In the Still of the Night

[Alana Finch]

Alana knew better than to think that she would sleep tonight. Her back was on fire, her new tattoo beginning the process of healing. The teenager could admit that the tattoo itself was beautiful, but the reason behind it, a literal brand to mark her as a Zhefarovich, was not. Nor was the painful application that had left the teenager alternatively crying and cursing out her professor, a memory that she’d never look back on fondly. It was just another step towards the wedding that she’d once determined to not be a part of. These days she’d almost resigned herself to it all, which some, like her father, considered a step in the right direction. Alana didn’t think so, but hardly anyone ever asked her about it.

With a sigh on the train of thought her mind had taken, the teenager dropped her feet to the floor and shuffled out of the bed, pulling her purple hoodie on over the tank top she’d worn to sleep as she made her way out of the bedroom that was hers when she was here. It was the middle of the night, so Alana tried her best to remain quiet as she made her way downstairs, wandering down hallways until she finally found a large window with a nice view. Taking a seat on the sill, Alana rested her head on the cold window pane, hoping to ease her mind so that she could eventually sleep.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

The tattoo that was placed onto the entirety of his back hurt like hell. Chaos Zhefarovich watched as Asparuh did the same thing to Havoc, and Havoc expressed nothing. It was rather freaky. Chaos, on the other hand, grimaced as the tattoo burned into what felt like his bones as well as his skin. It was a permanent mark that could never go away. The mark of the Zhefarovich. Afterward, he knew that Alana would be receiving the same thing. She may not be used to such pain, and caused Chaos to actually worry about her. She might not handle it very well. Tossing and turning in the night, he figured that he ought to go check on her. She may be like him, unable to sleep. Chaos managed to find Alana soon after he managed to actually move a fair bit. She was sitting by the window seal, looking outside. It might have been a nice view, but Chaos could barely admit that his might be a better. He had a thing for blondes, it seemed. Havoc had a similar taste, Chaos wagered.

"It is way past curfew. Shouldn’t you be asleep?" Chaos asked, leaning against the wall next to the window, making sure not to touch his back to it. Even the shoulder that felt the cool wall still caused him some discomfort. The pain that they felt, they were taught to believe that it was all for the sake of the family. Honor. That was all it boiled down to. Honor of the family. "That was a stupid question. How are you feeling, Alana?"​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana jumped as she heard Chaos' voice, her hand reaching to her pocket...which was empty. She'd left her wand upstairs. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and as she reached to put a hand over it in an attempt to soothe herself, Alana winced. It was the arm connected to the shoulder that had just been tortured tattooed. How the brothers managed to walk around so stealthily when they were as tall and wide as part-giants was beyond her. She took a deep breath and let it out, her heart rate returning to normal. "That's an even stupider question" she responded pointedly.

She turned slightly, easing her back and her shoulder slowly onto the cold window pane. She shut her eyes, the cold against her inflamed shoulder quite soothing. "I didn't realize your family was actually as creepy as I've always imagined them to be in my head" she stated, her red eyes staring up at Chaos boldly. The whole fanfare, the ceremony of it all had been equal parts intriguing and disturbing. She also hadn't realized how very many of them there were, a group big enough to fit a Hogwarts classroom had lined up for their tattoos, all apparently the same age.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos rolled his purple eyes as she said that was a worse question than the first one. Perhaps it was. He was just concerned for Alana. She did not know the full power and mystery that was dark and dreary of the Zhefarovich family. The secrets. The murders. It was all there. The Zhefarovich family left behind blood and destruction within their wake. Their own history was written in blood. It was not a good family to marry into, but somehow the women just flock. And the men. It was definitely something that Chaos wanted Alana to avoid, for her own sake. “I hoped that the family would have turned you away by the time the tattoo thing arrived. That way you could have your freedom, and not be influenced by my dark family.”

