A/N I've wondered if Steve had ever regretted everything he'd done and ever forgiven Darren for "betraying him." What did he think about in the Lake of Souls? Well, probably not about how he had loved Darren and what if they didn't die and could have been together forever... But I love StevexDarren so I thought I'd write about that.

It's so dark here, so dark… why can't there be light? Just a little? Is this my punishment for everything I've done, everyone I've killed? Must be. But I don't regret it… at least not most of it….

It had been almost two years since Darren and Steve had killed each other. Steve spent most of his time in the Lake of Souls trying to forget he was dead. Making up wild stories where there was a different ending, where he had triumphed over Darren and led the vampaneze to victory… but they brought little comfort. Steve had begun to think more and more about Darren, and the endings to his stories began to change a bit… in some he and Darren were both alive and their feud was over… Darren had forgiven Steve for everything he had done and they were together and happy….

Darren… where is he? Probably not here… but he may be… he's not perfect either… why do I care? It's not like he means anything to me… right? What we had years ago is long gone… I haven't felt that way about him in a long time… I'll never feel that way again… right? Right?

In addition to the stories, Steve had begun to think about when he and Darren were kids… slowly he allowed himself to remember what he had felt about Darren then…. The first time they had kissed was when they were at Steve's house after school, looking through old vampire comics. It had been incredible and amazing and the most wonderful thing. After that time Steve couldn't stop thinking about Darren. They became inseparable, spending every day together. Until Darren was blooded and Steve's world fell apart. When Darren left, Steve had felt pain like never before, scorching, unbearable pain. He did everything he could to stay busy, try to forget about Darren. Nothing had worked until he'd gotten involved with the vampaneze.

Did he really hate me? I'm the one who should hate him… he betrayed me… I do hate him… I hate him… I do… really… I wish I could see… is he here? Wherever he is, what's he thinking about? Is he laughing about this? Laughing about his triumph? I don't care….

Even with the distraction of the vampaneze, when Steve had met Darren in that alleyway for the first time in many years, the old feelings began to stir again, no matter how hard he tried to stop them. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Darren, and even though he knew he had to eventually kill him, he couldn't help how fast his heart beat whenever he accidently brushed against the prince… But then he'd had to reveal his true self, and he remembered the expression on Darren's face when he stood behind Debbie with the knife pressed to her throat. Though since then the two had fought a couple more times, Steve's heart was only half in it. In the end, in that final battle, even when he was stabbing Darren, killing him, he felt pain and regret to some extent. And now it was all over. He'd never had the chance to tell Darren how he truly felt about him… never had the chance to apologize… to find out what Darren really thought of him….

Darren… I want to see you… Please… just once more… I love you… Daren, I love you….