Haaa. I can't help but feel like this chapter is more unrealistic than the rest! I know there should be more shock and denial, but... I can't write thaaaat~ So... I dunno. I do like parts of this, though. So. Hope it's still a little enjoyable.

"Baby, what happened?" Kyle's warm hands rubbed my arms to heat me back up. I wrapped my arms around me and shuddered.

"I-- I don't know." I was starting to get dizzy, and I sat down on Ky's bed.

"Hold on, Dae. I'm going to go get the first-aid kit."

I nodded. Kyle must have ran, because he was back soon.

"Let me see, sweetie," he said. I tilted my head to the side, and he tore off the strip of fabric I'd wrapped around my neck. "Oh, gods… Dae…"

"Is it bad?" I whispered.

Kyle didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out a cloth and held it tightly to my neck. I flinched away, but he stayed firm.

"We have to stop the bleeding, babe."

"Can't you just call 911?" I asked tiredly.

"…not with the way it's looking right now." I raised my eyes questioningly, but he ignored me.

"Ky, why…?"

"You haven't seen the news lately, have you?"

"No…?"

Kyle sighed. "I should've made you stay here. I shouldn't have let you walk home." The hand that wasn't holding the cloth against my neck traced my shoulder gently. "I love you, Dae. I always will."

"Kyle, what… what aren't you telling me?"

"Dae, baby… the, uh… apparently, one of the government's test subjects escaped."

I blinked at him. Wasn't the government testing something potentially fatal? No, he was talking about something else. He meant something else.

"Damon, sweetie, they're testing a virus. Whatever… attacked you… was infected. And apparently, it's contagious."

My eyes widened. I pulled Kyle's hand off of my neck and pushed him away. "I-if I'm going to turn into him… then… stay away. I… I don't want you to catch it, too. And…" And I don't want to kill you, either. I started to climb back out of his window, but he stopped me.

"Wait, Dae-- at least let me finish with your neck."

I shook my head. I was too afraid of something happening to him. If what he said was true, then I was dangerous. What if I hurt him? What if I… bit him, like… like what happened to me?

"Damon." Kyle ran to me and kissed me warmly. "I still love you, no matter what."

I kissed him and blinked back tears. "I love you, too, Ky." I had to look away before I cried. I had to stay away from him if this was all true. If I hurt him… I'd never forgive myself.

"Dae, you'll die if you don't let me help you."

If I was going to become what attacked me, then that didn't seem like such a bad thing. I didn't want to hurt anyone.

"I'll be fine," I lied, trying to hide the way my body wanted to sway.

Kyle's face hardened a little. "Damon, sit your ass down and let me take care of you, or I will tie you up."

My eyes widened, and I obediently sat down on his bed. Saying no to Ky when he was like this was really hard, and I found I didn't really want to. I wanted him to make everything go back the way it was. I wanted to believe that I wasn't going to become a monster. I wanted to believe that when he said he would still love me, he was telling the truth.

But he didn't see what I would become. He didn't suffer through the agony of someone tearing into his neck. He didn't see how cold and cruel the man was. It was hopeless. He couldn't love a monster.

"Dae… Dae, baby," Kyle whispered soothingly, "What's wrong?"

I looked up, tears blurring my vision. "I'm… I don't want you to hate me."

Kyle's free hand-- one had risen to apply pressure against my neck-- wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I could never hate you," he whispered. "I love you, and there is absolutely nothing that is going to change that."

I shook my head. "You should've seen him, Ky. It's… it's horrible. I should leave."

"Damon Dulayne, you are going to sit here until I'm finished with your neck," he said firmly. "And… after that… if you still want to leave, I won't try to stop you anymore." His voice got quieter, and I tore my eyes away. I didn't want to see him sad, either. I already wanted nothing but to curl up in his arms and wake up, knowing this was just a bad dream, a nightmare and nothing more. But the real world didn't work that way. I couldn't just wish everything away. It wouldn't happen like that.

Kyle peeled the cloth from my neck. "It looks like it's stopped bleeding, Dae." He stood and grabbed my hand. I realized that he was being so affectionate because he knew I was going to leave, and I blinked back more tears. I didn't want to think about it. I wanted Kyle to fix everything. He always did. Why couldn't he make this okay? "C'mon, let's go wash it," he said, tugging on my hand.

I smiled sadly and followed him. I knew I'd have to leave, but I really didn't want to. The longer I was with him the more I wanted to just lie down and ignore everything that had happened. Kyle promised that he would still love me. But I didn't want to hurt him. If I hurt him… I'd die.

"Damon…"

"Mm."

"Do you really have to leave?"

"Ky, he… you're looking at what he did to me. I don't want to do this to you."

"But, even if you leave, Dae, if you want to, you know where to find me. You don't have to go."

I looked up at him. He was right. If I wanted to hurt him, running away wouldn't solve anything. That meant… all I could do to save him was submit to the government. Ky would stop me. I'd have to do it without his knowledge.

"…then, you're not afraid of me?"

"Gods, no, Dae," he breathed. "I know you better than anyone. You wouldn't hurt me if you could help it." But what if I can't? I had to find a way to keep myself from him. I would willingly die to keep him safe. But I knew how much that would hurt him, and I didn't want to cause him any pain.

"Ky, I…"

"Damon, please don't. Don't argue." He dabbed at my neck around the wound with a wet washcloth.

I whispered, "Okay. Okay."

He leaned forward and kissed my jaw. "Thanks." I winced when he touched one of the new holes in my neck, and he traced my cheekbone apologetically. "I just… I feel like if you're doing this for me, if you're running away to keep me safe… I should have a say."

Oh, don't say that, Ky. Don't make this harder for me than it is. I closed my eyes against his sad, attentive face. Don't look at him, I told myself. Don't make this so difficult. Don't look into his beautiful eyes.

"Dae. I love you, baby," he whispered. "Babe, don't shut me out."

I bit my lip. Don't cry, Damon. You're stronger than that. Don't. Don't cry. Don't. Stop. Hold back those tears. But I couldn't. I wrapped my arms tightly around Kyle's neck and cried, hard.

"I love you, too," I sobbed into his shoulder. "I love you so fucking much, and I want to stay here forever, Ky, but I just can't."

He slowly wrapped his arms around me. "I didn't expect you to," he said quietly. "I just want to pretend for a while… that you'll sleep here with me, and you'll still be here when I wake up…"

I held on to him tighter. "Me, too." Maybe just for tonight, it was okay to pretend that this hadn't happened. Just until morning.

Please review, even if it's only to be all, "RAWRTHISCHAPTERSUUUCKEEED."