Love & Loss

Chapter 62

Nico's POV:

Khloe sniffled quietly beside me.

The effects of our previous conversation was still eating away at both of us in waves.

Which was effectively making it even more difficult to allow sleep to take either of us.

I pulled her tighter against me, hoping to aid in some kind of greater comfort that might allow her to rest.

In turn, she rubbed her face against my chest while her hands gripped my shirt at the torso.

I knew this went deeper for her than just leaving me.

She had made somewhat of a life here for herself.

Not only that but she was leaving behind friends.

Doe, Xander, Lily...

Which was one of the reasons I wanted Marcus with her.

Not just for protection, but for companionship.

The absolute last thing I wanted for her during this time was for her to be alone.

And Marcus was the only other person here that understood this circumstance.

I had talked to him earlier to tell him what the plan was.

He too was shocked and hesitant, but in the end, agreed to go with whatever I had planned.

I knew that he too would be leaving people behind.

People who would never know what happened to them.

I had asked both Khloe and Marcus to not mention a single word of this plan to anyone.

The fewer people who knew about their whereabouts, the less chance of it somehow making its way to my father.

Meaning that I would even be leaving my own brother in the dark.

He would probably figure it out eventually, regardless of me explaining it to him.

He'd know something else entirely was going on behind the scenes.

A part of me knew that Xander wouldn't approve of this plan, but what other choice did I have?

I think the conversation with my mother solidified the fact of helplessness that this whole situation had given me.

At the start of it, I had actually gained a bit of hope.

With all of the words she said to me, I thought that maybe, just maybe, she would understand.

That maybe she would understand my situation and help me. Maybe even turn Khloe herself or at least aid me in what I was trying to accomplish.

Maybe even aid me with protecting her.

All of which, I came so close to bringing up.

The words were there on my tongue but died the moment she spoke the one word that effectively shut me down.

Vampire.

'whoever that Vampire may be.'

She said it with such a specific, almost enhancing tone that caused any built-up hope to flee in the blink of an eye and left me silent.

I knew that I could have still asked, or at least suggested something to her, but I didn't want to risk something going wrong.

I didn't want to risk Khloe's safety and well being on a 'what if'.

So for now, the plan that we had would be the one that we went with.

If it changes, then it changes, but for now, all I needed was a grounded plan.

I just needed her to be safe so I could begin to actually think straight again.

I glanced down at her, the golden edges of her ring barely reflecting the subtle glow of my eyes in this darkness.

Her eyes were misty, staring ahead and looking at nothing in particular as thoughts passed through her mind.

I savored her warmth for the moment, knowing that soon it would be absent from me.

Now more than ever I wanted to make sure I wasn't taking any small thing about her for granted.

I wanted to cherish her every second of these last days I had with her.

I didn't want us to dwell on what was to come and let these three days slip by painfully.

With these last days, I want to be able to look back on them and remember her smile.

Her smile, her laughter, and her gentle touches.

And I wanted her to have some fond memories as well.

With that set in my mind, I carefully shifted myself down so we were face to face.

Her eyes widened with question at my actions.

With the most comforting smile I could muster, I wiped the dampness from her cheeks, tucking back her hair in the process.

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

The questioning glance intensified on her face, so I kept talking.

"I don't want this to happen with our last days being filled with depressing silences and constant tears. I want these to be our best days yet."

Her features softened at my words, her hand tangling with mine as I offered it.

I could take off work save for getting her things in order.

It's not like I won't have plenty of time to make up for it after she's gone.

She thought for a few seconds before answering.

"I don't care what we do," She began, her tone quiet and a bit ragged, "I just want to be with you."

I nodded, a variety of things I believed she'd enjoy popping into my head.

No worrying, no sadness. Just us.

"I'm all yours then. From now until then I won't leave your side."

Her grip tightened on me as slight pink tink came across her face.

She looked away for a moment, chewing her bottom lip.

"I-I... um," Her words were quiet to begin with but tapered off almost instantly.

Catching the basic gist of what she was trying to convey, I tilted her chin with my free hand and ever so softly brought her lips to mine.

A small hiccup escaped her from the contact, but little by little she relaxed.

We melded into each other as we always did.

A perfect fit in perfect harmony that seemed to be able to come from just her and me.

In the back of my mind, that thought and realization ached, knowing I was going to miss this more than anything

Miss her and everything that she came with.

But in an odd sense, when she moved her hand to the back of my neck to pull me closer, it became a distraction.

Given that this was the beginning of our last moments for a while, I guess we could start with this.

Yeah... We could start with this.