Selene flipped back up. Michael came at her fast, blood-thirsty and merciless. He swung at her low, but Selene leapt backwards, flipping out of his reach. He grabbed her by the arm and smacked her into the wall, causing blood to flow freely down her face, which was already bloodied and bruised by the events of the last several hours.

She elbowed him in the face, and he let go. She used her vampire "superpowers" to run up the wall, hanging on the ceiling, her heart pounding as she dropped behind Michael and delivered a blow to his face. He took the hit, then pushed her through the wall into the hallway. He sprang on top of her, digging his claws into her side. Selene screamed out in pain, but a backhand by Michael silenced her.

She kicked him off, and she knew that she couldn't go all out on him. Instead, she threw him into a wall, and took his moment of disorientation to try and run back into the room she had been held in, hoping to find a tranquilizer or some antidote to get Michael out of his raging state.

Breathing heavily, heart thudding against her chest, Selene heard gunfire in the distance. She also the familiar noise of the Fate Plate. The Stealth Shooters are here? Figuring that they were supposed to be there as a diversion for her escape, she ran faster, only to be tripped by Michael and flung through a glass window.

Selene rolled stealthily, and got back on her two feet. He flew through the window after her.

There was a crazed, hungry look in his eyes. His urge to kill as stronger than any she had ever seen before, even on other Lycans she had seen maturing. Unwilling to be unnerved by this Michael-in-disguise in front of her, Selene attempted to take a swing at Michael. Michael, instead of taking the hit, grabbed Selene's arm and twisted it behind her back, so far until there was a loud crack

He had broken her arm. Selene cried out from the pain that was now shooting through her, and Michael let go, only to shove her to the ground and kick her while she was down into the wall.

Gasping from exhaustion and pain, Selene staggered to her feet.

Michael ran faster than immortal speed, and kneed her in the gut. He plucked her off of the ground when she fell and hurled her upward into the ceiling. Impacting with a grunt, gravity seized Selene and she plummeted back onto the floor.

Selene got back on her feet once more, refusing to give up. If she gave up now, Michael might kill her, and she wouldn't let that happen.

He came at her again, this time with his hands locked and coming down with full force. Selene dodged the attack, and took the opportunity to make a blow at his side with her good arm, sending him flying through the air.

He snarled and hissed at her, and when she delivered a kick to his face, he rebounded and roared with all his might. He surged forward, punching her mercilessly into what might have been defeat if the circumstances had been different and she wasn't dealing with the loss of her life and the one of the man she loved.

Selene shoved him off her, sending him soaring though the air he landed with a sickening thud, but Selene ignored the bile that rose in her throat and moved in to try and knock him unconscious.

The liquid, however, made Michael more ferocious than normal maturity rage did, and Michael growled and took swings at Selene. She blocked all of them, and proceeded to strike him with the back of her hand, causing a deep growl to come from Michael's throat.

Michael then took another blow from Selene, but ducked the next. Anger flowing through his soul, he knocked her to the floor. Selene was tiring out, almost crying I desperation. She wasn't even sure she could get back up. Unfortunately, Michael didn't give her a chance to find out.

He dug his sharp nails deep into her back. Ignoring her painful shrieks, he withdrew them, then repeated what he had just done in different spots.

The mixture of what she had endured from Greg and what Michael was doing to her now overwhelmed her and Selene yelled her pain until it seemed to be personified.

Still uncaring about the pain he was inflicting, he did it again.

Drained of all her energy and determination to save Michael from himself, Selene collapsed in a large puddle of her own blood. She would live, no doubt, but her energy at that moment was depleted and would not return fully for some time.

Michael was about to move in for the finishing move, when a voice rang out, startling Michael.

"Stop it!" It was Leon, alone. "Dammit, Mike, leave her alone!"

Taken aback, Michael backed off, appearing to realize just what he was about to do.

Leon ran over to check on Selene, who was conscious, but barely.

"Leon…?" Her voice was weak, and her face contorted in pain as she titled her head to look at him.

"Shh," he whispered soothingly. "You're gonna be fine, Selly."

Leon looked over to Michael, who seemed to be trying to fight whatever it was that was controlling his actions.

But he lost.

Michael's head snapped up at him, and Leon gulped. Snarling, Michael dove at Leon, but Leon side-stepped and Michael instead landed atop of Selene. With Selene having no energy to fight Michael, Leon yanked Michael off of Selene.

Then there was a moment that Leon and Selene shared, a clear moment that seemed to last hours, but ended too soon.

Selene realized what Leon was about to do, and could not stop it. "No," she mouthed, begging Leo not to go through with what he was about to do.

But they both knew that it was in vain, because Leon had already made up his mind. "It's the only way, Selly," he whispered, holding her as Michael picked himself up. "You know I'd do it for you a million times."

Ignoring her sobbing, pleading him not to do it, Leon placed her gently on the ground.

Selene struggled just to stay awake, with the blood loss and fatigue. And she could do nothing as Leon did what he resolved to do.

Crying, Selene watched as Michael lunged forward at Leon. Leon did not fight, did not struggle as Michael tore out Leon's throat. For Selene, it happened in slow motion, and every second that passed by was an hour for her.

Wailing in grief, Selene barely registered that somebody was holding her in his arms. Damien.

"Oh, my God," he breathed, holding onto her tightly. "Oh, Selene…"

Selene continued her useless cries for Leon, feeling herself die inside, turning to ashes with Leon's last breath.

It seemed like hours passed by.

Michael turned back into his human form, and when he realized what he had done, there was nothing in the world that he could have done to console Selene.

It seemed like the whole night went by just like that – with her in Damien's arms, holding her and rocking her; Michael looking like he had just killed the woman he loved.

Perhaps he had.

A/N:

Okay, so that's the before-the-last chapter. The next one's really short... and then an epilogue will follow.

So sorry to any and all Leon fans, but I had to do it so I can set the mood for my next story...

Anyway, comments and feedback are welcome. The next chapter should also be up, as well as the Epilogue...