Authors note:
Hello, Hello. Welcome to the end.
I would just like to say a few things before we dive in here.
- There's a lot of talk about suicide in this chapter. Nothing crazy happens, but there is a discussion about it - please proceed with caution.
- I listened to a lot of sad music while writing this. If you see it, you see it lol.
- The last and most important thing: I'm thinking about adding an epilogue, so if that's something you'd be interested in, let me know. I would also love to know if there's something else you'd like to see - I like writing for this fandom, so I'm very open to suggestions.
Happy reading!
Elizabeth woke.
She stared up at the sky.
The sky. Had it always been this color - sparkling, shifting lapis?
It seemed so much closer than usual. As she tried to conjure a memory that she could compare to the oddity, she realized where she was. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, taking in the scenery. It was daylight which she thought was strange - her last memory of Camelot had been at night under a stary sky. At least, she thought it had been. Everything was a bit fuzzy. The grass around her was oddly saturated, so green that it hurt a little to look at. She stood up and moved to dust off her clothes - she was wearing a ball gown. She stared down at it, incredulous. The fabric was a stunning midnight blue, a few shades darker than the sky above.
A ball gown?
Elizabeth stood statuesque amongst the daisies that grew around her feet and racked her brain for some semblance of a clue. The last thing she remembered...
She had been at some sort of party. Dancing - there was lots of dancing and -
She clamped her eyes shut as if to give the memory more room to express itself.
The pianist had played Claire de Lune - not a song necessarily fit for sashaying across a ballroom but a beautiful one nonetheless. Meliodas had been there, in his eyes a glint of bitterness - melancholy and forlorn but happy, like he saw something in her, in the moment, that she didn't - something that made him sad. She remembered briefly wondering what it was, trying to interpret the energy he was emitting, and then he told her that he loved her and everything else faded away.
She tried to push past the ballroom; she knew there was something else she was still missing.
Meliodas had left the room, leaving Elizabeth alone. In the midst of all those people, the demon appeared - an apparition only she could see. She knew the minute their eyes met, before he even said a word, that he was there for her - to watch as she took her own life. They walked together. He led her up a hill and onto a cliff. He told her to wait, which she thought odd, but decided to dismiss it, letting herself admire the sky full of stars one last time. There had been footsteps - someone crashing through the forest, calling her name.
She had watched that monster hold a knife to Meliodas' throat and listened to him cry hoarsely, begging her to stay.
Elizabeth swallowed a lump in her throat.
She had jumped.
Her eyes opened, and her brows furrowed. If she had jumped then -
Elizabeth turned around. The ground she had risen from was soaked with blood. In a rush of understanding, she realized - was she dead?
That day felt like something out of a dream. Meliodas remembered everything in painfully vivid detail, but he hadn't felt present for most of it. He'd watched himself, merely a bystander, as he struggled to maintain control on top of that cliff. Zeldris left as quickly as he came - fading like an apparition into the night - the only trace left behind, the bloody knife indention on Meliodas' throat. From that point forward, he stopped trying to understand. He didn't care -he simply didn't have the energy to try and reason through why Zeldris would do something like this. He did, however, understand one simple fact: this was all his fault. From every angle, no matter how he looked at it - he was always standing at the inception of the issue. Part of him wondered if Elizabeth would have ended up in a similar situation even if Zeldris hadn't manipulated her. There had been something wrong before. He had watched her self-destructive tendencies and feelings of worthlessness metastasize into this monster, and yet he told himself that she was safe - as long as she was with him, she was protected. He had been arrogant, and he knew he would never be able to forgive himself.
Meliodas tried to erase the sight of her, bleeding, broken, on the ground, but it was there every time he closed his eyes - even now, as he held her hand. In truth, she didn't look too much better now than the day of the incident, but he couldn't bring himself to turn away. This was his fault. He needed to see her - endure the pain that came with his ignorance. He owed her that much.
The sun had risen and set a few times since that day, though he wasn't sure how many. He hadn't left the bedroom since he had laid her down; his sense of time was skewed, much like his ego. Meliodas hadn't slept in days; it was only thanks to Ban that he was eating at all - his friend resorted to everything short of force-feeding him to get food into his stomach. Even as he continued to fight against the gesture, he was grateful. He felt so incredibly numb - dull, like a husk of a person, simply watching the world behind hollow eyes. It was a defense mechanism. His body was preparing him for something that could happen - a terrible possibility that he would be completely unable to face without anesthetic.
