We're trying something new. We hope you like it. At the end of each chapter, we'll show you something from the upcoming update.

The door handle twisted slowly so as not to wake the sleeping beauty in the bed. In his hand he held her favorite treat: Reese's Pieces. She wouldn't be expecting him to be back so soon and that much was clear when he saw that she had dozed off since he had last been here. The news wasn't good, but hopefully this little present would lift her spirits a bit.

He reached over and rubbed her left shoulder until he noticed her start to stir. She tried to push him hand away, her eyes squeezed shut in defiance. Her lips moved in silent, incomprehensible speech patterns and he took the opportunity to place the candy on her tongue. She closed her mouth on a sigh. "You remembered."

"You expected me to forget? Do you remember what we did the last time I brought you candy?" Mac asked smugly.

Alexis laughed, turning over and opening her haunted brown eyes. "You know it's past visiting hours."

"You know I don't care." Mac responded and dropped some more candies into her waiting palm.

"Did you get Kristina tucked in?" Alexis wanted to know. She popped a few candies and sucked on them while she pondered the night's events.

"I did. She missed you, but I explained it to her." Mac assured her.

"You understand why we can't tell her, don't you?" The fight that had ended in her agreeing to come to the hospital was still fresh in her mind.

"Kristina, yes, but not the rest of the family. The girls deserve to know."

"If we could just—"

"Wait?" Mac finished for her. "Is that what you were going to say? Wait for what? What more do the doctors have to tell us before—"

"Before I accept that I'm going to die? Is that what you were going to say? "

"Of course not." Mac snapped. "Why would I think that?"

"I don't know what you think anymore Mac!"

"How do you not know?"

"You never talk to me. I don't read minds."

"I don't know what to say to you! You're so touchy lately!" Mac pointed out.

"Oh? Well I guess I'm not feeling so hot what with being handed a death sentence and all!" Alexis screamed her hand flying to her mouth as her eyes strained to look at anything but her fiancé.

Mac backed up as if he had been slapped. It had been easy to ignore for a while, but she was right. She wasn't getting better, only worse. "I am not going to give up you. Do you hear me? If you need to throw yourself a pity party, go ahead, but I have the right to invite the people who care about you. Alright?" He was so angry he thought he might punch something. He looked around, desperate to do just that, and settled on kicking the legs off of the cart and sending the tray flying into the opposite wall.

"Look, I'm not expecting you to fix any of this, okay?" Alexis began.

"We can't let this cancer win!" Mac stressed each word.

"Do you hear yourself? Cancer! You act like I've got a common cold!" Alexis turned her face away from him and fisted her hand in front of her mouth.

"I'm not oblivious to the fact that the condition is worsening; I swear I'm not. You don't get to ask me to stop trying to find a way to help you. Dr. Bernstein—"

"Dr. Bernstein is as lost as we are. There is no magical cure." Alexis informed him. "In case you weren't told."

"You're going to be fine." Mac growled.

"I'm terminal, Mac! Do you get what that means? Do you?"

"I won't let you give up." He whispered sitting down in a nearby chair.

"Maybe we should start making arrangements of some kind..." Her voice began to shake. "Just preliminary arrangements—"

"The only arrangements we're going to be making are the ones for our wedding. You got that?" Mac snarled at her.

"Mac, you can't still—"

"I can and I will."

"There might not be a wedding."

"Are you thinking we should elope?" Mac tried to joke.

"Stop it! Listen to me!" Alexis begged grabbing his wrists.

"No! You're not making rational sense!" Mac countered and jumped to his feet pulling his hands free and cradling her face. "I'm marrying you."

Alexis blinked back tears. He was saying all the right things, but at the worst possible time! "Honey, I'm not still expecting you to marry me."

Mac did a double take. "What does that mean?"

"Just what it sounds like. The doctors...they don't think it will take very long for my body to completely wear itself out." Alexis choked out.

"I was right there." Mac reminded her. "I heard the words they used and you're not even close to paraphrasing right now."

"That's because you were hearing what you wanted to hear. You weren't hearing the truth. I'm dying—"

"Stop saying that! God, why do you have to say that?" Mac whimpered.

"I'm not trying to hurt you, baby, but it's what's happening. I'm trying to help you accept it."

"Yeah well don't do me any favors."

"Please don't be like that."

"Like what? When I proposed to you, I promised forever."

"I know." Alexis nodded fervently. "And I know, at the time, you meant it."

"I still mean it!" Mac cried.

"We have to make arrangements." Alexis repeated stubbornly.

"Make your own arrangements. I'm not going to prepare myself for something that's not going to happen." Mac barked at her.

"Death is a natural part of life. If it wasn't right now, it'd still happen." Alexis assured him.

"I want my fifty years." Mac took a step back and turned his back to her while he tried to collect himself.

"I want them too." Alexis managed not even bothering to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.

"You're mine." Mac reiterated spinning around. "Mine. And I say when you get to go."

"Mac...please..." Alexis pleaded.

"Arrangements." Mac spat. "Do you hear yourself? I'm not arranging your death. I'm not allowing it."

"I would never ask you to take care of Kristina—" Alexis told him.

"I love that little girl more than life itself!"

"I know you do. If you'd let me finish, I was going to say that I wouldn't ask you to without talking to you about it. I'm not Anna Scorpio."

"Why are you talking like this?" Mac wondered, shaking. "Are we not enough for you? Are we not enough of a reason for you to fight to live?"

"Don't ever think that! You're my family and I love you. I love you." Alexis countered sharply.

"If you really loved us, you would fight." Mac pointed out.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Alexis shot back.

"Giving up."

"I'm not giving up."

"And somehow it's making things easier on you." Mac went on as if she hadn't spoken.

"This isn't easy! This will never be easy!" Alexis corrected him.

"But you do it so well." Mac replied caustically.

"I don't want to die." Alexis choked out. "I don't want to leave you."

"Then don't!" Mac insisted. "Don't leave us." He grasped for her hand.

Previews: AJ shuffled slowly past Grandma Lila's garden in hopes of not being seen. Even though it was unlikely anyone would see him, it would cause far too many problems if he had to explain why Michael wasn't with him and what had brought him back to the "dangerous place" that hadn't protected his son's brother, sister, or cousin from being stolen.