A/N: Warning - Yes, Blaine goes a little overboard with the dark and angry here. He's a vampire.

Death wants to hide. It crawls into dark spaces, away from the light … away from the living. But death need not be so afraid. It can be just as bright, just as beautiful. Some beauty endures, regardless if it lives or dies.

Kurt possesses that type of beauty – a beauty built of strength and grace and dignity. It outshines adversity.

It conquers the dark.

Blaine looks at Kurt's face, growing ever paler in the fading light, and smiles.

Beautiful. Even now, actively dying, he's beautiful.

Blaine is going to ensure that that beauty endures.

He brushes the hair from Kurt's eyes, sweeping sweaty bangs to one side so he can better see Kurt's face. Kurt blinks weakly, glassy eyes fighting to focus on Blaine's, burning red in anticipation.

"In a moment, we'll be together forever, my love."

Kurt tries to shake his head, vehemently shake it, but it wobbles at best. "I … I don't want you to do this. It's my time. I …"

Blaine shushes Kurt, his smile growing ever wider. "I know you're scared, but it's all right. You'll be happy with me. Happier than you've ever been. I'll make sure of it. I promise."

"You're not listening to me." Kurt feels defeated, by everything – the universe, his own body, the love of his life. "You never listen."

Blaine bites his lip, hard enough to break his inhuman skin. "What are you so worried about?" he hisses, harsher than he intends. "Your soul? You don't believe in God or heaven anyway! So why not stay here with me forever?"

Kurt trembles beneath him, but from the determination on his face, Blaine knows he's not going to change his mind. Blaine doesn't want to be angry with his beloved, but Kurt's constant refusal wears on his patience. It seems like only yesterday that Blaine discovered (what he felt was) wonderful news - that Kurt was dying. For Blaine, it was redemption, the start of a new life for the two of them. He would give Kurt everything he deserved, lay the world at his feet, and in the process, he would stop being damned over one horrible mistake. But then Kurt devastated him by telling him that he didn't want it. He didn't want to be a vampire. Didn't want immortality.

It was like he was saying he didn't want Blaine.

Blaine became livid.

"What do you mean you don't want to be a vampire?" Blaine had roared.

"Blaine" - Kurt reached for a blanket to cover himself with - "please try and understand ..."

"Understand!? Understand, what!? That you'd rather die than be with me!?"

"Blaine! That's ridiculous! That's not what I mean!"

"What is there to understand!? We have an opportunity! Finally an opportunity to be together, and you're going to just … just … throw it away!?"

"It's not an opportunity," Kurt shot back with equal fire, not willing to back down from the person he fondly referred to as 'his demon boyfriend'. "It's damnation! You said so yourself!"

"It was damnation because I wouldn't be able to have you," Blaine explained, still furious. "But now, I can. We can. We will."

"No, Blaine," Kurt said, holding firm. "No, I won't allow ..."

"Won't allow what?" Blaine laughed cruelly. "Can you fight me? No, you can't! When you're sick and dying and incapacitated, will you be able to fight me!? No!"

Kurt gasped, horrified, and had Blaine been human, he would have stopped. Would have apologized. Would have felt sorry. But as a vampire, he could only fully negotiate one emotion at a time.

To the outside observer, that emotion seemed like rage.

But it was hurt.

"But ..."

"End of discussion!" Blaine grabbed Kurt's wrists and pinned him to the bed. He smiled wide, showing every one of his gleaming white teeth and razor sharp fangs. "You are mine, and you will be mine for all of eternity!"

With that, he buried himself deep into Kurt's body, fucking his boyfriend with more force than he would have normally, but it was the only thing he could think of to do to get his point across. Kurt was his – his to claim. That's how his brain saw things now, in stark absolutes.

Blaine was so devastated by Kurt's resolve to die, so frightened, he never said the one thing that truly mattered.

I don't want you to die, to disappear, because there's no way I could survive in this world without you. I don't think I have the strength to follow you. Because even though what I'm doing now is essentially existing, not living, I'm not done with it yet.

It all seemed like yesterday to a monster with no concept of time, but for Kurt, it was a year of mundane tests and painful treatments, of hope and heartbreak, of crying alone in the oncologist's office, wishing Blaine were with him to hold his hand and kiss away his tears. There were times when he completely broke down that he could feel Blaine's presence in his mind, helping him stand taller, helping him carry on.

That was the Blaine Kurt remembered. That was the reason why he let Blaine stay with him. That's what he was holding on to.

Blaine made love to Kurt nearly every night up until the end, reveling in the taste of Kurt's blood, which became increasingly bitter as his disease progressed. He believed that it was only a matter of time. Despite Kurt's constant protests, they would spend eternity forever.

The prospect of death would change Kurt's mind. He would fold. Once the certainty of death took hold, Kurt would beg Blaine for the change.

But Kurt is a stronger man than Blaine gave him credit for.

"Blaine," Kurt mutters weakly, breaking Blaine from his thoughts. "It's … it's just not natural."

Blaine can feel Kurt's breathing grow slow and faint, the once vibrant spark of life inside of him fading. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"And this is natural? Dying before you've even had the chance to live is natural? Leaving me here alone … that's natural?" Blaine can't help his anger now, can't help it when Kurt seems so willing to throw away everything they have together. Blaine feels bloody tears threatening to fall, but he refuses to let them.

No. Kurt doesn't know. He doesn't understand. There is too much at stake to succumb to petty, stupid, human things … things that lesser beings would consider natural.

"Blaine …" Kurt breathes painfully "… I love you. I do … but please … don't do anything stupid."

Blaine hears Kurt's plea, an argument already in mind. But the more those words seep into his psyche, break past the veil of anger, he smiles. Kurt has just given him his loophole.

Don't do anything stupid.

Sitting here and watching Kurt die would be stupid.

Not doing something to save Kurt's life would be stupid.

Anyone would agree.

"Don't worry, my darling," Blaine says soothingly. "I won't do anything stupid. I promise."

Kurt relaxes, finally at peace, as his final few breaths rattle around in his lungs. Blaine kisses Kurt, gently lingering over his lips, waiting for the perfect moment … that second between the end of life and the beginning of death when Blaine will make his move.

Maybe Kurt will be angry. Maybe Kurt will even hate him. But Blaine doesn't care. As long as Kurt isn't dead. Quite on the contrary. He'll have all of eternity to forgive him.