All the pieces of you fit perfectly in the hole inside my heart

Kate was still feeling very rattled after seeing her uncle out of nowhere. She guessed that was what he kept trying to tell her when he was texting and calling so much the last few days. He'd decided to just show up in person. She knew that he would have just found out recently because she'd kept her diagnosis quiet from her family for a while at first. When she needed a donor, she had to tell them. Her uncle traveled for work and was in and out of touch with her parents. She'd hoped he would never find out, but she wasn't that lucky. Kate wondered how he could think that she'd possibly want his help, but then the other half of her was screaming to take it from him because she knew the procedure hurt and she wanted him to feel pain and have a consequence for his abuse. The thing was, it appeared he viewed what happened as like a mutual thing, and she couldn't believe he could ever think that. How was holding her down mutual? How was making her do the things he wanted mutual? How was telling her he was doing it to her because it was her fault mutual? How was using threats mutual?

Nurse Chippy came into the room with a shopping bag, and she went over to Arthur's bed. He was dozing, so Chippy set it down at the foot of his bed and gave his sleeping form a smile before heading back out.

"You alright?" she asked Kate on her way by. "I heard you had an unwanted visitor here earlier."

"I'm fine."

Chippy hesitated for a moment before looking at Kate again. "Don't let him take away your power, Kate. You're an amazing person, and he doesn't deserve five seconds of your time."

Kate stared at her, and Chippy smiled sadly before leaving. Kate wondered if Chippy had a similar experience to hers, and she felt a bit of sadness for the girl now. She really should figure out what her real name was.

When Arthur stirred awake, Kate looked over at him with a smirk on her lips.

"You got Chippy to be your personal shopper?" she asked, gesturing at the bag with her head.

"Well, the clothes I came in with were cut off me, so she offered to get me something. I gave her cash," he added, as if he thought Kate assumed Chippy had bought them on her own.

"Let's hope she got something your style."

Arthur just smiled as he rifled through the bag lightly. He gave a curt nod of approval and then set it on the chair next to him.

"So, you get to escape this hell," Kate commented a moment later. "Congrats." She watched as he met her gaze, and she could see that he felt bad for leaving.

"Want me to kidnap you?" he offered. "How fast would Reggie find us?"

She chuckled, imagining it. "He'd probably let us go, you know? But are you sure you'd want to run away with me? I might go all Thelma and Louise on you." She was trying to joke, but it suddenly hit her that she'd almost rather die that way than this way.

"I'd be with you until the end," Arthur advised softly, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. How was it that after such a short time she meant this much to him and he to her?

"You don't have a Thunderbird out there, do you?" she asked. He twisted his lips into a smile.

"No," he answered.

"Next time, then," she said.

"Sure."

Kate had to look away then. She couldn't take the pain of knowing she was going to be left alone here. She'd gotten so used to him being there.

"Hey, look," Arthur said after turning the TV on and surfing for a moment. "There's a movie with my kind of ending right there."

"What's that?"

"You've never seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?" he asked.

"No..."

"Well, you won't be able to say that anymore," he advised, and Kate scoffed again before turning her head to watch. She had to admit that she did get a little bit invested in it. At the end, she lifted both her brows and looked at Arthur again.

"That's how you want to go out, huh?" she asked.

"Why not?" he countered, smirking. She rolled her eyes and smiled. Men. At least the movie had taken her mind off of him leaving for a bit.

"Thanks for trying," she said, knowing that had been his plan.

"We still have tonight," he promised, and she gave a small smile in acknowledgement. That time was slipping by fast, though, and she was dreading the morning.

...

Arthur had an idea, but he required assistance to do it. He crept out when Kate was dozing and found Nurse Chippy, or Virginia, as he'd recently discovered.

"Hey," he said, giving his best smile. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"What's that?" Virginia asked, smiling back at him. He told her quietly, and her eyes widened as she nodded enthusiastically.

"You can pull it off?" Arthur inquired.

