-Weeks Later-

My eyes open, disillusioned to whether I'm seeing reality or another dream, I found myself in a white room, a t.v. in the upper corner with my face on it. Static overcame it as I looked at my arm, a tube running into my skin, a stinging pain in my side. A distressed voice reached me, "Blaye..." Then I remember, that there was never a dream to begin with.

-Some Time Prior-

My soul was swept into the evening and night as it came, swallowing me into his world, my own world slowing vanishing with it. Being with him became my new addictive reality. Which there were no problems, that is if you didn't count the slimming of his waist and face. For the first time since I had seen him, he did not look invincible. He looked like he was dying. I was crying.

I stomp up the trail back to my house, in an angered confusion. I couldn't handle his stubbornness. Just as we finally came to connect with one another well enough to be honest about all things, he becomes cold again. I'm tired of this cat and mouse game, if he doesn't want to tell me what's wrong, he can sit in his forest all by himself. But look at me, I'm no less stubborn than he is. I lock the door to my room and lay back in my bed. I'm not even sure why I'm crying, but somehow I am. I've never been so scared, even more so than when I thought my own life was in jeopardy. Now I'm scared for his life, he's not well, and he knows it. He knows why, but he won't tell me. He's become so much skinnier, his skin has even turned blotchy from the perfect white it used to be. His cheekbones cave in, his fingers have become brittle, and his voice cracks so often. So how could I not bawl? How could I not cry for the only person I've ever cared about? If he actually dies... there goes everything. How can I even paint, when he's in pain? "Slender." My voice breaks the lonesomeness of my room. "Slender, please come back. Please tell me what's wrong." My sleeves have become damp from the tears. I want my old Slenderman back, my healthy, full-faced man.

"Blaye..." I gasp while sitting up in my bed to look at him. He sits next to me, his shoes having been removed. He doesn't quite look at me so I nudge his jaw in my direction. "You're always crying."

"No I'm not." I say with a miserable look on my face.

"Yes you have, from when I first saw you and everyday after, you always seemed to have something to cry about." Don't bring up the past, this is not the time.

"Well now I really do! You're not well-" He brings his face to mine, placing a kiss. I can't bring myself to pull away, so I shut my eyes for the moment.

"Does this mean you love me?" He pulls away, keeping his face close. The only light present was the moon coming from my window.

"Don't change the subject, this is important."

"I still have to make you fall in love with me."

"Well- you have!" Is that all he cares about? "You need to look at yourself. There's something wrong with you!" I try to make him understand again, but I should know that he won't budge.

"There's nothing wrong Blaye."

"There is!" I drop my head, falling back into tears. My stomach drops when he takes me by both my shoulders and pushes me back onto my pillow. I stare up at him, my hands at my chest. He doesn't say anything, just a blank stare as though he did. "...How can you not see it?" I ask, baffled.

"Blaye," His tone gets deep and he really clenches onto my shoulders, "Can't you see that I'm choosing not to?"

"That's ALL I see!"

"Then try to understand why." His voice comes off harsh.

"I don't... I don't understand." My eyes continue to water. "Please tell me why." He let's go of my shoulders and moves away from me. I struggle to sit back up in tears. I grab at his white collar before he can sit up. "You... wait." This triggers something in him and he turns back around, suddenly embracing me. I hug his head and shoulders while he hides his face next to my own, his arms around my waist. It's an intense embrace and I can't help but interpret it as a cry for help. But somehow I'm sure, he's just holding me to be holding me. "Tell me..." I want to know, I want to understand, why Slender is being this way.

"You're so stubborn." He lifts his head to give me another kiss, holding it there longer. "Listen to me," He barely lifts his lips away from mine. "What I'm doing, is something I chose to do-"

"-It's not good." I cut him off.

"Listen Blaye, what I'm doing is better than what I was doing before. I'm not only doing this for you, but it's also the price I have to pay to be with you." I can't make sense of any of what he's saying.

"What are you talking about?" I shake my head. "You shouldn't have to pay a price for being in love." My eyes dry up while listening to his every word.

"In my case, I have to. So don't worry, it's worth it."

"But-" He pressed our lips together once more. I can't accept this.

The amount of reviews I've been getting to update this story has really intensified recently? Also I've been getting hate! WOW, I must be really popular to attract haters too! Also, don't get salty about this chapter. I didn't pull this out of nowhere, I was gonna have Slenderman start "dying" eventually. It took way sooner than expected. There has actually been hints and foreshadowing for this in way previous chapters if anyone noticed! The reason I haven't been updating is my intense hatred for the last 3 chapters. They really made it hard for me to continue so this chapter is a few weeks after chapter 24.