So I'm back from my trip and writing again.

First thing's first, I want to say thank you for all the people who have given me great feedback on my stories! It truly means SOOOO much to me!

Secondly, this one didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so sorry if it's not very good.

I look at Ghastly who's sleeping on the bed in front of me. Skulduggery comes in and looks at his friend. He nods to me. I smile sadly and he nods his head towards the door. I follow him out side to the hallway. "He's getting worse, Skull," I tell him quietly.

"We're trying to find a cure, Tanith."

"If we don't find one soon, he's going to die!" I yell. The memory of when the illness took over the man I love flashes through my mind.

The team and I were trying to stop a crazy lunatic from killing every human being on Earth (again). The man had these weird monsters on his side and one attacked Ghastly. I had killed it, but it was too late. Its sharp teeth had already bitten him. After that, the man and his monsters disappeared into the night. When we got to the clinic aid, they were able to patch up the bite, but we were told that there was an unknown poison inside of Ghastly's body. Dr. Nye and Clarabelle tried everything, but no magic could get this poison out of him. He was dieing, extremely slowly and painfully.

We can't find a cure, and there's no way of telling about when he could die.

I can feel the tears start to well up. I can't imagine my life without him. He's one of the few people that can actually calm me down. He's always been there for me. He's my best friend (besides Valkyrie) and even though he doesn't know it, I really do love him.

I look into the dark room and see his silhouette sit up in his bed. I look back at Skulduggery and he nods in understanding. "We'll find it," he whispers before I enter the bedroom.

I turn on the light and Ghastly groans. "Hey, sleepy head," I say sitting on the edge of the bed. He looks at me and I note how pale he is. His scars seem so much more noticeable to me than they have been in years. "How are you feeling?" He goes into a coughing fit and I flinch knowing that he's not well at all. When he's done, I smile trying to make him think I'm all right. He manages to smile back.

"Hey," he says, his voice rougher than normal. I stand up and walk to the table by the side of the bed and poor a glass of water from the pitcher. I hand it to him. "Thanks." I sit back down, a bit closer this time. I watch in silence and he drinks the water. Not for the first time I wish it was me that got attacked instead of him. He never deserved this. "How long have I been asleep?" He asks this every time he wakes up and every time it's longer.

"Almost two days," I say softly. He nods slowly. "You hungry?"

"No, no really."

"Oh alright." I look out the window trying to advert my eyes from him. I feel his strong hand on mine and I can't help but look back at him.

"Are you alright?" he asks me. I nod, not trusting myself to talk in fear that I'll burst into tears. "Tanith, are you really alright?" Even in this weakened state, he can tell how I'm feeling.

"Yeah, just tired," I say knowing it's not a total lie. I look back at the window when suddenly; I'm yanked into him. He's still strong enough to pull me around. He wraps his arms around me and I blush as I feel his bare chest against my body. I slowly relax and curl into him. We may not be together, but we're still best friends. I close my eyes and listen to his rhythmic heartbeat and breathing.

"You need rest," Ghastly whispers to me. I shake my head slightly. "Yes you do, Tanith." I fell him move and suddenly, I'm lying on the bed with his arm under my head. "There," I can hear the worry melt away in his voice. I reluctantly sit up.

"I'm fine, Ghastly, really I am. You're the one that needs rest," I tell him. He puts his hand on my arm and I look down at him. I fight the urge to just lean down and kiss him. "Do you need anything?" I ask him.

"I need to know you're alright," he replies. I can practically feel my heart be ripped out at this. I'm not close to fine and he knows it. I'm worn down, worried, stressed, and desperate.

"I'm fine," I tell him. He looks me in the eye as he strokes my cheek gently. I truly want him to fancy me still, but I know those words he spoke to me the night of the remnant attack are just words now. He's had girlfriends since then. I crawl out of the bed and stand up before he has the chance to say anything else. "If you need me, just call," I tell him when I reach the door. I walk down the small hallway of his house and out his front door. I walk over to my bike and drive home.

I get home and go into my room. I plop on the bed and automatically start to cry. Then, I cry myself to sleep.

I can't trust myself to see Ghastly for the next few days. No one's found the cure yet but Valkyrie says he's getting better. He's now eating, not sleeping the days away, and walking around. She also says that he's been asking about me, but no one knows what to say. Skulduggery came up with the lie that I caught the flu and that just made Ghastly worry more.