"Oh yes, I can," she promised, squeezing his arm lightly. "You're a good man, Mr. Kipper."

The words felt wrong hitting his ears, but he knew that Virginia didn't know what he did for a living. He didn't consider himself to be a good man because of what he did, but then again, he was doing it to protect others. It was confusing at times.

"I'll let you know when it's go time," Virginia advised, giving a small salute before hurrying off. Arthur went back to his room and waited.

...

Kate opened her eyes to find Nurse Chippy standing by her bedside with a huge grin on her face.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "You ready for dinner?"

"I guess," Kate replied, pushing herself up on her elbows. She'd kill for a steak or something right now. Say what they wanted, she was pretty sure it was the hospital food that was slowly killing her and not the cancer.

"Great! Here," Chippy said, pulling clothes out of a bag. "Put these on."

"Um, what?"

"Go on," Chippy urged. "It's okay. I got permission."

Kate felt so confused, but she took the clothes and went to the bathroom to change. She had help from Chippy with the shirt so as to avoid the IV, and when she looked at herself in the mirror a moment later, she felt almost like her old self. She'd been given a nice red blouse with blue jeans and a black cardigan. Chippy had twisted off the tube of the IV from her hand so she could get the shirt and cardigan on, which Kate appreciated. Then she put it back on, which Kate hated.

"You want me to assist with makeup?" Chippy asked, poking her head back through the door after Kate had gone in to freshen up.

"I got it," Kate answered. She thought about her younger self and decided to go with that look for some reason. She didn't usually wear makeup anymore, but what the hell. She was going all out tonight.

"What's going on?" she asked when she finished and came back out, her IV pole at her side.

"You'll see," Chippy answered, leading the way. "Come on."

Curious, Kate followed, and she found herself being led to a rooftop balcony near the back of the building. It had a nice view of the land, and the sun was slowly going down. There was a little table with two roses in a vase and food on plates.

And standing there waiting was Arthur with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. He was wearing his navy cargo pants and a brown long sleeved shirt.

"Oh my God," she couldn't help but say. Chippy let out a small squeal.

"He's sooo romantic," she told Kate. "Enjoy!" She turned to leave, and Kate was left feeling surprised and like she might burst into tears. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a long time.

"You can cry after," Arthur promised, coming to loop his arm through hers and lead her to the small table.

"Why?" she asked as he helped her sit down. She really hated her stupid IV pole being there. It was a reminder that this was not a normal dinner.

"Just thought you could use the pick up," he answered, sitting across from her. "And I know if I'm sick of the food around here, then you are too."

"You are amazing," Kate said when she saw her steak. "How the hell did you know I wanted this?!"

"You'd mentioned a time where you fought off Reggie for one, so I gathered it was your favorite."

Kate rested her chin on her hand and smiled at him, trying to stuff down her emotions. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he answered. "I know it's not a kidnapping and driving off into the Grand Canyon, but it's the second best I could do."

She laughed out loud and pulled her cardigan around her shoulders tighter. It was summer air, but she was feeling a chill.

"So," she said, "this is what Arthur Kipper is like on a date. And you say you're single because...?" She trailed off, waiting for a response.

"Just never found the right person," he answered with a shrug.

"How did you get Chippy to help out?"

"Virginia is a sucker for happiness," Arthur replied, confirming Chippy's real name. Kate mentally locked it away. "It wasn't that hard to get her assistance."

"I'll have to stop hating her," Kate said with an exaggerated sigh. "You took the fun out of it now."

"She means well," he commented. "I'll be sad when she loses that brightness one day."

Kate knew all too well that certain jobs killed happiness and joy. She hoped Virginia could hang onto it for a long time.

"So what is Kate Macer like on a date?" Arthur asked next. Kate was busy inhaling her food and held up a hand for him to wait.

"I definitely don't eat like it's my last meal," she joked after swallowing.

"I like that about you," Arthur advised, smirking.

