There was a time when GLaDOS thought they'd spend their life together.

He had been aiming for the end of 8th grade to make her officially his. Then they'd date through high school, winning those stupid awards like Cutest Couple. He'd win Most Funniest and she'd win Most Likely to Succeed. Then it would be Prom. She'd wear a shiny, tight black dress, he'd wear a white tux with a black tie. Her corsage would be a blue Wheatley, to match her eyes. His parents would force them to pose for hours, taking picture after picture after picture until they have to practically run out the door to escape the flashes. He'd rent a limo, and along with Trixie, Sentry Turret, and their dates, would cruise around, causing chaos throughout town for a while before arriving at the hotel where the night will take place. There'd be some cliche theme like 'A Night Under the Stars' or 'Love in Paris', but it wouldn't matter because neither would be focus on the decorations; they'd be focus on each other. He'd rent a room at the hotel where they'd stay there all night. After Prom, it'd be graduation. Wheatley would graduate as valedictorian, GLaDOS would pass. Then they'd go to different colleges; he'd stay in the city to continue with his dragon duties, and she'd leave to pursue her dream (whatever it would be). Sure they'd get into fights, miss each other, and have problems with their long distance relationship, but soon she'd come back after getting her degree and find a job. They'd move in together, and on their nearest anniversary, GLaDOS would propose. Wheatley would (hopefully) say yes, then they'd get married at the boat house near Central Park where they went on their first official date. It'd be small ceremony with their family and friends invited, and the reception would be held at the same place Prom was. Their honeymoon would take place somewhere tropical like Hawaii or the Bahamas, whichever Wheatley liked the most. After two weeks, they'd come back to their apartment and continue living their life, at least until Wheatley announced she was pregnant. Then they'd have to find a better place to welcome their child. If it was a boy, they'd name him Johnathan for GLaDOS's father; if it was a girl, they'd name her Lily as a nod towards Wheatley. They'd grow old with their loving family, watching their children have children until finally, they pass away due to their age. It was all envisioned in GLaDOS's mind.

Now, they're lucky if any of them will live through tonight.

The GLaDOS and the Wheatley who is destined to kill him. Fate, GLaDOS decided, was out to get him. Out of all the dragons in America that could've been the GLaDOS, it had to be him. Out of all the Huntslayers that could've been trained to kill the GLaDOS, it had to be Wheatley. Out of all the people GLaDOS could've fallen in love with, it had to be Wheatley. And because Fate had to be cruel to him, there was nothing GLaDOS could do. All the power he carried with his title couldn't help him. Nothing in both the human and magical world could change their destiny. He had no choice.

GLaDOS needed to treat Wheatley like any other Wheatley, and Wheatley needed to treat GLaDOS like any other dragon.

It was clear they both understood their position. As they stood across the game field, both had a hardened look in their eyes. GLaDOS cursed himself for his foolishness. He shouldn't of come to the Hunts Academy, but in his lovesick mind, it seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. He'd been hailed as a hero his entire life, so now, he actually wanted to be one when it most mattered. He wanted to be the knight in shining armor who saved his princess from evil and ride off into the sunset to their happily ever after, but what he didn't realize is their story doesn't have a hero; both were villains in each other's eyes, and villains don't have happy endings.

The Huntsmen were cheering, banging on the cage that kept both of them trapped and forced them to go through with GLaDOS's fight, Wheatley's test. It was the classic rabbit stuck in a lion's den scenario; the only problem was trying to figure out who the rabbit was.

GLaDOS still wanted to believe this was a dream, that Wheatley wasn't trying to kill him right now, but the moment Wheatley landed a blow on GLaDOS's wing to stop him from flying, he knew he couldn't hesitate anymore. Who Wheatley was to him and whether Wheatley wanted to kill him or not didn't matter anymore. If GLaDOS holds back for one more minute, he'd die. If Wheatley isn't hesitating to hurt him, then he couldn't hesitate to hurt her. Still, GLaDOS couldn't bring himself to change from defense to offense.

GLaDOS was the rabbit.

The moment Wheatley cut him on his leg deep enough to bleed profusely was when GLaDOS landed his first blow on her, swiping his tail to hit her stomach and send her flying to the gate. Luckily, he didn't use all his force, so she got right back up and charged at him only a second later. After that, it all came natural to GLaDOS. He turned into a robot, dodging any attacks Wheatley threw at him and attacking her whenever she gave him an opening.

