A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Something in him snapped the moment you allowed those words to exit your mouth. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed your left arm with his right hand and pulled you out of the chair. Not restraining himself, he threw you, causing you to collide with the tiled floor. You groaned in pain, as you made contact with the hard floor. There would be no doubt about bruises forming on your back later, though would there be a later for you? Lucian was currently turned away from you, as he ran his right fingers through his hair.

Managing to sit up on the ground, you watched as he walked over to one of the candelabras and blew out the candles. To your horror, he removed the candles and took the candelabra into his hands. Sore from the throw, you slowly got up and supported yourself by leaning against one of the nearby marble pillars. He stared at the item in his hands for what seemed like a minute before looking over his shoulder at you.

When he made eye contact with you, you froze in further fear, noticing the pure rage in his eyes. Swiftly he turned around and began to walk towards you, carrying the threatening object as well. You found your gaze staring at the weapon, but before you could make an attempt at a retreat, Lucian already stood right in front of you. Towering over you, you cast your gaze downwards, as you felt your hands trembling. Clinching your hands into fists so as to stop the trembling, you felt one of his hands rest on your right cheek. This contact caused you to tense further and you awaited him to plunge the candelabra into you, though this never happened.

Instead you heard him say in a voice filled with sorrow, "Why do you seem to always doubt me?"

Glancing up at him, you saw for a brief moment his eyes soften before they hardened once again. In that moment you knew that you had to run. Slapping his hand away, you darted for an exit. You didn't know this room and so you only hoped that you were running in a convenient direction. Not daring to look back, you saw ahead of you two silver double doors. Despite your back aching, you pushed yourself to reach that door. When you saw out of the corner of your eye a candelabra flying past you before spearing one of the doors, you could almost feel the anger radiating off of Lucian. Pressing yourself against the doors, you threw them open, finding yourself in a hallway, which had no illumination except for the candles that hung on the walls. Multiple plain wooden doors outlined the stone walls that seemed to go on for quite some distance. Taking the left side, you began to pound your feet against the ground, propelling yourself forward.

Hearing a door open behind you, you knew Lucian was now in the hall with you. His slow and steady steps mocked your fast paced ones that hit the ground with ferocity. Why was this happening? Did he really intend to kill you, when he still needed one mask piece? Was he giving that up just so he could vent his anger out on you? You didn't know how much longer you could run at this pace, as your chest felt like it was burning. Cursing the dress that made your retreat all the more harder, you saw the end of the hall approaching and the last door come into view. Of course when you reached it, it was locked, making you look for another escape.

Your heart pounded in your chest, as you went for another door. It was locked too, so was the next and the one following. Glancing back down the dim lit hallway, you saw Lucian's approaching form. Realization came over you, as you figured that he must have cast a spell for locking all the doors simultaneously. At this point your mind scrambled for some way out of this situation. With your hands still wrapped around a simple doorknob, an idea came to mind. Grabbing one of the candles, you held it in your hands and waited for him.

This did you no good, due to all the candles in the hallway being blown out. Only the one in your hand remained lit, but soon it illuminated Lucian's face looking down at you. The candle blew out, casting the two of you into complete darkness. Suddenly you felt a presence behind you, as arms wrapped around your waist and warm breath tickled your neck. Even though you were in the darkness, you shut your eyes, wishing you were somewhere else.

"Did you honestly think you could run?" he questioned in a dark and mocking voice.

"No," you answered truthfully, as you felt terror reach your eyes and escaping in the form of crystal clear liquid.

"Do you think that tears will quell my anger? Do you think that they will repair what you have already said?"

"No," you replied once more, as Lucian rested his chin on your right shoulder.

"Hmm, then why are you crying? There's no use for tears," he stated, releasing you from his hold.

You were shocked at first, but then you felt yourself being pushed to the floor, as the lights came back on. Landing on your stomach, you felt your hair being pulled at, as your head was forcibly brought backwards. Lucian crouched next to you, as he analyzed the expression of growing pain on your face. As for him, his expression remained unreadable. Next he pressed your face to the ground while he utilized his other hand and pressed it against your back, keeping you secure. In the next moment, you felt a shock of pain erupt through your body, as though you had been hit by an electric shock. Your ear splitting screams were muffled by the carpet while another wave of pain washed over you. Four more waves must have passed before you felt the pressure on your back decrease. Feeling yourself being turned, you now lay on your back, as Lucian gazed down upon you.

With your breath slow and uneven, you couldn't move due to the pain that coursed throughout your entire body. You could feel your eyes drooping, as they slowly closed, leaving you at the mercy of Lucian. Losing consciousness, Lucian picked you up and went down the hallway. The candles in the hallway highlighted your two forms and cast your shadows on the walls before they disappeared along with you two. When you awoke, you found yourself back in the antique room. Finding yourself in one of the crème colored cushions, you saw Lucian sitting in the other one. His head rested against the palm of his left hand and his eyes were closed.

