I had never put much thought into how I would die until I met the boys. I was lucky in that aspect. I knew what felt like hundreds of people who had planned their deaths every day of their lives or wondered how they would go. At a ripe old age in a place that you loved or on the side of the street in a horrific accident. By the looks of it now, I wasn't sure I would even last the night.

Oliver was leading us through the woods. Both of my hands were tied behind my back. I think it was twine because it didn't feel thick enough to be rope, but it burned like hell. Two of the lost boys were by each of my sides, and I knew there was one right behind me.

David had a plan. It was simple enough, but I began to wonder if it would truly work. I would be taken to the location, I would describe to them through the link the best I could of where I was, and they would snatch me before I could throw the match. They wanted to turn me into one of them, a member of The Lost. I didn't know what they would have for me to burn, though. To become one, you had to set flame to the thing you love the most. What would that even be?

I grunted as the boys that were holding my arms threw me to the ground, informing me that we were at the place. I landed on my knees, my head down. Immediately, I tried to reach out to David, calling out his name in my mind. It wasn't long before he responded.

'Do you know where you are? Any hints?'

I lifted my head slightly, looking around for anything distinctive. I felt my blood pumping, rushing past my ears and through my veins. It was stressful.

Before I could reply to David, Peter began to talk. "Aren't you just excited?" As he finished the sentence, flames lit up around us, forming a circle.

My heart was thrumming in my ears, a quick but steady beat. My breathing was picking up, and I felt a panic attack setting in. David's voice was in my head somewhere, but it was faint. Then, I thought I started hallucinating, my vision cutting between where I was and somewhere else darker, somewhere with my boys. Maybe Dwayne was doing his thing again, but I couldn't focus enough to pay attention. I was becoming light-headed.

Then, Peter pulled me up by my hair, forcing me to stand and look at him. "It's time, babydoll."

My body went silent at that word. I couldn't hear anything but a ringing in my ears, and I realized how quiet the forest really was. Out of all the words he could have chosen to call me, it was that. The word my boys called me. It was setting in what was truly happening, and I stared at him. "What?" My voice was so quiet it was almost silent, but so was the forest.

Peter grabbed my hand and lifted it, opening it and placing something on my palm. I looked down, and a match rested there. God, how I had missed them. Oliver placed his other hand on my chin and lifted my head to look at him. "All you have to do is light it, and you'll be one of us."

My body didn't even feel like it was mine. My eyes focused and unfocused. My mouth went dry. My hands shook more than they had in a long time.

It would all be over if I just lit the match. The boys would be safe. They would be okay. Oliver would have what he wanted. He would leave them alone.

The answer was clear to me as I looked down at the little stick.

I didn't feel myself pick it up, and I didn't feel myself strike it against the piece of wood he gave me. And, then, I heard my boys. They were calling out to me, but it wasn't in my head this time.

And the match fell right as they did.

Oliver practically growled when he saw David in front of him, swinging a punch at him, but David was faster. Marko and Paul took on the two that had walked me before, and Dwayne grabbed the last one. Each of them were quick to start fighting, and I was quick to notice that Oliver and the others were disappearing and reappearing like they were before.

Then, I felt heat, and I looked down to realize I had lit the ground on fire, and it was quickly spreading. I backed up quickly, staring at it. My vision was becoming dizzy again as I kept looking around at each of the boys. I didn't know what to do.

'Get them in the fire. Get them in the fucking fire!' Dwayne was yelling in the mind-link. I watched as Paul gripped the one he was fighting and flung him into the flames. The lost erupted into flames like kerosene, let out a terrifying shriek, and then turned into ashes. When the other three realized what he had just done, they began to fight back more vehemently.

'What do I do?' I cried out. I felt useless, but I was scared to fight.

'Try to get out of the circle. If you get set on fire, you'll become one. The rules have changed. You just need to go up in flames, you don't need to burn the thing you love!' David was the one to respond as Marko let out a loud grunt and threw his foe into the fire as well.

That left only two. With the help of Paul and Marko, Dwayne was able to easily throw his foe into the fire which only left Oliver. He was standing near the edge of the circle, his hands out and his eyes moving like a feral animal. He was scared, and it made me happy.

However, I was so caught up in watching them that I didn't notice the flames reaching my pants, catching them on fire and beginning to run up my thigh. I backed up quickly, not knowing what to do, but I backed into the flames of the circle, and I felt it now running up my back. "Guys," I yelled out, looking up at them. David didn't move, making sure Oliver stayed in his place, but the others turned and promptly freaked out.