A doctor had come, yesterday or the day before - Meliodas couldn't remember - he'd confirmed that Elizabeth was still alive. For now. Her heart was still beating, but her mind was somewhere else. If it didn't return soon, the hope that her eyes would open again was slim. Meliodas tried not to think about it - or anything really. It was easier that way. He would deal with things as they came. That's what he had always done, anyway - just taken things in stride.
Elizabeth should have been frantic; her head should have been filled with a million questions, but as she walked through the tall grass and out of Camelot, she felt empty in the best sense of the word. Her head seemed to be filled with flowers instead of thoughts. She enjoyed feeling weightless - seemingly free of all the things that tethered her to the earth. She ran her hands over the bark of a tree, her fingers disrupting it's image, scattering small particles. Nothing was real in this reality - wherever this reality was, and yet she was sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't dreaming.
She laid down in the grass, in no rush to be anywhere imparticular. Hours passed, and the sun remained stationary, keeping the landscape illuminated with warm light. As she stared up at the shimmering sky, she wondered where she was exactly. This wasn't the Capital of the Dead, and it certainly didn't look like purgatory, so if she was dead, where had she gone? Something from the deep recesses of her mind nagged at her, urging her to investigate. With a sigh, she pushed herself off the soft grass. With nowhere else to go, she decided to wander in the direction of the Boar Hat.
The walk felt shorter than she had anticipated, and she eagerly phased through the tavern door. At first, she thought it was empty - there was no one down in the bar. Upstairs was quiet except for whispers coming from inside her bedroom. Cautiously, she stepped inside. Her body, broken and disfigured, pale and splotchy, laid on the bed. Meliodas sat in a nearby chair, and Diane stood behind him.
Elizabeth's stomach tied itself into a tight knot.
She was about to approach them when another figure appeared in the darkness.
"Funny seeing you here." It hissed.
On top of the cliff, before she had attempted to take her own life, the creature had finally told her his name.
"Where exactly are we, Zeldris?" She asked as the demon stepped out of the shadows. Now that he was no longer a threat to Meliodas, she was able to form coherent thoughts around him - he didn't scare her anymore. What more could he do at this point, kill her?
"We're in the astral realm." He said flatly.
Elizabeth's brows furrowed. "So that means-"
"You're not dead, princess. At least, not yet." He grinned.
"You think I'm going to die?" She asked.
He shrugged, sitting at the foot of the bed. "If you plan on living, you'll have to find a way to get back into your body - I'd say you have 24 hours, maybe less."
"You don't think I'll be able to do that?"
"I have very little faith in you, personally."
"Then why are you here?" She asked incredulously. "If you're so sure I'm going to die, then why waste your time?"
He reached over and placed a hand on Meliodas' shoulder. "Are you kidding? This is like an extra little surprise. I wouldn't miss it for the world." She watched Meliodas - the way he seemed to react to Zeldirs' touch with a slight shiver. A troubling thought entered her consciousness - a connection she hadn't yet made which she hoped was wrong.
"How do you know Meliodas?" She asked softly.
Zeldris gazed back at her with a wide smile. "We're brothers."
Elizabeth inhaled sharply. All at once, the room seemed too crowded. Wordlessly, she walked down into the tavern and sat down on the nearest barstool, trying to make sense of this mess she was in.
Diane couldn't sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep since the day of the accident. Every time she laid down, she could feel the guilt start to suffocate her. She tried to keep her nightly sobbing sessions quiet, but King was a light sleeper. He wrapped his arms lightly around her stomach.
"She's going to be okay." His voice sounded scratchy, tired - like she felt - like they all felt. Diane continued to shake silently, hand clasped over her mouth, trying desperately to calm down. "There was no way you could have known - nothing you could have done. It's not your fault."
Nothing she could have done. The words echoed in her mind bitterly.
She kissed his knuckles and gently freed herself from his grasp, slipping her feet over the edge of the bed. He let out a low groan. "Where are you going?"
"I'm just going to go get a drink." She leaned over and kissed his furrowed brow. "I'll be back in a bit. Sorry to wake you."
