Disclaimer: Spoilers through chapter 177 of the manga. Thank you for reading this, and a big shout out and thank you to LICKITYSPLIT, my love and soul who's helping me write this! I could never had made it through the second paragraph without you. God bless alcohol.

Chapter one: Time Doesn't Stop

"Take me… there."

"But…"

"I'm begging you."

The wind swirled around Elizabeth as she was swept out of the castle by Gilfrost's magic. She closed her eyes and held her breath, and it took only a moment for her feet to touch the ground. Only a moment between standing inside the safety on the castle hundred of miles away, to here. Her stomach lurched at being back, in this place where just a few hours ago everything seemed so very different; it seemed like a lifetime away. She peered through the dust and smoke that surrounded her.

"Sir Meliodas!" she shouted, her voice echoing and she started to walk, coughing against the harsh air as each step felt more unsteady than the last. "Please answer me!" She hurried, the silence pressing in around her, and the only other sound other than the clicking of her boots on the rock beneath her was the sound of her heart pounding in her head.

When she found him, it was worse than she had ever feared.

Seeing him in the orb did nothing to prepare her for the sheer gruesomeness of his body pierced with the swords, his missing arm, and how his face was almost aguishly peaceful. Blood covered everything; his pants, his skin, his hair and down his chin, the ground. What was not drenched in blood was battered or broken or bruised or missing.

But it was the utter stillness that brought the choking sob into her throat. The utter finality. Meliodas was always doing something: talking, planning, fighting, drinking. Laughing or looking or watching over her in the corner of his eye. He would even toss around and murmur in his sleep. She could not think of another moment when he was so very, very still.

The tears began, streaming down her face. These tears felt like no other, nothing ever as heavy and unwanted as these. "There you are… Sir Meliodas…" She half expected him to sit up and wink at her, to ask her what was wrong. To crack open a eye and tell her his secret plan that was a trickery against the Ten Commandments. That this, this agony was a lie, and not to be afraid. Her hand went to cover her mouth as she approached.

She knelt next to him, pulling him up by the shoulders and cradling him closely. His skin was cold and slick with the blood and sweat. "Please," she choked. Suddenly the full weight of the moment hit her, and she became overwhelmed. No, not like this. With a sob she held him so very close. "Not like this," she whimpered. The tears flowed like rivers down her face, and she could do nothing but sob, not finding any reason not to fall into the darkness of despair as her fingers gripped him tightly, and she held his head against her shoulder.

On and on she cried; she wept at every thought and every single moment and every touch and every smile, all the hopeful dreams where they would have stayed together, by each other's side, until it was just them in a Boar's Hat; she thought that she would never stop sobbing. Elizabeth could barely breathe, until finally she tilted her head back and wailed. All of her anguish was poured into that cry, her voice finally rising into a scream that echoed through the clearing.

Then, it was over.

Her hysterics faded as she was left sitting on the ground, completely empty. Elizabeth looked down at the body- this wasn't Meliodas, this was just an empty and cold shell- and she held it and welcomed the numbness that took over. It terrified her to know she wouldn't fight it, and it consumed her as it filled her mind. She trembled slightly as exhaustion took her. Her head dropped to her chest and her shoulders slumped.

Whether it was seconds, or hours, or years, Elizabeth could not tell. She simply sat, staring at his face. Her once bright eyes were dull, lacking life. Her mind and her heart were empty, blank. What had it been before, and what life was it now that he was gone? For a brief moment she wondered if the Ten Commandments were still somewhere nearby, but she was too numb to even feel fear. Let them come, she thought.

She was so engulfed in her grief, her heart so heavy in her chest, that at first she did not feel the pinprick on the back of her neck. It felt like a mosquito landing, and she turned her head, annoyed to be disturbed. But then the winds came again, and she suddenly realized that Gilfrost was going to transport her back. "Not yet!" she shouted, and gripped Meliodas even more tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut as the air churned around her.

Then, Elizabeth woke up.

Staring up at the ceiling she blinks again and again, laying unmoving in a giant bed. What, how? She should have been awake, when did she fall asleep? She raises a hand up and gasps to see she was devoid of armor, of the blood she had gotten on her fingers. Covers of plush sheets and the most comfortable pair of pillows she'd rested on are against her head, and she takes deep breath after deep breath. She is safe, tucked away and comfortable.

Which is a problem.

