and the cool morning air breezed through his dark hair; the smell of dew mixed with the scent trail of his cigarette he left behind. In the rising sun the necklace glittered the names Mikki and Tyki.

A/N: Sorry if this feels kind of fast, but the story's nearing the end and I just want to get it over with. I'm working on the new love of my life (aka Obsession Starts with a V).