She walked down the hallway, wiping tears from her cheeks. A dim light splayed out on the floor in front of her. It was coming from Elizabeth's room. Before she could conjure the common sense to stop herself, she knocked gently on the door. "Come in." Meliodas said from the other side - it was more of a croak, barely above a whisper. He sat next to the bed, head in his hands, and made no move to even glance up as Diane stepped into the room. For a moment, she stood beside him, silently. Not because she didn't know what to say, but because her brain was taking in this image of Elizabeth - pale, slightly disfigured, tangled hair.
"I should have come by sooner." She said, finally. Meliodas shrugged.
"Being useless isn't a good feeling." He said. "Of all people, Elizabeth understands that. You're under no obligation to stay." His words were kind, but his voice was tight as if he was afraid of breaking. Diane tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder.
"When was the last time you left the room?"
"I haven't." He said, head still buried. "I can't leave her. I-" He took a shaky breath. "What if something happens and no one's here?" Diane's heart plummeted.
"I could watch her for a while." She offered. He remained silent for a moment. "I don't have anywhere else I want to be."
"Go outside." She suggested. "Like Elizabeth-" She cut herself short. Like she used to. Something she might never do again. The thought caught in Diane's throat, stinging her eyes. "I'll watch her." She repeated. "You need a break." Meliodas pulled his head up to look at her, his expression unreadable.
"You'll come get me if anything changes?" He asked.
Diane nodded. "Of course."
He sighed, his eyes glancing over at Elizabeth; they lingered as if memorizing her - the details of her face."Okay," He said. "I won't be too long."
"Don't worry. Take as much time as you need."
Diane listened to the sound of his footsteps fade and sat down in the chair - it was more of a rickety stool, really. If she hadn't known better, been a total stranger, she would have thought she was looking at a corpse. Elizabeth looked nothing short of dead. Her skin was ghostly white, spotted with patches of angry red abrasions, and her chest rose and fell so subtly that Diane reached over and felt for a pulse. It was faint and thready, but it beat against her fingertips all the same. That fifty-foot drop should have killed her, and it very nearly had. Thankfully, they were able to get her stitched up in time before she bled to death.
Diane sighed, combing her fingers through her hair. She looked down at Elizabeth - an unpleasant, unwelcome thought entering her mind: one way or another, this would all be over soon.
Meliodas had an agonizing headache. He fumbled around in the kitchen, finally digging out a mug - damn Ban for putting all the glassware on the top shelf. What was it that she had used? Meliodas racked his brain, trying to form a coherent thought over the throbbing in his head. He reached for the spices, looking at each of them in hopes that he would recognize a name. Lavender, sage, fennel - none of those sounded right. He tried to remember. The smell had been sharp and fresh - sweet and cool against his tongue. He pulled out another set of herbs. Peppermint. That was what she had used. He put a small pot of water on the stove to boil. It wouldn't be exactly right, he knew, but it would at least be something - something to keep her with him. Maybe it would even help with the headache.
It was around midnight; he didn't know when Ban usually came down, and he wasn't sure he could even carry a conversation at the moment, so he took his tea and went to sit outside. It was a nice night, humid from an earlier rain but warm for that time of year.
The liquid burned his tongue as he took the first sip, still scalding. But he wanted to drink it, taste the memory, even if the flavor was a bit skewed. He stared out into the darkness, letting a faint ray of optimism shine in through his thoughts. It wasn't so much a hope as it was a need, illogical determination - as if he had any control over whether or not she stayed. She had to stay because there was nothing beyond her.
Meliodas finished his tea which thankfully dulled his headache a little, and headed back upstairs. As he approached the bedroom door, reaching out for the handle, he heard the faint sound of sobbing. His mind immediately jumped to awful conclusions. He pushed open the door to reveal Diane; she was sitting on the floor next to an open box, head buried in her knees. His eyes scanned Elizabeth, searching for a breath. He spotted it, heaving a sigh of relief. Meliodas knelt next to Diane. "What's wrong?" The words sounded stupid, stiff, and plastic - as if he didn't already know.
She looked up at him, and he made out, what he knew to be, a very faint hint of pity in her eyes. "She wrote us letters." Diane whispered hoarsely.
Meliodas shook his head, confused. "I don't understand-"
"Goodbye letters." She clarified. Her tone was bordered on bitter, caustic. "She wrote everyone a goodbye letter." Before Meliodas had time to process what Diane was saying, she handed him an envelope. Slowly, he flipped it over - his name was written on the back in Elizabeth's dainty penmanship. His pulse began to race, pounding in his ears. He looked over at the box. It held about three additional envelopes. She wrote everyone a goodbye letter. The words echoed in his mind as he stared back down at his name. He had an urge to leave it, bury the envelope, burn it - he didn't want to know what was inside; he didn't want to experience it because he knew that this was a finality that he could never come back from. He saw this for what it was - a suicide note.