The boy bowed his head and looked toward Alana, with concern and emptiness within those purple orbs, “If you think this pain is bad, then you are in for hell. If Kalif or Asparuh make you learn the history, well, let’s just say that it will make what I tried to do to that mudblood look like a pie to the face.” Chaos turned his head away, leaning against the wall and hissing from the pain. He closed his eyes and wished that he was not going to be married to her. He didn’t want to get married. It made people weaker by a distraction. And Alana was his distraction now. “Enough about that, you never did answer my question. It isn’t like I care or anything. I’m simply curious.” Chaos lied. He did care. He just didn't want her to know.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana stared at Chaos for a second and then hid a laugh behind her hand. “Chaos Zhefarovich…you are not that naïve” she said, humor clear in her voice. “From the moment my father shook whoever’s hand, we were stuck with each other” she stated, rolling her eyes. Hadn’t Chaos spent years telling her and having others tell her that there was no way out of this. The sentiment was sweet, that he’d held out some hope that she’d find a way out, but as the years had gone on from that fateful handshake, Alana’s hope in getting out had dwindled and finally disappeared. She paled slightly as Chaos mentioned what he’d done to Logan being nothing compared to what might be still to come from his family. Alana didn’t like to think about that night. Her gaze dropped to the floor as he continued on. “Yes, enough” she quietly agreed, glad for the subject change.

There was a quizzical expression on Alana’s face when she lifted her gaze again, her red eyes staring right into Chaos’ purple ones for a brief second. Often enough for her to begin to pick up on, Chaos mentioned that he ‘didn’t care.’ It had happened often enough, that she was beginning to believe that he did care, though about what she wasn’t quite sure. The Slytherin didn’t think it was necessarily about her, but she hadn’t quite picked up on what it was that he didn’t care about. With a shrug that was followed by a wince once again, Alana decided to answer him. “I’m alright. It’s already hurting a little less.” The teenager moved towards the couch in the room, the chill from the window pane a little too much now. “I just can’t sleep on it, and I like to sleep on my back” she complained before realizing that if she was hurting, Chaos was even more so. “I guess I shouldn’t complain much. You had your whole back done.”

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos shrugged his broad shoulders and muttered, "No, I'm not that. I can be optimistic from time to time, though." He paused for a moment and he pointed out, "Your father shook hands of the then Patriarch, my uncle. He is pretty much the most powerful of us all. You will likely never see him." Chaos figured that Alana would likely not meet him for a long time, if ever. Asparuh was very much a reclusive person, and only emerged if needed. He and Danielle both stayed rather out of the way unless their presence were needed. It was almost a relief at the same time, a nightmare. It was as if they were looming over everyone. Chaos watched as Alana moved over to the couch in the area, before slowly walking toward her. At least she was not suffering as much. She would not inherit the same pain he went through. The purple eyed lad looked down toward the carpet, not really wanting to leave Alana alone until she could really get some sleep. After all, he would likely not sleep for days since he hated sleeping on his stomach.

"I prefer sleeping on my back as well. I feel like I am going to smother if I sleep any other way," Chaos sighed, as he reached around and touched the aching scars on his back. It was absolute murder. Chaos shrugged his shoulders, "People handle pain differently. If you want, I can show you what you received on your shoulder, in better detail. My back has all the smallest detail." Chaos was offering to show her what was done to him, even if it was not the best with the scabs from the blood, the swelling from the wand that was used on him. The details were still there in black. Chaos sat down on the couch next to her, placing his hands on his lap. This was the most honest that he had been with her, despite actually lying about how he did not care. He did, obviously. He just did not like showing it.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana listened to Chaos, her hands stuffed into the pocket of her hoodie as she did. She didn’t know who the patriarch was since the only other adult aside from his parents and the professors (that she knew of) who she'd met was Chao’s uncle. And, judging by the way that Chaos was talking about this patriarch person, it wasn’t him. Alana had never gotten the feeling that Chaos was scared of the uncle who had accompanied him to her house back when they’d first begun these sleepovers. “Oh my gosh. Me too” she laughed, having had similar thoughts about sleeping on her stomach. Of all things that they might have had in common, this was a strange thing for them to have in common. Her side was ok too, but even that would hurt tonight since she preferred the side where her tattoo now took up real estate.

