STARING into Blueflower's eyes, Sedgestrike was buffeted by a whirl of emotions. The warm colors of sunset were drained, moonbleached, and left her feeling cold. Blueflower's grave expression was shadowed by the night; her blue eyes glinted in the dark, a challenge waiting within them. Her revelation came as a shock to Sedgestrike, but simultaneously, she felt like she knew it all along. There was always something different about Blueflower, that was how she caught Sedgestrike's eye in the first place, and in MarshClan, being different ran parallel to being a traitor.

"Don't you see?" Blueflower rasped, her voice becoming harsh. "I'm not good."

Sedgestrike couldn't speak, not yet. She was still trying to grapple reality, which was soon becoming intangible; with every reach, it slipped through her claws like wisps of fog, leaving her confused and lost. Blueflower was a traitor. The murderous glint of Whitestar's eyes came to mind. The very breed of warrior her leader sought to extinguish was alive and well; Sedgestrike knew if Whitestar ever discovered the truth about Blueflower, she would meet the same gruesome end as Vinestripe. Sedgestrike shivered at the thought.

"But I refuse to change," Blueflower growled, eyes narrowing. "I am the way I am for a reason, and I can't-I won't stop being who I am." The determination in her voice was harder than a rock.

"I'm not asking you to stop being who you are," Sedgestrike murmured. There was only a sliver of distance between them now; the she-cats were breathing the same air, eyes locked on one another.

Blueflower's whisper wavered as she spoke. "But I can't be who I am and be with you."

Sedgestrike winced at her words. "Yes, you can," she assured her softly. "Blueflower, I don't care that you're a traitor."

"What?" Blueflower's eyes widened. "What do you mean? You're an honor graduate. You're a part of Whitestat's elite guard now. If anyone were to ever find out about me… You'd be ruined."

Hissing, Sedgestrike shook her head. "I don't care about those things." Her gaze hardened. "I only care about you."

"Sedgestrike… If you knew all that I've done, you'd not want me."

"I could never not want you," Sedgestrike whispered. "I have done things that'd make you not want to be with me either." Her expression mirrored the darkness of the growing night.

Blueflower was silent, staring into Sedgestrike, searching. The shred of distance between them pulsated with a magnetic pull that was beginning to get too strong to ignore. "Sedgestrike…" She leaned in hesitantly, closing the distance between them by touching her forehead to hers.

The sound of her name was enough to attract Sedgestrike forward. She was consumed by Blueflower's touch, her warmth, her scent. She wanted all of it. She drank her in like her first gulp of water after wandering in the heat for days, desperately, hungrily. Her face traced down along her neck, rubbing into the soft fur in her chest, making Blueflower shudder as she rasped her tongue across Sedgestrike's head. She licked up along Blueflower's neck to her jaw and then her cheek, and their eyes met again. This time, when Blueflower met her gaze again, the emotion in them was raw. Sedgestrike realized the desire in her eyes was just as stark and fierce as her own. She wanted her too.

Overcome with desire, she pressed her broad shoulders into Blueflower's, and the she-cat purred, slowly yielding to her. Sedgestrike soon found herself standing over Blueflower as she lay in the soft grass, staring up at her with wide blue eyes. Their breaths were ragged, drowning out the sounds of crickets singing around them. Sedgestrike felt her heartbeat in every inch of her body. As she lowered herself to Blueflower, she pressed her face into her neck, nibbling gently. Blueflower's soft laugh made Sedgestrike shiver and grin, nuzzling her chest with a rumbling purr. She could feel Blueflower's paws knead into the thick fur on her neck, tugging gently.

"You're so beautiful," Sedgestrike murmured, her voice rasping with longing. She licked along the nape of her neck, her large paws holding Blueflower close.

Blueflower purred. "You are too." Her whisper was in Sedgestrike's ear.

Sedgestrike smiled down at Blueflower, chuckling as the she-cat jerked up to nip playfully at her chin. She could not recall a time she had been happier than now. Her purr was strong enough to reverberate out of her chest, and she could feel Blueflower's purr pour into her. Blueflower pulled her close, rasping her tongue against her cheek. Smiling, Sedgestrike shook with pleasure when she felt Blueflower's fangs scrape gently beneath her jaw as her paws pressed into her broad shoulders.

"I love you," Blueflower whispered. Guilt darkened her features, twisting her smile into a frown. "I'm sorry… I just want to protect you. I didn't mean to upset you earlier." She nuzzled Sedgestrike's cheek, sighing softly. Her breath tasted sweet; Sedgestrike drank her in hungrily. "I don't know what to do."

"Don't be sorry," Sedgestrike murmured, gazing down at Blueflower with glittering golden eyes. She could hear Blueflower utter those words until the end of time. Their breathing slowed, in synch, and they continued to hold one another's stare as the crickets sang around them. "We're in this mess together."

Blueflower smiled, but her eyes clouded with worry. "The Clan treats me different," she continued. Sedgestrike never recalled her ever sounding so dejected; it was like Blueflower blossomed, unveiling the softest, most vulnerable depths of her petals and the root of her stigma. It was more intimate than touch. "They're going to treat you different too if we leave her together. And your father… I don't want you to have to choose between us."

Sedgestrike bristled. "You already know I don't care what they think."

"I know," she murmured, keeping her face pressed into Sedgestrike's broad chest. "But they could start asking questions."