"Should I read it now?" He asked, looking back up at Diane. It was a stupid question - he didn't need permission either way. He just wanted validation; he wanted her to tell him 'no.'
Diane continued to wipe tears from her cheeks. She drew in a shaky breath. "I think so." She stood up.
"Are you leaving?" He asked. She smiled softly.
"No. I'll just wait outside. You'll want to be alone."
She shut the door behind her, and Meliodas shakily moved back to the stool he had been sitting in for the last few days. Slowly, begrudgingly, he opened the envelope.
Meliodas,
I'm sorry; I wish we could have this conversation face to face. I'm not sure how or when I'll die; I'm not sure of many things, really, but I hope that the damage I cause, if any, is minimal.
I regret nothing, and I need you to understand that. You mean too much to too many people, to me. It's better if you stay. I don't mean to be morbid, but truthfully, this feels a little like a relief. I feel guilty for even mentioning it, but part of what made this decision so simple was knowing that I would also be escaping the spiders in my head. There's no cure like death. It's the ultimate solution to all ailments, including black-eyed monsters and feelings of utter worthlessness.
Two birds with one stone - you'll live, and I'll die.
That said, please don't misunderstand; I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty - quite the opposite, in fact. I'm telling you because I don't want you to think that you caused this. I want to unburden you, resolve you of any and all responsibility you feel for me. Dying is my final gesture, the one thing I can do for you after everything you've done for me. I'm going to be fine. In an odd way, this simply feels like a new adventure. "For in this sleep of death what dreams may come." as Hamlet so eloquently put it. I'm curious and unafraid - ready to face whatever's next.
It's difficult to find the words to tell you how I feel. What I can tell you with certainty, though, is that I love you more than life itself. You're rooted so deeply into my soul - I feel like I've known you a millennium. It's truly an oddity, one of the larger in my life, but meeting you was like coming home - it felt preordained, which I know sounds stupid, but it's true. If there was ever an instance that could convince me fate exists, that was it - you were it. You've made my life so vibrant like a piece of stained glass - tinting everything electric blue, filling my world with wonder and magic and love. Thank you for showing me how precious and beautiful it is even to exist, for giving my life meaning.
While I don't mind leaving early and, for you, I'd make that deal again in a heartbeat, believe me when I say that leaving you is the hardest part of this. If circumstances were different, if I could just stay with you, I would find a way to keep myself.
I keep thinking about a quote from the book I told you about the other day, 'The Little Prince.'
"If you love a flower which happens to be on a star, it is sweet at night to gaze at the sky. All the stars are a riot of flowers."
It's a beautiful story. I know you don't like to read, but I think you'd enjoy it - the main character reminds me a bit of you.
There were many nights that I traded my bed for grass and my sleep for a view of the stars. I like to imagine that the little prince is right - that the stars are made up of flowers, and flowers, the people we have lost. So when you look up in the evening after I'm gone, remember that I will always be in your night sky.
I love you.
So long and goodnight,
Elizabeth
"It looks like they found something from you, Princess." Zeldris sneered. "Did you write suicide notes?" Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat.
The letters. She'd almost forgotten.
Tentatively, she came to stand next to him, venturing no further than just inside the doorway. She watched as Meliodas opened the envelope she had left, slowly unfolding the piece of paper inside. Zeldris moved to the opposite side of the bed as if to get a better view. He crossed his arms with a satisfied smirk. Elizabeth had no desire to see Meliodas' face, and yet she couldn't bring herself to leave the room. She watched as his body began to shake violently.
He crumpled up the paper and threw it angrily across the room. His head fell into his hands, an agonized sob slicing cruelly through the silence. Elizabeth watched him cry; she was dumbfounded, useless.
"I should have-" He chocked. "God, I'm sorry I couldn't help you."
It was ironic, she thought, that this was her current situation. She had died for him, given her life because she felt like nothing, and yet, here she was - quite literally invisible to everyone but Zeldris, watching uselessly as Meliodas fell apart. She didn't know how she had expected him to react to her death, but this possibility had never entered her mind. He was strong, stronger than anyone she had ever known. It was unlikely that she had underestimated his emotional endurance. Was it possible that she had underestimated her own value instead?