As Chaos continued on, a smirk crossed the teenager’s face. “Are you offering because you want me to study the tattoo or...?” she teased, wondering when Chaos had decided to become such a helpful person. “Alright…off with it” she gestured towards the shirt, egging him on. If he wanted her to see the tattoo that badly, she’d take a look. She was intrigued about the design of the mark she'd bear for the rest of her life, though she was equally intrigued at Chaos’ sudden benevolence. If he was up to something, she'd play along and that kill it before anything started. She didn't like Chaos that much, even if he was being nicer these days.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos could not believe his ears. Did he just make Alana laugh? He was a little worried about it for a second, since she might be up to something. But that was Chaos just having his guard up. Eventually, he cracked a smile and chuckled, placing his hand over his mouth to cover it. It was a habit he formed to not show anyone that he was capable of such nonsense like smiling and laughing over something that was reasonable. At least they had something in common. Chaos didn't reply to it because Chaos figured that much was over. He did wonder from time to time if they had anything else in common. Furniture, art, something. And he was willing to figure it out if they had more time together and did not fight. Fighting seemed to happen less and less as he learned to control his mouth.

As she smirked, Chaos knew that she meant something else, and was teasing him. He flushed since he didn't really think anything else until she brought that up. He was about to say no, forget it until she ordered him to take off his shirt. Chaos closed his eyes and sighed. He turned his back on her for a moment, and said, "Please don't smack it. I would probably pass out or something." He pulled his shirt over his head, and set it to the side. Immediately, his skin tensed up from the change of temperature. He added, "If you want me to tell you what each thing means, I can. We learn what the crest means as soon as we are ten."​

 

[Alana Finch]

It wasn’t lost on Alana that she’d just given Chaos an order and he’d followed it. As he turned his back on her, the Slytherin allowed herself a smirk as she waited. She heard his words and frowned slightly. "Causing other people pain is more your style, Chaos" she replied. The idea of purposely causing someone pain wasn’t appealing to Alana. She’d seen her own tattoo in a mirror before it’d been covered up to keep it clean. Obviously, covering an entire back would have taken up quite a bit more bandage. The tattoo spanned his entire back, and as she took a step closer to see it better in the moon’s light, Alana nodded her head. “Tell me.” The two words leaving her lips almost of their own volition. Alana wondered what it was that had driven the Zhefarovich family to feel the need to permanently brand each other. Her family didn’t even have any heirlooms that she knew of, and though her father did have several tattoos, none were anything that were meant to carry on. They were all a bit silly, if Alana was being honest.

As Chaos finished explaining the tattoo, Alana couldn’t believe how much time had gone by. She yawned, her body realizing it well enough. “That was actually…interesting” she admitted. One thing she had learned from her encounters with Zhefarovich family members was that they all seemed to have such a high amount of pride for the family they’d been born into. For Alana, she didn’t hold that same level of fervor at being a Finch. She loved her surname, but her feelings towards her family didn’t hold a candle to what she had just heard. Glancing at the clock, Alana knew it was time to try and get at least a few hours of sleep. “Well, thanks for that” Alana stated, a small nod to Chaos as she got ready to head upstairs to her room. She still wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep, but she at least had to try.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos chuckled as she spoke about causing others pained seemed to be up his alley. Well, she was certainly not wrong. It was definitely what he liked to do, to those that he believed to wrong, or just overall inferior. The purebloods were after all the better of the bunch. His family were majority pure, though with Kalif now ruling, it did not seem as important to him as it was keeping the werewolves and the mudbloods out of the picture. Chaos did not care one way or another because his future was decided for him. Therefore, he did not need to worry about such things. However, Alana wanted to know, and so he divulged, going as far as describe the family motto, the crest and what all it means. There was such pride in the family that even Chaos seemed to hold such pride for it. It was his family. Chaos knew that not many would have understood the importance that family meant to them. Family was everything. It stretched back and back. Chaos knew a lot about the history, but the entirety. Only the ones specific within the family could know.