Dwayne was the first to reach me, taking off his jacket and hitting the flames on my legs with it. I knew what he was doing, but it still freaked me out at first. I watched as the flames slowly fell away, and Paul was quick to follow what Dwayne was doing but with my back.

I fell as soon as they stopped, landing on my knees again and taking a moment to breathe, and as I looked up, I watched as Oliver fell the same way I had. David was saying something, but I couldn't hear him, and Oliver was crying. Full crocodile tears fell down his cheeks in a way that almost made me feel bad for him. Then, I remembered what he had done, and I didn't feel so bad anymore.

Through the flames, I watched as David grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him high up in the air. His face shifted to his vampire form as he continued talking to him, and Oliver let out a scream as David threw him into the flames, but I didn't fully process it as one of my boys picked me up by my waist and began to fly.

Watching from high in the sky, I noticed the flames that engulfed the area and slowly spread were quite beautiful. They climbed up the trees, and it felt like they were reaching towards the heavens, climbing, reaching, almost breathing.

That was something I'd always noticed about the flames. It was as if they were a life of their own, a short-lived life, but a life that was well-filled, a life that took with it. And, I reached to the flames, wanting to feel them, but they were far away. The boys were taking me away, and I almost missed the heat they provided.

When we reached the cave, I realized the one carrying me was Paul. His breathing was still labored from fighting when we landed, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, he pulled me into a real hug, one arm around my neck and the other around my waist, pulling me as close as he could. He was mumbling something, and after a bit of listening hard, I could faintly make out his words. He was repeating 'you're okay. You're safe now.' Over and over again, and I knew he was saying it more for himself than me.

And then, I felt the tears. He was sobbing harshly, his tears hitting my neck where his face was buried, his words becoming a jumbled mess. I slowly raised my hands which had been by my sides in shock, and I ran my fingers through his hair. It was a flat mess against his head, no sign of hairspray or teasing throughout. My hands stilled and one gripped the back of his neck, holding him to me.

"I'm here, Paul. I'm right here. I love you. We're okay." I whispered reassurances in his ear until his breathing calmed down, his hold becoming slack against me. I knew he was tired. We all were. We had been through so much.

And so, after realizing the boys had all gone into the cave, leaving me and Paul to have our moment, we made our way down as well. I led Paul towards the bedroom we had claimed slowly. He leaned most of his weight against me, and one of my hands was held between two of his which he then held to his chest.

The other boys were already there when we got to the room, each laying on the bed in various amounts of clothes. David had a bottle of scotch held close to his chest, and Marko was laid on top of Dwayne's chest, already half-asleep. I gently placed Paul on the bed, and his head fell down. David handed him the scotch, and he took it gratefully, tipping it back and taking long gulps. I placed a kiss on his forehead before moving to the dresser, picking out clothes to sleep in. The ones I currently wore were half-shredded from the forest and the fire, but I wouldn't want them after anyways.

As I lifted my shirt over my head, I felt somebody's hands helping me pull it off, and then, there was a kiss placed to my cheek. I turned to see David, and I gave him a soft smile as he unclipped my bra, pausing for a second to place his hands on my stomach and kiss me. "I'm never letting you out of my sights again," he said to me. "We're going to keep you safe. We failed once, but it will never fucking happen again. You're with us for the long run, babydoll."

I froze and let out a deep breath. "Please, don't call me that. All I can hear is his voice when you say it. I love you, but anything else, please."

David nodded, and he handed me my shirt for me to pull on. "I understand."

"What did you," I paused for a second before talking again. "What did you say to Oliver before you threw him in the fire."

"Nothing special," he responded. "Something along the lines of 'did you really think you could get away with taking our girl?' He said something about loving you and it would never stop, and I told him he lost his chance the second he hurt you. Just a bit of nothing."

I laughed a bit. "Sounds interesting. I wish I was able to hear it."

"It was nothing. I love you."

I smiled and kissed him again after pulling my shirt over my head. "I love you too. Now, let me take off my pants so I can get in bed." He let go, and I changed then climbed into the bed with them.

Dwayne placed an arm under my head as I laid down, and Marko stuck a hand out to wrap around my stomach. David took the alcohol from Paul and placed it on a nightstand, nudging him in my direction. Paul took the opportunity to lay between my legs, his head right under my chest, right on top of Marko's arm, but Marko didn't complain. David laid on my other side, taking one of Paul's hand and holding it in his. We were finally all together again, and I was happier than I could explain. Dwayne lifted his free hand in an 'I love you' movement, and I reciprocated, touching my fingers to his.

"Goodnight, guys. I love you."

"I love you, too," they each responded, and we fell asleep, calm.

(A/N: There will be one more chapter.)