Meliodas stood up hastily, jerking her back to the present moment. Her heart started to race. He looked so unsteady - desperate to get away. Guilt washed over her as he moved, nearly stumbling over his own feet as he left the room.
Elizabeth tried to follow him, but Zeldris moved in front of her, blocking the doorway. Her jaw clenched. "Let me through." She growled. Zeldris laughed.
"Why? What are you going to do in that form? You've hurt him enough already, anyway."
"As if you care. You were the one that wanted to kill him." She snapped.
"No, princess." He said. She didn't like that look on his face. Like he had just gotten away with some sort of practical joke. "I just wanted to hurt him. And the best way to do that was to take you."
Elizabeth blinked. "What?" She asked, trying to process his statement. Surely he didn't really mean-
"You heard me." He sneered, leaning in close, inches from her face. "You're death-" Zeldris shrugged. "It didn't help anyone."
Her breath caught in her chest. Something was rising inside her, though she couldn't quite place what the sensation belonged to.
"Why do you think I made him watch you jump? You died to ruin him. Nothing more, nothing less."
Elizabeth's hands shook. "You were never going to kill him."
He grinned, teetering on the edge of maniacal. "That's right. How does it feel to know your death was meaningless?"
Anger boiled in the pit of her stomach. She leaned in closer, taking a handful of his shirt. "You're forgetting something."
"What's that?" He asked with a smirk.
"I'm not dead yet." A strangely familiar white-hot energy jolted down her spine, sending sparks of light to her fingers. Suddenly, he felt weak and small in her grasp - she watched as his features twisted with panic. Though she couldn't account for the surge of power, she smiled, savoring the moment - the fear in his eyes. "Goodbye, Zeldris. Don't try to come back." Elizabeth raised her hand, and bright light filled the room.
All at once, she was back in her body. Her eyes shot open, and she pinched herself to make sure this was real. A laugh of disbelief escaped her - she'd come back.
Her head spun, disoriented, but she quickly slipped out of bed. Every inch of her body screamed in pain as she hobbled through the door, down the stairs, and out of the Boar Hat.
"Meliodas!" She called into the night, wet grass sloshing under her feet. A renewed sense of fear washed over her. It may have been unreasonable, especially after all the impulsive, dangerous things she had done, but she was alive. She was alive. Against all odds, despite every lie she had been fed, after falling off a fucking fifty-foot cliff, she was here. But she didn't know where Meliodas was. And that scared her. She tried to imagine herself in his position - the thought made her shiver. She continued to run, willing her legs to move faster.
Minutes passed. Then thiry. Then an hour. After the adrenaline had worn off, Elizabeth quickly began to realize that she was in no position to be running at all. Her lungs burned; she couldn't seem to get in a full breath - probably broken ribs. It had started to rain; it was light, but the weather here was unpredictable - she could very well end up in the middle of a storm if she wasn't careful. Seeing no other option, she turned around. A million thoughts raced through her mind, though she wasn't sure there was a coherent sentiment among them. The walk back was nothing short of torturous. Never before had she experienced such immense, excruciating pain. She was fairly certain that her ankle was broken along with a few other bones, though it was hard to distinguish which ones - her body felt like a throbbing ensemble of muscle.
Elizabeth stepped into the Boar Hat, pausing briefly in the door frame in an unsuccessful attempt to catch her breath. When she looked up, he was there, sitting at one of the tables. He stared up at her; she tried to keep up with the emotions that flashed across his face - happiness, confusion, and then concern. His eyes assessed her, giving her a good once over before wordlessly beginning to stand. Elizabeth's legs chose that moment to become jello, and Meliodas lunged forward to catch her, easing them both to the floor. She could hear his shallow, shaky breaths, not unlike her own. "Meliodas, I-" The words quickly turned into a low, thick cough. He placed a hand on her back as painful convulsions racked her body, assaulting her sore ribs.
"You should be in bed." He said, his voice hoarse. Elizabeth searched his face. God, she was happy to see him. He looked terrible - exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes, though - his eyes revealed a much deeper pain, a pain that he'd been trying to control for too long - something that was about to break him. She carefully took his hand, tracing circles on his palm with her thumb.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered. He gently squeezed in response, his big green eyes welling up with tears which he tried to blink away.
