A/N: So, we've reached the very end of this story. This is by far the longest thing I've ever written, and I would like to give huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed, added to favorites, alerts and etc. for keeping up with me for so long and encouraging me to go on. You are really awesome! =D

Also, I should warn you that this is rather soppy. I'm not even sure it's in character, but anyways...

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"I could swear you'd already been aware of that fact for at least four years!"

Even now, she jokes about her disease. But I know her voice, I can distinguish the dryness and the slight hint of exasperation in it.

Of course, she still hasn't found out that I know. And she's still not willing to tell me herself. Guess I'll have to push it, then.

"You've started displaying symptoms".

As I expected, her face goes paler than paper, her eyes widen immediately. She never controls herself fast enough to lie when surprised, her expression always busting her out. Words cannot deny what her reaction has already admitted, and she knows that.

"Bu-but... how...?"

"Did the time you spent away from me make you forget how much we know each other? It took me way too long, but I eventually realized that that would be the only thing to make you leave me out of nothing, without a single word. This is what I was thinking before I was... hit. I was running because I needed to talk to your father and get to you as soon as I could. Remy, how could you leave like that? Didn't you think I would want to be with you?"

She lets herself fall onto the chair, still never letting go of my hand. She leans forward, resting her forehead on her other arm, which, on its turn, is resting beside me on the bed, in front of her.

She doesn't answer my question and silence reigns for about a minute. Then, I hear a sob, and another, and another, muffled by the mattress.

I see her shoulder shaking, the bones so visible under her skin. She hasn't been feeding herself well enough without me.

I free my hand from her grasp and raise it just enough to reach her head and rest it on it. As I do so, her sobbing increases. I don't try to shush her or make her stop crying; I know she needs to cry. Instead, I just stroke her hair.

When her breathing starts to even, it's my turn to say that I'm here, that I won't let her leave me ever again.

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"I'm dying, Allison. Not like in 'I'm getting older and someday I'll die'. I'm dying as in 'I'm degenerating before your eyes, and I have just a few years left, during which I'll be getting worse and worse every day'. Do you really want to see that? Do you really want to feel this kind of pain all over again?"

"Yes, I do. Of course, if I could really choose, I'd have the 'seeing you everyday', without the 'dying' part. But, as this is not possible, I'll much rather have both than none. Because the pain I'll feel, and I won't deny I will feel pain, will certainly be nothing compared to the joy of having you in my life, and to the pain I'll feel if you don't let me be with you until the very last second."

She's crying again, and I'm crying again. Fuck, when did we both get this sentimental?

I don't care. All I know is that I need her, I need her so much. I need to look at her, to be with her, to touch her. Every cell of my body craves for her every minute, and, being this close to her again, I don't think I'm strong enough to resist that temptation. And I have to tell her so.

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"I need you, Al. I can't be without you."

I know how hard it is for her to make that kind of confession. She's evolved so much, emotionally-wise, over the time we've been together, but she's still not very comfortable admitting she's not as self-sufficient as she's spent so many years trying to pretend she is.

I'm grateful she's doing that for me. I reach for her hand, feeling stronger by the minute. I'm not really sure if I'm recovering that fast, or if her presence is what's giving me strength. I intertwine our fingers, never taking my eyes away from hers.

"Rem, you don't have to be, ever. You have me. Always had, always will. We'll go through this together."

"What if you hate me when I start snapping and yelling at you all the time?"

I know her fears are motived: she knows better than I do how she's going to act a few years from now, and she knows how hard it's gonna be for everyone close to her. She even hated her own mother because of that, and she's never completely overcome the pain it causes her to know she didn't even say goodbye to her, because she was too angry for that.

But she was a kid; I'm not. I know what to expect, at least in theory, and I'm putting up with it out of my own volition, not forced like she was. And I'm sure I couldn't ever, for anything in this world, hate her, even if I tried to.

"When you snap, or yell, or anything similar, I'll remember all the sweet words you've already said to me. And I will love you, and I will take care of you, and I'll be grateful you're with me."

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She's the only one who has that effect on me. She can take all my fears and melt them away and calm me down with one look, one word, one touch. I cave in completely.

I promise my own self that, selfish as it might be, I won't ever leave her again. She's my whole life, my whole heart, and no-one can live without a heart. I should know.

I climb onto her bed, careful not to touch her left side, which might still be sore from the crash. I lie on my side and carefully slide one arm under her shoulder, bringing her head to rest on my neck. My other hand strokes her cheek lightly.

Lying like this with her, feeling the heat of her body against mine, I don't think I could ever feel a deeper and bigger love than I do right now.

And the last tears I cry this day are tears of joy.

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When she climbs onto my bed and nests herself beside me, I know I have won. I know I have convinced her, at least for now.

I also know this won't be the last time we have this talk. We'll probably repeat it after every time she has a tremor, a twitch, every time she drops something, or falls, or yells...

But I'll never give up. Every time we talk, I'll reason with her, I'll show her all over again that she belongs with me, no matter what. And I'll keep making her see that I'm right.

I know she can't ever deny me anything, and I'll even use that against her if necessary, but she won't ever leave me again.

She leads my head to her neck and I let it rest there, beaming at that contact. I wish I had a little more mobility so that I could curl into her arms, but I'll have to wait for that. I take what I can get. A smile forms on my lips as she strokes my cheek.

Lying like this with her, feeling the heat of her body against mine, I don't think I could ever feel a deeper and bigger love than I do right now.

And the last tears I cry this day are tears of joy.

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THE END!

I'd really appreciate some feedback of the whole thing, if you could take the time...

Thank you again for reading this!

See you again soon, hopefully. And I mean really soon, since I already have a few plot bunnies in mind. XD