This is a room fit for royality, everything the most highest quality as she spots the large oak carved furniture, the ornate rugs, the strangely personal knick knacks, and rich curtains hangings above the banister. This room is… strangely comfortable and seemingly familiar, even if she can't quite put a finger on why. Where is she? She starts to stir further, sitting up slowly as the blankets fell away. She runs a nervous hand over her sleeping gown that has bunched up by her hips and she nervously bites her lip.

Turning her head to the side she absentmindedly notices two large patio doors leading out to a balcony, a large intricate golden frame around a painting of the Boar's Hat of all things, and…

And her breath sticks in her throat.

"S-sir- Sir Meliodas?" Her voice trembles, the words cracking as she suddenly feels extremely light headed.

He is there. Laying still, peacefully on his stomach with an arm under his pillow as his chest rises and falls, slowly. His cheeks have a slight blush of life to them, his mouth is slightly parted as he takes small breaths. He looks so peaceful.

And alive.

For a long moment she stares at him, trembling. She is gripped with a sudden terror, wondering what has been done to her. Has she snapped- perhaps losing a love can make a person lose their sanity? Slowly she moves, her limbs trembling terribly while she tries to climb out of the bed, hoping she could get away before the person next to her hears.

The figure sighs and stirs. "Elizabeth?" he mumbles groggily, and the voice grips her heart. Her face whirls back sharply, a panic starting to rise in her throat. It's his voice, his voice, his, but it's not him, this isn't real. Meliodas is dead. He was still in the vast wasteland, not sleeping here.

Her heart skips a beat. She wants to believe it is him, oh how she wished she did, but there is something wrong. She squints and peers closer in the dim light of the room, and can tell immediately that his face was too pink with life, his face different from just moment ago. It's subtle changes, some things here and there that she almost couldn't fully pinpoint, but whoever this is, it is not the person she just held in Vaizel.

Not, it is not him. Fear fills her again, and she bites her lip to withhold a whimper before she tries again to move away.

Only for a hand to then reach out and grip her waist, pulling her back down against the bed before she can escape. The figure moves over her, and Elizabeth gives a squeak. His head falls against her neck, and she finds herself halfway covered by him, his leg wrapping around hers as his arm tightens against her back. He murmurs against her skin, and Elizabeth trembles.

She places shaking hands against his shoulder and gives a small push. "Let me go," she whimpers. It comes out like a half sob. "Please."

"What's the matter?" he mumbles lightly. His voice is so very painfully comforting; she needs him to stop. He shifts closer to her, nuzzling against her and she can only describe the feeling like knives against her already cracking heart. It hurts. "Did you have a nightmare or something?"

"Who are you?" she chokes.

The figure stills for a moment. Then he lifts his head, his eyes partially blocked by the bangs that fall into his face. "What?" he asks sleepily.

"Who are you?!" she yells this time, pushing hard against his shoulders as he jolts fully awake. He lets go and she scrambles away, pushing blankets and pillows towards him as she kicks her feet free. She tumbles out of the bed and she lands with a thud, the blanket now twisted around her leg.

The figure jumps up, climbing around the bed towards her. "Elizabeth?" he calls. "Are you all right?" He moves closer, and she fights to free herself, pushing herself away from the bed with her hands as she pulls her legs out of the heap of linens. Elizabeth scrambles up and tries to run, but she knocks into the bedside table, crying out in pain as she bangs her knee.

She doesn't get far, as now the figure is just there, in her way faster than she can blink. She grips her nightgown with her trembling hand, gasping for breath as she suddenly finds she can't get enough of it. She feels his hands settle on her arms, rubbing up and down gently. "What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself?"

His voice sets her shaking again. How can he have Meliodas' voice? How can he have his face so perfectly- nothing like the trickster Imps. It was too perfect, and she closes her eyes and shakes her head, willing herself to stay on her feet. She bites her lip to keep from screaming. This is too much to take.

"Please," she finally croaks as he takes a step closer. She opens her eyes, meeting the gaze of the man standing in front of her. Everything tilts at an angle.

"Elizabeth." His hands on her are strong and sure, grounding her for a moment, and his green eyes look back at her, his brows furrowed in concern. His blond hair is slightly askew, messed from the struggle in the bed, and his expression, oh...

Her limbs tingled in an unpleasant manner, and spots began appearing in her vision.

"Who are you?"

He pauses, his expression closing off in a way she knows. But then suddenly he smiles. "Elizabeth, calm down. You've just had a bad dream. It's me, Meliodas."

"NO!" Her scream surprises them both, and he instantly lets go of her arms. She pushes past him in a frenzy and runs, bolting from the room.