"It depends on the guy," Kate went on after a swallow of water. She was sure he'd gotten something stronger if he'd been allowed. As it were, she wasn't supposed to consume alcohol right now.

"Oh yea?"

"Yea. If they're charming and sweet, they'll get a second date. If they're arrogant, I never see them again."

"Sounds fair."

"If they're really good," Kate said, resting her foot on his. "They might get lucky."

"Is that so?" He held her gaze, and she felt a shiver inside that was not related to her chill.

"It gets lonely out there, you know?" she said, still looking at him.

"Don't I know it," he replied. She took her foot back and went back to eating. She felt like something took a shift here, and she didn't know if she should have done that.

"I have to ask," he said next. "Are you and Reggie...?"

"Oh, no," she answered quickly. "I mean, there was an attempt a while ago, but he's like a brother to me."

"Makes sense."

She thought it was cute that he'd sounded almost worried that she was with Reggie. It revealed his thoughts about her.

"I was seeing someone," Arthur offered a moment later. "Gina. She'd made me realize that I could do things differently...make a difference. I left everything and followed her."

"What happened?"

"We just were better as friends," he answered. "We'd come together in a time of need, and when that was over, our differences were too much."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not entirely sorry," he shared, looking at her as he folded his hands in front of him. "Because if things had worked out, I would have never met you."

Kate felt his words impact her, and she nodded slowly while looking down away from his eyes. As much as it meant something to hear that, she felt bad for dying on him.

"If you hadn't met me, you wouldn't feel the pain of losing me," she said quietly, finally looking at him again.

"It's worth it," he promised. She swallowed, and he reached to rest his hand over hers. It made her feel heat inside, and she dared to imagine what it would be like to experience his touch everywhere else.

He took his hand back after a moment, and he changed the subject, thankfully. It was nice to just talk about memories and fun times...about a life where she was healthy and normal. Kate was sad when it was over and hated that she had to go back to that stupid hospital room. At the door of the roof, she turned to face Arthur, who was standing close behind her.

"I really do appreciate what you did for me tonight," she told him. "It was nice to feel normal for a moment."

"Good," he said. She looked at him, feeling the pull of what she wanted to do next. He waited, not saying anything as she moved in closer to him. She touched her lips to his lightly, tentatively, feeling all different types of things inside as she did so. She was about to pull away when he caught the nape of her neck with his hand and kissed her back, and she knew she should not have done this. It just made all those feelings inside so much stronger. She pulled her lips off of his a moment later, finding his eyes with hers. Her right hand was clutching her IV pole tightly while her left rested on his chest. His right hand was resting on her left side.

"When you leave tomorrow," she said slowly. "Don't come back."

"Kate..."

"I mean it," she insisted. He looked a bit pained, but she had to keep him from getting hurt any further. "Go find a girl who has a long life ahead of her. Leave me and this perfect moment in the past so you can remember this instead of what's to come. I don't want you to remember me suffering." She was trembling a little bit, and she thought he was going to argue, but in the end, he just nodded.

"Okay," he said. It broke her heart to think about what could have been in a different life, but she had to let it go. She went to pull back when he caught her waist and stopped her.

"Arthur, what...?" She was cut off by his kiss again, and she let him hold her face and kiss her deeper. She let him hold her against him close and felt his heart beating against her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hating that tug of the IV line to remind her she was still attached to it. She stood there kissing Arthur for as long as she wanted because after tonight, there was no more time with him. This was it.

"You're cold," he noted after a while, feeling her shivering.

"I don't want to go inside yet," she said, her voice sounding sad.

"Come on," he said, opening the door. "It doesn't have to end just yet, but I won't have you getting a chill on my behalf."

She let him walk her back to their room, and she saw Virginia peeking at them with a big smile from the nurses' station. Arthur helped her get settled into her bed again and surprised her by getting in next to her. She let him hold her, wishing that they were anywhere but here and yet grateful he was doing this. He was warming her up quickly, and her shivering slowed down after a bit. She looked up at him, touching his cheek with her fingers.