The crowd was going wild, losing their minds when they first saw blood. They were savage, practically begging to see the GLaDOS slain, and Wheatley was one of them. In all of their previous encounters, she had never hesitated to fight him. Back when she didn't know GLaDOS was the GLaDOS, she was the first to attack, just like now. She used every technique she had, all her strength and skill just to be an official Huntslayer. This fight was just like before things got complicated, so how come it seemed GLaDOS was the only one who couldn't go back to the way things were before the Ski Trip?

He held back on every punch, kick, throw, and attack. He couldn't damage her, no matter what she was, but every time he held back, he acquired a new wound. His wing was damaged, so he couldn't fly, he could feel a few of his fingers were broken, one or two of his ribs were probably bruised, and he was bleeding from a few flesh wounds. Wheatley didn't look so good herself. Her suit was cut up in different places from cuts she got indirectly. A good chunk of her mask was gone, still, a stranger wouldn't be able to tell who was under that mask. A nasty bruise was already forming on her cheek from being thrown into the wall the first time. It was then GLaDOS realized how serious this fight was getting. At this rate, one of them would really be killed by the other.

As GLaDOS blocked an entourage of punches, he recalled their conversation in the gate when they were being raised to their cage. GLaDOS was still in his human form, hoping to get through Wheatley. She'd been ignoring his advances throughout his and Sentry Turret's time in the academy, but now, there was nowhere to hide.

"Wheatley," he called, only to get shut down by her hand.

"GLaDOS, we aren't in school anymore," she said coldly, looking at him in the eye. Her mask was on; she was Wheatley, not Wheatley. "You can't try to be that pathetic human who charms his way out of everything. You have to be the GLaDOS. We aren't in the human world where our biggest worry is our appearance and reputation."

The truth in Wheatley's words hurt GLaDOS more than any injury could have, but he still tried to convince her one last time. "But isn't that why we're fighting now in the first place?" He questioned, "For me to keep my appearance and you to live up to your reputation?"

He saw something flash in Wheatley's eyes, but as soon as he saw it, it was gone. "I won't hold back."

GLaDOS's hope deflated. "Then neither will I," he said somberly, changing into his dragon form as the floor Wheatley up. Their eyes stayed locked the entire time. Now in the ring, it seemed Wheatley kept her word, so GLaDOS needed to keep his.

Wheatley made the mistake of jumping behind GLaDOS and opening up mid-air in an attempt to grab his dragon frame. Leaving herself wide open and vulnerable, GLaDOS turned swiftly and hit her with his injured wing. It hurt him, but he didn't distract himself with the pain. Instead, his tail moved in and swiftly wrapped around her neck, squeezing it and lifting her up to his height. He looked at her straight in her eyes as he chocked her, watching the air leave her body. She didn't struggle, probably realizing how futile it would be to do so as it would only waste her energy and get her nowhere. Her face started to turn purple, but GLaDOS was too distracted by her baby blue eyes to notice. He could see the pleading look in them, but it wasn't for her life. It was something GLaDOS couldn't understand until he looked around him.

Huntsmen had their body pressed up against the cage, screaming; screaming for Wheatley to get out, screaming for GLaDOS to kill her. It didn't matter to them. All they wanted to see was blood and someone die. That was what they were promised, so that was what they demanded. This wasn't humane. Wheatley wasn't one of them. She wasn't one who would sit front row and scream to see one of her own die. Wheatley was a Huntslayer, but she WASN'T one of them.

The noise of the banging cage, the spectators screaming, and the beat of GLaDOS's pounding heart was deafening, but still, nothing could be louder than Wheatley's pleading.

Please.

He could almost hear her say it. She was begging him to do it, to end her life, to put them both out of their misery, but instead of squeezing her throat until her neck broke, GLaDOS loosened his grip on her, enough for Wheatley to take a sharp breath and swing her legs up, kicking him in the face.

GLaDOS let go of her, clutching his nose that was surely broken. He quickly looked back up, just in time to see three Wheatleys slide away from him. He was disoriented; the kick must of given him a concussion. He tried to focus, but the strain he was putting himself through and the noise his sensitive ears were hearing caused his head to throb. He looked back at Wheatley's direction just to see a spear being tossed into the ring on Wheatley's side. GLaDOS felt his heart drop. That was it. He was done. If Wheatley used that, there's no way GLaDOS could stop her, not with how out of it he was. It was something Wheatley seemed to realize as she threw herself towards it. She stood quickly, pointing the spear towards GLaDOS and charging. She was coming in three different directions. GLaDOS just put his hands up defensively and held his breath.