Pain still remained in every inch of your body and you struggled to get into a comfortable position in the chair. You knew at this point that you wouldn't be able to walk and so you leaned back into the chair before looking out the window. Clouds of grey rolled on by, occasionally shielding the moon's light from your view. As your mind began to wonder, you cast your gaze back over at Lucian. Saying that your emotions were in turmoil would be an understatement. This man that sat only a few feet from you had managed to break down a wall you had built with every fiber of your will and you couldn't rebuild it. Thus when you found out that he might actually intend to kill you after all the mask pieces were collected, you didn't know what to think. Did that feeling that had escaped the recesses of your mind still remain or had it returned to its former place? Could you really have such feelings towards a man that just a few moments ago had inflicted immense pain on you?

A part of you screamed at yourself, saying how wrong it would be to still have such feelings towards such a person. On the flip side, a part of you forgave him and his actions. You didn't understand how you could forgive him? Leaning your head back, you let the now present moonlight shine on your face before closing your (e/c) eyes. Even with your eyes closed, you could still see the bright light; you could hear the light sound of rain hitting the ground outside. The clock ticked by with each passing second, never stopping, never ending its continuous sound. Which side would win, what would you choose?

Lucian soon awoke and saw you in your chair, still thinking you asleep. His anger still ran through his veins and made his eyes narrow at seeing your form. How could you look so peaceful? Your words were like poison dripping down his throat, slowly erasing his life. He thought he had your trust and your feelings, but instead you asked him whether he would kill you or not. That very question sparked a fury in him that he had not felt since he watched his sister die before his eyes. Every fiber of his being seemed to fill with the burning emotion and he had almost killed you. One more wave and you would have died; you wouldn't be sitting in that chair, but lying on the floor cold and lifeless.

He regretted committing such an act against you, but at the same time he didn't. Why didn't you see that he needed your trust and support, he needed to have you close to him? Thus when you couldn't answer him, when you couldn't admit your feelings, his mind seemed to shatter, leaving him only with an uncontrollable rage. Then as that question left your lips, it felt as though the broken fragments became dust. You had taken away the very thing that he desired from you; you had rejected him that very pleasure.

Ever since that invitation arrived, he had imagined a night filled with dancing and one where you would confess to him. Now there were those who danced, but you two weren't a part of that group. Instead the two of you remained isolated in this antique room where only the sound of a clock filled its space. When he saw your arm move slightly and your eyes open, he figured that you were now awake.

"So you're finally awake? Have you felt enough pain, have you felt the pain that you caused me?"

Ignoring him, you had your attention on something else. You merely closed your eyes once more and soaked in the fading and appearing moonlight. While you had your eyes closed, you seemed to almost enter some weird dream world. Before you were two staircases, both leading up while sunlight shone through a cloudy sky. One was golden and had a tattered red carpet that seemed to drip down the stairs. It was no longer shining brightly, but rather it was dull and covered in dust. Concerning the other staircase, it was made of stone and adorned with sparkling diamonds. At the end of each staircase rested the same door, though what was on the other side remained different. Certainty and uncertainty danced before your eyes, as the ground beneath your feet began to crumble. The sound of a clock in the background echoed in your ears, telling you to pick a path. There was time and no time; what would you choose? One foot moved in front of you and then the next, carrying you forward. The ground crumbled around you and your balance waned. Reaching the two staircases, you continued walking forward between the staircases. As the floor left your feet, you fell downwards into the cloudy scenery. Sunlight graced your features and an expression took form on your face.

Further angered by the lack of attention you were giving him; he got out of his chair and grabbed your neck before applying pressure. This action caused your vision of falling through the sunlit clouds to fade, leaving you to open your (e/c) eyes and lock gazes with Lucian. Air left your lungs, but you remained calm. His eyes were filled with hurt, longing and hatred. All emotions were directed at you, though surprise entered this mixture when he saw the expression on your face. A serene expression covered your face and his grip loosened a bit. Dust highlighted by the moonlight danced around your form sitting in the crème colored chair. It played in your (h/c) hair and smiled before your eyes. The fragments that had become dust were now around you and this startled Lucian. Slowly he went to remove his hands from around your neck, but you brought your hands up and kept his hands there. Your lips curved into an genuine smile, one of beauty and forgiveness before uttering something that you never thought you would.

"Kill me or keep me Lucian, for you have taken away my past and given me a future, a future where I die or live by your hand. I cannot stop your decision, for I have already chosen my path. Choose yours and I will abide by it, for I now realize that I love you."