It seemed as though he had managed to impress, and tire out himself and Alana. She appeared to want to go to bed. The pain might have gotten to her to some point. He stood up as well to try to get some sleep. He spoke softly, reaching out to momentarily stop her. "Hang on a second." Chaos wanted to give her some last minute advice, "Keep the shoulder off the sheets. Even off the blanket. And..." Chaos made sure that she was off guard for just the few seconds he needed, to give her a kiss goodnight. He smirked and rested his hands at his side, "Have a good night's sleep, the best of your abilities." With that, Chaos too turned in another direction to find his own room to sleep in. At least they did not fight hardcore, but he was sure that she would not like his parting gift.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana had already taken a step away when Chaos called out, asking her to wait. She stared at him, wondering why he was repeating the aftercare instructions she'd been given by Styx. She hated when he felt the need to explain things to her, things she understood perfectly. Opening her mouth to say just that, Alana was caught way off guard by Chaos. "What the hell?" she muttered to his retreating steps before saying, more loudly in his direction, "Way to ruin a perfectly fine moment, Chaos!" She didn't even care if she woke up the rest of the house as she stomped her way to her room, having wiped her cheek viciously. How dare he ruin everything by kissing her? As she lay down, punching her pillow into submission, other replies flitted through her mind. She closed her eyes, still annoyed, and tried to drift off. Why had he done that? To annoy her? If that was the case, he'd truly succeeded.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

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It had been a few days since party at Alana’s friend’s house that turned into a disaster when her dad (or some sort of guardian since Saveli did not share the same last name) walked in early. Honestly, Chaos was a little relieved since he did not want to make the party worse and he would have if someone spoke to him about what he did. Curiously, though, some looked actually happy to see him, despite him thinking that it was all just a mask. After all, who would care about a potential murderer? Had he not missed, or Logan ducked at the right time, he would have taken that boy’s life. It astounded him, but it did make him see that he needed to get out a little more, and as soon as he was able, he would go to Brightstone and maybe attempt to get back into society instead of being locked away like an animal. By choice. At least that helped him to an extent. Chaos was in the kitchen, looking over the list of recipes and ingredients, making sure he got this right. He was making Alana’s favorite dish, received by her father. He wanted to impress her, once more.

Who would have thought that Chaos would have ever become a good cook? Well, his potion skills were through the roof by now, and cooking was very much like potions. Of course, everything he had to do was by hand, and by the end of it, he was tired, but at least the main stuff was done. He had no idea for dessert so he did something simple, which was bake chocolate chip cookies. Half were with sugar and the half were without as much, seeing as he was not a big fan of sugar. His had dark chocolate chips within them as well as mint. By that point, Chaos was doing everything he can to make the dough editable. Mint seemed to work. He quickly set the table, and placed the filled plates down as well. His cooking might be amazing, but his setting needed some work. Chaos went from the dining area to the living room where he managed to find Alana. He cleared his throat and said, “Dinner's ready.” This was supposed to be a surprise, but he didn’t know if she would have peeked on what he was doing or not. He didn’t have eyes in the back of his head.

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[Alana Finch]

It had been a long few weeks at Chaos’ house, and Alana was pretty eager to head home tomorrow. Her back had healed up nicely, though she was still growing accustomed to seeing the large bit of color on her back as she dressed. She hadn’t even had the opportunity to show it to Saveli before they’d been kicked out of her house party as Professor Pendleton had arrived home early. It had been fun while it lasted, though of course Chaos had dampened some of it with his attitude. Really, Alana didn’t know what Viviana had been thinking, but she wasn’t going to lay any of the blame on the Puff girl. It was all Chaos with his overreactions. Alana would continue to call him out on it, especially if their families expected them to marry. She would not have her husband just attacking people randomly, though if he was in Azkaban, it would be like they weren’t really married. Alana would need to ponder that idea a little more.

She’d gone down to the living room over an hour ago, sitting around and growing extremely bored. She’d been banned from entering the kitchen before Chaos’ parents and the rest of the family had gone out for the evening, leaving the pair alone. Alana had tried her best to peek in, spotting Chaos…cooking? Yes, that was what it was, she realized as familiar aromas filled the air. As Chaos entered the living room and called her to dinner, Alana stood up, a slightly confused expression on her face as she slowly walked into the room. “You did all of this? Alone?” Alana asked as she stopped at the table, quickly straightening one of the plates. It was nicer than she’d expected from him, and Alana almost wished she’d dressed up a bit more than the jeans and t-shirt she was sporting. Alana sat down slowly. “Why?” she asked, finally voicing her confusion.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

