Jem turned back to Aislynn, his silver eyes full of worry. "She's barely hanging on." He said, turning back to Will. "Yeah, but she's getting better." "How do you know?! She hasn't waken up in three days and her breathing constantly comes and goes!" "Calm down James." Will said in a calming voice. Jem nodded and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry Will, I haven't had a decent night's rest in a while with this going on." "Get some."

Jem had been sitting at Aislynn's beside for days since the last time he and Will had talked, still thinking it over. He had his hands clasped around Aislynn's limp one and his forehead pressed against them.

"Jem, how-how could you?" She asked, still in her endless sleep.

"How could I what?"

"Goodbye, forever." She said, causing Jem's eyes to widen. He shook her and whispered her name when she did not wake.

"Aislynn!" He said louder, shaking her violently. Her eyes flew open and Aislynn looked at Jem, breathing heavily. He smiled at her and she dropped her head onto the pillows behind it.

"What do you want Jem?" She asked sleepily.

"You said goodbye forever so I woke you to make sure you didn't die."

"Oh, can I go back to sleep now?"

"Yeah. Rest well dear." She smiled and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

Will looked down at his shaking hands as he walked to the window where he had first met Aislynn, and their meeting spot from that day on. He sat on the sill and gazed out the window, remembering his first day at the Institute. Aislynn had appeared, looking for a friend, a balm, to shield her from thinking about her past life and she had found that with Jem, but not him. It was a nice sentiment when he thought of it, but thoughts didn't really matter to him right now. He wanted his parabatai back, he wanted his parabatai to be happy, he wanted Aislynn to be well again. But, knowing that she was only going to get worse, he didn't want to get Jem's hopes up.

"Will, what are you doing?"

"Oh, James! I didn't hear you come in!" Will said, standing up. Jem smirked at his parabatai and they both walked back to the infirmary.

"What do you want James?"

"Aislynn wants to talk to you."

"So she's awake?"

"For the moment." Jem stated, hesitation in his voice. Will placed a hand on his parabatai's back and looked him in his silver eyes.

"Are you okay?" Jem nodded and they entered the infirmary, where they found Aislynn sleeping.

"Oh, no, not again." Jem mumbled to himself. He walked up to Aislynn's side and turned to face Will.

"Sorry you didn't get to talk to her."

"Don't be."

Jem turned back to Aislynn, his silver eyes full of worry.

"She's barely hanging on." He said, turning back to Will.

"Yeah, but she's getting better."

"How do you know?! She hasn't waken up in three days and her breathing constantly comes and goes!"

"Calm down James." Will said in a calming voice. Jem nodded and rubbed his temples.

"I'm sorry Will, I haven't had a decent night's rest in a while with this going on."

"Get some." Jem shook his head.

"No, I need to be with her."

"Well, you can't keep going on like this."

"I can if I want to!" Jem said, choking on the last words and bursting out into a fit of coughing. Will rushed to Jem's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"James, have you taken it recently?" Jem shook his head and Will cursed to himself in Welsh and ran up to Jem's room, grabbing a cup of water and sprinkling some yin fen into the water, fogging it up. He ran back down to the infirmary where he saw Jem on his knee, still coughing blood onto the floor.

"Jem. Jem, here." Will said, shoving the glass of water into his parabatai's hand. Jem drank it and thanked Will, handing him the glass. He tilted his head up and wiped the blood off of his face around his mouth. He stood and grabbed a wet cloth to wipe the blood off of the floor.

Aislynn felt her eyelids fluttering open, hearing Jem saying something. She turned her head to see Will and Jem standing and facing each other, in deep conversation.

"James, you need to keep up with your drug. If not, you'll end up on your deathbed like Aislynn."

"Will, I would really hope that she isn't on her deathbed otherwise nothing will be the same."

"That's what I'm saying. She needs to get better, I know it might be impossible but she needs to get better. For your sake."

"I'm trying to keep nice thoughts in my head, Will, not negative thoughts."

"You love her James, don't let her down. Keep your own health up and it'll hopefully help keep her's up. Please, let her stay alive."

Aislynn closed her eyes when they started to turn their heads towards her. Jem gently placed a hand on her arm and shook her, causing her to open her eyes and look at him.

"Did you bring him?" She asked, sounding more awake than she meant to.

"I did. Will, she's awake."

"I noticed James." Will walked over to Aislynn's bedside and knelt down next to her.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"I did. James, please leave us. I must discuss this matter with Will in private."

"Yes Aislynn." Jem bowed and left, leaving Will and Aislynn in a room of silence.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"If I die, I want you to make sure that Jem live on. Please. I know he loves me and I feel the same way about him, please, he deserves to live his life longer than I."

"I refuse to discuss this matter right now."

"Will, death is immanent, I have already told the Brothers to stop applying the treatment. The poison was too great anyway. If I am even to survive, I'll be like Jem, a drug addict. And I refuse to live like that. I don't wish for him to see me in pain. Please, Will, do it for your parabatai's life. Not mine. Please." Aislynn's voice was pleading, causing Will's heart to beat with sympathy.

"Fine, I will do my best."

"Thank you. I heard what you said to Jem, that was sweet of you."

"You did?"

"Yeah. Thank you for the sentiment."

"It wasn't just sentiment. If you were to die, he would never be the same. He would be so broken, he would starve himself and stop taking his drug. But, I will try to keep him alive and well."

"Thank you, that will be all." Will nodded and stood, walking away and towards the door. He opened it and ran into Jem, who looked neutral. Aislynn closed her eyes, wanting to fall asleep again, but sleep never came. Jem sat down on the edge of the bed beside her and she rolled onto her side, pain shooting through her veins. She cried out once, but the pain was continuous, ripping through her veins like an endless stream on glass. She rolled back onto her back and cried out again, the pain worsening in her veins.

"Aislynn, Aislynn!" Jem called her name, but she didn't even look at him, for she was in too much pain to do such a task.

"Brother Enoch! Brother Enoch please help her!" Aislynn opened her eyes, pleading Jem. She grabbed his arm, using the strength she had left to get his attention.

Jem found himself looking into Aislynn's pain-filled eyes, her burning hand wrapped around her wrist.

"No, James. . . I am out of. . . Time. But time is something that you. . . do have. Spend it. . . wisely." Her grip loosened and Jem looked away, not wanting to watch her die.

"But-"

"Just do it!" Aislynn's grip loosened a little bit more, but she didn't let go of his arm.

"Please. I love you Jem. And I want you to live more than I ever will, just. Please." Then her eyes went glassy and her hand fell away from his arm.