"Maybe in another life," she said softly.

"Maybe," he agreed. She let him kiss her again, and she held back her tears as she felt the finality in it. When it was over, she tucked into him and tried to stay awake as long as she could, but she'd lost all her energy suddenly.

His heart beating was the last thing she heard before drifting off to sleep once again.

Three Days Later

Arthur was not going to leave her behind forever, not yet. He knew why she had requested that, though, but she didn't know what he was trying to do for her. He'd gotten up and dressed the morning he'd been discharged and left while Kate was still sleeping. He hadn't wanted to wake her up, and he knew she didn't want to say goodbye to him again, not after having their moment the night before. He'd felt bad how much energy had been drained from her on their "date." At some point, he'd had to leave her bed, and she had him assist in getting her back into her hospital attire. Seeing how thin and almost grey she was along with the bruises on her body had hurt. He'd gotten lost in her eyes, taking in the smoky eye shadow look she'd gone for, and he'd wanted to just carry her out of there to leave all the pain behind.

He'd gone back to his safe house to wait for the phone call telling him if he was a match or not. He hadn't found any evidence that his attacker had been there, so Arthur was left wondering if it been something entirely random. It wasn't really high on his priority list anyway.

He couldn't stop thinking about Kate, and in the end, he couldn't stay away...even if she wanted him to. He got to the hospital and was on his way to find her doctor when he found Arthur first.

"Hey!" he said, sounding excited. "Just the man I was looking to see! I was just about to call you."

"You get the results?" Arthur asked, daring to feel hopeful.

"Yes! You, my friend, are a match," the doctor said proudly, beaming at him. Arthur felt like he'd barely heard him, but the words hit hard.

"I...I am?"

"Yes. You still want to do this, right?"

"Yes, of course," Arthur said strongly. "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't."

"It's perfect. We can start Kate on chemo and get her prepped for the marrow. I will be honest, it will hurt like a bugger even with the epidural..."

"It's okay," Arthur cut him off. "I'm cleared to do it, right? I'm feeling a lot better than when I came in here." The brunt of his attack had been his upper ribs, not on his lower back, which was helpful.

"They're gonna check you all out and see."

"Thank you," Arthur said. The doctor clapped him on the shoulder.

"No, thank you," he said strongly. "You've just saved her life." He left Arthur standing there with a smile on his face. He made his way to Kate's room and found her reclining in bed and staring at the opposite wall. She turned her head to see him when he walked in, and she looked surprised.

"Arthur," she said. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come back..."

Arthur moved to take her hand in his and lean closer to her. She looked up at him, and he could see she was trying not to cry. He knew that she hadn't wanted him to come back but that seeing him again had made her emotional and proved she did want him around still.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily just yet," he told her.

"Arthur, you promised..." she started, but he pressed a finger against her lips to stop her.

"I did a test," he said. "I got the results back today." He watched as she frowned a little, blinking up at him.

"What test?" she asked around his finger. He pulled it back and smiled.

"I'm a match, Kate," he said softly. She stared at him, not fully comprehending.

"Match for what?" she asked, her voice shaking a little.

"For you," he replied. "I'm your donor, Kate." The words sank in, and she started to cry a moment later. He pulled her into a hug, and she gripped him tightly against her.

"Oh my God," she kept saying through her tears. "Oh my God."

"You're gonna live, Kate," he said, feeling emotions going through him too.

"Thank you," she said, crying. "Thank you, Arthur."

He didn't say anything, just held her close and felt relief inside that this was going to work. He knew it did not make up for all the lives he'd taken, but it was a start, just like saving Gina had been.

He knew he couldn't stay in Kate's life, though. She was FBI, he was an assassin. It just wouldn't work. They'd have this time together, and then they'd go their separate ways, as much as that hurt him to think about. He never wanted her to look at him negatively, and he felt like if she found out who he was, she'd hate him.

No, he'd do this and leave. It was the only way to do it. And he had to be alright with that.