When asked that he did this all alone, Chaos gestured around for any elves, which were not there. His father was adamant on not having the servants. Plus Volos would have been mad. There was no point in trying to have one of those around here for making supper. Chaos gave a simple shrug, "Yeah. I am really good in potions, so cooking has become second nature. At least with this, I can try it to make sure it is perfect before handing it out." Chaos would never try any of his potions. They would have likely had some rotten effects, even when he did them correctly. Magic like that helped him overcome the ability to use a wand for everything. Chaos sat down at the table as well, sipping at the wine that his parents gave them. Without any alcohol of course. It tasted more like overpriced grape juice with bubbles or something to him. He poured Alana a glass, before adding, "Don't worry. Mom locked the actual good stuff. Dad wanted this to be as fancy as possible. At my request." Chaos would have been fine with tea, but this made the evening look more like a good date. Chaos wanted this to end in a positive note.

With a sigh, Chaos tried to fumble around words, thinking of how to explain why he went through all this trouble. The former Hufflepuff finally spoke, "I wanted this visit to be a pleasant experience in the long run. The tattoo was a nightmare for you, the party was a disaster. I'm going to start getting out more and socializing while you are at school. I've been around my family too much and forgot how others on the outside acted. In your world, I felt out of place. Like a fish out of water surrounded by annoying birds." Chaos paused for a moment, before feeling like this might be the perfect time. Chaos looked down at the plate, handling the fork and playing with his food for a moment. "I want to try because I care about you. I guess 'like' is the appropriate term." Chaos didn't want to add in that was the reason why he ended things with Scarlet. This was enough on her plate besides dinner.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana felt like she was in the middle of a rather odd dream, and under the table she reached to her hip to give herself a pinch. The pain that she felt was rather unwelcome, letting her know that she wasn’t in some bizarre dream. No, it was a bizzare reality. Reaching slowly for the glass he’d poured her, Alana was happy to hear it didn’t have any alcohol. “I see” she stated, still having trouble finding her voice as she tried to figure all of this out. The last thing she needed was to deal with a drunk Chaos. He was hard enough to deal with sober, and she wasn’t eager to get drunk with him or anyone anyway. Tasting the beverage, Alana wrinkled her nose at the taste. It wasn’t terrible, but she’d have preferred water or something else. Not that she was going to ask for it. The second sip tasted a bit better, and she figured it would probably taste better upon the third sip. Putting the glass back down as Chaos continued to speak, Alana put her hands back into her lap, her gaze still betraying her confusion as he spoke. Why did Chaos care so much about her how she’d been feeling? She was even more confused as he spoke about getting out more, recalling her own words to him about not inviting him to anything else. She’d thrown the statement out without really considering it, but Chaos had obviously taken it to heart. The girl let out a quick bark of a laugh as he described her friends as annoying birds. It wasn’t an inaccurate statement. Sometimes, they really could be annoying.

Alana hadn’t touched her food at all, and she slowly reached for her fork as she saw Chaos doing the same. It was her favorite meal, though how he could know that, she had no idea unless he’d asked someone in her home. The Slytherin stabbed at a piece of it, lifting it to her mouth though she froze in place at Chaos’ next words. He liked her. Like liked her liked her. Alana could feel her face burning as she forced herself to chew the food in her mouth. She reached for the glass of juice, lifting it with slightly shaking hands. Alana was struck speechless, her mind racing at this new revelation. Tears sprung to her eyes before she could stop them, though she couldn’t understand why she felt like crying. She took a sip of juice, though swallowing had suddenly become difficult. Clearing her throat, Alana took a deep breath and looked up at Chaos. “Let’s just enjoy dinner, ok? Please?” she said, her tone urgent. He was being honest, and she figured she should be too even if it would hurt him. Alana knew that her words would cut deeply though – that she didn’t feel the same way – and she couldn’t bring herself to do that, not when he’d just spent hours cooking for her. She’d never considered his feelings before, but now Alana was considering all of his actions, all of their recent conversations in the context of this revelation.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos watched her expressions as she tried the wine. Maybe he should have gotten the tea instead. Or water. Sparkling or non. But he wanted this to be absolutely the best. How could he make it the best? It was something he tried hard to do. Chaos looked down at the plate, allowing the confession to hang in the air. It was almost suffocating. Maybe he didn’t expect her to be so quiet. What was he think was going to happen? They become a couple automatically? That she felt the same way? Even Havoc hounded and tortured him with the idea that he would never be loved by his wife because of who he was. And how it was a pathetic feeling to begin with. Havoc was always there and basically stated with the two of them, they could accomplish anything. But Chaos only wanted one thing and that was all the muggleborns to perish. Havoc, on the other hand, just wanted everyone to suffer. He did not care who it was. Or what blood they had.