Stiffening, Sedgestrike knew what Blueflower was alluding to immediately. "I won't tell them anything," she asserted. "I'll keep you safe, even if it kills me." Sedgestrike said this, knowing very well that it would kill her to protect a traitor. She did not know what Blueflower had done exactly, but she knew even having a conversation with a Fallen would cause Whitestar to scream treason.

Blueflower's breath caught, and the emotion in her eyes shone with the pale light of the moon. Sedgestrike could see the stars twinkling in the blue depths of her eyes, and her desire to protect her only grew stronger. "But I wouldn't want you to fight for me."

The memory of Pikestar was vivid in Sedgestrike's head. She was tasked to find the traitors and kill them, or else risk the death of her loved ones. But what would he do if her loved one was one of the traitors? She imagined Pikestar wouldn't hesitate to target Blueflower first. Her fur prickled along her spine. "Don't resist me," Sedgestrike rumbled, resting on top of her softly, feeling her shiver beneath me. "My life is not my own. My heart belongs to you. How could I not fight for the one that holds my heart?" Her brows furrowed. "Besides, anyone that would lay a claw on your for being a traitor deserves to be mauled."

"Sedgestrike, do you realize what you're saying?" Blueflower gasped.

"I know damn well what I'm saying." Sedgestrike's face became grim as she remembered the sight of Vinestripe's mangled body being rolled off the cliff. "I know what they're capable of. If they dare do anything to you I'll-I'll kill them!"

"Sedgestrike," Blueflower hissed gently, stroking her cheek with her paw. The concern in her eyes was grave, burying the warmth that was in them before. "You don't need to get blood on your paws. I'm safe. I'll be okay." She offered a reassuring smile.

"But the things they do-what they did to Vinestripe-it-" Sedgestrike realized what she said when it was too late.

"Vinestripe?" Blueflower mewed in shock. "Who told you what happened to him?"

Sedgestrike hesitated. If she told her about seeing Vinestripe's murder firsthand in a vision bestowed on her by Pikestar from the Place of Eternal Night… she would think she was crazy. Maybe she was crazy? "N-no one told me. I just… guessed."

"Oh." Blueflower didn't sound convinced. "Well, I'm not sure how much you know… but he's not the only one that met that same fate." Her voice grew as dark as the shadows stretching around them. "That's why I am the way I am. I… can't lose anyone else."

Lifting her chin, Sedgestrike smirked. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere!"

Blueflower giggled, shaking her head. "My hero."

Sedgestrike chuckled. "Thanks, I try."

Blueflower drew her paw up and down along the back of Sedgestrike's neck as she rested her head on her chest. The sound of Blueflower's heartbeat soothed her, thudding with a rhythm that sang to her and only her. She watched Blueflower stare at the stars as she turned her head to rest her chin on her chest, smiling at the sight of her thoughtful face.

"I know what we should do," Blueflower mewed suddenly. She sat up so that Sedgestrike had to lift herself off the other. Sedgestrike looked at her, confused by her urgency. "Maybe we can be together and not be together at the same time?"

The thought of not being together made Sedgestrike's heart twinge painfully. She was so close to Blueflower now, she didn't want that to be taken away. "What do you mean?"

"I'll be your mate, Sedgestrike," Blueflower continued, moving in to nuzzle into Sedgestrike's neck. Her touch soothed Sedgestrike's splintering nerves. "I'll be yours, and you mine, but no one has to know. We can keep it a secret."

Sedgestrike chewed on the idea, but wretched at the thought. "I want others to know that you're mine," she grumbled, wrapping her arm around her to pull her closer to her chest.

"Sedgestrike, this is about more than us. This is something bigger than us. If we're going to be safe, we have to attract as little attention as possible. You know that."

"I know," Sedgestrike mumbled, crestfallen. "I'm just being selfish."

Blueflower reclined from their embrace, staring intently at Sedgestrike. "Do you agree?"

Sedgestrike pondered longer; she wanted nothing more than to have a normal life. She didn't want to be a Paragon. She didn't want to have a prophecy. She just wanted to be with Blueflower and live a simple life. However, she knew she had a purpose; it was to fight the very entity that caused her to be abnormal: the Place of Eternal Night. So long as They had power, Sedgestrike and those she loved were not safe. Even now, she knew They were lurking, witnessing her betray Their wishes by making this silent vow with Blueflower.

"Let's do it." Sedgestrike smiled, though it pained her. "We'll keep it a secret. I'll do anything to protect you."

Blueflower smiled back, and Sedgestrike could see a gleam of sadness in her eyes. "I know it'll be hard, but… we'll figure this out. We can do this."

"You're not alone," Sedgestrike promised. "I want Whitestar out of power just as much as you do." When the words were spoken, so sudden and uncensored, Sedgestrike felt weight fall off her shoulders; she felt like she was carrying a boulder on her back for the longest time. Upon seeing Blueflower's surprise, Sedgestrike shrugged her broad shoulders. "I have my own reasons."

"Then I have some cats I think you'll want to meet," Blueflower whispered excitedly. "Not here, of course, but once they find out about you… They'll want to know you-the real you."

Sedgestrike's heart fluttered with excitement. Could this be it? Her chance to escape the demons that flogged her mind? Maybe, with Blueflower's help, she could finally get the opportunity to expose Whitestar. She curled her tail with delight. "I'd be honored to meet them."

"Sedgestrike," Blueflower whispered, her voice sobering up, becoming serious, if not awestruck. "Something, I don't know what, but something inside me is saying that with you… I think we'll have a chance."