Trace and Me Only!

"Aunty Bethy, why are you crying?" Chris asked walking towards them room carrying a pillow from the room with him.

Bethany sniffed startled and looked up at him, "I told you to go to sleep, hun."

Gideon walked down the hall, stopping a few feet away from the girls and the boy. "Bethany, you might want to come with me," he frowned, not looking like he had good news to share.

"Whats...going on?" she asked hesitantly. getting up.

"Kade's in pretty bad shape," he murmured grimly. "Dante really did a number on him."

Bethany got up and told Chris to stay with Lilli. "Alright..." she started to walk down the hallway, nervous about how bad of a shape he could possibly be in.

Gideon led Beth back to the infirmary, where Kade was laying on a hospital bed on his back, looking broken and beaten.

She sat by him, with a worried expression on her face. "Vampires...do they heal any faster than humans? Oh Kade, you shouldn't have let them do this to you"she said quiety stroking his hair lightly.

"We do," Gideon nodded. "And even faster with blood," he murmured quietly.

"My fault," Kade croaked, cracking one eye open and looking at her. His other eye was swollen shut.

You shouldn't have done this to yourself." she said quietly and held out her wrist to him, "Here, you need to get better." she said rolling up her sleeve in case he wanted a bit of arm instead.

He shook his head, struggling with the effort. "I'll heal... Stay," he begged. He didn't want her to leave his side, but he wouldn't accept her blood until he was healed fully.

Bethany sighed and just rested her hand on top of his, to afraid of hurting it if she tried to hold it.

Kade closed his eye and rested, his cuts and bruises healing, as well as the welt on his other eye.

She stayed with him eventually holding his hand softly. "You shouldn't have let yourself be beaten up because of this....it was all my fault to begin with..."

His whisper woke him up. He looked up at her gently. "This isn't your fault," he murmured, squeezing her hand gently.

Bethany sighed chuckling, "Thats what everyone keeps saying..."

"Because it's true. Why don't you believe us," he asked, still sounding a little weak.

"None if it would have happened if I left, I should have sucked it up and tried to live without them..." she said sadly

He pulled her to him, so she'd have to get up on the hospital bed with him. "Bethany. You did what you had to do to be happy. You didn't know you'd be attacked. If you did, I know you wouldn't have left."

"She cautiously got in with him, some hair falling into her face. "I guess..."

He smiled and stroked the hair out of her face. "There's something else I need to tell you. I'm not sure how you'll take it," he whispered.

"How bad is it?" she asked worriedly nuzzling into his hand softly

A muscle twitched in his face, he half-smiled at her. "That's for you to judge," he said and waited for a minute before saying it. "I love you, Beth," he murmured.

"Kade, thats not bad at all." she smiled leaning down to kiss him softly on the lips.

He smiled and kissed her back softly, his hand running tenderly through her hair.

She smiled into the kiss gently caressing his cheek.