“Before we enjoy, I know you don’t have the same feelings I have. So, you don’t have to say anything. I know. But…” Chaos paused with a smirk playing on his lips. He wanted that to sink in. It was almost like he was up to something. He just did not know what it was it. He would find something soon enough. “I will fight for your affections. And I have a feeling that it will be a challenge considering how gorgeous you are, and how many other boys must fawn over you already.” Chaos was a jealous one and one could see that. But it was impossible for him to drive others away when he was stuck at home. He tasted his food and then asked as if nothing happened or was said, “So, how are my cooking skills?”
​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana sighed as Chaos wanted to say more on this subject. She gave him a weary nod, taking another bite though she really didn't have much of an appetite anymore. The meal looked and smelled great, but this conversation had soured things. Her gaze dropped as he guessed at her feelings. She had never really hidden her disdain for him, though now she sort of wished that she had. She felt bad for Chaos, accepting a challenge that she'd never given him. Alana almost wanted to tell him to not waste his time, but she remained silent though she did look up at him again. She wasn't used to hearing anyone fawn over her, and hearing it from Chaos was especially odd.

The teenager wanted nothing more than to rush from the table and to the comfort of her bedroom, but she remained rooted in her seat. "They're good. It's really good, Chaos" she forced a smile and another bite of food into her mouth. "Thank you" she added after a moment. Alana had begun to feel comfortable around Chaos, thinking they could develop a friendship, but this confession had made her feel like shutting him out once again. "It's my favorite. Did my dad tell you?" she asked, stopping the fork before she took another bite.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

The subject changed, and Chaos was almosting smiling to himself. If he kept this up, maybe he could somehow woo her another way. For now, he would just have to just be nice. Maybe behave like a normal person should. At least as normal as he could even try to get. "Yeah, I owled your dad for it. I wanted to make this as painless for you as possible. And I like to cook. Same as potions." Chaos had a skill in it now that he could no longer relay on his wand that he snapped himself. He also spoke once more, "Next year, when you are a seventh year, my dad is going to train me on wandless magic. He isn't a pro in it, but I thought it would be interesting. You get taught by Kalif." Chaos teased, while he took another bite, making sure not to talk with his mouth full. That would be absolutely disgusting. He could never do that. And he hated people that did. Manners were a big thing to him, mainly because he was raised that way. Chaos hoped that this would have ended on a better note. After this, he planned on going out and getting reaquianted with the world.
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[Alana Finch]

All of this was just a bit too much for Alana. The getting chummy with her father, the cooking for her, the talking about the future. Their future. With a shaky hand, Alana reached for her drink again and took a sip, the bubbles falling into the pit of her stomach and continuing to bubble there. "If I keep on with Defense against the dark arts" she pointed out. She had earned an Exceeds Expectations on her OWL, but she wasn't sure she wanted to have to see Professor Styx anymore than was necessary. "I haven't decided yet" she replied as she continued to watch Chaos eat and pretend to do the same. She took a bite on occasion, but she wasn't eating much. Finally, thankfully, he finished his plate. Alana quickly covered hers with her napkin and pushed her chair back, ready to bolt. Something stopped her though, and she sighed heavily. "Chaos. Listen" she began, "Thank you for dinner, but please...don't make this weird. Don't take this the wrong way, but isn't being friends enough?" She knew it would have to be. Alana had known Chaos for years now and could not see herself ever loving him. She kept her gaze decidely away from him as she continued on. "I know I have to marry you" or die, the words having finally made their way through to her, "and, I'll do my part when the day comes but..." she trailed off, not wanting to be that mean to him.