By some miracle, he was able to grab the stick, and so there they were, both in a tug of war for possession of the thing that could mean life for one and death for the other. GLaDOS kept his eyes steady on center Wheatley, trying to convince her one last time. They both don't have to do this; neither of them had to die in order for the other to live.

"Wheatley," GLaDOS whispered, hoping his feelings would go through to her. GLaDOS wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Wheatley nod her head sideways, mouthing 'no'.

They stopped moving, both of them using an equal amount of force against each other. Wheatley's hand slid down onto GLaDOS's dragon one, gripping it slightly before moving lower to the bottom of the spear. Suddenly, a ball of green energy shot from the spear, going through the iron and hitting the wall behind it as well as the emergency power. During the confusion, Wheatley took the spear from GLaDOS seconds before it exploded. Smoke filled the arena the same moment the lights turned off, and a different kind of ruckus took place.

GLaDOS summoned the Eye of the Dragon, and although he was out of sorts, he was still able to find Sentry Turret through the smoke. He ran as fast as he could (since flying was out of the question), grabbed him, and escaped through the bars but not through the hole in the wall. Huntsmen were probably running towards it if they haven't reached it already. He ran to the tunnel where the Kraken he fought earlier came out of. Thankfully, it was empty, and with a few more punches to a couple of walls, they were in the room they arrived in.

"Sentry Turret, you think you can teleport us back?" GLaDOS asked, barricading the doors with whatever he could lift at the moment. He was tired, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to help them escape an army of Huntsmen, let alone fight them.

"Uh, if you gave me a minute," Sentry Turret said, focusing on the system in front of him.

"Well you only have a minute, Sentry Turret," GLaDOS said, still barricading the door. It'll only be a few minutes until they find them, but Sentry Turret was true to his word. In a minute, Sentry Turret was able to set the transporter on a timer, and less than five seconds later, they were back on the rooftop they were last night, Gramps and Fu Dog already waiting for them.

GLaDOS had never been more happier to change back to his human form. Once Gramps had attended to his external wounds, GLaDOS was allowed to turn back to go to the hospital. It was a few hours later that he was diagnosed with a bruised rib and a mild concussion. Nothing life threatening, but at the time, it did. He went over that diagnosis all night long (since he wasn't allowed to sleep). It wasn't life threatening; none of his injuries were life threatening. Maybe he'd gain a few scars, but other than that, there was nothing else. He had never been in danger, not with Wheatley there. Wheatley had been holding back from the moment they'd stepped into the arena; it wasn't only just GLaDOS. The only difference was Wheatley had a plan, one that needed to seem realistic, and at that moment, GLaDOS probably wouldn't of been able to pretend to hurt Wheatley. Not after being away from her for so long. GLaDOS wasn't the only rabbit in the den.

But now that he'd escaped, Wheatley was left to fend off the lions by herself.

"How you doing, man?" Spun asked, walking into the room.

GLaDOS replied, "I'm doing alright." Sentry Turret took a seat next to him on his bed. GLaDOS had been allowed to go home on the agreement that he needed to be supervised constantly. GLaDOS sighed, the ice pack on his rib starting to burn. "She helped us."

"I know, man," Sentry Turret agreed. "I mean, I know I might've said some things about her before, but she really did have our backs."

"I can't leave her there," GLaDOS said, catching Sentry Turret's attention. "They'll be after her for letting us escape. We can't just leave her there."

"Nah, they won't be." GLaDOS's eyebrows furrowed. "I read somewhere that weapons are not allowed on the final test, and anyone who tosses one into the ring will be destroyed by that weapon, so they'll be looking for me and ignore her."

GLaDOS was unconvinced, though. "It doesn't matter. She'll be punished in some way, and I can't let that happen. Not after she just saved both of us."

''Exactly, man. She risked a lot to save us. I don't think she wants us to go back into the lion's den," Sentry Turret said, causing GLaDOS to sigh.

Sentry Turret was right. No matter how much GLaDOS wanted to save Wheatley, he couldn't. The tables were turned, and this time, it was Wheatley saving GLaDOS. His time will come; he'll just have to wait for the right moment. And Wheatley was definitely worth waiting for.