"I'm just glad you're okay." He said, letting out a short, brittle laugh. "You um-" He cleared his throat. "You scared me."
He was still scared; she could see it plainly written on his face. The letter had really done a number on him. Once again, she tried to put herself in his position. What would she need to hear?
Slowly, she moved forward to embrace him, every extension of muscle provoking a wince. "I'm here, and I'm staying." She whispered, gripping him tight. He buried his face in her shoulder.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make things better." He said, his voice cracking in earnest. "I'm sorry I didn't know, I just-" He took a shaky breath. "I wish you would have told me, Elizabeth. I could have helped." She could feel him starting to crumble in her arms. "Every time I think about you living with a burden like that, in that much pain-" He broke, dissolving into silent sobs. Listening to him made her sick to her stomach. "I'm sorry." He repeated.
"I'm okay now." She whispered in reply. It wasn't exactly the whole truth - seeing him in this state made her significantly less okay, but it was close enough. "There's nothing to be sorry about."
She held him while he cried - something fairly unfamiliar. As he lifted his head back up, she could see embarrassment in his eyes. He laughed awkwardly. "This isn't really what I wanted you to wake up to."
She kissed his forehead, wishing she had a way to succinctly express that he had every right to cry like this after what she had done, after everything she had put him through. Sorry was the last thing she wanted him to feel. He hadn't done anything to deserve the guilt that radiated from him. "I'm just glad I woke up at all." She said quietly.
Meliodas gave her a pained smile. "Yeah, me too." He stood up slowly. "Do you want me to carry you up?" He asked. She tried to stand on her own, immediately starting to crumple back down to the floor. "I guess that answers that question." He laughed. Gently, he lifted her off the ground and carried her to the bedroom.
He laid her down, adjusting the pillows and covers around her. Elizabeth swallowed thickly at the sight of balled-up paper on the floor. Meliodas sat on the chair next to her and looked down at his hands. Unanswered questions hung heavy in the air; she decided to start explaining. "Zeldris told me everything."
He shot her a surprised glance. "What do you mean?"
"We were in the astral realm together. You'd um-" She cleared her throat, triggering a small, painful coughing fit. "You'd just read my letter, and I wanted to follow you. He stopped me and told me I'd been manipulated - that he only wanted to hurt you. My powers activated for some reason. That's how I was able to get back to my body."
Meliodas smiled. "I doubt he'll be back any time soon then." The two sat in silence for a moment before he added. "I want to talk to you about that letter, Elizabeth."
She nodded nervously. "Okay."
He took one of her hands and squeezed it gently. "Did you seriously consider killing yourself before everything happened with Zeldris?"
Tentatively, she nodded.
"Okay." He said, taking a breath. "What about now? How do you feel about it now?" She blinked, unsure of how to answer. "I'm not trying to reprimand you - that's not my place, anyway. I just want to know where you're at mentally." He clarified.
"I feel okay right now." This was true. In fact, she felt much better than okay at the moment, but she knew that wasn't what he was referring to. He wanted to know if she had the potential to slip again - fall into some sort of pit that she was unable to get out of.
"If this was me, what would you do?" He asked. She cocked her head in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"If I was in your position and you were in mine-" He said. "What would you do?" She thought about the question sincerely for a moment. If it were her - if she had just watched Meliodas jump off a cliff, read a letter confessing he was more than willing to sacrifice his life for her, spent days beside his bed -
Before she could stop herself, Elizabeth answered, "You're much stronger than I am. You'd never be in my position."
Meliodas' lips pursed into a thin line, and he sighed. "Elizabeth-" He moved to sit on the side of the bed. "Look at me." Her eyes fluttered up to meet his; he gave her a weak smile. "I love you, and I would do anything for you; I hope you understand that." She nodded.
"I do."
He moved closer and took her hands in his, lightly kissing the knuckles. "The one thing I won't do for you-" He said, his voice quavering. "I won't let you go through something like this alone again." His eyes searched hers, looking for understanding. "I can't risk losing you."
She smiled softly, catching the tears that slipped down his face before he had a chance to wipe them away. "I understand."
"I need you to promise me, Elizabeth-" He pulled her into a hug, cradling her head in his hand and pressing a kiss firmly against her temple. "If you ever feel like you want to take your own life," He said, choking on the words. "Please, tell me."
She swallowed the lump in her throat and pressed herself closer to his chest. This was her second chance. She would be a damned fool not to take it. "I will. I promise."