I automatically feel a ping of guilt from making him worry. I walk out the door. I hop on my bike and ride over to his house. I stand outside of the door and look at the carved wood. It was truly beautiful.

I take a deep breath and pull out my key. I unlock the door and walk in. Some one must have been cooking because the house smelled amazing. I walk up the stairs expecting to see Valkyrie and Skulduggery in the living room. They weren't there.

I walk to the kitchen remembering that it was dinnertime and Valkyrie must have been hungry. "Hey, Val," I say as I walk into the room. When she doesn't respond I look up and see Ghastly standing at the stove. "Ghastly?" He looks at me and smiles and I blush feeling like an idiot for thinking he was Valkyrie.

"Hey," he says walking over to me. I look into his deep green eyes as he wraps his arms around me. "I knew you would come today."

"How?" I ask hugging him back. He smiles playfully and I remember what today is. June 25th- the day we first met years ago. "It smells great in here," I tell him after a few moments of silence.

"Let's hope it tastes as good as it smells," he says walking back to the stove.

"I'm sure it will," I tell him. I walk over and see the two steaks. "Why are there two?" I ask generally confused.

"I still owe you that steak dinner don't I?" I look at him in surprise. He really still remembers that? I smile and look down at the floor.

"Yeah, you do," I reply. We talk a bit about how he's doing and before I know it, the steaks are done.

He pours two glasses of wine and hands one to me. We sit down at the table and talk about hundreds of different things. The dinner is fantastic and I can't help but feel the romance that normally comes with dinners like this. After an hour, we finish eating. I stand up and take my plate to the kitchen. I walk over to the sink to wash my dishes. I feel Ghastly's muscular body press up against me. His arms reach around me and he takes my plate and puts both of them in the sink.

I turn around and put my hands on his chest. "Hi," I say unsure of what else to say.

"Hi," he says back. I look at his scared face and notice how close it is to mine. I blush and he smiles. "I need you to do something for me."

"And what's that?" He leans his head towards my ear as if to tell me a secret.

"I need you to let me kiss you," he whispers. My eyes go wide and I know I'm lobster red. He moves his head back in front of mine and I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. I nod and he leans in. I close my eyes and feel his soft, warm lips touch mine. My arms wrap around his waist and he gently pushes me against the counter behind me. His kisses are sweet and long. I can feel the love with every one of them. After many minutes, we break apart and he puts is forehead against mine. I keep my eyes close and move his hands to my hips.

"I guess you are feeling better," I say quietly.

"I guess so." I move my lips to his again. This time, the kisses are strong and quick. Before I know it, I'm pulling him out of the kitchen and down the hallway. I pull him down into his bed just as he whispers, "I love you."

I wake up, Ghastly's sheets wrapped around my naked body. I turn over and see him lying there looking extremely peaceful. The room was cold so when I put my arm over his body I wasn't surprised that he was cold. I allow my self to relive the memories of last night before I shake him to wake him up. When he doesn't wake up, I shake him harder. "Ghastly?" I ask gently.

He still doesn't stir.

"Ghastly?" I say panic rising inside of me. I put my ear to his mouth and find that he's not breathing. I check his pulse but find nothing. "No, no, no," I say not wanting it to be true. "It has to be a dream." I squeeze my eyes shut and open them expecting myself to be lying on the bed like I was when I woke up. I'm not though. I'm still sitting there looking down at the man I love. I look at the peaceful expression on his face.

I lay back down, allowing myself to cry into his chest. I'm still half expecting him to wrap his arms around me. When he doesn't I cry harder. I wrap the blanket around my body and curl up into him.

I stay like this for hours. I look up when the bedroom door opens. In walks Skulduggery and Valkyrie. Skulduggery's carrying a small vile of blue liquid. They both seem in great moods. Valkyrie looks up and sees me. She blushes knowing what happened last night. "Oh, um, sorry," she says. Then, she notices my tear stained face. "Oh no." I start to cry again and she rushes over to the bed. She looks at Ghastly and checks his pulse. I see her look at Skulduggery.

He just stands there silent and still. Suddenly, he chucks the vile across the room. It hits the wall and shatters, sending glass and blue liquid all over. "Damn it!" he yells. I look at him as he sits down next to Valkyrie. I look at them then at Ghastly and the saddest thought comes to mind.

This is the last time our team will be together.